Speed · Level 1
On-court shadow movement
Movement patterns with shadow strokes: forward, back and to the sides.
- Suggested dose
- 4 × 20 s · 40s rest
- Equipment
- No equipment · or · Racket
- Works
- Quadriceps, Glutes, Calves
- Pattern
- Footwork, Lunge / single-leg, Reaction
How to do it
- From the center, split-step.
- Move to an imaginary corner, shadow-swing and recover to center.
- Alternate directions (“spider” style).
Key points
- Recovery as fast as the way out
- Always facing the net
Common mistakes
- Hitting without setting your feet
Why it helps your tennis
Home version of the spider run, the test closest to real match movement.
Source: Complete Conditioning for Tennis, ch. 4 and 6 (spider run)