Drill of the Week: Crosshairs Target Practice

Focus: Pinpoint accuracy (without swinging bigger)

This is a wall drill that makes your paddle face honest. The same skill you use to hit tape on the wall is what lets you pick a specific shoulder, hip, or foot in real kitchen exchanges.

Setup

• A safe wall and a ball you can use there
• Painter’s tape
• Stand close enough to control the rebound, but far enough that it isn’t rebounding dangerously fast (about 8–12 feet for most players)
• Tape a horizontal “net line” across the wall
• Make four targets in a crosshair shape, each about the size of your paddle face (8–10 inches):
  • A (top): just above the net line
  • B (bottom): just below the net line
  • C (left) and D (right): around mid-paddle height on each side of the center

Solo drill 1: Stationary Target Reps

Purpose: pure accuracy

How it works

• Pick one target (A)
• Hit 10 controlled shots trying to strike the tape
• Repeat for B, C, D
• Do 2 rounds

Scoring (optional)

• 1 point for tape contact
• Try to beat your total next round

Solo drill 2: Continuous Rally Pattern

Purpose: accuracy while you reset quickly

How it works

• Keep a continuous rally going with the wall
• Follow a fixed pattern:
  • A → B → C → D → repeat
    (If you want more direction change: A → C → B → D)

Rules that matter

• Keep the ball below your net line
• If you miss a target, keep the rally alive and get back on pattern

Scoring

• Count your longest streak of correct targets in order

Make it a partner game (same drills, just taking turns)
If you have a partner, you don’t need a different drill yet. Turn the solo work into a game.

How to play it

• One player hits while the other counts and retrieves
• Switch every round (or every 60 seconds)

Simple scoring options

• Stationary game: each player gets 40 attempts (10 per target). High score wins.
• Pattern game: each player gets 60 seconds. Longest in-order streak wins.

Partner drill: Crosshair Call-Outs

Focus: accuracy under reaction pressure

Same wall, same targets. Now you don’t get to choose. Your partner calls it late and you still have to hit it clean.

Setup

• Partner stands safely off to the side (not in the rebound line)

How it works

• You rally continuously with the wall
• Your partner calls the target as the ball leaves the wall (not after it bounces)
• You must hit the called target on the very next contact

Rules

• No pausing to wait for the call
• Keep the ball controlled under the net line
• If you miss the called target, keep the rally going and take the next call

Scoring (pick one)

• 60-second round: count how many called targets you hit
• First to 15: each correct called target is 1 point

What to focus on

• Quiet paddle, loud feet: use your feet to get the ball in front of you, then guide it with a small, firm motion
• Compact swing: big swings don’t aim better — they spray
• Contact in front: late contact is why “easy targets” get missed

Quick progression

• Start with big targets
• Then shrink them
• Then step farther from the wall (less time to react)

How much to do

2–3 rounds of 60 seconds, 2–3 times per week is plenty. You’ll feel it quickly in kitchen targeting and resets because you stop “hoping” for precision and start training it.