Tennis has been interesting in recent years. Ever since the introduction
of the metal racket, the game has changed significantly. However,
the next big evolutionary step will be the introduction of iron.
Jimmy Connors used to eat pizza and drink Pepsi before his matches.
Like most sports in that era, weight training in tennis was almost
unheard of. Even today, weight training is still barely a blip on
the radar screens of most coaches and players. Apparently watching
the strongest players in the game such as Agassi and the Williams
sisters dominate has done little to raise awareness of the value
of weight training. One roadblock is the fact that being a tennis
coach does not make you a strength coach. Most tennis coaches have
very little practical knowledge or background in weight training
because they developed in the pre-weights era. Even worse was the
introduction of know-it-all sports scientists. These blind theoreticians
were quick to recommend weight training for muscular endurance and
lots of jogging. As a result, many players have disregarded weight
training as simply a waste of energy.
Common Deficiencies Found in
Tennis Players
Tennis players tend to be deficient in strength, recovery and
agility. While most players have superior cardiovascular conditioning,
it only comes into play during those rare 15 minute long points.
Strength is the most pronounced and most important weakness to
be corrected. Without strength, you cannot have any other motor
qualities. I believe it is the foundation of all movement. I was
quite surprised to find that many of the junior players I was
coaching could not do 20 proper pushups or even 5 pullups. This
is simply unacceptable for a player of any level of qualification.
By improving total body strength, you will be simultaneously improving
power, agility and endurance.
| The second area of deficiency I see is in recovery.
It is quite common to see players fight for a long, tough
point and then lose the next point because he was still huffing
and puffing. The blind theoretician's answer to this was to
do more cardio in order to improve VO2 max and lactic acid
buffering. Wrong answer Doc. Fifteen minute continuous runs
do not improve recovery because you only get one chance to
recover… at the end of the run! Instead of long
distance running, how about high-intensity interval training
which forces the athlete to recover several times a minute?
An additional benefit of HIIT is that you do not suffer the
strength sapping effects of long duration cardio. In fact,
a fast paced weight training session can boost not only your
strength, but also your anaerobic work capacity and recovery.
|
"Martina, I suggest
you also sue the treadmill-worshipping idiot that had
you jogging every day."
|
Another great reason to do long distance cardio is to pound your
joints one more time after a full day of playing tennis on concrete
courts. Martina Hingis recently sued her footwear manufacturer
for causing her career ending foot problems. Martina, I suggest
you also sue the treadmill-worshipping idiot that had you jogging
every day.
The final area of deficiency I see is in agility. Agility is part
skill, part speed and part strength. Without the strength to move
your body, you will not be able to do it quickly. My first suggestion
to improve agility is therefore to improve your strength and then
your speed-strength. Once this goal has been achieved, then agility
ladders and cone drills are very effective for improving agility.
Of course, nothing replaces actual match play, because anticipation
cannot be taught in the weight room. Another critical component
of agility is joint mobility. I highly recommend trying Steve
Maxwell's join mobility program, available at www.maxercise.com.
Most tennis clubs are also health clubs. As a result, tennis coaches
have intermingled with yoga and pilates instructors. As a result,
you see a surprisingly large amount of static stretching prescribed
for athletes in a very "unstatic" sport. Do the mobility
work before practice and save the passive stretching for after
practice if you have time.
Program for Correction of Common
Deficiencies
In order to correct the weaknesses I have mentioned above, it
is imperative that a tennis player train with weight at least
three times per week. Rather than the hamster wheel approach of
sports scientists, I do not recommend 3 sets of 15 reps on 10
muscle isolating exercises. Nor do I recommend training a muscle
only once every 48 hours. Nor do I even recommend thinking about
muscles. Instead, I think about movements instead and I try to
target movement patterns that are important in tennis. For example,
hip drive is the most important quality that we will work on in
the weight room. Via deadlifts, squats, cleans and snatches, we
can develop a powerful hip drive that will improve every aspect
of your game. Your first step will be quicker, so that you can
get to more balls and you will be able to change directions much
more explosively. Imagine if you could reach every ball that you
previously would have missed by six inches. Think of how many
more shots an opponent would have to hit in order to beat you.
As you can imagine, this makes a major impact in your game.
For upper body strength, I highly recommend pull-ups, one-arm
presses and jackknives (on an ab wheel or Power Rings). On pull-ups,
you must get a full stretch at the bottom. I actually recommend
that tennis players push their chest out at the bottom and spread
their shoulders. This is important for the strength and flexibility
of your shoulders. I really like one-arm military (overhead or
shoulder) presses because they work your obliques and side muscles.
In fact, it is similar to a serve in some ways. These should be
performed standing. Those benches are for the sports scientists
to sit on while they scoff at the "primitive"
nature of your new training program. Jackknives are a very effective
ab drill because they work your abs, chest, lats and shoulders
in a stretched position. This movement is the most effective one
out there for improving your abdominal strength for serving. Pullovers
are another good option.
Agility is important, but needs to take a rest for a while. Until
you have spent a few months focusing on developing strength, do
not even bother training agility. After a few months, add some
agility drills, but do not lose focus on training for strength.
The agility drills I recommend are agility ladders, cones, running
lines and jumping rope. Plyometrics are good, but in addition
to playing tennis, I think they are overload on the joints. Save
them for the off-season and any other down times.
A standard kettlebell program tackles just about everything you
need. A pair of rings would be the icing on the cake, especially
for upper body and core. If you use kettlebell swings and snatches
as the basis of your program, you will go far. As a matter of
fact, after the first month I used kettlebells I felt like I was
flying around the court . Honestly, I think I gained at least
a half a step and maybe more. The difference a half a step
makes can be felt on every shot. Most striking was the fact
that this speed lasted through the matches I was playing. However,
before hitting the kettlebells I would still recommend a month
or two centered around the deadlift. This will provide you with
a foundation of strength for your whole body. Spend this time
practicing pull-ups and an overhead press as well.
The Program
In the first month or two, you need to learn how to use your
hips. The deadlift is the key to this. 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps will
do the trick. These can and should be trained 3 times a week at
the beginning and up to 6 days as a week in the second month.
The overhead press should follow a similar rep scheme. Pullups
should be trained with bodyweight only at this point. Try to build
up your numbers of reps by using ladders. Start at 1 rep, then
2, then 3, 4, 5, etc. Go as high as you can. When you cannot go
any higher, build back up. Do this 3 or 4 times. If you have a
bar or a pair of rings at home, then you can practice your pull-ups
throughout the day.
At the end of your workout, do some ab work, such as the jackknives
and hanging leg raises. Hanging knee raises are a fine place to
start out. Do not do crazy high reps like Tennis Magazine advocates.
They champion athletes who do a thousand situps a day. Forget
this nonsense and train your abs for strength. Pick only a few
challenging exercises and follow the same 3-5 guidelines as noted
before.
What about Cardio?
After a couple months of strength work, it is time for some kettlebell
training. The most important thing to do is simply learn to lift
the kettlebells with proper form. I recommend following the RKC
video by Pavel Tsatsouline in the order it is presented. It should
take about two months to go through all of the exercises. During
this time, do not even try to "work out". This is phase
two of learning how to use your hips. The most substantial gains
you will make are not a result of getting stronger, but will come
from learning how to use what you have to the greatest extent.
I honestly think kettlebells are the ultimate platform for this
explorative learning.
Even though you are just practicing, you will no doubt find that
a set of kettlebell lifts will leave your heart racing. Sets of
5-10 reps will be best. Do sets in this manner till you are fatigued,
but still exercising with your best form.
The Path Ahead
From here on, you will need to assess your own strengths and
weaknesses. Now that you know the fundamentals of kettlebell lifting,
it is time to arrange your workouts into fast paced, brief but
intense workouts. Throw in some agility work, sprinting, perhaps
learn the Olympic lifts, do some ring training and of course keep
playing tennis. You will find yourself in the top 10% of all tennis
players in terms of fitness within the first 3-6 months and the
top 2% within a year. The other players might make better triathletes
and ab crunchers, but your level of fitness will better prepare
you to blast them off the court.
