Alley Sprint and Groundstroke
Athleticism
Legend
- player
- coach / parent
- ball
- movement path
How it works
Increase tennis-specific power and court coverage by alternating explosive doubles-alley sprints with immediate fed groundstrokes.
What you need
- tennis racket
- tennis balls
- court
- cones (for variations)
- ball hopper
Your focus
Sprinting the full alley length and immediately executing a groundstroke trains players to produce quality shots under physical stress. This replicates the demand of running down a wide ball and still generating pace. The forced transition from maximum effort running to controlled hitting builds the athletic composure needed in long rallies.
Player starts at the deuce corner baseline; coach stands at the net with a hopper.
Player sprints the full length of the doubles alley (baseline to net) and back to the service line.
Immediately upon crossing the service line, the coach feeds a ball to the deuce corner and the player must hit a forehand groundstroke.
Player jogs to center for a 30-second recovery; complete eight repetitions per session.
Goal
Success is sprinting the alley hard enough to feel it in your legs, then still hitting the groundstroke in bounds, both halves matter equally.
Helpful cues
- Slow down with your legs, not your upper body, stay ready to swing
- Breathe out on contact to relax the arm
- Fight for your split step even when tired
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Strip it back
Shorten the sprint to baseline-to-service line only before the feed.
UpLVL it
Add the next challenge
Require the player to hit crosscourt to a target cone and track accuracy percentage across all eight reps.No account needed
Build a practice plan
Add drills, keep the plan in this browser, then share a link with your staff or parents.This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.
This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.After every practice, UpLVL automatically surfaces the drills each player needs to work on most. See it for yourself.