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Tennis · Level 6: Advanced · Sub-level 6.2

Patterns of Play

4 tests · 40 facts · updated 12 October 2026 · markdown

How points are built from repeated patterns: the cross-court contest, the change down the line, the inside-out and inside-in forehand, and the short-long combinations.

Each test below is ten questions on Insporta. The list under a test is what the questions check: one fact per question, with the source it was written from. Read it before the test, or come back from a wrong answer.

Test 1The cross-court contestTake a test

  1. For a right-hander the ad corner is the backhand side, so an ad-to-ad diagonal is backhand against backhand.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · applied

  2. A cross-court forehand from the deuce corner lands in the opponent's deuce corner, which is a left-hander's backhand side.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · applied

  3. The safe diagonal is used to force a shorter or weaker ball, and that ball is the one to change direction on.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  4. Owning a diagonal means winning that exchange more often than the opponent does.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  5. Cross-court is the highest-percentage rally shot, so using it against the weaker wing adds pressure at little risk.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  6. If one diagonal is lost, the rally should be moved to one the player wins more often.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · applied

  7. A pattern is a repeatable plan of two or three shots that a player trusts to win points.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  8. The diagonal builds the point, the weaker ball allows the change, and the hitter moves in behind it.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  9. Depth and balance tell the player when the shorter ball has come and the change can be made.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · applied

  10. The marked diagonal joins the two deuce corners, which for right-handers are both forehand sides.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · applied

Test 2Changing direction down the lineTake a test

  1. The line is shorter than the diagonal, so the ball arrives sooner.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  2. Aiming inside the line and deep leaves room for error while keeping the opponent back.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  3. The diagonal is played until it produces a ball worth changing direction on.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  4. After going down the line the hitter is off-centre, so a good cross-court reply goes into space.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  5. If both directions look the same until contact, the opponent cannot move early.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  6. From deep the ball takes long enough to arrive that a fast opponent gets there.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  7. A short central change gives the opponent time and an angle, so the change has backfired.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · applied

  8. The line change follows a shorter ball and is followed by moving in.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  9. The easier the ball, the safer it is to redirect it.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · applied

  10. A short ball to the forehand can be taken inside the court and redirected down the line.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · applied

Test 3Inside-out and inside-in forehandsTake a test

  1. The player runs around the backhand and hits the forehand across the body towards the opponent's ad corner.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  2. From the same inside position, the inside-in forehand goes straight down the line instead of across.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  3. For most players the forehand is the bigger weapon, so they create forehands from the backhand side.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  4. The player ends up in the backhand corner, so a good reply into the forehand corner is hard to reach.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  5. Forehand against backhand is a favourable matchup for most players.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  6. The opponent's line backhand goes straight into the space the hitter left by running around.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  7. Once the opponent leans towards the expected inside-out target, the line behind them is open.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · applied

  8. The player reads the ball early, moves around it, hits, and recovers to cover the open side.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  9. Inside-out goes across the body, inside-in goes straight down the line, and the middle sits between them.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · applied

  10. From the backhand corner, the path across the court to the opponent's ad side is the inside-out forehand.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · applied

Test 4Short and long combinationsTake a test

  1. The first shot creates the opening and the second uses it.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  2. A finish that is always the same is soon read and covered.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  3. Closer to the net, the drop shot reaches the far side sooner and lands shorter.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  4. An opponent who reaches the drop shot will often push it short or angled, so the hitter moves in.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  5. The further back the opponent has been pushed, the further they must run for the drop shot.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  6. Long clay rallies push players deep, so a short ball has a long way to be chased.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  7. A pattern is kept while it works; its success against this opponent is the test.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  8. The deep ball sets up the drop shot, and the hitter follows it in.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · recall

  9. A drop shot is best when it is not reached, and worst when it is reached early enough to attack.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · applied

  10. A player running forward cannot easily turn and chase a ball over their head.

    Source: General coaching reference (patterns of play) · applied

Sources

ITF coach-education materials, ITF Coaching & Sport Science Review, federation curricula, general coaching references; original questions authored, nothing reproduced. Numbered ITF rules belong to the Rules category.

  • General coaching reference (patterns of play)40