Cone Shuffle Rally
Agility & Change of Direction
Legend
- player
- cones
- movement path
How it works
Develop basic lateral shuffle movement by having players touch cones placed along the baseline before catching a fed ball.
What you need
- tennis racket
- tennis balls
- court
- cones
Your focus
Young players learn to move their feet quickly side to side, building the foundation for court coverage. Touching cones gives a concrete target so kids stay engaged and develop spatial awareness on court. The ball-catch reward reinforces the connection between footwork and being ready to hit.
Place two cones 6 feet apart on either side of the center mark on the baseline.
Player starts at the center mark in a ready position with racket in hand.
Coach calls 'left' or 'right' and player shuffle-steps to touch the cone, then returns to center.
After two shuffles, coach hand-feeds a soft ball and player catches it with the racket face.
Goal
You've got it when you touch each cone and still catch the ball, your feet are already moving before the ball arrives.
Helpful cues
- Stay on your toes like a ninja
- Shuffle don't cross your feet
- Eyes up, watch for the ball
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Strip it back
Remove the racket and have players touch cones with their hand only before catching the ball with both hands.
UpLVL it
Add the next challenge
Add a third cone and require players to touch two cones before the coach feeds the ball.No account needed
Build a practice plan
Add drills, keep the plan in this browser, then share a link with your staff or parents.This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.
This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.After every practice, UpLVL automatically surfaces the drills each player needs to work on most. See it for yourself.