We are approaching mid-January, aka the time New Years Resolutions try to curl up and die. If your resolution is to stay fit this year, and you are a tennis lover, you should be using tennis fitness to stick to your resolutions, and get you in better tennis shape. It’s a win-win! Here are 3 simple tennis drills you can do to stay fit, and improve your tennis game.
Four Ball Pick Up
This tennis fitness drill is very popular for all skill levels. In this drill, balls are placed on 4 points along one side line: at the net, between the net and the service line, at the service line, and between the service line and baseline. The player runs from the baseline and stoops to pick up the first ball, runs back to the baseline and puts down the ball, then immediately runs to get the next ball. It is basically a shuttle run.
While the player is still running, the balls may be replaced in their original positions to keep the drill going on and on. Additionally, the player may be made to move sideways or in other kinds of steps to develop his or her footwork.
Spider Drill
For this drill, the player stands at the center mark of the baseline. He or she side steps to the left singles line and then goes back to the starting point. Immediately, the player will run diagonally to the left side T where the service line and side line meet. He or she will backpedal diagonally back to the starting point.
The next run will be straight ahead to the center T mark of the service line after which, the player backpedals to the starting point.
The fourth run is a diagonal rightward run to the right side T followed by a backpedaling diagonal run to the starting point. The last run is a sideways shuffle to the right singles side line. The whole process is repeated. This develops fast footwork, especially the ability to change directions quickly. The spider drill is a very vigorous tennis fitness drill that will improve a player’s speed and agility on the tennis court.
Squat Jumps
While the first two drills were for quickness and agility, this drill is focused more on building strenght. All of them will help you in burning calories. This is a great tennis fitness drill for developing explosiveness in the legs. This will help greatly on both the serve and the ground strokes. The player starts by standing with legs body width apart. He or she goes into a squatting position and then quickly jumps up as high as possible, keeping the legs straight. After landing, he goes into another squat and repeats the whole process 15-20 times. Once you get the hang of it, try doing two and then three sets of squat jumps.
Head to the court early before your next match or hitting session, and try out these drills. You will burn more calories, and get quicker and stronger in no time. Your body and your game will thank you, although your opponents will not! Let us know how it goes in the comments section!
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