"From Spider Drills to Sprints: How Wheelchair Tennis Players Train for Speed and Agility"

Admin September 03, 2024

 


Picture by David Ramos/Getty Images


### Spiders, Butterflies, and Sprints: How Wheelchair Tennis Players Boost Their Speed

"Spider," "butterfly," and "suicide" might sound like superhero names, but they’re actually the names of dynamic drills that wheelchair tennis players use to enhance their speed on the court.

In the high-stakes environment of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, where the bouncy clay courts of Roland Garros challenge athletes to push their limits, speed is a crucial factor.

Dutch quad player Niels Vink, who thrives on the fast-paced play at Roland Garros, shared his excitement with Olympics.com: “I love it. The faster, the better for me. My game style is perfect for that, so I love clay. In the stadiums, the bounce is a little bit higher, the game is faster, so it’s all good for me.”

Vink, who won double medals at Tokyo 2020, was well-prepared for his speedy quarter-final match against Canada’s Robert Shaw on September 2, which he described as one of the “top five” matches of his career.

The Dutch wheelchair tennis team, including Paralympic and Grand Slam champions like Vink, Diede de Groot, Aniek van Koot, and Sam Schroder, uses various speed drills to prepare for high-tempo games. These drills, though seemingly mundane, are anything but for the Dutch players. They spice up their training with inventive names such as “spider” and “butterfly.”

Other national teams at Paris 2024 also embrace creative training methods to boost their speed. They engage in friendly 100m sprints and wheelchair basketball games, combining fun with serious preparation.

Explore how these imaginative training techniques help wheelchair tennis players enhance their speed on the court and why this agility is vital for their success.

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