A ball fed to your forehand, a cross-court rally and a point started with a serve ask different things of you. Choosing between them is part of planning a tennis session.
Before picking a drill, name the task. Perhaps you want more time to organise a backhand, to direct the ball during a rally, or to decide when to attack. Those are different reasons to step onto court.
Choose cooperative rallying when you want to exchange shots with another player while keeping the ball in play. Agree a direction and a manageable pace. For cross-court practice, aim diagonally into a generous area. Give your partner a ball they can return rather than trying to win every exchange.
You can also put a clear boundary between cooperation and competition. The LTA’s practice games include “Five and live”: players rally together for five shots, then open up the point. Both people know when the task changes.
Choose a simple feed when you want to look closely at one shot. Ask your partner to send a gentle ball towards an agreed area, play the shot, then reset. You might use this to explore where you meet a backhand without also having to keep a rally alive. Swap roles and keep loose balls out of the playing area.
That predictable start is useful for a narrow task. It does not tell you how the shot will hold up when an opponent changes the ball’s speed, height or direction.
Choose scored points when you want those decisions back in the session. Start with a serve if you want to practise the opening of a match point. LTA coach Matt Smith recommends this because it includes the serve, return and the server’s next shot.
You do not need to fit every format into every booking. I would choose one main task, then use a short period of points to see what changes when the ball becomes less predictable.
Finish by naming what you learned. Could you find the contact you wanted from a feed? Direct a cooperative rally? Recognise an attacking opportunity during points? The score answers who won. Your chosen task helps explain what you practised.