Serve and First Ball
Why this drill
The wall returns your serve faster than any human — which makes it the perfect trainer for the shot after your serve. Serve, and the rebound is already coming: get set and put the first ball back deep.
Setup
Wall with the 34-inch line. Stand about twenty feet back with a supply of balls in a pocket or bucket beside you.
The drill
Hit a full legal serve into the wall a couple of feet above the line — then immediately split step, because the rebound arrives fast and long. Play it after the bounce with a controlled deep ball back above the line, then catch the next rebound and reset. Serve, split, first ball: that's one rep. Sets of ten; score the pair — a serve that strikes above the line at pace, and a first ball returned above the line under control. Seven of ten is strong. The unspoken skill is the split step; without it, the wall wins every rep.
One thought to take on court
The serve isn't over at contact — land your follow-through in a ready position, because the wall has already answered.