Tennis Footwork Drills

June 19, 2008
Improve your on-court speed with these exercises.
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1 of 5

Side-Steps

Credit: David Martinez
Increase endurance
Space six small cones equally along one sideline of full court. Stand on the opposite sideline, and quickly side-step—stepping right leg laterally, then bringing left foot to meet right—across the court to the first cone, then side-step back to start, leading with left leg. Step forward along the sideline, and position yourself opposite the second cone, and repeat, side-stepping to each cone and back to opposite side. Once you have side-stepped to each cone, repeat sequence, starting from the opposite side of the court. Several people can perform this drill at the same time by lining up behind each other.
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2 of 5

The Snake

Credit: David Martinez
Build agility and improve balance
Space six small cones equally along one sideline of the court. Start at one end of the cones and run, weaving your way through the cones, until you reach the opposite end. Then run backward in a straight line to the start.

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Ball Pickups

Credit: David Martinez
Develop speed and improve deceleration
Space 10 tennis balls along base of net. Starting at baseline, sprint to net, pick up a ball, and bring it back to baseline, running backward. Place ball on baseline, then run to the net for the second ball. Repeat until all are at baseline. Take a 60-second break, then reverse the drill, taking balls from the baseline and placing them at the net.
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4 of 5

Alley Jumps

Credit: David Martinez
Gain power
Start with feet together at the intersection of singles baseline and singles sideline. Keeping feet together the entire time, try to jump across the alley to the doubles sideline, coming as close to each line as possible. You want to jump sideways and forward, moving forward toward net. Run backward to start once you reach the net.

5 of 5

Cross-Court Drill

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