Spider run and recovery footwork

Setup

1. A racket face up on the centre mark of one baseline.
2. Balls on the singles sideline at the baseline and service line on each side, and one on the T.
3. Warm up fully first; this is a maximal effort.

How it runs

1. P1 starts at the centre mark. On 'go', P1 sprints to the first ball, picks it up and places it on the racket.
2. Collect all five balls one at a time, in the same order every time.
3. P2 times and counts; P1 rests while P2 runs.
4. Work:rest is about 1:4: roughly 20 seconds of work, 80 seconds of rest.
5. Four to six runs. Stop the set if times drop more than 10 per cent.
6. Stop at once with any sharp pain and tell the coach.

Coaching points

• Explosive first step from a split-step stance.
• Low centre of gravity when picking up the ball; bend the knees, not the back.
• Cross-over steps to recover, shuffle the last metre back to the centre.
• Place the ball, don't drop it; a rolled ball is re-done.
• Run like a point: eyes up, racket-ready posture between balls.

Common mistakes

• Running upright and stopping on straight legs.
• Pacing the first runs and fading late.
• Rounding off the turns instead of planting and pushing off the outside foot.