Around the world serving

What you need

Players

2 to 8 players

Time

6 to 10 min

Level

Intermediate

Equipment

Balls, Ball cart, Cones

Ball fed by

Not needed

Space

A full court

Setup

1. One server behind the right end of the near end line, with a ball cart close by.
2. A cone in the middle of each of the six main zones on the far side: 1, 6 and 5 deep, 2, 3 and 4 short.
3. Other players wait off court and keep score; the next server steps in when the round ends.

How it runs

A server works through the far court one zone at a time, starting deep right in zone 1 and moving around through 2, 3, 4, 5 and finally 6 in the middle. A good serve moves you on to the next zone; a miss means another try at the same one. The first server to clear all six wins the round.

Time and reps: One trip around the court per turn, then hand over to the next server.

Coaching points

• Keep the same swing and change only your aim.
• Keep the toss identical so the only change is where you point.
• After a miss, take one breath and reset your routine before the next ball.
• Notice which zones are hard for you and practice those first next time.

Ways to change it

• Go the other way around, from 6 back to 1.
• Play a short round that uses only the three front zones.
• Float serves only, or topspin only.

Terms on this page

Zones 1 to 6

The six court spots, numbered from your own side facing the net. Zone 1 is back right, where the serve is hit from.

        net
  4     3     2
  5     6     1
      end line