Tennis Conditioning

By Carlos Alberto Rivas, M.S., C.S.C.S.

The demands facing tennis players have never been more challenging. Researchers characterize tennis as a sport in which players must respond to a continuous series of emergencies (sprinting to the ball, changing directions, reaching, stretching, lunging, stopping and starting).

Couple the modern athlete with the modern racket technology and you have an explosive sport. Rackets are longer; racket heads are bigger; frames are wider; sweet spots are larger; and rackets are made of space-shuttle material. To deal with these modern changes the players must condition themselves properly to prevent injuries and perform at the highest level. Therefore, today's tennis players have to be bigger, faster and stronger. Players must address flexibility, strength, endurance, power, agility, speed and body composition to improve their game. Here is an overview of some of the components of fitness for tennis players.

FLEXIBILITY

Tennis requires you to generate great force from a variety of body positions. Reaching for a lob, changing directions, reaching for a shot, stopping quickly and serving are a few examples. A conditioning program that includes flexibility exercises ensures that you will have the range of motion you need for optimal performance. We recommend the following procedures for stretching:

• Warm-up for five minutes.
• Emphasize slow, smooth movements. Inhale deeply; exhale as you stretch to the range of motion just short of pain. Hold this static stretch position for 15 to 20 seconds. Repeat two to three times.
• Stretch your tight side first.
• Do not bounce.
• Stretch larger muscle groups first, then repeat the same routine each day.
• Stretch after each game or practice.

STRENGTH

Tennis is a rapid, dynamic sport that requires powerful, repeated muscle contractions. Functional tennis conditioning must include dynamic strength training. You can perform strength-training exercises with body weight, free weights such as dumbbells or barbells, medicine balls and weight machines. Our personal training team recommends free weights as a cost effective form of training. Using free weights forces you to stabilize the weight in all directions while moving it in the primary movement pattern. A special benefit of free weights is that it works secondary muscle groups that stabilize the joints you are exercising, but requires greater skill and supervision due to less control.

In designing a training program, consider the following components:

• Sets - for tennis, we recommend two to three sets; repetitions - the number of repetitions you perform per set (we recommend 12-15 repetitions);
• Intensity - how much weight you lift. Choose a weight in which you can perform 12-15 repetitions, not break form and yet fatigue the muscle.
• Frequency - how often you train. We recommend strength training 3 times per week with a day of rest between sessions.
• Rest - time between sets. A tennis player's program should emphasize rest periods of approximately 25-30 seconds between sets.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Whether you are an elite tennis player or a serious recreational tennis player trying to improve your game and conditioning level, one obstacle stands in your way - time. How do you organize a training schedule to improve flexibility, aerobic conditioning, muscular strength and endurance, body composition and agility? Have a plan!

An important aspect of designing a comprehensive training program is having a focused plan or set of goals. We recommend for the tennis player to meet with an exercise specialist or personal trainer who can perform a needs analysis - a battery of exercise tests that measure fitness level or skill level in the major categories: flexibility, strength, agility and body composition. Using such tests accomplishes two goals.

• You can immediately know what areas you need to improve.
• You can measure changes made over time.

Utilizing a personal trainer who can perform a needs analysis will provide you with an ideal start in designing your complete conditioning program and will highlight the areas you need to emphasize to improve your game and fitness level.  

Carlos Alberto Rivas, M.S., C.S.C.S., is the fitness/personal training director at the Baptist East/Milestone Wellness Center. Carlos has a master's degree in exercise physiology and has over 10,000 hours of personal training experience. He is also a member of Kentuckiana HealthFitness magazine's editorial advisory board. Carlos can be reached by phone at 502-896-3900, ext.142.