Dominating Tennis

Tennis warm-up, agility and conditioning drills

5 drills77 minutes in all4 you can do alone
  1. 1

    The twelve-minute RAMP

    12 min · Alone
    1. Raise for 3 minutes: light jog, skips, side shuffles, then mini-tennis.
    2. Activate and mobilize for 6 minutes: band external rotations, scapular Ws and Ts, glute bridges and dead bugs, then leg swings, lunges with rotation, open books and ankle rockers.
    3. Potentiate for 3 minutes: accelerations, split steps into sprints, and a handful of progressive serves and groundstrokes.
    4. Log every session and every prehab dose.
    Number to beat
    4 weeks with every session opened by the full RAMP, no static-stretch opener, and prehab logged 3–5 times a week
    Why it works · TrainHow to warm up for tennis and recover between matches
  2. 2

    The reactive spider

    20 min · With a partner
    1. Run three timed spider drills from the centre mark: baseline corners, the service-line sideline points and the T, back to centre between each. Take full recovery and log your best time.
    2. Run the reactive version: your partner calls the target after your first step. Do 8 to 10 reps and recover to centre each time.
    3. Add the ball: your partner feeds to a random corner. Hit, then cross-step, shuffle and split back to your recovery spot. Do 8 to 10 balls.
    Number to beat
    Beat your last block's best spider time, retested every 4 to 6 weeks. The elite-men benchmark is 15.0 s.
    Why it works · TrainHow to get faster on the tennis court
  3. 3

    The 1:2 block

    15 min · Alone
    1. After a warm-up, sprint sideline to sideline for 10 seconds, touching each line, then walk back for 20 seconds. Do ten reps. Count your touches on the first rep.
    2. Rest exactly 90 seconds, like a changeover. Do two more sets. Count your touches on the last rep of each set.
    3. Log both counts and retest every four weeks.
    Number to beat
    0 touches lost between your first rep and your last rep
    Why it works · TrainHow to train tennis fitness: intervals, not long runs
  4. 4

    The load ladder

    15 min · Alone
    1. Hit ten serves from a frozen trophy pose with no knee bend. Note where they land and how your shoulder feels.
    2. Hit ten serves with a deliberate bend past 90° and a jump. Land on your front foot inside the baseline.
    3. Hit twenty serves with your full motion. Count the front-foot landings inside the line.
    Number to beat
    16 of 20 front-foot landings inside the baseline
    Why it works · StrikeHow to use your legs on the tennis serve
  5. 5

    The rotational throw ladder

    15 min · Alone or with a partner
    1. Throw a medicine ball side-on into a wall or to a partner, hips first, on both sides. Feel the order: legs, hips, trunk, arms.
    2. Do shotput throws, then overhead throws, in the same order, with full intent and full rest between.
    3. Finish with ten first serves measured on a radar or ball tracker. Log the median speed.
    4. Repeat the serve test on the same device six weeks later.
    Number to beat
    Beat your median first-serve speed from ten serves, six weeks apart
    Why it works · TrainWhich gym training makes your tennis serve faster