FITNESS TRAINING: ARTICLES

Cross Training for Tennis
By John Hoeber, MS, RD

Tennis is an enjoyable way to keep fit, and a higher fitness level can make tennis more enjoyable. Aside from the fact that hitting more winners is more gratifying than miss-hitting, the fitter you are the more you can stay within your comfort level when you play.

A tennis pro that trains with me recently remarked that his increased speed is letting him get to the ball so much quicker that he’s able to set up and hit the ball with more control. As a result he estimates he’s hitting 25% more winners. His strength has improved to the point where his second serve has more power than his first serve used to. The maximum force he can generate has increased to the point that when he lays off the power to gain control he still has more power than he formerly had going full force. You may never be able to move across court like Venus Williams or change directions like Andre Agassi, but the right kind of exercises will improve your game too.

Cardio conditioning for short burst speed and third set stamina is primary, while muscle strength and suppleness is absolutely necessary. Cardiovascular conditioning will give you the stamina to play well (and enjoy) the final games of a long, grueling match. You’ll be able to reach down and bring up some reserves that your opponent with the shaky legs can’t. For this, medium to high intensity, 45-minute jogs, spinning classes and the like are ideal, especially if you do some interval training (e.g. high intensity for a few minutes followed by a recover-on- the-run interval). For speed to chase down cross-court lobs, sprints and high intensity training is better

Sprints however aren’t the only thing that trains for speed. Strength training that focuses on heavier weights for power, lateral motion, starting and stopping, and plyometric resistance (such as jumping) is a must. Training your balance, coordination and footwork is also important. Venus Williams likes to take aerobics classes to practice footwork – but not so often with the same instructor that she memorizes the steps.

Putting more power into your ground strokes is a matter of transferring the power from the ground to your racket. The strength in the leg muscles and the rotational ability of the hips and trunk should generate most of the power. Andre Agassi whips his shoulders so fast with his trunk and hips that his follow through sometimes lifts him right off his feet and spins him around. Doing twisting crunches, twisting curl-downs, and other floor work that trains the oblique abdominals is a key. Mimicking a stroke while pulling against resistance bands and tubing is an excellent sport specific trunk workout. Resistance bands are great tools for tennis because you don’t have to lift with slow movements that are necessary with most weights or ab crunches. You don’t hit a ball slowly, so you need to train your explosive, fast twitch muscle fibers.

Finally a good stretching program is a must. You may not be able to reach for low shots the way Bijorn Borg used to, but you’ll get to a few more than you do now. More importantly you’ll have some range of motion left to hit with some power. Good flexibility can also help you avoid injury. If your hamstring muscles are so tight that you can’t touch your toes, then where do you think you’re gong to bend from to get those low shots? Probably your lower back. So to save the wear and tear on your back, stretch the rest of your body.

Once you’re stretched out it will be more comfortable to be in your body. When you’re playing with comfort and ease, when you can hit hard without using full force, and when you don’t get tired even in the last game, imagine how much fun tennis will be.