Terminator
Why this drill
One player owns the kitchen line and attacks everything; the other starts at the baseline and has to earn the line under fire. It is the transition game with the cooperation removed — the drill that tells you whether your drops and resets survive contact with an opponent who wants them dead.
Setup
Half court, sideline to centerline. One player (the terminator) at the non-volley-zone line with a ball; the other at the baseline.
The drill
The terminator feeds a medium-pace ball to the baseline player and the point is live. The baseline player's job is to reach the kitchen line and win the point; the terminator's job is to keep them pinned — attacking anything high, dropping anything short. Baseline player scores 2 for winning a point at the line, 1 for winning it from anywhere else; terminator scores 1 per point won. First to 11, then swap roles. Track how your points end: if you die in the transition zone every time, your drop is the problem; if you die at the line, it's your hands.
One thought to take on court
Advance behind your best ball, hold behind your worst — the line is earned in installments.