Learn How You Can Increase Your Speed On The Tennis Court
Are you a little slow on the tennis court? Do you need to increase your speed in order to compete at a higher level? This drill is an amazing drill that you can complete by yourself to help improve your foot speed on the tennis court. View the video demonstration below and expand your knowledge of other speed and agility drills for tennis.
Is Speed All About Genetics?
Genetics play a major role in how fast your body is able to move on the tennis court. Gifted athletes of all ages compete at a higher level than novice athletes due to their genetic make up. Your body’s abilities are often predetermined by your genetic code. The thing to remember is that training can optimize your genetic abilities. It is not often that you see a slow-moving athlete become the world’s most explosive runner, but you have the ability to increase your foot speed and hand eye coordination on the tennis court with proper training. Even the smallest amount of speed on the court can mean the difference in returning a serve and missing the ball altogether.
What If I’m Slow?
Speed is very important in the game of tennis. If you are lacking in speed one thing you must do is improve your reaction time and hand eye coordination. Just as many sprinters know, the ability to react to the gun can have a major impact on your sprint speed. Think of the hundred meter dash. Athletes win by milliseconds. Shaving 1/100 off your time can mean the difference in an Olympic champion or a fifth place finish. Tennis on the other hand, is a skill sport that requires hand eye coordination, reaction time and speed. If you find that you are not the quickest athlete then you must optimize your hand eye coordination and reaction time. The ability to move instantly to return a shot can mean the difference in winning and losing.
What’s The Difference Reaction Time Or Speed?
Reaction time is the ability of your body to move in a certain direction. If a person that you are competing against hits the ball, reaction time would be the measurement of time it takes you to understand where your body needs to move. Speed on the other hand, refers to how fast your body can move across the court to that position. Just as we examine the track example above, if your reaction time is slow, speed will not help you achieve your goal.
Workout Advice For Tennis Players
We always suggest completing drills that target both reaction time and speed. The drill above focuses on foot speed and gaining ground laterally across the court. Browse through our tennis training section for reaction time drills in addition to backhand and forehand specific training. Complete 2 to 3 speed specific drills and 1 to 2 reaction time based drills each and every training session. Be sure that you’re good and warmed up before completing any sport specific exercises. For training advice or more sports specific drills let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.