Tennis racket reaction catching drill

At a glance

Sport

Baseball and Softball

Skill

Catching the ball

Ages

6U to 14U

Players

2 (a feeder with a racket and a catcher)

Time

About 8 minutes

Level

Intermediate

Equipment

A tennis racket, Two or three tennis balls or soft foam balls

Indoors

Yes

A ball off a racket comes back quicker and less predictably than a toss, so the player has to be ready the instant their own toss leaves the hand. That makes this a good next step for players who catch soft tosses well and need something faster.

A tennis ball is soft enough to catch barehanded but bouncy enough to pop out of stiff hands, so the drill rewards giving with the ball. It can run in a gym or a garage, and a coach can feed one player after another in short, quick bursts.

Setup

• The feeder stands 12 to 15 feet from the catcher with a tennis racket.
• The catcher starts barehanded, holding two tennis balls or foam balls.
• The catcher is in a ready position, knees bent, weight forward.

How to run it

1. The catcher tosses one ball underhand toward the feeder's racket.
2. The catcher gets the hands up into a ready position right away.
3. The feeder hits the ball back softly, sometimes at the chest, sometimes higher, sometimes to one side.
4. The catcher reacts, moves the feet if needed and catches the ball barehanded.
5. Keep it going for 30 to 45 seconds, alternating catches with the glove hand alone and with two hands, then switch roles.

Coaching points

• Ready the instant the toss leaves the hand. Don't watch your own toss.
• Track the ball off the strings all the way into the hands.
• Start with glove-hand-only catches, then add two-hand catches.
• Give with the hands to take the bounce out of the tennis ball.

Common mistakes

• The feeder hitting too hard. Soft volleys only; this is not a tennis rally.
• Standing tall and flat-footed instead of in a ready position.
• Stiff hands, so the ball bounces out.

Printable drill card

Take this drill to the field: the setup, steps, coaching points and equipment on one card, with the video's address to find it again. Free, no account needed.

Smaller: half page or quarter page (PDF).

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Frequently Asked Questions

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