Tennis Training Guide: Excel On The Court Renegade Style (Part 3)!

Section 3:
Agility

Tennis is a highly unique sport with a critical balance of technical skill mastery, specialized athletic development critically hinging upon speed and agility and a understanding of the game played in a constantly changing environment.

From a strictly physical training outlook, training to enhance agility work is imperative for the development of the young Tennis player. Closely related to "Linear Speed" development, overall agility is developed through a variety of manners:

• Resistance training
• Range of Motion
• SPP (with technical coach)

Related Speed And Agility Articles:

• The Best Workout For Speed & Agility? - By Workout Of The Week
• The Posterior Chain Will Make You Faster! - By Craig Ballantyne
• 4 Steps To Improve Your 10-Yard Dash. - By Roger White
• Other Speed And Agility Articles...

Resistance Training

Resistance training protocols are the main determinant of reactive strength / agility concerns. All lifts are performed with an understanding the posture, eccentric strength and loading parameters is the major influence on reactive strength ability.

As it relates to its development of reactive strength in our training, additional work we will make use of three mediums in varying degrees. Each of these mediums are included in consideration of young athletes whose training necessitates early fundamental work. The three mediums utilized are:

1. Rope Skip
2. Agility ladders
3. Cone Drills

Rope Skip

Rope Skip is a consistent and dependable, inexpensive exercise medium. It is perfect medium for young athletes in their developmental phase with many benefits such as:

• Foot and hand speed
• Cardiovascular efficiency
• Improved motor skills/muscular harmony
• Reduced of body fat
• Strengthen soft tissues
• Increased work capacity

Regarding your choice of rope, it is personal preference and to suit your budget although virtually all ropes can fit any training budget.

The rope should be long enough that when it's looped under your feet, it will reach chest height. There is no right or wrong way to position your hands when skipping. However to enhance rope speed pinch elbows into your ribs, with forearms reasonably close to parallel to the ground.

As technique improves along with work threshold move to three minute "rounds" using the following pattern for a more aggressive approach.

Time (Seconds)	Renegade Rope Skip PatternTM
0 - 15	Basic 2 Feet Together (Top Row, Far Left)
15 - 30	Crossover (Top Row, Middle)
30 - 45	Ali Shuffle (Top Row, Right)
45 - 60	Double Skips
60 - 75	Side To Side Slalom (Bottom Row, Middle)
75 - 90	Crossover
90 - 105	Hip Turn
105 - 120	Crossover
120 - 135	Hip Turn, To Left Only
135 - 150	Crossover
150 - 165	Hip Turn, To Right Only
165 - 180	High Knees

Rope work is performed daily after the dynamic range of motion work with three to five, 3 minute rounds in the development stage of a young athlete and then used intermittently for more advanced athletes. For additional work threshold work, an athlete can certainly mix in the Medicine ball circuit that is found later in this article.

Agility Ladder

Quite obviously a dry-land training mechanism, ladder drills teach a tremendous variety of skills, included foot / hip / shoulder positioning, quickness of feet, efficiency of movement and even a unique carryover to sport specific movement if trained with proper joint angles.

Of the many flaws that some coaches will not enforce, the head should be up at all times with eyes alert to changing surrounding and ground contact needs to be stressed.

This simple sentence should trigger an extremely important coaching point because as we know the sport of Tennis is an incredible reactive sport where the cognitive process of reviewing the existing play, stressing peripheral vision and making lighting-quick decisions.

Given this when using the agility ladder a coach / coaches should use visual cues emphasizing the athlete correctly identifying and adjusting to cues.

With each of these drills follow the following guideline:

• Perform after dynamic range of motion work and rope skip.
• Each drill is performed twice.
• Perform ladder work three to five times per week.
• Ladder work should encompass two "training blocks" of six minutes each. Ladder work should not consume materially more than twelve minutes.
• Ensure proper posture is maintained, head is up and "on a swivel".
• Stress peripheral vision and visual cue recognition.

The Basic Ladder Drills Are:

1. One Foot Per Set Of Rungs:

Run such that you place one foot between each successive set of rungs.

2. Two Feet Per Set Of Rungs:

Run such that you place two feet between each successive set of rungs.

3. Inside Foot In & Out, Side-To-Side Fashion:

Run in a side-to-side fashion, starting to the side of the ladder. Place your inside (lead) foot between the first set of rungs, and then place your outside (back) foot between the same set of rungs.

Next, step with your lead foot outside the ladder, followed by your back foot. As your back foot comes down outside the ladder, it becomes your lead foot, and the same sequence of movements is repeated.

This drill should be repeated backwards with HEAVY emphasis on the cognitive process of recognizing visual cues, stressing peripheral vision and then making appropriate decisions.

4. Crossover Foot In & Out, Side-To-Side Fashion:

Run in a side-to-side fashion, starting to the side of the ladder. Place your outside (lead) foot between the first set of rungs by stepping across your inside foot; then step with your inside (back) foot behind your lead foot to place it between the same set of rungs.

Next, step with your lead foot outside the ladder, followed by your back foot. As your back foot comes down outside the ladder, it becomes your lead foot, and the same sequence of movements is repeated.

This drill should be repeated backwards with HEAVY emphasis on the cognitive process of recognizing visual cues, stressing peripheral vision and then making appropriate decisions.

5. Lateral Run:

Perform this drill in a sideways position to the ladder. Sit back on your hips, buttocks out. Move to the side, placing both feet between each successive set of rungs.

6. Lateral Up-And-Back Run:

Perform this drill in a sideways position to the ladder. Sit back on your hips, buttocks out, emulating a two-point positional stance. Start at the top of the ladder. Moving to your left, perform this series of steps: Attack forward by placing your right foot between the first set of rungs and then your left foot between the next set of rungs.

Next, move your right foot back, stepping between the previous set of rungs. Attack forward again, starting once more with your right foot and staying low throughout.

7. Lateral Shuffle:

Perform this drill in a sideways position to the ladder. Sit back on your hips, buttocks out. Moving to your left, perform this series of steps: Place your left foot between the first set of rungs, and then place your right foot in the next set of rungs.

Repeat the same two steps but beginning with the opposite foot each time. Keep your feet and hips pointed straight ahead. Shuffle on the balls of your feet, and perform quick movements that are initiated from your hips.

8. Lateral Shuffle & Turn:

Perform this drill in a sideways position to the ladder. Sit back on your hips, buttocks out. Moving to your left, perform this series of steps: Place your left foot between the first set of rungs, and then place your right foot in the next set of rungs.

Repeat the same two steps but beginning with the opposite foot each time. To do so, turn your hips/torso such that your right foot and body not completely face left far side of ladder. With the next motion, turn your body back straight ahead. Keep your feet and hips pointed straight ahead. Shuffle on the balls of your feet, moving across the rungs, and perform quick movements that are initiated from the hips.

This drill should be repeated backwards with HEAVY emphasis on the cognitive process of recognizing visual cues, stressing peripheral vision and then making appropriate decisions.

9. One-Foot Hop:

Hop forward on one foot between successive sets of rungs, making solid contact on the ball of your foot. Repeat with opposite foot.

10. Two-Foot Hop:

Hop forward on both feet between successive sets of rungs, making solid contact on the balls of your feet.

Cone Drills

Cone drills should be performed in a manner to mimic the rest periods of a match (within reason) as well as incorporate many similar decision making situations.

During the first 18 weeks of off-season conditioning, cone drills are performed at 75% intensity with rest periods of roughly 45 seconds.

The following guidelines should be followed within cone drills:

• Cones are set 10 yards apart
• Perform at 75% with 30-45 second active rest
• Perform each pattern twice

Session 1

"Box"
* * * *

Patterns:

• forward throughout
• forward up, lateral across top, forward down
• forward up, lateral across top, backwards down

"X"

*pt 3 *pt 2 *pt 1,4 *pt 5 * start

Patterns:

• forward throughout

"Star"

*pt 4 *pt 6 *pt 1 *pt 3,5 *pt 7 *start

Patterns:

• forward throughout
• alternate, forward then backwards

Session 2

"Chair"
* * * * *

Patterns:

• forward throughout
• forward up, lateral across top, forward down
• forward, lateral, forward, backwards down

"M"

*pt 3 *pt 1 *pt 2 *pt 4 *start

Patterns:

• forward throughout
• alternate, forward then backwards

Conclusion

In addition to these unique cone drills is the classic sixty-yard shuttle - which is simple to perform - with an athlete beginning in a start position (this can vary from facing the target, turned to the side or laying on your back or front), sprinting forward five yards, back to the start, up ten yards, back to start line, up fifteen yards and back the start position. At every turn the individual will touch the line with the same hand.