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At Tennis Fitness we believe - Strength is ‘King’

Before you start trying to get faster and more powerful, you need to build a solid strength foundation. Performing a strength, mobility/ flexibility and stability plan for a young athlete should always be the first step.

Ever since 2003, we’ve been very passionate about Junior Tennis Strength training and one thing I can promise you, if you don’t do it correctly from the start, you are going to have problems down the track!  (Injuries and physical frustration stop most young athletes from playing)
In case you missed part 1 of Tennis Strength Training for Kids 

We had a player come to us a year ago who was always injured, they said, we were their last chance, they wanted to stop playing. 

We looked at what they had been doing (it wasn’t much) with their off-court training and the first thing we did was implement a junior tennis...

Tennis Strength training for kids is one area that we are always getting questions about.
“When should kids start lifting weights, what exercises should kids be doing, how much should kids be doing”? These are some common questions we receive about strength training for kids.

If you work with young players, it is important to get their off-court training right. Having a strong, flexible and robust athlete is what is needed if you want to get the most out of any player.

Strength is the building block for every other aspect of physical development (speed, power, agility etc). Junior tennis players need to get stronger to prevent injuries and boost performance. This is the first and most important fundamental for junior development.

Due to this fact, we saw the need for players to understand how to train the right way for strength gains. It can be challenging knowing what to do, when to do it and how to progress Tennis strength training for kids.

Having a...

Everything you need to know about agility training for tennis to become faster and more agile around the tennis court.

Having a dynamic, confident first step is important if you want to develop fast movement around court. This doesn’t come easy to many players. In fact, it is the area that most players struggle with, even if they don’t realise it. 

The way you start your movement dictates how effective you carry out the rest of the movement and the speed you do it at. If I had to choose 3 on court areas to focus on for any player,

I would choose -

• First Step Acceleration (taking off)
• Deceleration (braking) steps
• Reactive movement

Considering the majority of distances, we cover on court fall under 7metres per change of direction, we need rapid acceleration, controlled deceleration and quick response. This is a given.
 
The simple fact is, if we cannot improve these 3 areas we won’t improve our court movement. Due to the short distances...

I am sure everyone reading this has seen someone carrying on in a way that they felt was counter productive for the situation they were in.

Whether that be watching a tennis match, in a heated discussion with someone or simply over hearing someone talking about something. Their negativity could be felt.

We all have moments that we wish we could have again, so we could do it differently.

I know I do!

 Looking back in my life and having learnt and put into practice certain personal skills lately, I realised -  My thoughts effect how I feel and how I feel effects how I act.

It's a pretty simple formula. To live a productive, successful and fulfilled life can be challenging and can seem so far away at times.

If we can get control our thoughts, feel better about a situation or ourselves, we will act more positively and produce better results - Make sense?

So what does this have to do with tennis? Well, everyone who has ever been a part of the game at any capacity, knows how...

There’s a heap on confusion in and around sport specific training this day in age….. How do we know what's right for us and our sport specific needs, when we are bombarded with information everywhere we look. 

Social media, fitspo influencers and the so called ‘gurus’ can all lead us down the path of no return and away from the tennis result's we seek. 

I myself have been guilty of heading down this road from time to time, and while yes it's definitely fun watching someone standing on a Swiss Ball Juggling Dumbbells, there's a few questions I should be asking myself…. 

Who is the exercise for?

What is this exercise supposed to do?

Is there transfer? Transfer to a specific sport, movement or just to make our reflection in the mirror slightly more flattering?   

These three import questions are what I like to call the ‘WHY’…..

Why is it important to ask these 3 question's you ask? Simple because its vital we...

Yep tennis really does suck…. It sucks you in really bad!!!

There is something about hitting a tennis ball, that cannot be explained, it just feels right. Hitting a clean shot is enough to keep you coming back for more and more.

Do you ever feel like you are addicted to tennis? Don’t worry you are not alone, most players feel like they need a fix at least once a week……

So why is it that tennis, as frustrating as it can be at times, is also so enticing?

We have our thoughts on this……

1. People who love to play tennis and train for tennis, are generally people who love a sporting challenge. Due to the complexity of the game it is a nonstop challenge, dealing with a moving ball, serve, movement, strategy, energy levels and emotional stability.

2. People who love tennis are generally very competitive, not only when dealing with an opponent but also with himself or herself. Tennis gives them the fix they need.

3. The feeling players get...

Ok here is a blog for the all the players out there that want to improve quickly, win more matches and do them both with minimal effort…… Sound enticing? Read on

Many players will struggle to improve on a consistent basis, with both their tennis workouts and tennis game. They reach a point when added momentum will be required as levels start to plateau or even worse, injuries occur.

The many factors that can contribute to this situation include coaching, motivation levels, knowledge, application and attitude. But in our experience, some simple questions often reveal that players can identify at least three simple steps that they can implement immediately to help them make instant improvements.

Finding these things can propel players forward, providing momentum and boosting their motivation. They are often simple things (you don’t want to get too complicated).
The realisation that players can create change instantly is enough to shift their thoughts and will get...

The Value Of A Flexible And Mobile Athlete!

Teaching young athletes how to prepare their bodies for performance is crucial for long term injury prevention and constant physical development.

After performing 100s of junior tennis fitness assessments, postural screens and flexibility assessments we have found most young athletes are falling short with their flexibility and mobility ranges.

Is this fault of their own? It can't be, they just do what they are asked.

There needs to be more focus on this from trainers, coaches and parents.

What we are finding is that young players are exposed to more time on court with no cross over into other sports.

This combination leads to constant loading patterns and in some cases overuse issues.

What is important to realise is that young players, no matter how good they are at 12 years old, if they don't have healthy flexibility and mobility ranges it is only a matter of time before they hit an injury wall.

We see it all the time, its not the best...

I have been guilty in the past of being up and down with my training and I'm a trainer! So I know how hard it can be. Staying disciplined and focused is tough, but it is what it takes for players to be tennis pros.

What is important is to keep changing what you do, progressing your programming, continually challenging yourself.

This not only adds variety, but it is needed to allow your body to continually adapt and improve.

When done correctly it adds serious physical progress, who doesn’t want that!

I’ve admitted I’ve been slack a few times with my tennis fitness training, I’m human, I really had no excuse.

I know what to do and when to do it, in the rare occasion I’ve slipped it’s been a case of I’m too busy, no excuse. Others on the other hand, maybe even you have an excuse – You don’t know what to do and when to do it.

Maybe you think you do, but is it really working for you? I hope so!

Over the last couple of weeks, we have...

You have probably heard us go on about how important is tennis strength training. If you haven’t, well we consider it to be the building block for all other training modalities.

It’s the foundation for physical development! That’s why we are so excited to be able to share with you our new approach to how we program our tennis players for strength gains.

We have developed a system and structure that progresses and periodise our strength programs, it is practical, effective and tennis specific.

If you are one of the players who goes to gym and does “Whatever” you will get whatever results… who wants that!

You need to know what you are doing, make sure your tennis program is progressing and most importantly, know WHY you are doing it! It’s all about the why!

If you can’t answer the reason why you’re doing it and have any purpose or intention with your program, then it’s not going to work.

We are so passionate about strength...