Tennis was once considered a sport that could be
played by people from age 8 to 80, but that range
has expanded because of new training methods. The
USTA offers 10 and Under Tennis for players age
10 and younger, who learn the sport while using
modified equipment. In addition, national-level
tournaments are offered for players age 90 and over.
This shows the tremendous health, fitness, coordination,
and psychological benefits that can be derived
from the sport. Clearly, being a well-conditioned
tennis player can assist in a long tennis career.
Of course the number of years someone can play
is only one aspect of enjoying the game. The quality
of play also is greatly enhanced by good training
and conditioning. That is the true focus of this book.
Whether you are getting in shape for league play,
trying out for a high school or college team, or
wanting to perform at a higher level in tournaments,
this book provides you with up-to-date, practical
training information based on the latest research
available.
The first chapter provides an in-depth overview
of the demands of the sport, the relationship of court
surfaces and playing styles, the anatomy of each of
the tennis strokes, and the physiological considerations
of designing a training program. Chapters 2
through 7 systematically explain the role of each
major body part in tennis play, focusing on muscle
anatomy and its relationship to the strokes and
providing specific exercises. Each exercise includes
a tennis focus section that highlights how the exercise
directly translates to improved on-court stroke
performance or movement. Chapters 8 through 10
follow a similar format but highlight the importance
of body rotation, movement skills, and injury prevention,
respectively. The anatomical illustrations
that accompany the exercises are color coded to indicate
the primary and secondary muscles featured
in each exercise and movement.
You will enjoy and benefit from this information.
Challenge yourself to learn more about the anatomy
of your body as well as the tennis strokes, and improve
your game by adding tennis-specific conditioning
methods to your training. By incorporating
these training techniques, you will surely be able to
take your game to the next level.
Acknowledgments
This book would not have been possible without the
dedication, coaching, and support we have received
over the years from the many sport science and medicine
experts that have crossed our paths. All of our
thoughts and ideas have been shaped by these dedicated
people through courses, individual meetings,
publications, and conferences. We cannot begin to
name all of them, but we are truly indebted to them.
Another group of people instrumental in our lives
is the many coaches and tennis teaching professionals
who have taught us and helped us in the areas of player
training as well as coaching education.
Human Kinetics came up with the idea and pursued
our interest, and the United States Tennis Association
(USTA) allowed us to take on this project.
We very much appreciate the opportunity both organizations
provided us. The Boca West Country Club
made their tennis courts and fitness facilities available
to us, for which we are very grateful.
Finally, we would like to thank our families, particularly
Paul’s wife, Barbara, and Mark’s wife,
Mary Jo, for their support and encouragement.
Chapter 1
The Tennis Player in Motion
Elite tennis players make it look so easy and effortless.
By comparison, your movement skills, strokes,
and fitness may leave something to be desired. Good
coaches can help you improve technique and fitness,
but keep in mind that there are many individual differences,
even at the professional level. You can see
that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal don’t play exactly
the same way. They do have in common a desire
to perfect their skills and a drive to continue to improve
both technique and physical preparation. Proper
technique, however, can be attained only if you
can produce all necessary movements throughout the
range of motion required for optimal positioning and
stroke execution.
The sport of tennis requires strength, flexibility,
power, endurance, and speed. Each of these components
requires a well-trained muscular system. In addition,
each court surface provides a different challenge.
For example, clay courts require players to
play longer rallies—sometimes as much as 20 percent
longer—than do hard courts, and grass courts
are even faster than most hard courts. Therefore,
players who usually play on clay should train muscular
endurance, while players who usually play on
faster surfaces such as hard or grass courts may
want to train more for muscular power or at least a
combination of endurance and power.
Tennis is a lifelong sport, and the goal for many
of us is to continue to enhance our performance
while staying injury free, whether playing recreationally,
in tournaments, at the college level, or
even at the professional level. The best way to do
this is to train effec