Tennis Training:
Making a real difference, and avoiding common mistakes that actually hurt your game.

August 2, 2011

Despite the fact that Tennis is a game of tremendous speed and agility, most individuals training techniques train them right out of their sport. Instead of focusing on speed, they focus on endurance, and most fail to take advantage of the benefits the weight room has on improving one’s game. Worse yet, they also increase their ability to get injured in play. Here are some ways to avoid common mistakes.

Mistake #1 – Too much endurance.

A game of tennis is a game of fast, explosive bursts followed by short rest periods. Any training for tennis should reflect this. It takes strength and anaerobic power to be a great tennis player. The problem is the reverse relationship aerobic endurance has on anaerobic power. As one improves, the other diminishes. Has there ever been an individual who could run less than 3 hours in a marathon and bench 500lbs at the same time? Both individually have been achieved but it can never happen at the same time due to the fact they are on opposite ends of the spectrum.

Solution – Intervals or Strongman Training

You need to teach your body to recover fast, not run a long time at a moderate pace. High outputs of energy with rest will train the body more specifically to demands of being on the court.

Mistake #2 – Too Many Plyometrics

Plyometrics can have many benefits, but too often coaches and athletes focus too much on these drills. Too much can wear down the body very fast increasing the rate of injuries. Plyometrics certainly have their place in training, but not year round. The progress made by plyometrics too early will be gone before you can actually reap the benefits during a game.

Solution – Limit Plyometics and Balance with Weight Training

Without strength there can be no power. A good strength training program will result in better gains made by plyometrics. Plyometrics should not be done year round and only twice a week at most. The volume varies greatly from person to person but generally you will have a day of moderate to high volume with a day of low to moderate volume with plenty of days of rest in between.


Mistake #3 – Not Enough Strength

Tennis requires tremendous overall speed, change of direction and serve speed. This can be best accomplished using weights to improve. Andre Agassi’s strength coach Gil Reyes knew this and worked hard on adding meat to Agassi’s body, to the tune of a 350lb bench press on a 164lb frame. On top of this Agassi’s lifting routine was 70% lower body and only 30% upper body. Strength is the foundation of speed. Most world class sprinters who run faster than 10seconds in the 100m dash bench press over 400lbs and full squat over 500lbs. If you want to be fast, you must also be strong.

Solution – Hit the weights

The bench is often a marker of strength but not necessarily the solution. Here are some suggestions that will take your game a long way.

Individualized attention to athletes has always served as the best solution to improving performance. Understanding how to perform and interpret upper and lower body structural balance is the key to getting the most out of an individual athlete. Maximum performance output requires elimination the weak links in the chain.

To learn more, contact Adam Jauregui at 956-8003 extension 316.