As a tennis player you strive for a strong body, capable of explosive propulsion and excellent coordination. Optimal flexibility and stamina are important as well. Tennis drills are key. A most effective training to up your game is footwork drills.
Footwork drills aid in improving speed and agility while also helping to optimize movements while on the court. Despite not being a favorite activity, productive tennis players incorporate footwork drills into their regular training sessions.
Here are 3 highly-productive tennis drills that will drastically improve your performance while on the court.
Drill #1: Sprints
The most basic – yet, one of the most important of all tennis footwork drills – are sprints. To perform this drill, simply follow the steps outlined below:
- First, create a space of approximately 30 feet to work with.
- Sprint to the finish line and then jog back for a period of approximately 10 minutes.
- Once you are finished sprinting forward to the finish line, sprint backwards to the finish line and jog back to the starting line for approximately 10 minutes.
As you are engaging in the sprints, you may move your feet in various directions. For example, you may elect to skip, you may choose to use cross over steps, you may even run from side to side – the choice is yours.
Drill #2: Ladder Drills
The next type of drill that will optimize your footwork in tennis are called ladder drills. These exercises are absolutely excellent for tennis conditioning. You may draw a ladder on a sidewalk with appropriately-designed chalk, or you may create a real ladder using rope.
Essentially, there are 3 different types of exercise drills that fall under the category of “ladder drills”, these include the single leg run, the double leg run, and the double side step.
Here are some really great ladder drills for tennis players:
Drill #3: Jumping Rope
While considered to be a bit old-fashioned, jumping rope is an excellent drill to improve your footwork for tennis. This activity builds your endurance level and helps you to become more alert. Additionally, it is an excellent means of developing the hand and the body coordination that is required to successfully play tennis.
Read more in our Tennis Series