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We can't answer that for you… but we can tell you why we as tennis fitness trainers, devote so much time working with and helping players be the best they can be……

1. Tennis players are a special breed. They get addicted to the great game and cannot get enough of it. As tennis fitness trainers this motivates us so much, when we see the passion there, we want to add to it. We have found it to be a good life lesson "find your passion, pursue it and people will add to it"
2. We love the complexity of tennis. Physically it challenges not only your physical structure (muscle, organs, tendons etc) but also works the different energy systems (Aerobic, anaerobic) the body has at its disposal……. To be constantly improving you need to work on your strength, agility, speed, flexibility, recovery, nutrition, hydration, power, aerobic endurance etc etc etc, there is a lot of bloody things you can do. Finding the starting point or the priorities to focus on is the...

When it comes to tennis exercise and preparing your body to play your best tennis, it is important to do the right things at the right time. That includes resting and changing what you do, even if you feel your current routine works. Tennis training variety is often overlooked.

Some people prefer consistency, so do the same things all the time then often wonder why they are not improving. Others jump from tennis program to another without allowing the body time to adapt.

Whatever your "training personality", it is vital for long-term development (at any age) and performance to phase the tennis training you do. Often known as periodisation, phase training is as important as your actual tennis exercises. This is how it works ...

PREPARATION

General: High training volume and low intensity. Focus is on endurance and strength. Your tennis training can be general and non-tennis specific at the start (cross-training). This is a good time to work on tennis training techniques. 

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Tennis is a year-round sport with tournaments played globally and often in hot conditions. Travelling on tour can be brutal for players, as there are many different factors that need to be considered along with a focus on tennis fitness. They range from changing time zones, managing jet lag, coping with new cuisine to cultural and language barriers. To ensure health and fitness are not compromised, it's important to be prepared and keep going on with your tennis fitness schedule.

Adopting these simple but effective measures can help improve a travel experience...

Planning

Make the Internet your best friend before travelling. Do well research prior to arriving at destinations to learn the location of grocery shops, health food stores, restaurants, gymnasiums, and pools. Organize a schedule, which includes training and meal plans, before departing to ensure your routine is maintained on the road. It is still important to be flexible and not to expect anything when you travel, however...

Think about this; we often wait for someone to tell us what we need to change, whether it is a coach, parent or friend. You will always find someone to give you tennis tips, advice or their opinion right! What about if you tried to dig a bit deeper yourself and started to work things out for yourself, find what you need to change or focus on.

We all have areas of strengths and weakness; that’s human nature. Finding what you feel needs to change to make you a better tennis player, maybe the most important tennis tip and easier than you think.

Realistically who knows you better than yourself? If you don’t feel you know yourself well enough, then you need to start spending time getting to know yourself, work out what makes you tick and what you need to change to make you better.

Answer me this question “What is missing in your tennis game? What’s the one thing you know you need to do to make things better, take your time and think about it before you answer...

One thing I have found over the years watching countless matches, practices and taken plenty of tennis workouts, is that most players don’t breathe as good as they could.

It sounds boring right, and you are probably thinking how much would it really benefit my tennis if I breathed a little better, if that’s you then buckle up, I’ve got some good info coming right up!!!

Breathing is an involuntary action taken by the body that means your body does it, without you having to think about it. Scratching your nose is a voluntary action because you need to think consciously about it and then your body communicates and makes it happen.

Because breathing is done subconsciously we grow up not realizing or appreciating how important it is, for many of us it’s like our parents, we often don’t appreciate them or what they do for us until they go on holidays!

Have you ever been winded, lost your breath, been held under water or been really sick with cold and...

There are few players who step on the court without a match plan in mind. To make the most of your training time, that same structured thinking should reply to your fitness too. The best fitness strategy is a balanced one. Getting balance into your tennis fitness plan will improve your performance, help keep you injury free and give you the variety you need to stay motivated. Here is a rundown on how to do it.

Build
Build up your fitness by completing a variety of tennis training. This will ideally incorporate:

• Cross training
• Strength training
• Cardio
• Agility
• Speed
• Core

It is always best to attack your weakest link first. Fitness testing is the best way to find out what requires the most attention. Many people do very little to improve their tennis fitness, they think hitting more is the key, which is far from true. If you are...

I have wanted to write this blog for a while now, but I was not sure how to go about it. As much as I want to help young athletes develop and become healthier, I also know some things are challenging to educate people on. Times change, we learn and we should get better!

Supplementation for young athletes was once regarded as taboo and potentially dangerous. I have to admit before I got educated with current scientific research, I was sceptical and believed that supplementation for young athletes was unnecessary.

How my thoughts have changed now…

There are lots of myths around about supplementation for young people; they don’t need supplementation support, it can stunt growth, can damage organs. Some people even think of it as cheating.

I now disagree with all these claims. Especially now I have found a product range that is clean, safe and designed for young athletes.

What is supplementation? Supplementation defined; “Something added to complete a thing, supply a...

TRAIN LIKE A PRO, PLAY LIKE A PRO….. It’s our slogan at tennis fitness. But what does training for tennis like a pro really mean?

We have copped some criticism (just a little) for our brand tag, some people have said it conveys the message that all players of all ages should do the same tennis exercises and loads as pros. Well, that’s not what we encourage and not what our brand tag represents.

Pros train hard, recover well, prepare for tennis with purpose, are consistent and are committed. We have not met one yet, that hasn’t followed those principles.

Some obviously at different levels to others, but they all possess the ability to be able to get done what needs to get done and they do it with consistency.

Training for tennis like a pro takes years to master. These players condition their bodies to the workload that is required to thrive. They learn how to recover effectively and work out what specific tennis programs suit them and how they can get them...

When we talk about tennis training milestones, tennis fitness testing helps in finding out what physical milestones are important for each tennis player and what milestones are going to motivate them the most. Everyone has different goals, strengths and weaknesses. Working towards something that you would consider a milestone is what it is all about, that’s how you keep yourself moving forward and motivated. Things like finishing off a three-set match feeling strong, getting to balls you never dreamt of, hitting the ball with more power and control, remaining injury free for the calendar year, playing 10 tournaments in a row etc. the list could go on and on. Set some targets and put a plan in place to achieve them.

Here are some tennis exercises to help you improve your physical condition and get you one step closer to reaching your milestones. They will get you stronger, quicker and more powerful, most importantly you can do them, again and again, to see how much you have...

On tour the majority of players have a team around them (coach, tennis trainer, partner, friends) then they have a close group of players they rely on for support, encouragement, a laugh and above all tennis results. 

It's extremely important for them to have this "team" dynamic. They not only rely on others for feedback, motivation and support, but it's equally important for them to be able to help and support others themselves. This brings them satisfaction and a feeling that they are in touch with their loved ones and friends.

Have you ever asked yourself " who's in my team" and "Whose team am I in" it's important to know because they are the people you need to spend time with, listen to, communicate with and respect. As they believe in you, you too should believe in them, it is a two-way street.

To have a successful team respect for each other is paramount, it is what underlies all your decisions and beliefs in each other. Young players need respect for their parents first...