Why is tennis such a great sport to train for?
You know I have been in the tennis fitness/footwork industry for over 25 years and have loved every minute of it.
One of the reasons I have loved it so much is the variety of training…the sport has been designed in such a way that every fitness component is included and I think the athletic challenges are terrifically dynamic!
You need speed to reach a drop shot, power to leap for that scissor kick smash, aerobic capacity to last and recover from those long matches, muscular endurance to serve for 5 sets, muscular strength to prevent repetitive strains, flexibility to stretch for wide balls, agility to stop and start and change directions and an a great anaerobic capacity as tennis is a game of short sharps bursts time and time again.
There are so many skills athletically. You need to spin and pivot the hips, shift and transfer the weight, slide to and fro, hop in multiple directions and lunge + jump to reach wide balls. You must master movement on a variety of different surfaces and be forever confronted by ever-changing weather conditions, game styles and personality types.
And….think of all the following fun ways you can get fit for tennis, all which can be easily justified at certain stages of a fitness program…
You know what! …..it should never be boring!…..you can swim, ride a bike, stop and start in sand, reactively catch balls, weave in and out of cones, touch lines and shadow tennis. You can throw medicine balls, use resistance equipment like vipers, parachutes, athletic belts…you can sprint, run stairs and hills, do track work, jog bush tracks, do jump and slide training, lift weights, do Yoga, Pilate’s, boxing training and react to funny bouncing dog toys. You can play squash, soccer, badminton, touch football, basketball and mini soccer…you can even go skiing on water or snow….it’s all good…more variety means less injuries…and that is what I love about tennis you can really do anything and justify it connection to tennis….my God! …imagine being a marathon runner or swimmer where all you do is move in a straight line….lets give tennis its due…it is a fantastically athletically challenging sport….Go you good thing!!!!