Beginner training routine: 6 drills to do every week

23 June 2026

Most beginners spend all their time playing matches, but matches rarely teach you technique - they just reveal what you need to practice. Here’s a simple session you can run with a practice partner, roughly 45-60 minutes.

1. Net warm-up (5 minutes)

Stand close to the net facing each other and hit soft volleys back and forth. Focus on a short swing and contacting the ball in front of your body. The goal is to warm up the wrist and get a feel for the ball, not power.

2. Baseline groundstrokes (10 minutes)

Stand at the baseline and rally groundstrokes with each other. Keep the ball in play as long as possible before switching sides. Count your longest rallies - it builds consistency.

3. Lobs (10 minutes)

One player stands at the net, the other at the baseline. The baseline player hits lobs (high balls off the back wall) while the net player practices retreating and hitting smashes or bandejas. Switch roles after 5 minutes.

4. Net volley duel (10 minutes)

Both players stand at the net and rally fast volleys against each other at increasing pace. This trains reflexes and quick decisions, which matter a lot in real matches.

5. Wall-bounce drills (10 minutes)

Use the glass wall. One player hits the ball off the wall so it bounces back to their partner, who must return it directly. This trains timing for balls coming off the wall, one of the hardest things for beginners to learn.

6. Constrained point play (10 minutes)

Play short points but with one rule, for example that every ball must pass above shoulder height, or that smashes aren’t allowed. It forces patience and better positioning instead of just hitting hard.

How often should you do this?

Once a week is enough to see clear improvement within a few months. Combine it with regular matches and you get both technique and game sense - two things matches alone rarely give you.