Kitchen Landing Zones
Taped target zones turn the kitchen into a scoring board — call your zone, drop, and tally the landing.
- LevelBeginner
- Players2 Players
- Duration15 min
- EquipmentNet + Wall
The third shot drop has a landing area that most beginners treat as one blob: the kitchen. But a drop that lands three inches past the net and a drop that lands a foot inside the kitchen line are different shots with different risks, and the only way to learn the difference is to see it. Kitchen Landing Zones makes the kitchen legible. Tape two vertical strips across the kitchen, dividing it into three zones: the short zone just behind the net, the mid zone, and the deep zone hugging the kitchen line. Add a simple scoring system — short zone is worth one point, mid zone two, deep zone three — and the drill becomes a game against yourself. The scoring encodes real strategy. The deep zone scores highest because a drop that dies at your opponent's feet takes away their time and their angle; it is the hardest landing and the most valuable one. The short zone is the safest — a ball that dies close to the net is nearly impossible to attack — and worth practicing as your fallback under pressure. The mid zone is the compromise, and knowing when you are settling for it is part of the learning. Your partner feeds from the kitchen line, exactly as in the classic drop ladder, while you call your target zone before each drop. Five points wins a round; play three rounds per station from center, right, and left. The call-before-shot rule does double duty: it forces a commitment to a target, and it gives your feedback a label — when a called deep lands short, you know your arc was too timid, and when a called short sails to mid, your face opened at contact. Because the drill runs at beginner-friendly pace and the partner only feeds, it converts well for senior pairs, and the taped zones can even be recreated against a wall by marking landing-depth strips on the ground.
Equipment: You will need a net and a wall.
How to run this drill
Tape two vertical strips across the kitchen, dividing it into short, mid and deep landing zones, and agree the scoring: short is 1 point, mid is 2, deep is 3.
Your partner feeds medium-paced balls from the kitchen line while you start at the baseline.
Call your target zone out loud before each drop, then hit — the landing must match the call to score, and a net or out-of-bounds ball scores zero.
Play to 5 points from each station (center, right corner, left corner), then swap roles with your partner.
Sets, reps & pass standard
Sets & reps: 3 rounds per station
You're ready to move on when: You're ready to move on when you can win a round to 5 while landing at least two called shots in the deep zone.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Always calling the short zone — it is the safe landing, but the deep zone is the one that wins points, so chase the 3.
- Changing your swing between zones — only the arc height changes; the mechanics stay identical.
- Ignoring a mismatch between call and landing — the gap between them is exactly what the drill exists to reveal.
Frequently asked questions
What equipment do you need for the Kitchen Landing Zones?
You need a net and a wall. Any sturdy wall at hip height or higher works — a garage door or handball wall is ideal.
How long does the Kitchen Landing Zones take?
About 15 minutes, typically organized as 3 rounds per station. It is rated Beginner and works for 2 players.
What does success look like on this drill?
You're ready to move on when you can win a round to 5 while landing at least two called shots in the deep zone.