TENNIS FITNESS TRAINING
My goal is to help each player reach their true potential through improved strength, speed agility, power, endurance, flexibility and recovery time.
Tennis fitness training is important at all ages, and depending one what stage you’re at - elite junior, adult, professional, or senior - your needs, the demands on the body and risk of injury will vary.
Find out more about:
Hip and shoulder strength and mobility - achieved through overhead squat movement - can protect these joints from injury.
Elite junior tennis fitness training
Junior and elite teen tennis players need a strong body to achieve a professional tennis career. Tailored tennis fitness training which takes place in the gym - from as young as eight - will have long term benefits, which include:
Improved mobility/flexibility – maintaining good mobility and flexibility whilst avoiding hyper- mobility/flexibility
Foundational strength – strong and supportive legs and core
Correct lifting technique - ensuring excellent barbell and other free weight technique which focuses on primary and secondary muscle groups
Fit for purpose training – junior and elite teens lifting weights suitable to their age and size
Tennis specificity – ensuring the right sort of training to complement tennis technique training
Mitigating poor knowledge - many tennis coaches have no strength and conditioning experience, so avoiding a one size fits all approach.
When creating a junior tennis exercise program, one needs to know the right amount of repetitions, sets and loads, as this is just as important as doing the exercise correctly. Getting the combination right is the key.
Adult and professional tennis training
Tennis is a sport for life, but only if you are physically strong and injury-free. This mantra is the same for professional tennis players and adult club players alike.
I create tailored tennis fitness training programs for all adult levels, including:
High performance athletes - professional and aspiring professional tennis players
Club competition players - competitive club players who play badge and enter non-professional tournaments
Recreational and occasional players - those with a passion for tennis regardless of skills
Irrespective of the level of tennis you play, the stronger and more conditioned you are, the longer you’ll have playing tennis.
Senior tennis fitness training
Martina Navratilova showed us that by prioritising fitness, age is no barrier to success. She is the oldest player to win a grand slam in 2003 at 47 years old.
Martina was an early adopter of conditioning and strengthening training, and her achievements - particularly in the latter stage of her tennis career - are testament to her belief and adherence in tennis fitness training.
If you undertake tennis fitness training in your mid-thirties and onwards, you should maintain a competitive standard, and protect yourself from injury, well into your latter years.
Tennis fitness training programs
How I build tennis fitness training programs
Every training program I create is unique to the individual. Before fitness training begins, we’ll do an assessment to understand the strengths and weaknesses of an individual’s body.
Once we have a good understanding of the current state of strengths and weakness:
Design a training regime which continues to build on the strengths, and a plan to improve weaknesses
Educate both the player, parent and/or tennis coach about the short, mid and long term plan
Implement best practice, lifelong conditioning and promoting good physical health regime
Create a body which guards against the player against injury
What does tennis fitness training involve?
Tennis fitness training is a combination of bodyweight and weight training techniques, and done in a gym in Bondi or Balmain.
They are provided detailed instruction physical instruction to ensure they have the best possible technique.
Typically, a program will use equipment including:
Free weights - light dumbbells, barbells, medicine balls, kettlebells. Juniors do not lift heavy weights.
Assisted machines - cable machines, suspension trainers (like the TRX), resistance bands
Other equipment - Swiss balls, BOSU balls and other.
The goal: to improve strength, power, endurance, mobility/flexibility and recovery time.
My training methodology
My training follows the ‘Martin Method 9 Threads’ methodology. Its goal is to create the perfect tennis player, based upon the ideal physical attributes they would pose: solid base; strong and flexible core; fluid and well-conditioned upper.
It focuses on the key training techniques to build a strong, lean and resilient body.
I’ve provided more information about ‘Martin Method 9 Threads’, and how it benefits all types of players, including junior tennis players and elite teen players.
Frequency, cost and location of tennis fitness training
A 6-week program will yield good overall results. 12 weeks will provide excellent overall results.
In terms of session and program costs, it will vary based on the number of sessions per week. Understandably, cost is an important factor when deciding to invest in a junior player’s training. I’m very happy to discuss this with you.
I train at two Sydney gym locations - Balmain and Bondi Junction.