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Having been tennis trainers for over 20 years and worked with a diverse range of players from tennis professionals to tennis kids, we have seen a lot. We have also found some major missing links in players' tennis strength and conditioning programming and training. These are areas we are always trying to address and educate coaches, tennis parents, and players on. Getting the balance right is important and finding a way to keep players consistent is tough for most.

Aside from the missing links we find in the tennis training space, we have highlighted the need for players to understand the importance of building their game around 3 key areas. These 3 key areas need to be balanced and all functioning together in order to produce the best tennis results and create the best development pathway.

No matter your age or level of play, if you want to boost your performance, win more matches, remain injury-free, and stay motivated then you should be aware of these areas and be doing...

HOW DO YOU IMPROVE YOUR TENNIS WORKOUT INTENSITY?

This is a question we hear often. As tennis conditioners, we've worked with many top athletes. One thing that always stands out among professional players is that when they workout for tennis (off-court), they push even harder than they would on-court.

Lleyton Hewitt, Sam Stosur, and Martina Navratilova are great examples. When we trained them, they always knew when to bring a high level of intensity.

Training at high intensity is how players allow their bodies to work equal to and above the thresholds faced during competition.

Through rest and recovery, their bodies adapt and improve, allowing them to push more as they develop. Without this adaptation process, there are often minimal or even no physical gains.

OUT OF COMPETITION

When training out of competition you are basically preparing for competition and not just training for the sake of it. This is critical, as training is about preparing the body. It's imperative...

“Every player (especially young player’s) should read”

Dear Tennis Player,

Congratulations on picking the greatest individual sport you can play. 

You are going to have an amazing journey as you learn about this great game, but more importantly about yourself and those around you.

Tennis and training for tennis can teach you some valuable life lessons if you let it......

I wanted to give you some advice as you endeavor to be the best version of yourself. This comes from a place of experience and honesty, maybe these are things you need to hear.

I promise you, you will encounter these situations and feelings, so read on and take on the following 8 things (you may not want to hear the truth, but I can guarantee it can help change the way you think)

1. Losing– You are going to lose a lot of matches. That is the reality. Prepare for it and learn what you can from each loss. This is what we call turning a negative into a positive. Do not fall into the trap...

We all see so much of what people do physically in their tennis training. I still find it surprising, when I tell somebody I do tennis mental training people often laugh and say something like 

“You are nuts” or "I don't believe in that stuff"

I always encourage people to try it, before they judge it.

Have you ever done a mental training session? “Why would you do that?”

In short, so you can play your best more often despite tough feelings and pressure. So you have strong routines, strong positive body language, have better tennis conditioning, are more aware of your thoughts, and have the capacity to let go quickly, so you can select the right options and have a clear mind.

So, how do you practice mental training? You can start with the following exercises. Do 2-3 minutes of each one every day, the whole routine should only take 10 minutes, it is often best at night when your mind is more receptive (You can set a reminder alarm in your phone to...

 Tips to Improve Tennis Training Intensity – Are you getting this right?

This blog is for the serious player or coach that wants to produce high-level players. 

The intensity that an athlete trains at dictates the level they will condition their bodies to play at. Simply put, if you train at a 6 out of 10, how can you expect your body to perform at an 8, 9, or 10 out of 10.

This simple principle is one of our key “Court Movement Principles”. In all reality, it does not matter what drill or tennis exercise you do, if you do not have the capacity to train at high intensity your improvements and results will be limited.

How can I get my player to improve their intensity?
This is the most common question we get asked each week.

Having seen many top athletes train, practice, and play. One thing stands out. When they are tennistraining off court, they push harder than they would on court, in a match.
Lleyton Hewitt, Sam Stosur, and Martina Navratilova...

If you have been a coach or trainer for a while, you would have heard this question a few times “So do they have a chance of making it”. It is always a tough question to answer.

We believe tennis is definitely the most challenging and complexed sport globally to reach the top in. So many factors to consider! However, I believe there is one factor that stands alone and gives me a good indication on whether a player has the desire to “Make it”

If a player does not have the willingness to do “whatever it takes” they are a zero chance.

I honestly believe that.

Any high-level sports person somewhere along their journey has gone to places few others will, pushing themselves, sacrificing time – money – relationships and never giving up.

Some stay there for years and succeed more than others. 

I want to tell you a story about a young kid. It will give you, a sense of what I believe as a tennis trainer, coach, and parent we should be...

Has the question “these kids have too much” ever crossed your mind? Or, things are “too easy” for these kids?

In this article I will share my thoughts of what I learned in my career training, competing, and traveling next to some of the best players in the world for the last 20 years, Rafa, Ferrer, Robredo, Lopez, Verdasco, Almagro, just to mention a few….

And what I learned as a coach, since the days I was on the tour until my years as a National Academy Coach for Tennis Australia.

Growing up in Spain, a country that generates a high number of top - 100 players was amazing but make no mistake, you had to work incredibly hard for it and nobody was going to give you anything.

Spain is a very high demanding and competitive environment if you are trying to make it like a pro and there is no room for softness.

With hundreds of competitive players from all ages, many tournaments all around the country, and being within a short distance from other countries...

In the year 2000, I was lucky enough to get the job as a Physical director at the Sanchez Casal Tennis Academy in Barcelona, Spain. It was a huge responsibility for me at the time as I was young for the role, in such a world-renown premier club.

It started me on a journey that has led to many many highlights in my life. But I am not here to talk about myself! I am here to talk about building relationships.

How when you communicate effectively, have mutual respect and care for each other, friendships are forged, results come, and as you will see opportunities arise.

As a parent, coach, or player, if you are not focused on these areas, there will be plenty of dead-end relationships and no one wants to waste time and energy right?

I want to tell you about an experience I had with a player I worked with starting back in 2000.

Carlos Cuadrado was a young Spanish prodigy when I laid eyes on him, he was already labeled a top 10 player at the age of 16. He was on the rise and it was my job...

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 results 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 are a few questions I should be asking myself…. 

Who is the exercise for?

What is this exercise supposed to do?

Is there a 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...

Injuries have a massive impact when it comes to individualized sports. If you are involved in a team sport and you are injured, you can rely on teammates to cover for you and help you out during play. Not in tennis, you are all alone!  This is why you need to avoid tennis injuries as much as possible.

We have identified some key areas which will help protect you from serious injury and keep you on court. They will also make you a more robust and confident athlete.

When it comes to tennis mobility and warm-up, we like to focus on a joint by joint approach, either working from the bottom up or from the top down.  Whether that’s using myofascial release, trigger point work or dynamic stretching.

We think these are three key areas that are highly important for creating a robust tennis player, that is more resilient to injury.

We recommend performing mobility exercises prior to tennis training. This helps elongate muscles and open joints up for correct movement...