The split-step rally drill

Split on the opponent's contact, see the side as you land, 2–3 quick steps and a shadow swing, recover to the centre, split again. Rallies of 3–4 shots, a shot every 3 seconds. Part of speed and reaction in the 6-week tennis fitness program.

Why it matters

A rally is split, move, hit, recover, split again. The recovery and the next split-step are what slow down when you tire, so this trains the whole cycle, timed to the opponent's hit.

The rule that makes it work

The split-step happens at the opponent's contact, not after you know the direction. You read the direction in the air and as you land. If you look first and jump second, you train a late split-step: exactly the habit that costs a step against a fast ball.

How to do it

1. Stand at a centre mark in your ready position.
2. On each beep (the opponent hitting), make a small split-step.
3. The arrow and the voice give the side: 2–3 quick steps that way and a shadow swing.
4. Recover to the centre in time for the next beep. 3–4 shots make one rally.

Common mistakes

• Splitting late, after you know the side: split on the beep.
• Admiring the shot instead of recovering to the centre.
• Big, slow first steps out of the split.

How much

6 to 10 rallies of 3–4 shots, a shot about every 3 seconds, and 20–25 seconds of rest between rallies, as between points. Quality over fatigue: do it fresh, never after hard intervals.

This drill needs a cue you cannot predict: a random side, a random cone, a random pause. A partner can call it; Tuko calls it for you, with the beep and the voice.

What the research says

Three weeks of multidirectional sprints improved change of direction and reactive agility in 19 college tennis players, and a random route improved reactive agility more than a known one.^[2] And sprints with several changes of direction build sprint speed and change-of-direction ability better than sprints with a single turn (meta-analysis of 15 trials).^[3]

Related

• Arrow reaction drill for tennis
• The cone drill: change of direction for tennis
• The whole 6-week program

Sources

2. Zhou Z. et al. (2024). The effect of multi-directional sprint training on change-of-direction speed and reactive agility of collegiate tennis players. PeerJ 12.
3. Kong R. et al. (2025). The chronic effects of change of direction during repeated-sprint training on jumping, sprinting, and change-of-direction abilities in players: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PeerJ 13.