To play your best tennis, you'll need to get to the ball quickly and be balanced when you arrive, and be able to do this for an hour or more. Including footwork drills in your workout routines will help you achieve this speed, agility and cardio stamina. Perform on- and off-court exercises to help you improve your tennis-specific fitness.
Speed
Step 1
Perform exercises that require you to take a quick first step, bend down and up and move your feet quickly.
Step 2
Use a rope ladder, running in and out of the rungs on one side, and running in and out, crossing over each time. Keep your feet in contact with the court for as little time as possible.
Step 3
Run the width of the court as fast as you can, touching each line and running back to the first line. Sprint a bank of four to six courts, then walk back. Shuffle to the net from the baseline to the service line, then sprint the rest of the way to the net. Walk back to the baseline. Repeat three times.
Agility
Step 1
Perform exercises and drills that require you to move forward and backward, side to side and forward and back on an angle. Keep your torso straight and eyes ahead, as you would during a tennis point, while you do the drills.
Step 2
Place a tennis cap upside down on your head. Hit tennis balls with the hat balanced on your head, trying to hit the balls without the hat coming off. Have a partner feed you balls that require you to take two to four steps to make the shot.
Step 3
Run from the center of the baseline to where the sideline and service line meet in the deuce court. Backpedal to the baseline, keeping your torso straight and eyes ahead. Run to the center service line and back. Run from the center of the baseline to where the sideline and service line meet in the ad court, then return to the baseline. Repeat three times. Take a 90-second break, repeating this drill three times.
Stamina
Step 1
Perform sprint-training drills using a one to three work/rest ratio. Exercise very fast for 30 seconds, then recover for 90 seconds.
Step 2
Perform three sets of each exercise. Take a five-minute break after every three sets of an exercise.
Step 3
Perform sprints on an exercise machine, using dumbbells or resistance bands or with running drills on the court. After you have practiced ladder and spider drills to learn the footwork, use these drills for conditioning.
Tips and Warnings
- Static stretch after tennis workouts, not before. Holding a stretch lengthens muscles and temporarily decreases your power and vertical leap. Warm up with dynamic stretches similar to tennis movements.
Things You'll Need
- Rope ladder
- Tennis court
- Partner
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