Quick and Easy Drills For Improving Junior Tennis Players Speed Agility and Quickness

By Alton Skinner

Junior Tennis is a complex sport. It requires speed, agility, balance, quickness, reaction time, power, strength and endurance. Unfortunately there is rarely time to develop all these attributes alone. It becomes crucial to use a training program that incorporates most of these areas of skill. Those that are most important in junior tennis are speed, agility and balance. Can this junior player run down balls that the average player can't reach, can this junior get from area a to b quickly and on balance and ready for the next stroke? These are just some of the question you a faced with when developing a speed and agility program for a junior tennis player.

Below is a sample program that addresses the need for speed, balance and quickness. Perform each drill for 2 minutes total. Divide into 4 sets of actual work with a brief rest period. Perform this junior program two times per week following a skill training session.

Perform Drills for 30 seconds with 20 seconds rest between sets

Drill One: A-Skip For Height: Supplemental Speed

Purpose

Increase hip extension, flexion strength, and ankle stiffness

Procedure

Skip using perfect posture and arm action
The knee on the recovery leg should be brought high and stay fully flexed while keeping the ankle close to the gluteus and dorsiflexed.
When the recovery knee is at the highest point, the opposite “ground” foot should emphasize plantar flexion.
Keep the upper body in an upright and steady position at all times: the foot strike should be quiet but explosive, emphasizing muscle stiffness at the ankle.

Be careful not to slam the foot onto the ground.

Drill Two: 40-Yard Square Carioca-Cone Drill

Purpose

Improve ability to change direction, flexibility in hips and footwork

Procedure

Place a cone at each corner of the court.
Start in a two point stance.
Begin on the right side of the square and sprint forward 10 yards.
At the first cone make a reverse pivot
Carcioca 10 yards to the next cone.
Reverse pivot and backpedal 10 yards to the next cone.
Reverse pivot and carioca 10 yards to the finish.

Drill Three: Carioca: In-out Shuffle Agility ladder Drill

Purpose

Improve agility, balance, coordination, and quickness

Procedure

Start in a two-point stance
Begin standing sideways to the ladder, with the ladder in front of you.
Step with the left foot straight ahead into the first square.
Follow with the right foot into the first square.
Step back and diagonally with the left foot until it is in front of the second square.
Follow with the right foot until it is in front of the second square.
Repeat this sequence throughout the ladder.
Each foot hits every box
Variations: Perform the same pattern with each foot in a separate box, use every other box to increase the length of your lateral step. Perform with the ladder behind you

Drill Four: 15-Yard Turn Drill Cone Drill

Purpose

Improve ability to change direction, flexibility in hips and footwork

Procedure

Start in a two point stance
Sprint forward 5 yards to cone 1 and make a sharp right turn around it.
Sprint to cone 2, located five yards to the right of the start and diagonal from the first cone, and make a left turn around it
Sprint 5 yards through the finish.
Variations: Put the inside hand on the ground when making turns. Change distances to the cones, make turns on command, not at the cones.

Drill Five. Lateral Skaters to sprint: Lower body plyometrics and speed

Purpose

Improve cutting ability and first step lateral quickness

Procedure

Begin with both feet together and push off laterally with one leg.
Upon landing, immediately push off in the opposite direction and continue the drill for either reps or time.
To develop quickness, perform as many reps as possible for time.(ten seconds or less)
At end of time sprint to opposite of the court.

Drill Six; Medicine Ball Wall Overhead Toss: Upper Body Plyometrics

Purpose

Enhance explosive power in throwing and overhead activities

Procedure

Face a wall in an upright athletic stance with a medicine ball held over your head
Throw the ball, striking the wall directly in front of you.
Variations: Use different stances, step forward while throwing or throw from a kneeling position

Follow this program and watch your speed, quickness, and agility improve. Plus you will give yourself every chance to perform better in every junior tennis match you play.

About the Author:

If you are a weekend tennis player, a competitive amateur, or professional player, Alton Skinner, a Raleigh, North Carolina athletic performance and nutrition specialist, can help you create a conditioning and nutrition program that adds endurance, reduces painful injuries, and reshapes your body so you can win more tournaments and play your best tennis all the time. Work with him directly or follow the guidelines in a personalized Tournament Player Performance Plan, a complete plan designed just for you based on your playing schedule and current body condition, to maximize your performance when it matters most to you.

More information is available by calling . Or visit his website www.altonskinner.com. Mention that you read this article and receive a complete tennis conditioning analysis and a copy of Alton’s quarterly conditioning and nutrition guide, Accelerated Golf and Tennis, a $40 value.

Site Search

Quick and Easy Drills For Improving Junior Tennis Players Speed Agility and Quickness

By Alton Skinner

About the Author:

Navigation

Stay Updated