Drills should be short, focused, and simple. The young athlete is building a foundation to grow in the sport, and should not focus on too many drills and exercises. Nowadays, more so than in the past, children do not play as they once did. The play was a natural way for boys and girls to develop balance, coordination, and confidence. In today’s society, many kids sit behind screens versus playing in the yard or neighborhood park. It may take some time fine tune sport specific motor skills.

For young athletes starting in tennis, there are five basic, foundational drills that can help solidify skill and prepare the athlete for more advanced work and avoid injury.

Running The Lines

This is an excellent warm-up for tennis players of any age or skill level. Have the young tennis athlete move about the lines of the court. The coach can have them run forward, backward, or shuffling along sideways. Running the lines gets the blood flowing, builds cardiovascular endurance, footwork, and serves as a learning tool for beginners to learn the names of the tennis court lines.

Frying Pan

Have the tennis athlete hold the racquet in their dominant hand string side facing up – as if they are holding a frying pan. Place a tennis ball onto the strings and have the athlete begin to bounce the ball on the surface of the racquet. Once the athlete can bounce the ball in place, walk a line on the court while maintaining the bounce and return to the starting position. If there are several players on hand, have them compete to see who can successfully bounce the ball on their racquet from starting to stopping position the quickest without losing the ball. Want to make it even more challenging? Perform all of the above with the non-dominant hand.

Racquetball Dribble

Similar to frying pan drill, but dribbling the ball between the surface of the racquet and court, like dribbling a basketball. As mentioned above, begin in a stationary position. As their skill and confidence improve, have them walk along the court lines, compete with teammates, or use the non-dominant hand.

Cone Catch

The young athlete in this drill will hold a cone, not a racquet in their hand. On the other side of the net, the coach or a teammate can throw, serve, or volley a ball over the net. Let the ball bounce once, then have the athlete run to catch the ball inside the cone (think catching a ball with a mitt in baseball). This will help the athlete improve eye coordination and concentration and reaction speed on the court.

Simple Serve

Going back to basics is always beneficial. And working on simple serving can improve accuracy. The coach will draw a circle, or place a small hoop, on the other side of the net. The goal is for the athlete to hit the circle from the serving line. At first, have the tennis athlete use their hand to throw the ball. As they improve their accuracy, have them use a racquet to serve and target the circle.

It is important to stick with simple drills to improve endurance, coordination, focus, and sport-specific skills when working with young athletes. There are dozens and dozens of drills – all beneficial – but working on a few simple ones can help keep the young athlete focused and not overwhelmed. Remember, they will have many years to progress.

Federer is doing the smart thing. He said he knows his limits and capabilities, and he’s worked hard to come back to compete in full competitive form. However, he said he also recognizes that his future and health are more important than any other Grand Slam or tour.

Tennis is a brutal sport. It’s not just serving and hitting a ball repeatedly over a net. There’s a lot of deceleration, force application, and unilateral dominance. But nevertheless, it leaves players injured and broken. And as they get older, it only becomes a little bit worse for them because their body is aging and not repairing as quickly as it was when they were in their 20s.

When aging starts, injuries and surgeries take longer to recover. It is at this point that the body can’t keep up, and the game speeds up, making a player feel like the tin man on the court.

Bittersweet Decision

Federer said this is a bittersweet decision, but the time has come to say farewell. He said he will continue to play tennis, just not in the Grand Slams or on tour. The last game he played was in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2021. And in mid-August that year, he had another knee surgery.

Of course, Roger will miss the tour, and the tennis fans will miss him more. But he has so much to be grateful for. Federer was very successful at the thing he loved to do most. He remarked that he was given an exceptional talent to play tennis and reached a level that he never saw or imagined.

Roger Federer has always been a special player. He’s always been the model of sportsmanship and gratitude. In his final message, he said, “The last 24 years have been an incredible adventure. While it sometimes feels like it went by in 24 hours, it has also been so deep and magical that it seems as if I’ve already lived a full lifetime.”

He further commented, “I have had the immense fortune to play in front of you in over 40 different countries. I have laughed and cried, felt joy and pain, and most of all, I have felt incredibly alive.”

Federer’s final goodbye, adieu, farewell, will be after the Laver cup next week. He underwent knee surgery last year, hoping to return to the pro circuit to achieve ultimate GOAT status. Swiss clocks last forever, but his body is not the same. Staying untouchable is a difficult feat. However, Federer retires graciously as a 3^rd place fixture and finisher forever.

“The Swiss Maestro” has played over 1,500 matches in his 24 years of professional tennis. He has won Wimbledon eight times, the Australian Open six times, and the US Open five times. But As for Grand Slam titles, he has won 20, Djokovic 21, and Nadal remains at the top position, leading with 22.

His most recent fine was at the US Open. His unprofessional and unsportsmanlike outburst and rendition of Thor cost him $14,000. After losing, he destroyed two racquets by slamming them like Thor’s hammer on the court. He lost the quarter-final match to Karen Khachanov in five sets, 5-7, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6, 7-3, 4-6.

And now, the ATP is $14,000 richer from Nick’s unsportsmanlike conduct at the US Open.

Miami Open

Nick was fined $35,000 total for four offenses and rule violations based on conduct at the Miami Open. First, he was charged $20,000 for verbal abuse—thereafter another $5,000 for an audible obscenity (using profanity). And then two more $5,000 fines for unsportsmanlike behavior and poor conduct on the court. However, many of the fines were for his comments toward the umpire and not his opponents.

Wimbledon

At Wimbledon, he was fined twice, $10,000 for spitting toward a fan and again for another audible obscenity which dinged him $4,000.

It is very unbecoming when professional athletes smash and break things and cry and scream. Poor sportsmanship is never the answer. On the other hand, you have top seeds like Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, who have poise and control when they lose. They get inspired to go back to training harder to win next time. Fans deserve better, and athletes need to follow through.

Nick said his Gland Slam dreams were crushed, and now he has to start over. Well, that’s life and sport. Instead of breaking his racquets like a little child with a temper tantrum, thinking he is entitled and owed, he should be happy and grateful he is ranked in the top 30 players in the world.

However, his unsportsmanlike and semi-violent conduct signifies and shows something more profound about him. Last year, Nick assaulted his ex-girlfriend, Chiara Passari, in Canberra, his hometown in Australia. Recently, he was due in court. But his court case was postponed until October so he could play in Wimbledon and the US Open. If found guilty, the penalty is two years in jail.

Nick Kyrgios has earned $445,000. The ATP will deduct his fines from the prize money he has earned in the tournament.

Some may admire Nick Kyrgios’s candor. But for the most part, it seems tennis fans despise him for various reasons. Fans have been offended by his contempt for tennis and disrespect toward players, fans, and officials. They have also commented that he is not a hustler on the court.

In addition, his attitude on the court and in postgame news conferences is very disrespectful, dismissive, and offensive to other players and the sport.

Some say Nick is eccentric. Does not matter. It is about respect. You must show and have respect and let the winner enjoy the moment because he has earned the spoils. And losing is a gracious act, a sign of respect and humility, knowing you did not play your best or were just outplayed.

Novak is unvaccinated by choice and has openly admitted to the world his decision. He knew there would be significant ramifications for not taking the vaccine. Novak is very particular about what he eats, his training, and when he puts in his body. He should not be forced to take something he doesn’t want to take that could possibly lead to inhibiting his tennis career. And, thereafter, which could hinder his performance for life.

Tennis aficionados and the community are receiving a backhand to their enthusiasm due to the absence of Novak Djokovic, much like he is feeling from the government mandates. Many politicians have taken Novak’s side and tried to convince the administration and CDC to let Djokovic play. Several US senators criticized the CDC rules that prevented Djokovic from entering the USA. But now, it all seems just a little too late.

Opportunity Due to Absence

As of today, Novak has dropped to 6^th place in the world from number one. His drop in the rankings was not from losing but from being restricted from playing in other countries requiring covid vaccination as well. Therefore, he must abide by mandates and rules set in place by governments, and no sports organization can sway them.

The more he sits out of playing tournaments, the further his ranking and status will drop. Also, his absence paves the way for other players to rise to the top. For example, Nadal has more possibilities for victory. Djokovic’s absence from the Australian Open allowed Nadal to take the win without top-seeded pressure.

And as Nadal rises and Novak falls, those top empty spots will get filled with new names and faces and a chance for those professionals to improve their status and ranking.

Rafael Nadal said Novak not competing is sad and unfortunate news.

John McEnroe also chimed in and said it’s a shame they can’t find a way to let Novak compete. He could not believe he was not going to play and was highly disappointed Novak was out. He further commented that Novak had just won Wimbledon; how is it he cannot play in the Open? Finally, John said he disagrees with Djokovic’s decision not to be vaccinated, but he respects it.

Djokovic will be 36 years old soon, so he’s getting older and losing chances to win more Grand Slams and championships. As of now, he has 21 Grand Slam championships under his belt.

Novak took to social media and thanked his fans and supporters on Twitter, saying he is sad that he cannot travel to New York for US Open. However, he signed off by saying good luck to his fellow players and that he will stay positive and fit.

In February, Novak Djokovic told the BBC that he was willing to pay the price for his decision and refusal not to take the covid vaccine. He knew he would be banned from playing in competitions and that his rank would fall. However, his self-respect and life values mean more to him than any trophy or status can offer.

We immediately got to work. One friend squatted down next to the machine, and I began to throw as hard as possible. We tried to get the radar gun to catch our fastball’s velocities. Long story short, the radar gun never read our throws. We were crushed but still had fun trying to get a reading on it. Just FYI, they are meant to catch the speeds of large vehicles, not baseballs.

In sports, athletes are always trying to hone their craft. As a kid, nothing is cooler than showcasing raw power. Other examples besides fastball velocity can be the speed of a tennis serve; how far you can drive a golf ball, kick a ball, your 40-yard dash time, you get the idea. All these are essential aspects of their given sports. Anytime we can improve these results are a good thing.

Recent research has provided a strategy for tennis players to instantly improve velocity on the serve. No special warmup or strength and conditioning protocols are needed—no supplements or energy drinks- just a little psychological trick called augmented feedback.

Augmented Feedback

Augmented feedback (AF) is a psychological trick used by athletes and coaches to improve their movement techniques and enhance performance. Augmented feedback is information given to the user based on their results or performance. An easy practical definition for AF is when an athlete gets feedback on how they did or instruction on how to do something. In tennis, being told the ball landed inside or outside the service box is augmented feedback. The speed on a radar gun is augmented feedback. A fan yelling to knock it out of the park is another example.

Researchers in Switzerland proved the usefulness of AF in a group of elite-level tennis athletes. They had the athletes perform 100 serves each, with different types of feedback given throughout the testing. Their fastest serves came after being given augmented feedback for all the athletes. Specifically, the phrase, “Serve as fast as possible while landing the serve in the target zone and try to maximize the speed shown on the screen,” was used.

Now don’t take this study too literally. You don’t have to use that exact phrase. You don’t even have to speak at all. Visual cues work too. Like when I was a kid, a radar gun can effectively improve performance through motivation. It got us off our couches because the prospect of seeing our velocities measured was exciting. I guarantee we tried to throw harder that day than we would at a regular baseball practice. Athletes are naturally competitive. Good athletes rise to those challenges if someone yells out and challenges us to hit the ball harder when a radar gun is turned on.

AF For Athletes

Sometimes it can be hard to self-motivate. For a sport like tennis, the coach can often be on another court, coaching another athlete. If there’s no radar gun, a simple self-pep talk can give all the feedback needed to boost your own velocity. “I need to crush the ball” is a simple, intuitive phrase. Athletes often overthink things. “If I just keep my foot at a 45-degree angle, jump 4.7 inches off the ground while maintaining my hips in a forward position….” that’s overthinking it. Focusing on detailed movements such as this is proven to potentially slow things down. It’s hard to think about ten things at once while trying to be explosive. The best athletes perform their craft subconsciously, without thought. Not overthinking things, with the only thought being to give your best effort, is an effective performance-boosting method.

AF For Coaches

Coaches coach. It is literally in the job description to give their athletes feedback on performance. The communication should be clear and direct. And research shows that words that focus on improved performance will deliver just that, improved performance. Negative feedback such as pointing out mechanical problems or highlighting a failure often proves to have a negative effect. If you want the most out of your athletes, tell them what you want them to do, not tell them what they did wrong. “Crush the ball, give me your best one right here, and ‘you got this” are all examples of positive augmented feedback that work. On the tennis court, this methodology shows this instantly improves serve velocity.

AF For All Sports

This feedback method was proven to improve the speeds of a small group of elite tennis athletes. There is no doubt that this also works for other athletes in different sports. Want to drive a golf ball farther? Measure the distances. Want faster fastballs? Radar gun. Want to lift a heavier weight? Tell yourself you’ve got this.

Augmented feedback is a safe and effective method for improving performance. In the experiment, AF did not adversely affect ball accuracy. But just because it had no effects on elite tennis players doesn’t mean AF can’t throw you off your game. Use AF methods wisely and only if they seem to work for you in practice. Athletes and coaches, give AF a try and see if it boosts athletic performance.

https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2021/04000/How_to_Serve_Faster_in_Tennis__The_Influence_of_an.33.aspx

https://www.cureus.com/articles/77430-the-role-of-augmented-feedback-on-motor-learning-a-systematic-review

Someone from the stands recently heckled Naomi Osaka. The words “You suck” were yelled at her at the Indian Wells Masters tennis tournament during a second-round loss. This caused her to cry and become emotionally distraught.

Instead of being hurt by the situation, Naomi should ask herself whether she really sucks being a four-time grand slam champion and previous number one ranking. She made the WTA as cream of the crop into professional tennis, and that says a lot, considering only a few out of the multitude of tennis players make it. However, I think there is more to the situation than meets the eye.

Osaka Has Been Struggling

The past 12 months have been harsh. It all started when Naomi refused to engage in press conferences at the 2021 French Open. She was penalized $15,000 for missing the press conference. It is in her contractual agreement to do so. She feels that the press is negative and unfair with their questions. All I can say is if you agree to the rules, then you cannot change them. Also, when she returned to play in January 2022, she could not climb back to the top. Instead, she fell in the rankings, now ranked 78th in the WTA.

Due to mental health issues building up, she missed Wimbledon. After losing in the third round of the US Open, she went on hiatus and mentioned tennis and winning do not make her feel happy. With that being said, the issue seems to revolve around possibly losing the love of the sport. Losing the love of the sport is a game-changer.

So, are her tears and being upset about the heckler, or is it about losing the love of the sport? Because not loving what you are doing will affect your performance and mental health. Doing something for hours a day, day in and day out, without enjoying it, produces ill will. Therefore, when heckled, not being emotionally stable, will exacerbate those emotions on and off the court. The stability of the mind dictates how you deal with things. When mental health is good, then bullying and negativity seems just to be brushed off the shoulders.

Like Andy Murray said, about heckling, “it’s a part of the sport; it’s something you have to prepare for.” Just like developing your serve technique and backhand, you must train your mind to handle the hecklers’ jeers. Nadal also commented that it is incorrect, but you must learn to deal with your adversaries. Andy and Nadal express their support and sympathy for Naomi. However, in the face of adversity, your show and see your true strengths.

Mental health and balance are essential because of the high amount of training, stress, and pressure put on the athlete to win. If you don’t love what you do, it becomes work. When it becomes work, it creates stress. And the stress builds up, creating pressure, affecting you mentally.

It’s tough for a sports organization to eject or ban people who heckle or say negative things. However, if violence and prejudice are involved, that is a much different story.

For Naomi, “You can spend your time on the stage pleasing the heckler in the back, or you can devote it to the audience that came to hear you perform.” –Seth

“A loud voice of ignorance is an incredible waste of opportunity to promote intelligence for the heckler.” Eddie S. Wilson

“Choose to be optimistic it feels better.” Dali Lama

On average, a player has between 300 and 500 high intensity bouts per three-set match and four direction changes per point. 80% of strokes are made from just under 8 feet, and 70% of movements during a match are lateral.

Due to the intermittent explosive nature of tennis, performing med ball drills can be a powerful tool to decrease injury risk, develop agility and improve strength and power.

Here are the three critical qualities that tennis players can train with med balls that will enhance their performance on the court.

Deceleration

The ability to decelerate is important to change of direction in any sport. Most coaches put most of their emphasis on acceleration training but neglect deceleration/eccentric training.

In tennis, deceleration occurs in every followthrough, volley and serve. The muscles that are most heavily involved in stroke deceleration are the upper back and posterior deltoids. Most tennis injuries can be attributed to poor deceleration mechanics, especially in the upper back and shoulders. Performing drills with light medicine balls can be a great way to train eccentrically and to work on deceleration mechanics in these muscles.

Med Ball Over-the-Shoulder Pass

In a kneeling position, the athlete tosses a small medicine ball over their shoulder with their arm bent at 90 degrees at the elbow and their fingertips pointed toward the ceiling. The athlete works on catching the ball and decelerating the toss before reversing the motion to throw it back.

Med Ball Prone 90/90

The athlete lies face down on a bench holding a ball in each hand with both elbows bent at 90 degrees. While pulling the scapula back and maintaining good position, the athlete works on releasing and then catching the weighted ball in rapid succession for multiple reps.

Med Ball Prone T’s

This exercise is performed in the same manner as the Prone 90/90, but instead of the elbows bent at 90 degrees, the arms are fully extended while the athlete maintains good position, rapidly letting go of and catching the ball.

Med Ball Wall Bounces

The athlete faces a wall about a foot away with elbow bent at 90 degrees and fingers pointed up. The ball is bounced between the hand and the wall while the athlete works on decelerating the ball using the anterior shoulder muscles, then throwing the ball back to the wall.

Lateral Training

Training lateral power and footwork are crucial for tennis players at all levels, because over half of all movements in a tennis match are performed laterally. A player typically covers just a few feet per stroke, and because of this, full acceleration is rarely achieved. Due to this large skew toward lateral movement, training for tennis players heavily focuses on lateral work.

There are three basic types of lateral steps in a tennis match. The first is a jab step, where the athlete steps with the lead foot first in the direction of the oncoming ball. The second step is a pivot step, where the athlete pivots on the lead foot while turning toward the ball and taking their first step with the opposite leg. The final type of lateral step is the gravity step, where the lead foot steps inward and away from the intended movement. This small inward step moves the center of gravity outside the base of support, creating a dynamic imbalance which aids in mastering lateral movement.

Lateral footwork drills, including lateral crossovers and lateral shuffles, combined with medicine ball throws can be an effective double whammy for strength training for tennis. Emphasize the agility component of reacting to whatever direction you throw the ball.

These drills can be performed in planned and unplanned movement patterns. Keep in mind that the mechanics behind a backhand are different from a forehand stroke. Unlike other sports, it is extremely rare to switch dominant hands and hit forehands on the opposite side of the body. For this reason, you could train shuffle footwork dominantly to the forehand side, and crossover footwork dominantly to the backhand side.

Med Ball Deep Groundstroke (open or closed)

A large medicine ball is tossed above and behind the athlete, who is at the ready position. Once the throw is made, the athlete takes the first step and gets into position to receive the ball behind their starting position. The ball can be thrown either to their forehand or backhand side. After receiving the ball, the athlete loads their body similar to a stroke using a racket and launches the ball back toward the coach.

Med Ball Short Groundstroke (open or closed)

Similar to the Medicine Ball Deep Groundstroke, except the ball is thrown in front of the athlete, who needs to take a step forward to catch and return the ball.

Lateral Run + Throw (wide throw)

In this drill, the athlete starts in the ready position and the medicine ball is thrown to their left or right. The athlete shuffles or crosses over depending on which side was their forehand and which side was their backhand to catch, load and throw the ball back.

Strength

As the technology of rackets and other tennis equipment has improved, groundstrokes have gone from a closed stance to a much more open stance. This has caused the tennis groundstroke to go from a simultaneous coordination of the body to a sequential coordination of the body. This means that specific components of the tennis stroke can be trained separately and still illicit overall groundstroke improvements. Training should try to imitate the sequential coordination of each stroke.

Using a medicine ball without incorporating footwork is a way to train core strength and power without fatiguing the lower body as much as footwork medicine ball drills do. When you take away the footwork, you can increase the intensity of the workout by increasing the weight of the medicine ball or power behind each throw. Taking away the footwork also removes the agility component but allows greater focus on power and proper movement.

These drills can be performed at the beginning or end of a workout, or before playing. Make sure to train both sides of the body equally, especially in closed stance and shuffle drills. These drills can also be used as a conditioning tool thrown in during practice. The Medicine Ball Slam and Keg Toss are less tennis-specific and are total body power movements that can be used with novice athletes.

Med Ball Open Stance Side Throw

The athlete stands in an open stance with the toes of both feet pointing forward. Without using their feet, they catch a medicine ball thrown to either side of their body, decelerate the ball, load their upper body and return the ball in a powerful throw.

Med Ball Close Stance Side Throw

Performed in the same manner as the Open Stance Throw except the athlete is in a closed stance, receiving the ball on one side and throwing it back before switching stances and receiving the ball on the other side of their body.

Med Ball Slam

The Medicine Ball Slam is a versatile drill that works on total body power and coordinated effort. The ball is picked up from the floor, taken overhead and thrown back into the floor as powerfully as possible. Make sure to pick up the ball up with good form, and that the material of the ball or ground can absorb the power of the throw so the ball doesn’t bounce back into the athlete’s face.

Med Ball Keg Toss

The Keg Toss is another basic medicine ball drill good for developing power and strength. In this drill, the ball starts in both hands with the athlete’s ankles, knees and hips flexed. A rapid triple extension is followed by an underhand toss of the medicine ball overhead and into the air. The goal of this drill should be maximal height, not maximal distance thrown backward.
Photo Credit: Tara Moore/Stone/Getty Images

Read More

• 3 Tennis Drills for a Faster, More Accurate Serve
• Developing Rotational Power for Baseball, Tennis and Golf
• Use These Tennis Drills to Dominate the Competition

Sources:

• Fernandez, J., Mendez-Villanueva, A., & Pluim, B. M. (2006). Intensity of tennis match play. Br J Sports Med. 40(5), 387–391.
  
• Kovacs, M. S. (2009). “Movement for tennis: The importance of lateral training.” Strength & Conditioning Journal, 31(4), 77-85.
• Kovacs, M. S., Roetert, E. P., & Ellenbecker, T. S. (2008). “Efficient deceleration: The forgotten factor in tennis-specific training.” Strength & Conditioning Journal, 30(6), 58-69.
• Roetert, E. P., Kovacs, M., Knudson, D., & Groppel, J. L. (2009). “Biomechanics of the tennis groundstrokes: Implications for strength training.” Strength & Conditioning Journal, 31(4), 41-49.

Here are some core exercises to help increase athletic performance in ten major sports.

Basketball

Medicine Ball Slam

The Medicine Ball Slam builds explosive strength in your core essential for basketball, where most movements such as sprinting, rebounding and driving to the basket are explosive.

How to Perform:

• Get into a partial Squat holding a moderate to heavy medicine ball in front of you.
• Using your whole body, raise the ball overhead, then explosively slam it to the floor.
• Catch the ball on the rebound and quickly transition into your next repetition.

Sets/Reps: 3×15
https://youtu.be/Rx_UHMnQljU

Baseball/Softball

Medicine Ball Rotational Throws

This exercise builds explosive rotational strength in the core, hips, and shoulders. It mimics the hitting motion of baseball and softball players, allowing them to have a stronger, quicker swing.

How to Perform:

• Assume an athletic stance with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Stand with partner or wall 5 yards to the left.
• Explosively rotate through your core and throw the med ball at your partner or the wall.
• Maintain tight abs and a stable lower body during rotation.
• Receive medicine ball back and continuously repeat for specified reps.
• Perform set with partner or wall to right.

Sets/Reps: 2×10-15 each side

Football

Supine Straight Leg Raise & Hold

This is a classic football drill that most players did back in their Pop Warner days. It builds strength and endurance in the hip flexors, lower abdominals and quadriceps, which tend to fatigue and feel heavy toward the end of a game.

How to Perform:

• Lie on your back with your legs straight and your hands either out to the side or underneath your lower back.
• Keeping your legs straight and feet together, lift your legs off the ground to about 45 degrees.
• Hold that position for 60 seconds; that’s one rep.
• Bonus: perform a basic Crunch during this movement to target your upper abdominal muscles.

Sets/Reps: 3×60 seconds

Cross Country/Track

Sprinter Sit-Ups

As its name indicates, this exercise benefits sprinters and athletes in sports requiring explosive speed. It mimics the sprinting motion, helping to train the core muscles to activate in the correct pattern to enhance running mechanics.

How to Perform:

• Lie on your back with your legs straight and your arms at your sides.
• Simultaneously sit up and bring one knee up toward your chest.
• Extend the arm behind you on the same side as your raised knee.
• At the same time, bring your opposite arm forward, bent at a 90-degree angle.
• After you reach the top of your Sit-Up, lie back down, extend your leg and place both arms back by your sides.
• Repeat with the opposite leg. That’s one repetition.

Sets/Reps: 3×15

Soccer

Scissor Crunches

Scissor crunches are similar to V-Ups, but they also target the transverse abdominals and oblique muscles. They mimic a soccer player’s kicking motion, helping to build explosive kicking strength by working the core muscles.

How to Perform:

• Lie on your back with your arms straight above your head and your feet on the ground.
• Simultaneously lift your right hand and left foot toward each other, keeping both straight.
• Once you touch your hand to your foot, reverse the motion until you reach the starting position; that’s one rep.
• Perform all reps on one side, then switch to the other side.

Sets/Reps: 3×15, each side

Swimming

Flutter Kicks

Flutter Kicks require core strength to resist movement, similar to many sports. They effectively mimic the kicking motion of the backstroke in swimming, but they are beneficial for athletes in any sport.

How to Perform:

• Lie flat on your back with your legs straight.
• Lift both legs about 45 degrees.
• Keeping your core braced, glutes flexed and legs straight, perform a kicking motion, alternating your legs up and down.
• To alleviate lower-back discomfort, place your hands under your lower back and/or simultaneously perform and hold a crunch, which will naturally cause your back to flatten.

Sets/Reps: 3×60 seconds

Volleyball

Medicine Ball Wood Chop

Wood Chops are an ab exercise that require full core engagement, targeting every muscle between the hips and  shoulders. Holding a weighted medicine ball makes them more difficult, helping to increase rotational strength needed for spiking the ball.

How to Perform:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent, holding a medicine ball with your arms straight, hanging down in front of your body.
• Tip your hips back slightly and bend your knees, moving into a quarter squat as you rotate your shoulders a bit to the right, so that when your arms are straight, the medicine ball is just to the right of your right knee.
• Engage your core and keep your arms completely straight as you swing your arms up and across your body in a diagonal motion, straightening your knees and hips until the medicine ball is held over and slightly to the left of your left shoulder.
• Throughout this motion, keep your hips pointing straight ahead. Twist through your waist and shoulders rather than your hips and legs.
• Reverse the movement until you reach the starting position; that’s one rep.

Sets/Reps: 3×15 each side

Golf

Cable Paloff Press

The Paloff Press is one of the most basic and important core exercises, especially for golfers. It targets the entire core, helping you rotate faster, and prevents injuries to your lower back. Just ask Tiger Woods.

How to Perform:

• Stand next to a cable tower perpendicular to the machine and grab the handle at about chest height.
• Squeeze your glutes and core and relax your shoulders.
• Push both arms straight out, hold the finish for a few seconds and return to the starting position; that’s one rep.
• Perform all your reps facing one direction and repeat facing in the other direction.

Sets/Reps: 3×15

Tennis

Dumbbell Single-Arm Wood Chop

This exercise mimics the backhand motion tennis players like Roger Federer have made famous. It builds strength in the hips, shoulders, forearms and lower back essential for a strong back swing.

How to Perform:

• Start in golf posture, holding a dumbbell in your right hand and place your left hand behind your back.
• Internally rotate your shoulder so the thumb of your right hand points to your left hip.
• Simultaneously extend the weight away from your body and externally rotate your shoulder so your thumb now points behind you.

Sets/Reps: 3×15 with each hand

Wrestling

Dumbbell Renegade Row

This variation adds weight via dumbbells, incorporating extra resistance to increase strength. It not only builds core strength, it also  strengthens your biceps and rhomboids as well.

How to Perform:

• Grab a pair of dumbbells that are challenging but not too heavy.
• Get into a standard push-up position with your hands grasping the dumbbells in a neutral grip on the floor and your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Resisting the tendency to rotate your body, lift one dumbbell off the floor, perform a Single-Arm Row and place it back on the floor.
• Repeat with the other arm. That’s one repetition.

Sets/Reps: 3×15 each arm

READ MORE:

• This Ridiculously Simple Exercise Builds a Rock Solid Core
• New Research Discovers the Best Type of Core Exercise

Although base stealing has certain nuances that drills won’t necessarily improve—like reading the pitcher’s motion and knowing the best time to steal—every other facet can be improved by developing your reaction time, quickness and speed.

Stealing bases is a critical skill to develop if you want to add value to your team. Prior to the start of the season, perform these base stealing drills every other day during your speed workout.

Base Stealing Drills

Tennis Ball Drops (Reaction Time)

This drill develops quickness and improves reaction time. After you master the drill, assume a base-stealing stance to improve your transition from stance to sprint.

• Start in three-point or base-stealing stance on line five yards away from coach
• Coach raises arm with tennis ball in hand
• Once ball is dropped, explode forward to catch it
• Try to catch ball before it bounces twice
• Repeat for specified reps
• Coach takes two steps back to increase distance after successful catch

Sets/Rest: 10-15 with 15 to 30 seconds rest

Standing Broad Jumps (Quick Jump)

This drill develops explosive power in the legs and hips so you can explode out of your stance and quickly reach top speed.

• Stand in relaxed and ready position
• Bending hips and knees, sit back into quarter-squat
• Exaggeratedly swing arms back
• Quickly swing arms forward and simultaneously explode with legs to jump
• Propel body forward as far as possible
• Land with stable base; absorb impact by allowing body to return to start position and immediately repeat for a total of four jumps

Sets/Reps: 5×8 with 60 seconds rest between sets; perform sets 2 through 4 holding light med ball

Resisted Sprints (Top Speed)

This final drill improves top speed by increasing the power you can put into the ground. The more powerful your lower body is, the longer your stride length is and the fewer strides it will take you to get down the basepath.

• Assume starting sprint position
• Twist large bath towel around waist
• Partner stands behind you holding ends of towel
• Sprint forward for 15 yards
• Partner jogs behind you, holding onto towel to provide steady resistance

Sets/Rest: 10-15 with 30 seconds rest

Many articles are written about how to get a powerful, well-developed pair of upper arms, but not much is written about building serious power and strength in the lower arms. In this article, we focus on the components of a strong grip and ways to build it. This is especially important for aspiring young athletes, who may not be interested in competing in the local bodybuilding contest but who desire to ratchet up their performance in their sport.

RELATED: 8 Cures for a Weak Grip

The forearm muscle group is responsible for grip strength. The forearm muscles have several functions, including gripping objects, curling the fists upward and lifting the hands backward in a reverse motion. For complete forearm development, we have to train each of these areas. The following exercises are used in our grip strengthener training program.

Plate Pinches

Pinch gripping a barbell plate is a great exercise to build overall grip strength. Begin by pinching the edge of the plate using your thumb and all of your fingers and lifting the plate to thigh height. Hold the plate as long as possible. Gradually increase the weight.

Gripper or Tennis Ball Squeeze

One of my favorite tools to build a powerful grip is an iron gripper. Avoid the ones in sporting goods stores. They are weak and don’t provide enough resistance for a good workout. A complete line of pro grippers includes units with resistance levels from 50 pounds all the way up to 500 pounds—these are real grip strengtheners! An alternative to the gripper is the common tennis ball. Use an old ball and squeeze it as hard as you can for 15 seconds before resting. Repeat.

Dowel Wrist Rotations 

A series of cable wind-ups builds the overall strength needed in the forearm for a strong grip. Use one from a sporting goods store or make your own from a wooden handle. Drill a hole in the middle, insert a six foot rope through it and tie the end. Attach a quick coupler on the other end. After clipping on a barbell plate, wind it up until it touches the handle. Unwind and repeat.

Barbell Wrist Curls

This is probably the most common forearm exercise. All you do is grasp a barbell and curl it with your wrists. You can either rest your arms on a bench or perform the exercise with the barbell behind you.

Barbell Reverse Curls

No forearm/grip development training program is complete without Reverse Barbell Curls. Keep your elbows firmly against your sides throughout the exercise. Using smooth movement and a palms-down grip, and lift the weight up in a circular motion until its at shoulder height.

Here’s an effective program to follow to maximize the development of a strong grip.

RELATED: 6 Exercises That Will Build Your Forearm and Grip Strength Fast

Session 1 (Monday)

• Reverse Barbell Curls – 1×15
• Gripper squeezes – 1×25 overhand, straight grip
• Plate pinch – 1×6 pinch grips per hand

Session 2 (Thursday)

• Barbell Wrist Curls – 1×15 (palms-facing up)
• Dumbbell Wrist Rotations – 1×2 minutes (attach weight to one end of a dumbbell. Grab the other end and rotate the dumbbell in circles to train the entire forearm)
• Tennis Ball Squeezes – 1×25 each hand

During the initial two workouts, use weights that are not too taxing for the muscles. After that, increase the weights every session until maximal effort is needed to complete the specified reps. Continue adding weight to each exercise at every session.

RELATED: 5 Time-Saving Grip Strength Exercises