Spider Drill Rally Ladder
Endurance & Recovery
Legend
- player
- cones
- ball
- movement path
How it works
Combine on-court agility running with live ball hitting to build match-specific endurance and recovery speed.
What you need
- tennis racket
- tennis balls
- court
- cones
- ball hopper
Your focus
The spider drill pattern replicates the multidirectional demands of actual match play, training both aerobic capacity and change-of-direction efficiency. Incorporating ball contact after sprints forces players to control technique under physical stress. Repeated sets progressively build the stamina needed for third-set tiebreaks.
Place five cones in a spider pattern on one half of the court: center baseline, both singles sideline baselines, and both service-line sideline intersections.
Player starts at the center cone, sprints to touch each outer cone in sequence, then immediately receives a feed from the coach and hits a groundstroke.
After hitting, the player recovers to center and repeats to the next cone in the sequence.
Complete all five cone touches plus shots as one set; rest 45 seconds, then repeat for three total sets.
Goal
Success is completing the spider run and then hitting the next ball in bounds, you're training your body to work even when it's already been working.
Helpful cues
- Push off with your outside foot
- Split step before the feed
- Control the first ball after a sprint
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Strip it back
Remove the ball and do the spider run only; add hitting once movement is consistent.
UpLVL it
Add the next challenge
Reduce rest to 30 seconds and require each shot to land in a target zone.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.