Serve & Pump
Confidence
Legend
- player
- coach / parent
- movement path
How it works
Build serving confidence by setting incremental target goals and reinforcing successful serves with a positive physical gesture.
What you need
- tennis racket
- tennis balls
- court
- targets (cones or poly spots)
Your focus
Fear of double-faulting is one of the earliest confidence killers in junior tennis. Setting achievable serve targets makes success frequent and reduces the fear of missing. The fist-pump habit after successful serves links a confident body posture to the serving routine, which transfers to match play.
Place two cone targets in the service box: one in the T zone and one out wide.
Player delivers 10 deliveries aiming at either target; for each delivery that lands in, they fist-pump and announce the score aloud.
Increase difficulty: player calls the target before each delivery for the next 10 balls.
Track the percentage of called targets hit; coach sets a session goal (e.g., 50%) that is achievable but requires focus.
Helpful cues
- Call it, hit it, own it!
- Fist pump like you meant it!
- Confident toss = confident serve.
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Strip it back
Remove the target-calling requirement and simply reward any serve that lands in the correct service box.
UpLVL it
Add the next challenge
Add a returner who stands at the baseline; the pressure of hitting to a live opponent increases confidence when serves land in.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.