Skip to content

Top Navigation

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Recipes
  • Cooking 101
  • Eating Smart
  • Healthy Living
  • News

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Email Preferences

Manage Your Subscription

  • All Access Subscribers
  • Magazine Subscribers
  • Cooking Light Diet Subscribers
Login
Logout
SUBSCRIBE
Pin FB

Explore Cooking Light

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 31-Day Healthy Meal Plan

      Our 31-day calendar of meals and tips shows you how to cook more and love it with fun, family-friendly meals that come together quickly and deliciously. Read More
    • Dinner Tonight: Quick and Healthy Menus in 45 Minutes (or Less)

      Hundreds of delicious recipes, paired with simple sides, that can be on your table in 45 minutes or less. Read More
    • Our Favorite Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

      Who ever said that chicken wings, doughnuts, and pizza couldn't be healthy? Read More
  • Recipes

    Recipes

    See All Recipes
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Recipe Makeovers
    • Quick & Healthy
    • Diabetic
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegetarian
    • Cooking Light Live
  • Cooking 101

    Cooking 101

    See All Cooking 101
    • Essential Ingredients
    • Cooking Techniques
    • Meet the Chef
    • Cooking Resources
    • Budget Friendly
    • Smart Choices
  • Eating Smart
  • Healthy Living

    Healthy Living

    See All Healthy Living
    • Weight-Loss
    • Health
    • Fitness
    • Home
    • Travel
    • Nutrition 101
  • News

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Email Preferences

Manage Your Subscription

  • All Access Subscribers
  • Magazine Subscribers
  • Cooking Light Diet Subscribers
Login
Logout
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Health News
  3. Tennis Footwork Drills

Tennis Footwork Drills

June 19, 2008
Skip gallery slides
Pin
Improve your on-court speed with these exercises.
Start Slideshow

1 of 5

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

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.

1 of 5

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 5

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

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.

2 of 5

3 of 5

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

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.

3 of 5

Advertisement

4 of 5

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

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.

4 of 5

5 of 5

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Cross-Court Drill

Click here to return to the main story.

5 of 5

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 5 Side-Steps
    2 of 5 The Snake
    3 of 5 Ball Pickups
    4 of 5 Alley Jumps
    5 of 5 Cross-Court Drill

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    Cooking Light

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    MeredithCooking Light is part of the Allrecipes Food Group. © Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Cooking Light may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Cooking Light. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.cookinglight.com

    View image

    Tennis Footwork Drills
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.