Red Light Green Light Shot Choice
Decision Making
Legend
- player
- cones
- ball
- movement path
How it works
Introduce basic shot-selection decision making by teaching young players to choose between a safe shot and an aggressive shot based on a simple visual cue.
What you need
- tennis racket
- tennis balls
- court
- red and green cones
Your focus
Young players tend to hit every ball the same way without reading context. Using color-coded cones to represent safe (red) and go for it (green) teaches the concept of situational shot selection in a game-like, memorable format. The visual cue system scaffolds decision making until it becomes intuitive.
Place a red cone on one side of the court (signaling a safe crosscourt shot) and a green cone on the other (signaling an aggressive shot or winner attempt).
Coach feeds a ball and calls 'Red!' or 'Green!' as the ball leaves the hand.
Player executes the corresponding shot: crosscourt rally ball for red, or an aggressive aimed shot toward a target for green.
After 10 feeds, player earns points for correct execution (right shot for right cue); leader at end of session wins.
Goal
You've got it when you choose the right shot based on the signal without hesitating, green means go, red means safe, and you react before you overthink.
Helpful cues
- Listen for the color, then hit!
- Red = safe, Green = go!
- Make the decision before the ball bounces.
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Strip it back
Only use the red cone (safe shot) until the concept is solid before adding the green option.
UpLVL it
Add the next challenge
Remove the verbal cue and let the player read the ball's depth to self-decide, deep balls are red, short balls are green.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.