A structured on-court warm up is just as important as the physical warm up you do before stepping onto the court. Without proper drill-based preparation, your timing, feel and confidence will be off for the first set — exactly when matches are won and lost. This guide covers the 5 warm up tennis drills Randy Reynolds and Chris Ferguson-McIntyre — both former Division 1 college tennis players and certified instructors at Tennis Nation — use before every match. To combine these drills with coached match preparation, explore our tennis programs at Reno Tennis Center.
Warm up tennis drills are a great way to structure a tennis warm up at all levels of play. We have all seen a group of friends step out onto the court, hit groundstrokes from the baseline for a few minutes and call out “Let’s play first good serve.” There has to be a better way — and there is.
Below are the 5 warm up tennis drills that Chris Ferguson-McIntyre and I do before every match.
Warm Up Tennis Drill #1: Short Court
Short court helps you establish feel for your spins and timing before moving back to the baseline. Both players start behind the service line and rally groundstrokes as if it were the baseline.
Key Areas of Emphasis
- Establish your footwork and keep the proper distance between you and the ball
- Stay loose and meet each ball out in front
Warm Up Tennis Drill #2: Reflex Volleys
The reflex volley drill gets your eyes and timing adjusted to a fast pace of play. Both players start behind the service line and volley to one another, aiming for each other’s chest, closing toward the net after each volley when appropriate.
Key Areas of Emphasis
- Split step and turn your feet sideways on each volley
- Keep your center of gravity low
- Step forward into each volley as often as possible
Warm Up Tennis Drill #3: Groundstrokes 2 Feet Inside the Baseline
Stand 2 feet inside the baseline and adjust your feet to take the ball on the rise. This drill builds confidence handling deep hard-hit balls — an essential skill in both singles and doubles.
Key Areas of Emphasis
- Keep your center of gravity low
- Stay level throughout your stroke
- Intense legs, loose upper body
Warm Up Tennis Drill #4: 2 Volleys and an Overhead
Start behind the service line while your partner starts behind the baseline. Get the first volley near the service line, close in for the second volley, then take an overhead — and repeat. This simulates real match sequences at net.
Key Areas of Emphasis
- Split step and keep your center of gravity low
- Keep shoulders over hips as you close toward the net — this allows you to adjust back for the overhead effectively
- The net player closes toward the net as often as possible
Warm Up Tennis Drill #5: Serve and Return Drill
Server and returner set up as normal. The server hits their first ball as they would in a match. The returner aims to return the ball deep — targeting where the server’s feet land near the baseline.
Areas of Emphasis
- Server adjusts back quickly after hitting the serve
- Returner aims for a specific target area — aim small, miss small
- Returner prepares the racket low and takes it back as early as possible on hard-hit serves
More Tennis Drills to Come
That concludes the match preparation tennis drills for this post. For more free training content visit our tennis training library, and check out the 10-minute off-court tennis warm up routine to pair with these drills.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tennis Warm Up Drills
Why should I use structured drills instead of just rallying before a match?
Unstructured baseline rallying only warms up one part of your game — groundstrokes from a comfortable distance. Structured pre-match drills progressively activate your footwork, volleys, overhead, return and serve in sequence, so every shot feels familiar from the first point. Players who warm up with purpose spend far less of the first set finding their timing and far more of it executing their game plan.
How long should the on-court warm up take before a match?
These 5 drills can be completed in 10 to 15 minutes done back to back with a partner. Combined with the 10-minute off-court dynamic warm up routine, you have a complete 20 to 25 minute preparation sequence covering physical activation, timing, feel and match-specific movement. Arriving early enough to complete both routines without rushing is one of the simplest habits that separates prepared players from unprepared ones.
What is the purpose of the groundstrokes 2 feet inside the baseline drill?
Most players default to standing behind the baseline — more time but less court coverage. Practicing groundstrokes 2 feet inside the baseline trains you to take the ball on the rise — essential in doubles and increasingly important in singles. It builds the footwork patterns and low center of gravity needed to handle deep, hard-hit balls without being jammed or pushed back. Doing it in warm-up sets your body’s expectation for that contact point before the match begins.
I want to practice these drills with a coach watching my form.
Join a clinic at Reno Tennis Center and train with Randy Reynolds and our certified instructors — from warm up through match play.
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