Tired of the gym?

You can get all the workout you need between the white lines.

Most tennis players don’t think of their sport as being anything like a marathon.
Yet tennis is an endurance test: A tough match can last a couple of hours,
even though most points are less than a minute. To reach the fi tness level you
need to enjoy the game, you should do cardio conditioning—swimming, running,
or cycling—for 30 minutes at least twice a week. But you also should strength-train
and do workouts that prepare you for the constant hustle that tennis demands.

Here’s an exercise circuit that won’t force you into a gym. “It’s the kind of training that
will keep you on the court,” says Mark Weil, director of the Weil Tennis Academy, in Ojai, Calif.

The circuit, put together by Patrick Muller, fi tness director at the Weil academy ,
is designed to improve agility and balance as well as strengthen major muscles and
improve anaerobic fi tness. Weil and Muller advise doing it at the end of practice,
two or three times a week. All you need are a racquet, three cans of tennis balls,
a towel, and a court. The diagram at right shows where to stand to begin each exercise.
Allow 30 seconds between moves. When you’ve completed the circuit, rest for 2–3 minutes,
repeat the entire circuit, thenstretch.

1. T DRILL
What it does: Increases speed and agility
What you do: Stand on the center service line with your back to the net.
Sprint forward to the service line, shuf� e right to the alley, reverse and shuf�e
left all the way to the opposite alley. Shuf�e back to the center service line.
Backpedal to the starting position. Continue for 30 seconds.


2. SPRINTS AND GROUND STROKES

What they do: Improve anaerobic conditioning and your ability to accelerate and decelerate

What you do: Stand at the hash mark on the baseline.
Staying low, sprint at an angle to the deuce-side singles sideline halfway between the baseline and the service line. When you get there, shadow hit a forehand.
Now shuf� e back to the starting position. Sprint to the ad singles sideline and shadow a backhand.
Shuf� e back to the hash mark. Repeat for 30 seconds.

3. PUSH-UPS

What they do:

Strengthen your upper body

What you do: Get into push-up position on your toes, with your hands slightly
wider than shoulder-width apart. Starting in the “up” position, inhale and lower toward the court.
Stop when your elbows are at 90-degree angles.
Exhale and push yourself back up. Keep your head in line with your spine and your back straight.
Try to keep your elbows close to your body. Do as many as you can—
with good form—in 30 seconds, aiming for 12–15.

4. BURPEES

What they do: Strengthen your legs, shoulders, arms, and chest

What you do: (A) Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and arms straight up over your head.
(B) Squat down and (C) place your palms on the court in front of your feet.
(D) Kick both feet back behind you so you’re in push-up position.
Bend your arms and lower your body until they form 90-degree angles.
Push yourself back up quickly and hop back into squat position, pulling your knees into your
chest while keeping your hands on the court. Stand up and throw your arms overhead,
jumping a few inches off the ground. Repeat this exercise quickly for 30 seconds.

5. SHORT-COURT SPRINTS

What they do: Improve anaerobic conditioning

What you do: (A) Holding a racquet, stand at the T and run forward to the net.
(B) Shadow a forehand volley, then backpedal to the service line and
(C) shadow an overhead. Immediately run forward again, but this
time (D) shadow a backhand volley. Backpedal to the starting position and shadow
another overhead. Continue for 30 seconds.

Next 5 next week.