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fitness DRILLS
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2 in 2 out ladder

Player stands next to the ladder. Player alternates legs while stepping in and out of the ladder. This drill is a great exercise to improve speed and agility of the tennis player.

Agility & Fitness

Forehand hitting cross court from 3 zones

Coach feeds 3 balls to the player's deuce side down the line. Standing on the base line, the player moves to their right to meet the ball on their forehand side. The player then returns the ball hitting forehand cross court to the corner of the deuce side between cones. he/she then moves back to the centre of the base line. The coach then feeds the next ball on the players deuce side service line. The player moves foreward and returns using a forehand cross court short to the corner of the deuce side. Player then returns back to the centre of the baseline. Coach then feeds the third ball a few feet beyond the net. Players moves to meet it and agins, using a forehand cross court shot, returns the ball beteen the cones set up on the cross court shot side.

Attacking

Hit and move: Running drives

Players are working in threes with player 1 in a full-court and players 2 and 3 in the forehand and backhand corners respectively. Player 1 is hitting running drives, 1 forehand cross followed by 1 backhand cross. Player 2 is hitting a forehand line, and player 3 a backhand line. The pattern is played in this way for up to 3 minutes depending on the level of fitness of player 1.

Rally Drills

Hitting in all directions

Player and coach rally together. The player hits shots in this pattern: forehand cross court forehand down the line backhand cross court backhand down the line

Forehand & Backhand Drill

Offensive-minded response

Player stands on the baseline. Coach feeds high topspin ball into one of the corners. Player tries to hit the ball on the rise without moving back. Drill specifications: 4 reps per set If coach has more players during the session he can set up 2 lines of players and work on forehand and backhand at the same time. With less players coach can focus just on one groundstroke for few minutes and then switch to the next one. Incorporating specific fitness exercises focused on shoulder strength is a good way to prevent possible injuries because of the higher point of contact.

Forehand Drills

Old-school slice as a modern weapon

Player stands on the baseline. Coach feeds high topspin ball into the backhand corner. Player tries to hit the ball with backhand slice without moving back. Drill specifications: 1-4 repetitions per set With less players on the court coach can work with one student while others are performing specific fitness drills or shadowing the high backhand slice to get comfortable with this motion. With more players on the court coach can put one player as a feeder and let him work on this tactical ball at the same time while others are working on responses to this high topspin shot.

Backhand Drills

Open the court and finish down the line

2 players rally together in cross court direction. Player A picks the right moment to hit angle shot and opens the court up. After successful angle shot player finishes the next ball down the line. Drill specifications: 1 point and switch Only 2 players can play at one court so quick change after the point is the best way to keep all players hitting. While waiting for own turn players should perform specific fitness drills that will lead to the improvements in their games. Jump rope or footwork on the ladder are quick and dynamic exercises that can be used to achieve these goals.

Forehand Drills

Rally with 3 zones

2 players rally together in cross court direction. 3 zones are set on each player’s side (Red, Yellow, Green). Player has to hit particular shot according to the opponent’s balls placement. If the ball lands in the red zone player hits defensive/neutral shot. If the ball lands in the yellow zone player hits neutral/offensive shot. If the ball lands in the green zone player has to attack it. Drill specifications: 30-60 seconds and switch 4 players can work on the court at the same time while others can have different duties. Coach can put 2 players next to the net post and let them say “stop” when the ball goes over the net. This is the signal for the player and feedback at the same time of their perception time. If there are more players on the court coach can make them do some fitness drill or put them far behind the hitting players and work on ball perception on their own.

Forehand Drills

Send and adjust

2 players rally in cross court direction. Players adjust their court position according to the placement of own shots. If the ball is hit really deep players move closer to the baseline. If the ball is hit with medium depth players maintain the position around 2 meters behind the baseline. If the ball is hit short players quickly move back to prepare for defense. Drill specifications: 1 min and switch 4 players work with each other at the same time so the coach can walk around and provide constant feedback about the footwork and positioning. Main goal is to focus on these two aspects so any faults related to stroke’s technique shouldn’t be pointed out at this time. Waiting players should do fitness drill to work on their footwork skills and legs endurance. Ladder, jump rope or plyometrics are great examples to implement while waiting for own turn.

Forehand Drills

Using the middle to defend under pressure (it's the biggest part of the court after all!)

The coach feeds single ball feeds from the basket putting the player under extreme pressure. Starting from the singles tramline the players must try to hit the ball on the run directly back down the middle of the court to the rectangular target. Players can choose whether they slice or hit over the ball depending on how quickly they can get to the ball. Each player hits just one ball at a time so players waiting must be ready immediately for the next feed and after the shot has been played must jog back to the start position at the back of the court in order to keep the drill continuous. Repeat this drill with the coach feeding from the opposite corner.

Passing Shots Drills

Kangaroo Jumps Agility & Fitne...

Player performs kangaroo jumps.Player should bring knees as close to the chest as possible.

General

Side-step Warm Up Agility & Fi...

Players stand with cones either side of them, no bigger than 5m apart. Player starts in the middle and quickly sidesteps from left to right where the cones are.

General

Sumo squats Agility & Fitness ...

Wide deep squats moving from one side of court to the other.Feet turned out at 45°.Lift one leg up and use it to turn 180° so that they are facing the opposite direction.

General

2 in 2 out ladder Agility & Fi...

Player stands next to the ladder. Player alternates legs while stepping in and out of the ladder. This drill is a great exercise to improve speed and agility of the tennis player.

General

Cone Warm Up Agility & Fitness...

Set up a cone on the baseline, and if there is more than one player taking part in the session, you can set up multiple cones to be used, but ensure these are correctly spaced out.Players will use quick footwork to move around the cone in circles.

General

Respond to Drop Shot Agility &...

Coach tosses low and short balls really close to the net. Player sprints and responds with counter drop shots.

General

Catch with carioca Agility & F...

The coach faces the player, with both only using the carioca step. The coach tries to "lose" the player who is trying to stay in line with the coach.

General

High Knees 123 Agility & Fitne...

The player performs high knees over the cone. Pattern includes 3 steps on the right side and 3 steps on the left side of the cone.

General

Tennis: Warm up - side to side...

Players perform warm up routines to prepare body for the practice. The main theme of this session is serving, so the warm up exercises should be related to that tennis discipline.

General

Decelerate and turn Agility & ...

Fasten a resistance band to the net post.Walk out until it is stretched as far as possible.Accelerate in towards the net but before the player reaches the net they need to decelerate and turn to run back out.

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Frog jumps Agility & Fitness -...

The player performs explosive jumps with minimal break time between repetitions.

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Zig zag up the ladder Agility ...

Player goes diagonally through the ladder, using only little steps in between each space. In this drill, player works on speed and coordination. At the beginning, kids should focus more on coordination rather than speed.

General

Shadow Warm Up Agility & Fitne...

Players stand either side of the service line and face each other. One player acts as a mover, and the other as a shadower. The mover will move left and right across the service line, never backwards or forwards, and the shadower must keep up with their movements and follow them across the line.

General

Point the cone Agility & Fitne...

4 cones are set around the player. Coach faces the player and points out one of the cones. Player runs in this direction, touches the cone and recovers back.

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Walking lunges Agility & Fitne...

Walk across the court doing lunges. Step out in front and bend both legs 90°.

General

Horizontal Scissors Agility & ...

Lay on the ground. Keep your legs straight. Lift your legs and do horizontal scissors. Make sure that lower back is touching the ground.

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Bicycle Agility & Fitness - Te...

Player lays down on the ground. Player performs bicycle action to work on core muscles.

General

Sideways one leg hurdle Agilit...

The player stands sideways to the hurdles (right side). The player jumps sideways on right leg over the hurdles.

General

Shoulder rotation in Agility &...

Attach a resistance band to the net post.Hold band with right arm facing away from the net post.Bring right arm to shoulder height, out to the side, bent at the elbow so that the hand is in front off to the right.Keeping the elbow to shoulder steady and level, hinge at the elbow to raise the forearm to above the elbow.Slowly lower and repeat 10 times on each side.The band is working against the player as the rotate their shoulder in.

General

Balance touch cones Agility & ...

The player stands on the balance platforms. Cones are set around the player, with the player's goal to touch each cone separately without falling off the platforms.Balance platforms work best with this drills. If coaches don't these though use your creativity to find an alternative (stand on a bean bag for example).The important thing is to use something that is SAFE to stand on and ideally forces the kid to test their balance.

General

TRX triceps Agility & Fitness ...

Players keeps TRX bands while facing away from the wall. The player bends arms to the level where their head almost touches their hands. Using triceps muscles player comes back to the starting position.

General

Drop And Run Agility & Fitness...

The player stands in one corner of the court, with the coach on the opposite side of the baseline. The coach drops the ball from shoulder height and the player must sprint across the baseline and hit the ball, before returning to their starting position.

General

Hop and steps to side Agility ...

Fasten a resistance band to the net post.Walk out until it is stretched as far as possible.Hold the band (can loop hand inside for grip) with the right hand, whilst standing on just the right leg.One legged hop forward to the left foot.Put the right leg in front and side skip out to the side before pushing off the ouside foot (the right foot) to turn.

General

Strength & Balance Agility & F...

2 cones are set.Player starts between the cones.Player jumps outside the cone and lands on one leg. Player jumps back between the cones and performs a 2 leg jump to the other side.Player again lands on one leg and repeats this pattern.

General

Random cones Agility & Fitness...

Cones are set randomly around the court. The player starts from the centre of the baseline and their goal is to touch each cone as fast as possible. Order can be random but player has to recover to the middle after each touch.

General

Colour Ball Agility & Fitness ...

Coach has 2 balls: red and yellow. Coach throws one of the balls to the player. If this is yellow ball, player has to catch it after one bounce. If it is red ball, player has to catch it in the air.

General

Warm up: jump rope Agility & F...

Players warm up using own routines based on running and dynamic stretching. Coach sets up specific exercises to improve physical skills. Players should warm up all strokes to get ready for the practice.

General

Watch and Chase Agility & Fitn...

Player rolls ball through players legs and they must chase ball and stop it with racquet.

General

Diagonal shuttles Agility & Fi...

Start on one side of the baseline.Cross feet shuttles moving diagonally forward and to the other side.Push off from the outside foot and straight into the next diagonal shuttle.

General

Side lunges keeping low Agilit...

Lunge out to the side. Slowly lift the straight leg off the floor and bring it to meet the other leg, whilst staying in a low 1 legged squat position. Hold it for a second, lower it to the floor to take the weight and lunge out to the side again.

General

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fitness DRILL CATEGORIES
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Agility & Fitness Drills
Agility & Fitness Drills
fitness SESSIONS
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Challenge the serve to meet demands!

Make your players tactically aware and ready for their return of serve, hitting shot patterns to go on the front foot

Cardio Tennis Fun

Improve your player's tennis skills in a friendly and fun environment while being active and burning a lot of calories!

Running Scenarios

Fluid movement is essential to firstly making balls and then being in a good position to play an effective shot. Go through the full repertoire of shots whilst on the move with this tough session.

Non-Stop Movement Session - Keep the pressure on!

A non-stop, physically challenging quick thinking session - working on your players' fitness, tennis reflexes and natural instincts

Agility and coordination - Sharpen their senses!

Say no to heavy footed players. Improve your players' reactions with this fast footwork session - working in pairs on their acceleration, agility and reaction speed

Smash It! Perfect the Overhead Volley

Teach your players on how to improve the tricky overhead shot, developing their technique and tactical thinking - don?t tap it, smash it!

Improving Key Skills For Juniors

Use this session plan to help your players’ confidence and skills grow, by putting in use of key skills that are required in the game.
fitness ANSWERS
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How do you beat someone who is clearly inferior but?

How do you beat someone who is clearly inferior but just keeps the ball in play?

Archived User Coach

How to run try-outs, getting 50 students down to 32?

There are 50 students, and I need to select 32 of them. How will you plan your try-out? Test for accuracy? Fitness?

Farhad Roshanaie Coach, United States of America

free access to agility and fitness

I was offered free access to agility and fitness library. but it says locked, upgrade.

Julie Lumb Coach, England

high ball

hi what is the best drill to improve high ball contact point and footwork.

samala ashok Coach, India

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