Tennis · Rallying & consistency · Tactics & patterns
Changing direction down the line
Rally crosscourt, then change direction down the line on the right ball and play the point out.
Start / 6
- Time
- 15 min
- Players
- 2–8
- Age
- U12+
- Area
- Full court
- Equipment
- 12 balls
Setup
- Pairs start a crosscourt forehand rally from the baselines.
How it runs
- Rally crosscourt until the ball count reaches 4.
- From ball 5, either player may change down the line; the point is then live in the full singles court.
- Change down the line only off a ball you can step into, landing near or inside the service line.
- Win the point after changing direction: 2 points. Lose it: the other player gets 2.
- First to 11, then swap to the backhand diagonal.
Coaching points
- Crosscourt is the safe ball: net is lower, court is longer.
- Change direction off a shorter, slower ball when balanced, not on the run.
- Aim a metre inside the sideline, not on it.
- After going down the line, recover across; the reply will come crosscourt.
Common mistakes
- Changing direction from a deep, fast ball and missing wide.
- Watching the down-the-line shot instead of recovering.
- Changing direction too early and losing the rally pattern.
Say it: “Cross till it's short, then line.”
Make it harder
- Allow the change from ball 3.
- The defender must reply crosscourt only after the change.
Make it easier
- Coach feeds the short ball that triggers the change.
- Play it cooperatively: change direction, then rally down the line.
Reviewed by the Sportdify coaching team.