Top Tennis Workout Tips & Drills from a Pro

So, you’re looking for tips on how to improve your tennis game. You’ve got the right gear, and now it’s time to elevate your performance.

The Game-Set-Match, Inc. team consulted local teaching pro and high school tennis coach Ming Chew of Denver Parks & Recreation to get her top tips on tennis workouts and drills. Ming shared essential insights on tennis footwork drills, workouts, mental toughness, training strategies and gear maintenance musts. Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned pro, these tips will help improve your tennis game.

Effective Tennis Workouts: Building Strength and Endurance

Core and leg training work are essential to prepare for the explosive power and endurance needed for lateral and directional movements in tennis. Considering you could serve up to 300 times in one match, repetitive motion is also something to prepare for in your tennis workouts. The following top tennis workouts and warmups will help you build strength and endurance:

• Start with running sprints (30 seconds on, 30 seconds off) to train for quick, unpredictable movements and longer rallies.

• Focus on "point endurance" to withstand long rallies.

• Incorporate squats and medicine ball workouts to strengthen your quadriceps for prolonged squatting positions.

• Resistance band exercises and light (3-lb.) weight curls build strength in the shoulders and rotator cuffs, elbows, wrists and forearms. It is crucial to maintain shoulder flexibility, as shoulder injuries are often career-ending.

• Practice carioca (grapevine) steps to improve agility and efficient movement on the court.

  
  

Ideal Tennis Warm-Up Routine: Mixing Cardio, Dynamic Stretching & Weighted Racket Swings

Proper tennis warm-ups not only prepare the body; they also mentally prime you for competition. Start slowly, at approximately 20% power ground strokes, and gradually increase to full power swings, depending on your energy level for the day. Check in with your body throughout your game. 

Try these best tennis warm-up exercises when you hit the court for your next match:

• Jog around the court at least twice to increase your heart rate.

• Practice a lap or two of side shuffles and carioca (grapevine) steps.

• Tie an exercise band to the fence and do some pulls to wake up shoulders, forearms, elbows and core muscles.

• Use a weighted racket to simulate ball contact and release pregame jitters.

• Progress to a few short-court rallies. and you’ll be ready to play.

  
  

Tennis Footwork Drills: Moving with Safety & Efficiency 

Tennis footwork drills are some of the most essential and rewarding aspects of tennis training. Proper tennis footwork helps you move faster around the court and gets your body into position to effectively hit your shots. Mastering the "glide" (a smooth diagonal, squatted shuffle) teaches you how to reach your target as effectively as a sprint—with more energy left over to outlast your opponent.

Practicing these drills just a few times each week will help your tennis performance improve by leaps and bounds: 

• Draw an “X” from the service box to the baseline and practice diagonal movements forward and backward on the diagonal, rather than straight or sideways. Sideways and vertical movements lack power. In these positions, you’re merely reaching, and all you can do is block the shot. Comparatively, diagonal movement is more powerful and saves time and energy.

• Practice 30-second high-knees while jogging in place. Try to increase the speed of your steps and the height of your knees as you go.

• Set up three cones in a triangle. Practice sideways squatting glides and carioca steps along the cones to help get you in the habit of diagonal movement across the court. Switch directions when you reach each cone for balanced muscle development. 

  
  

The more you do these top tennis footwork drills, the more you will enhance your foot speed, leg strength and coordination to more quickly and effectively reach the ball.

Final Thoughts

Success on the court requires more than just the right equipment. Practicing the best tennis workouts, warm-up routines and footwork drills can help you optimize your performance.

Let us Help You Step Up Your Game 

Want more personalized tips or help finding the right gear to support your training? Stop by one of our Colorado or Las Vegas store locations to chat with our tennis experts. We’re always here to help you take your game to the next level!

Stay in the Know with our Email Newsletter   

If you haven’t already, subscribe to our email newsletter for the latest tennis news, special offers, new product launches and more.