Drills for Speeding Up Racquet Movement

[Eddie G]

Hi guys,

I'm new to tennis and wondered what is the popular drill to improve the speed of your racquet movement especially those times you're switching from forehand to backhand as well as when volleying. I've seen a couple of tennis players at the court where I play at that seem to have ninja-like movement with their racquets. I've googled this by the way but kept coming up with hits about "racquet head speed". PS. I'm actually not referring to racquet head speed.

Anyway, as always thanks...as all comments, tips, links, etc are super-appreciated.

 

[Slicehand]

i dont know about drills but i think its a matter of getting used to have your non dominant hand controlling the face of the raquet at all times, so your dominant hand only has to grip because raquet is already in the right position, the more you do this properly the more it will become unconscious

 

[cortado]

Hi guys,

I'm new to tennis and wondered what is the popular drill to improve the speed of your racquet movement especially those times you're switching from forehand to backhand as well as when volleying. I've seen a couple of tennis players at the court where I play at that seem to have ninja-like movement with their racquets. I've googled this by the way but kept coming up with hits about "racquet head speed". PS. I'm actually not referring to racquet head speed.

Anyway, as always thanks...as all comments, tips, links, etc are super-appreciated.

Playing groundstrokes in the service box is good for this. You have much less time to get ready for the incoming ball, you may have to rapidly move from forehand to backhand positions and vice versa, and when you finally hit the ball you have to develop very good feel to keep it in the opponent's service box.

 

[Fairhit]

When I first started I was concern with this too, you just have to keep practicing and eventually you'll do it without even thinking about it and fast as a ninja.

I used to take my racquet and just stand in a receiving position, dominant hand loose and other hand in the throat, and just say outluod and without thinking, slice, fh, bh, and trying to change grips as fast as possible, it took me about a week to do it without thinking, is not that hard and I'm sure you'll get there even without any drill specific to it.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

When you are at the net, you should be gripping the racket a bit higher up the handle -- perhaps 1-3 cm higher. This shorter grip should make you quicker at the net

You might consider a HL or even-balanced racket rather than a HH one. This should also help to make you quicker at the net. Somewhat lower swingweight could help as well.

You should be able to make grip changes quicker than you can turn. If not, spend a few minutes practicing this off the court. For your prep for g'strokes, use a complete unit turn with both hands on the racket.

Do not make the mistake of trying to move your racket head thru a large arc when you are preparing for your g'strokes or for your volleys at the net. It takes more time & is less efficient if you are moving the racket head too much. Instead, prepare your racket more at the handle end. This should be quicker and more efficient.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

@Eddie G

Are you executing a properly timed split-step? This should help you react to the ball quicker. When you are at the baseline, you should make up your mind what stroke you are going to use and start your unit turn before the ball crosses the net. Do not wait for the ball to bounce. Some additional ideas:

How To Prepare Early And Stop Hitting The Ball Late | Feel Tennis

Hitting the ball late in tennis is one of the most common challenges you will encounter, and only early stroke preparation on your forehands and backhands will allow you to hit the ball on time. You may have heard your coach say, “Prepare early” or “Turn quickly”, and yet you’re still finding...

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