Ten drills that teach English the way an athlete trains a skill: in context, under mild pressure, with immediate feedback. Each drill names the sport, the target language and the CEFR band it serves, so a teacher or coach can run it tomorrow — and so students build the fluency IELTS and TOEFL reward.
Written by James Corden-Lloyd — PTR-certified tennis coach, TEFL and EAP qualified teacher, and founder of Topball.
Morning
Target grammar and vocabulary introduced in 45 minutes, with the day's drill named in advance.
Midday
The same language is required to complete the session. Coaches correct language and technique together.
Afternoon
Reflection, written report or recorded commentary, marked against CEFR descriptors.
| # | Drill | Sport | CEFR | Target language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Call the score | Tennis | A1–A2 | Numbers, present simple, question forms |
| 2 | Name the shot | Tennis | A1–A2 | Nouns and verb collocations (hit, slice, lift, drive) |
| 3 | Instruction relay | Football | A2 | Imperatives and prepositions of place |
| 4 | Two-minute commentary | Any | A2–B1 | Present continuous vs present simple |
| 5 | Tactical briefing | Football / Rugby | B1 | Future forms, going to, will, conditionals |
| 6 | Tie-break negotiation | Tennis | B1–B2 | Polite disagreement, hedging, modal verbs |
| 7 | Post-match reflection | Any | B1–B2 | Past simple, past continuous, because/although |
| 8 | Coach's chair | Any | B2 | Giving feedback, comparatives, softening language |
| 9 | Press conference | Any | B2–C1 | Question handling, discourse markers, register |
| 10 | Written match report | Any | C1 | Academic register, passive voice, cohesion |
Tennis · A1–A2
Target language: Numbers, present simple, question forms
How to run it: Players must announce the score in full English before every serve: 'Thirty–fifteen, I serve.' Coach withholds the ball until the call is correct.
What it produces: Fluent number recall and confident short statements under mild pressure.
Tennis · A1–A2
Target language: Nouns and verb collocations (hit, slice, lift, drive)
How to run it: After each rally the player names the last shot played and the shot they wanted: 'I hit a slice, I wanted a drive.'
What it produces: Vocabulary anchored to physical memory, so it is recalled without translation.
Football · A2
Target language: Imperatives and prepositions of place
How to run it: One player receives a drill card and must instruct a teammate purely in English: 'Pass to my left, then run behind the cone.' No pointing allowed.
What it produces: Accurate imperatives and spatial prepositions produced at speed.
Any · A2–B1
Target language: Present continuous vs present simple
How to run it: A student commentates live on a two-minute rally or small-sided game, then repeats the same passage in the past tense.
What it produces: Automatic tense switching — the single most common CEFR B1 blocker.
Football / Rugby · B1
Target language: Future forms, going to, will, conditionals
How to run it: Before a set-piece, the captain briefs the group: 'If they press high, we are going to switch play.' The group must repeat the plan back.
What it produces: Conditionals and future forms used for real decisions, not gap-fill exercises.
Tennis · B1–B2
Target language: Polite disagreement, hedging, modal verbs
How to run it: Players resolve a disputed call in English using set phrases: 'I think it might have been long — shall we replay the point?'
What it produces: Diplomatic English that transfers directly to interviews and classrooms.
Any · B1–B2
Target language: Past simple, past continuous, because/although
How to run it: Three sentences, spoken and then written: what happened, why it happened, what changes next session.
What it produces: The paragraph structure IELTS and TOEFL writing tasks reward.
Any · B2
Target language: Giving feedback, comparatives, softening language
How to run it: A student coaches a peer for five minutes, then justifies their corrections to the group.
What it produces: Confident public speaking with comparative and evaluative language.
Any · B2–C1
Target language: Question handling, discourse markers, register
How to run it: After match play, peers act as journalists. Answers must run at least four sentences and use two discourse markers.
What it produces: Extended, structured speech — the exact skill assessed in IELTS Part 3.
Any · C1
Target language: Academic register, passive voice, cohesion
How to run it: A 250-word report written the same day, edited once against a rubric of accuracy, range and cohesion.
What it produces: Academic writing built from firsthand experience, so content is never the bottleneck.
The full CEFR-mapped programmes go further: level tests, lesson plans, session cards and assessment rubrics for tennis, football and rugby.