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Anticipation drills

Reading an opponent’s position, preparation, and contact cues early enough to prepare instead of only reacting to their shot.

Drills in this collection

Choose a drill to practise

17 reviewed drills include this focus.See this theme in the glossary.

Call It

Force an early read by naming the shot right before the opponent contacts the ball.

Level 4.0–5.0+ · 2, 4 players

Constrained Doubles

Use one clear tactical constraint to narrow choices inside realistic doubles points.

Level 4.0–5.0+ · 4 players

Dink and Lob

Keep the lob as a genuine unannounced option inside a live dink rally.

Level 3.0–5.0+ · 2, 4 players

Dodgeball

Practise clearing the body and letting believable shoulder-high out balls pass.

Level 3.5–5.0+ · 2, 4 players

Drip

Practise a third shot with more pace than a drop and more control than a drive, aimed at a moving opponent's feet.

Level 4.0–5.0+ · 2, 4 players

Drive-or-Drop Decision

Make the third-shot decision visible by calling the intended response before contact.

Level 3.5–5.0+ · 2, 4 players

Five-Dink to Attack

Create patience by requiring a stable dink exchange before attacking becomes legal.

Level 3.5–5.0+ · 2, 4 players

Narrate the Ball

Say the height, pace, and intended response to each incoming ball so the read can be reviewed.

Level 3.5–5.0+ · 2, 4 players

Overhead Decision Tree

Call and execute one of three overhead responses based on depth and body position.

Level 3.5–5.0+ · 2, 4 players

Paddle-Face Bounce Control

Warm up hand-eye coordination by controlling ball height on each paddle face before alternating sides.

Level 2.5–5.0+ · 1 players

Protect the Line

Play a dink-only scoring game that rewards deep placement and teaches each player to defend the kitchen line by taking deep dinks out of the air.

Level 3.5–5.0+ · 2, 4 players

Random Green Light

Read an unannounced attackable ball instead of pre-planning the speed-up.

Level 3.5–5.0+ · 2, 4 players

Serve, Return, Third, Catch

Create realistic third shots by earning them through a live serve and return.

Level 3.5–5.0+ · 2, 4 players

Setups

Move crosscourt dinks to create an off-balance reply that can be attacked.

Level 3.5–5.0+ · 2, 4 players

Topspin or Slice Third-Shot Drop

Read the incoming return, then choose an assertive topspin drop or a safer slice drop that gives you time to advance.

Level 3.5–5.0+ · 2, 4 players