Most people don’t realize how physical tennis can be. Playing tennis at a competitive level requires a tremendous amount of fitness. Optimal fitness training for this sport requires a unique mix of aerobic and anerobic exercise. In other words, tennis requires short bursts of intense energy stretched out over long periods of time. It is similar to running 10 kilometers, but instead of doing it at one pace you alternate sprinting with power walking. In addition, tennis requires a tremendous amount of quickness and stability. Stability on the court comes from training three areas of the body: the legs, back, and abdomen. Quickness comes from bursts of fast movements. We’ll discuss each in more detail...
In addition, the great thing about training for tennis is that it requires minimal to no equipment. Don’t get me wrong, you can go out and buy all the fancy equipment, but it is not necessary. All you need is your body and a strong will to...
If you haven’t figured out that tennis requires strong powerful legs than we need to go back and start from the beginning. The legs provide two critical functions: they aid in stability and serve as a power generator for every stroke.
A few of the best ways of working the legs are the lunge and the squat. Lunges are great because they work almost all the major muscle groups in the leg. They help develop the hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes, and the adductor and abductor muscles as well. The lunge should be done in two ways: the forward lunge and the side lunge. In the pictures below a medicine ball is used, but is by no means necessary. Lunges will help you develop significant stability in the hip region. Squats are also useful and help develop many of the same muscle groups. If you have to do one vs the other I prefer lunges because they combine greater movement (which improves dexterity and coordination) with muscle development. These exercise will not only make your strokes more powerful, but will also make your butt look good!
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Image (below and left) - lunge seen from side.
Image (below and right) - lunge seen from front.
The abdominal musculature is also very important in tennis. The abdomen hosts several groups of muscles: the internal and external obliques, the rectus muscles, and the transversus abdominis muscle. Development of these “core” muscles helps add significant stability to your body. Power is also improved because of the trunk rotation required on some shots (ie: the forehand and two handed backhand).There are many ways to work the abdominal muscles. Sit-ups and crunches are two of the most common ways. Again you do not need a medicine ball, and if you are new to these exercises start without one. The video below illustrates some great exercises for improving ab strength.
The final and least developed muscle group that we’ll discuss are the back muscles. Like the abdominalmusculature, the back muscles help provide core s trength. They are not highly trained muscle groups because you don’t see the results (ie: no firmer tummy or 6-pack abs). However, they are vital, and overtraining the abdomen and neglecting the back can lead to back injuries. The seated row (see video) and pullups are excellent at developing both the lower and upper back respectively. Everytime you work the abs make sure you also work the back as well. Developing both of these muscle groups will improve your tennis more than you can image.
All of the above exercises are great, but if you aren’t quick you cannot capitalize on your stability and strength. Tennis players spend a signficiant portion of their fitness routine with quickness drills. There are numerous drills to choose from, a few of which are illustrated in our book. All good quickness drills should combine starting and stopping. In this regards, basketball shares many of the same movements, and is an excellent off-court sport to improve your tennis. Be creative and look off the court for ways to improve your quickness (ie: jump rope, do wind sprints on a track, etc.).
For pictures and graphic examples please check out the ebook.