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How good a spectator are you? We recently had our first book published "Building a tennis champion" and some of the topics in it relate to what we call "tennis parenting".

It's not easy being a tennis parent; you invest time, money and energy. Let's face it at times it can be frustrating to say the least, but the primary role of the parent is to support the child in their environment and be an example of how you want and expect them to act.... Let me tell you a story. I was watching a junior match a few years ago when I was working in Spain. I was there waiting for my team of kids to turn up, so I thought I would watch a match in the meantime, as you do. As well as me there was one set of parents (with one kid) and a very young coach (with the other kid). The match was in the second set when I started watching.

The boys were doing their thing, having a go and competing well. I could hear the father constantly in the ear of his son, literally every point and it definitely was not...

First of all don't be too worried about the future of men's tennis being dominated by 7 foot giants, pushing powerful serves past their opponents to win matches, I can't see this happening, read on and I will tell you why.

One of the great things about tennis is the physical diversity it has with its athletes. And this will always be there. Being a certain height is a benefit, but not a necessity if you want to play great tennis or make it to the top. Olivier Rochus at 5'6" has had a long and successful career on tour; David Ferrer at 5'9" is currently ranked 3 in the world. Then you have the tall boys, John Isner and Ivo Karlovic at 6'10". Matching any of these players up against each other would not mean the taller players would win or even out serve their shorter opponents. Read on to find out Why?

Did you know the average height for the ATP top 100 leading into the Australian open 2014 is 6'2½” Leading into the US open in 2013, 9 out of the top 32 players were 6'5...

“There are no shortcuts. Hard work and dedication is important. For me, I always train with a purpose and never just go through the motions. You have got be prepared to make sacrifices and discipline is a huge part of it as well.”
Lleyton Hewitt (ATP Pro player, former world number 1)

“Consistency day in and day out! Doing the right things with the right people around you. Commitment to want to improve. You need to enjoy the journey but be prepared to work extremely hard.”
Casey Dellacqua (WTA top 50 singles and top 5 doubles)

“To be a champion unfortunately there is no secrets. It takes years of sacrifices hard work and discipline. You have to have self-motivation and it has to be your passion, it can’t come from your coach, parents etc. it has to come from the individual”.
Peter Luczak (former ATP top 100 men’s player, Tennis Australia Coach)

“To reach the top 100 in tennis today you definitely need a positive and supportive...

If you need to be specific about footwear or you are injured/trying to prevent any tennis injury, it is always recommend to seek professional advice from your local Podiatrist before attempting to purchase your new tennis shoes. This can prevent wasted money, frustration and unnecessary travel to and from the shoe store. However there are some general pieces of advice or rules you may follow if you have no problems. These are simple:

1) Ensure the shoe has a firm heel counter. This is the bit at the back of the shoe where your heel sits. The top of it can be cushioned and soft but the part that connects to the shoe should be firm enough that you cant push it or bend it. It should be made of a firm plastic.

2) If you are running/walking only ensure the shoe bends at the toe level of the shoe. To do this pick the shoe up and bend it in your hands. It should bend where your toes bend. Also try to bend it in the middle – walking/running shoes should not bend through the midsection,...

Shoe choice is extremely important as it can play a significant role in not only performance during activity, but it also reduces the risk of injury whilst performing.

The most common thing heard is that a shoe is simply a shoe. The Dunlop Volley is just as good as the expensive athletic shoe – this quite frankly just isn’t true. All shoes are “specific” to activities. Neither should players play tennis in running shoes, nor do they run in tennis shoes. The shoe itself must be sports specific. The day of the “cross trainer” is simply over, if in fact it ever had its day in the first place!

What sport do I need the shoe for?
Possibly the single most important question you need to answer when buying a shoe. The force which goes through your lower limb when playing different activities changes – in saying this it is only logical that the shoe translating that force to the ground should also change. For example: RUNNING is a...

The most common question we get asked as tennis strength and conditioners is, "When can my daughter or son, start tennis strength training and what strength training should we do?"

One of the biggest misconceptions people make is to train young tennis players like they would an adult.

Tennis training for kids should be totally different than for adults.

This can be dangerous and often leads to tennis injuries. Players under the age of 16 should steer away from weights and heavy loading. Alternatively, they should use body weight exercises, resistance bands and medicine balls (5-10% of their body weight).

At ‘Martin Method Tennis Fitness’ we recommend all young players aged 16 and under start out by performing these 6 fundamental movement patterns- Lunge, Squat, Bend, Pull, Push and Rotation. When young players can consistently complete all the 6 movement patterns, with good form, only then should their tennis program progress.

Performing these basic fundamental...

When you look at the physicality of tennis, it is demanding in a lot of ways. Having to be able to stay on court for hours requires physical endurance. Performing dynamic movements time after time draws on your power and staying in control of your body for prolonged periods comes down to strength. The majority of the pros on tour have extremely strong legs and they carry the bulk of their muscle mass through their lower extremities. Their upper bodies are lean and strong but compared proportionally to their lower bodies they have a lot less muscle mass. You don't want to carry too much access weight around on court, it will hinder movement, burn up energy and cause you to fatigue quicker. So it is important to get the balance right. When building your best tennis body it is important to remember what the goal is, "strength gains, stability and ideal body weight" if you can achieve these three things, you will not only feel good and move well, you will also look great! Building your...

How important it is to periodise your training for tennis?
Periodisation is simply, structuring on and off court tennis training into phases or blocks of time.

The basic phases include:
• Preparation (general and specific)
• Competition (pre competition and competition)
• Transition (off season)

Each phase focuses on different aspects of tennis fitness and tennis conditioning (cardio endurance, strength, power, tennis speed, agility and recuperation) in conjunction with on court work, specific for the phase.

Here is a brief explanation of each phase.

Preparation (General and Specific)

General: High training volume/ low intensity. Focus is on endurance and strength. Training can be general and non-tennis specific at the start of the phase (cross training) good time to work on tennis technique. Ratio 30:70.on court : off court training Phase length 4-6 weeks.

Specific: Low volume/High intensity. Focus on more specific tennis training variables (anaerobic...

Power is one of the most important aspects of being a successful tennis player. At any level being able to continuously, move dynamically for extended periods of time will ultimately lead to good results. Nadal is a classic example of this, he manages to maintain his power and dynamic movements over hours of tennis. Tennis is a power endurance sport. Which means you need to be able to jump, dynamically change direction and positions, rotate with speed and accelerate the arm through a range of motion. All this happens naturally for most players, however there are many ways to improve certain aspects of your tennis power, that will lead to better court movement, more control and better intensity at the end of matches and practice.

Give this specific tennis power endurance program a go for 1 month (twice a week) and I am sure you will feel the difference. The aim is to do these tennis exercises at 100% intensity with good posture and form, so work at your level. Always remember...

Champion athletes in any sport all have one thing in common… consistent results. To be successful and have longevity in a sport means you have to have many wins over time. Quite often I will ask my tennis players, “What makes a tennis champion” The answers will vary from training for tennis, dynamic tennis footwork, a massive forehand or serve, mental toughness and so on. All those answers make up a good player… but do they keep a champion at the top for months on end?

Most players will have experienced being up 4/1 in a set against someone who is ranked higher than them. How many times have you heard the lower ranked player, or the underdog put themselves in that position where they “could, should have, and almost” won. But they lost…..e

What makes a tennis champion isn’t just grabbing a set here and there (that’s of course a great start ). It is the ability to maintain form and endure rallies, games, sets, matches, and then...