Strength and conditioning is a vital part of the amateur and professional tennis athletes training. Let’s find out why.
As tennis is such a versatile game requiring fast foot work, good hand eye coordination and a lot of upper body strength and endurance, a strength program to cover all of these bases can include lots of different exercises. Below we are going to go through some of the exercises that can offer you the best return for your time and hopefully improve your results on the court.
Lateral lunge
The sideways movements that can be required in tennis vary quite a lot and are a combination of speed, good foot work, strength and stability. Due to the huge amounts of lunging, reaching, stopping and starting our body can be stretched to positions that we are not used to. In order to build up tolerance to these the lateral lunge is a great way to do this. This can be completed by holding a Technogym kettlebell or dumbbell in the goblet position, lunging side ways keeping your front foot on the ground and having the toe of your back foot lift up keeping the heel down. Repeat this on each side 8-12 times for maximal benefit.
Tip: If this is too difficult with the weight then you could add it to your programme without a weight. This can be done as a warm up for your normal lower body session.
Slam ball
Being able to generate power over head and moving a light racket with speed and power is a crucial part of the game. Whether serving or completing an overhead smash. One way to develop power for this is by moving a heavier object quickly from over head to the floor.
A Technogym slam ball is a perfect tool for this. Using two hands pick the slamball up from the floor until fully overhead, using the whole kinetic chain slam the ball down into the floor. As this is a power exercise the idea is to try and move the ball fast and with intent. Repeat this 5-8 times for three sets with a 90 second rest.
Medicine ball throw
Using the same medicine ball as above, the medicine ball throw will help develop your forehand or backhand ground strokes.
Start by standing tall holding the medicine ball at your waist, rotate your body and throw the ball away from you, as if you are throwing a rugby ball. This can be done in an outdoor area or against a wall. I would recommend trying to do this in a safe environment, however if you are unable to find somewhere safe then the next exercise will work some of the same muscles.
Although you will have one side which is stronger than the other, repeat on both sides. As above repeat this exercise with intent and speed.
Side plank
An easy to do exercise at home or the gym the side plank is a nice finisher to any sort of workout. Specifically for tennis this exercise is unilateral, meaning it will work each side separately which is important for a unilateral sport like tennis. It also involves our shoulders, glutes and obliques. These muscle groups help with turning, twisting and generating power with your strokes and serves.
To begin on the side plank start on your elbow and keep both feet together, begin by doing 3-5 sets of 30 second holds on each side. If you feel this is easy lift your top leg off creating a ‘V’ shape with your legs.
Tennis is a fast, versatile game that requires an excellent blend of fitness, power, speed and accuracy. Some of the above exercises will help you hone in on your strength and power to allow your game to improve when you are not able to get to the court.
