The U.S. Tennis Association uses the tag line, "A sport of a lifetime." You can play tennis from early childhood or take it up as a senior citizen looking for a social fitness outlet. Regardless of what age beginner you are, you'll find some fun drills to play whether with your coach or with friends.
Cardio Tennis
Cardio tennis is a combination of vigorous aerobics and tennis instruction. While tennis is considered an aerobic activity on its own with anywhere from 584 to 872 calories per hour burned, according to the MayoClinic.com, group drills often have you stopping for instruction, water or rest frequently. Cardio or aerobic tennis pumps up the music and your heart rate with continuous activity even when you are waiting in line to hit the ball. You may do agility drills with a rope ladder while getting back to the line or do jumping jacks while in line to hit side-to-side passing shots. Cardio tennis starts with a five- to 10-minute warm-up, followed by 30 to 50 minutes of cardio and a cooldown.
Ball-Handling Drills
You often see kids balancing balls on their rackets, doing relay races from the baseline to the net and back. Drills like this or bouncing the ball down the court or on the racket face seem like silly kids' games to the untrained eye. However, for a beginner, learning to control the ball with the racket in a controlled fashion is essential to controlling it when hitting it with many more variables involved. Splitting a group into equal teams creates a fun competition among players while helping develop the skills necessary for hitting quality tennis shots.
Mini Tennis
Mini tennis shrinks the tennis court, using only the two service boxes as "in" territory. All balls are served by bouncing the ball on the ground and then hitting it to the other player. Mini tennis is either a singles or doubles drill that helps develop ball control while swinging. Players should focus on swinging through the ball, learning to impart spin to control the ball rather than just bunting it back into the court. As players develop, full swings are taken while still getting the ball in the shorter court. Players can also greatly improve footwork by playing mini tennis, forcing themselves to take many small steps to get behind every ball.
Considerations
The fun and excitement of any tennis drill is highly contingent on both the tennis professional executing the drill and the players on the court. A positive attitude and a desire to improve will increase your enjoyment. While some drills can be mundane and simple, such as serving drills, adding a few targets and a friendly competition for a bonus sports drink may be all it takes to step up the enjoyment level. Practicing a positive attitude not only makes drills more fun but helps when you start playing real matches.
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