Wind and surface · Exercise 1 of 4 · Warm-up
Fast feet
Wake up the footwork — especially important outdoors, because the ground changes your push-off.
Exercise
Sprint start and change of direction
Goal
Practice the short, explosive start and the fast switch.
How to do it
- Mark a few points on the floor — the corners and the middle of your court are enough.
- Start from the base position with a split step, sprint to a point, tap it and return to the middle.
- Vary the order of the points so you have to start off in every direction.
- Build in short breaks — it's about explosive, clean starts, not continuous load.
Self-check
Watch for light, fast feet and a clear first push-off. If the steps get heavy and shuffling, take a short break — tired feet practice the wrong movement. Quality over quantity.
Wrap-up
Short starting drills like these fit well at the end of the warm-up or as a small block of their own. A few clean repetitions do more than long, tired sets.
You can stop anytime — the counter stays untouched.