ball machine - The Drop Drive

Player in a white cap raising his paddle high to hit an overhead near the net

Move Up by Drilling: Reps Beat More Open-Play Games

ByChief October 20, 2026

Troy Akin’s cue: the players who move up aren’t stacking more open-play games — they’re the ones drilling. Open play might give you ~10 dinks an hour; a drill block can give you hundreds, which is how a shot holds up when points get tight.

Player in sunglasses moving into a ready position with his paddle held in front

Tic-Tac-Toe Off the Bounce: Fourth-Shot Accuracy Grid

ByChief October 17, 2026

John Cincola’s Titan drill (off-the-bounce version) places nine cones in a tic-tac-toe grid and uses rapid-fire from transition left or right. Goal: hit each cone line to train fourth-shot control off the bounce.