Training Exercises for Tennis – Drills Away from the Court

Fitness And Speed

To give your overall game a boost, here are a few training exercises you can try to elevate your fitness level and increase your speed.

Shuttle Sprints

This exercise helps you with short bursts of speed, essential if you’re a serve-and-volley player.

• Run to a point 30 feet away
• Turn and sprint back to the start line
• Run to a point 60 feet away
• Turn and sprint back to the start line

You can repeat this exercise with short breaks in between each rep in a strength training exercise.

Ball Retrieval

Speed and stamina are tested and strengthened in this exercise – and it helps you become more flexible too.

• Spread out tennis balls around a patch of grass
• Sprint to pick each one up and return to the start point

You can time yourself and try to beat your personal best.

Interval Running

An old favorite of runners everywhere, this exercise helps you build up speed and stamina with short bursts of speed wedged between running at a slower pace.

• Run at your relaxed pace for 3 minutes
• Sprint for 200 yards

Repeat this as many times as feels comfortable.

Get the most out of your speed training with a good pair of running shoes . For added speed, try a lightweight shoe that’s designed for running as fast as possible.

Check out: Dynablast®

Strength

If your fitness training helps you get around the court, your strength training should help you win the point. Here are a few exercises to try for your lower and upper body.

X Band Walks

This exercise builds up your leg strength and improves your side-to-side movement along the baseline. You’ll need a resistance band to do it.

• Stand with both feet on the resistance band
• Hold one end in each hand, and cross them over so they make an X shape
• Keep a high tension on the band and step to the right 10 times
• Then, step to the left 10 times

It looks easy but it’s actually a very hard exercise. Your leg muscles will feel stronger for it though, and once you’re on the court you’ll feel more nimble.

Glute Bridges

This helps you build up explosive bursts of speed – perfect for getting to drop shots quickly.

• Lay flat on your back with your arms to the side
• Bend your knees at a 90° angle
• Lift your hips up so that only your shoulders and feet are on the ground
• Repeat 10 times

Medicine Ball Workouts

The medicine ball is the number one piece of equipment for upper body strength training. There are lots of different workouts that use it, but here’s one you could try.

• Stand with your side to a wall about 3 feet away
• Throw the ball sideways against the wall and catch the rebound
• Repeat 10 times

Make sure the wall you’re working out against is strong enough to handle the medicine ball to avoid damaging the surface.

Strength training exercises are best paired with shoes that offer lots of stability and support.

Need to add training shoes to your workout?

Check out: ASICS Training Shoes