Overview
Some may think lobbing a ball over a net does not take a huge amount of athletic prowess, but they would be incorrect. The successful tennis player must have a combination of speed, power, strength and above average hand-eye coordination. Of course, not all tennis players do the same exercises to stay in shape, but they are usually in the same vein of thinking.
Sprints
To work on speed, a lot of tennis players do sprints. They either run short spurts on a track or they participate in line drills. To do a line drill, the player starts at one end of the tennis court, sprints to the first white line painted on the ground and touches it with his or her hand. Then he or she runs back to the same end of the court and touches the border line. The player then repeats the exercise for each line until completing the entire length of the court. (Of course, the player takes the net down first.)
Sidestepping
You may have noticed that most times during a tennis game the players actually move sideways instead of running full out. That's why it's important for the tennis player to practice sidestepping, which is basically shuffling from left to right. The player does a sort of squat, standing with the back straight but the knees bent about 45 degrees. Then he or she takes several quick steps to the side (about eight to ten) leading with the right leg, stops, and then shuffles back in the other direction. Sometimes the player will lay a rope ladder on the ground to help with spacing his or her feet, hopping over one rung on each step.
Hitting drills
Hitting drills are essential for working on hand-eye coordination, especially hitting speed and reaction time. The tennis player can use a ball machine, hit the ball against a wall or have a friend or trainer throw or hit the ball. The player will work on speed by lobbing balls short distances as quickly as possible. For example, the player may stand about a foot away from the wall or closer. For reaction time, he or she may have the ball shoot out from behind so as to be unaware of where it will appear.
Weightlifting
To avoid muscle cramps and soreness, it's important for the tennis player to build strength in the arms, legs and core. This can be done using traditional methods, such as pushups, sit ups, lunges and curls with free weights. Often, weight lifting is concentrated on the muscles in the wrist and elbows, areas where tennis players can be prone to injury. The player will also stretch after each workout.
Tags: player will, tennis players, hand-eye coordination, Hitting drills, important tennis