Warm Up

Tennis Warm Up Drills on Mini Court
Warm up your body and mind...

When you get on tennis court to start your practice it is recommended that you start with mini tennis. Playing in the short court warms up your joints (especially wrists), your muscles and your "brain". Yes, your brain must start working much faster than it works in ordinary daily activities.

	Tracking the ball, coordinating your body, keeping balance, calculating the timing of the shot are only few of many operations that your brain needs to perform in a very short amount of time.
There are different purposes of each drill but they do have many things in common. You practice something challenging on a short court, you develop feel and touch and you are focused on the exercise. Your concentration is also »warming up« for the main part of the practice.

1. Serve & volley on mini court
Serve under hand and approach the net. No hard hitting, only touch and placement. Change serve after each point, play to 7 or 11.

Main purpose:

Practice approaching the net, play controlled volleys and overheads, develop touch for passing shots and lobs…

2. No Volleys on Mini Court
This is the opposite of the upper drill – you are not allowed to play a volley or an overhead. Serve starts with a drop from the net. Play to 7 or 11.

Main purpose:

Practice moving back and playing half volleys. Use lots of spin to attack in the short court. If you end up rallying from the service line test your patience…

3. Two Bounces on Mini Court
Play in both service boxes. You always have to hit the ball down into your court first. No volleys! Play to 7 or 11.

Main purpose:

Excellent drill for practicing coordination, top spin and footwork.

4. Cross and Alternate

Play in the diagonal (opposite) service boxes. You always have to alternate your strokes – one forehand and one backhand. If you play two forehands (or backhands) in a row you lose the point. Play one game to 7 in one direction (for example from deuce side) and one to 7 from advantage side.

Main purpose:

Great for footwork, coordination, ball control and tactics!

5. Volley at Your Court
Players must volley the ball into their court first. No bounce on the other side! Play to 7 or 11. Start with a feed down the middle.

Main purpose:

This tennis drill is excellent for improving your anticipation, reaction and touch when you have to play close to the net. It teaches you to quickly react to the ball and not let it fall down. Your reaction time at the net will thus improve.

6. Catch & Throw

One player plays with a racquet and the other has to catch the ball and throw it over. Two rules: ball MUST bounce once and wherever you catch the ball, from there you must throw. That means that you can't move closer to the net after you've caught the ball.

Main purpose:

This drill is very good for hand eye coordination which is the foundations of good tennis skills.

And it's fun too. ;) Play to 7 and switch.

7. Forehand Only (or Backhand...)
Two players play crosscourt and can use only forehand. (on the deuce side for righthanders)

You also cannot come to the net, the ball must bounce once.

Main purpose:

This tennis drill is very good for footwork and precision play. Tactics also comes into play.

Play to 7 and then swith to backhand crosscourt.

Tennis training video – “Warm-up 1”