Faux doubles practice

This is a great drill for practicing hitting cross court in doubles when you only have two people. I had my lesson today suggest this drill that he had picked up in Florida.

To start, divide the court right down the middle into two sides, deuce side and add side, (deuce is the servers right side, ad is the opposite). You play cross court, one vs. one. One player serves while the other returns, the deuce half of the court for each player is in first, alleys are in as well. One player will serve the entire first game, staying on the deuce side for every serve. Points are won by normal rules, only that the ad side of the court is out, so points must be won hitting cross court. You can play to five, seven, eleven or any other number depending on length of the points and you must win by two. After one player wins, the serve changes hands. After each player has served the deuce side, switch and play on the ad side, meaning deuce court is now out of bounds.
This drill strengthens the importance of hitting cross court in doubles to build your points, as well as hitting angled shots with the alleys. Keep in mind though that when you actually play, you may have a second opponent at the net, ready to poach those easy shots down the middle.

Footwork and position from the ball

Your position or distance from the ball is one of the most important things in separating a decent shot from a great shot. This drill is designed to help you find your best distance on your forehand and backhand side, as well as help with the footwork necessary to set up for each.
1) Grab a friend, this drill is for two.
2) Get at least ten balls and a racquet.
3) Have one person stand on the baseline with their racquet and the other feeding from the service line.
4) Toss the balls just out of reach in sets of 10, alternating between forehand and backhand for each feed, (start slow the first set and speed up every new set).
5) Pay close attention to how you move to the ball and what feels like the best distance, if you have to reach out for the ball or the ball is too close and you are cramped then you will need to readjust.
If you have more than 2, or taking semi-private or group lesson, then you can have the others shadow hit behind the baseline player. If this is the case make sure the person actually hitting the ball has plenty of room!