Agility is crucial when playing tennis. You need to be able to speed up, slow down, change direction, keep your balance, and swing a racket- sometimes all at the same time. Being agile doesn’t just keep you on your feet- it can also help you win matches and have fantastic aim. Here are some exercises that are bound to increase your agility, and will make you a great tennis player.

T Drill

A T Drill is really simple to do- you just put some cones out on the court in a large square, and begin at the back left cone, facing the net. Move up to the top left cone, and then move back to the bottom left cone. Go diagonally to the top right cone, then back to the back left, and then head sideways to the bottom right. For best results, do this about 4 to 6 times before taking a break.

Forward/Backward Z Drill

Add two more cones to your stack on the court, stretching it out from a square to a line. Choose one of the corners to be your first cone, and from that one, sprint up to the next cone and backpedal around it clockwise. Sprint up from the second cone to the third, and repeat your motions until you’ve cycled all of the cones.

Underhand Tiebreaker Tennis

This one requires a partner. Find someone to practice with, and face each other on opposite sides of the net. Throw the ball underhand to each other, aiming for the service boxes. Try to catch the ball after it’s bounced once, and then throw it back to your partner as fast as you can. Do this for 2-3 full sets of tennis, and you’ll be golden.