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Tennis Cardio Plus

Anyone interested in training for competitive tennis knows there’s going to be cardio involved. But what kind of cardio workout is best for tennis? If you want to get the most out of your workout, you need to focus on the three most important cardio conditioning factors in tennis: speed, endurance, and fast reaction time.

Speed. To improve speed, try simulating the side to side shuffle steps performed during matches. Combine that with interval running and sprints. In fact, one of Andre Agassi’s favorite training tips is to sprint uphill.

Endurance. To stretch out your peak performance time, make sure to get outdoors as much as possible. Your body needs to be readily acclimated to the outdoor conditions experienced during a match. Swim, bike, go for speed walks-just keep running to a minimum. Know in your mind when you are training for speed and when you are training for endurance.

Fast Reaction Time. To work on your reaction time, nothing is better than a personal tennis coach-someone who will force you to grow as a player through focused and intensive drills. Group clinics are sometimes even more effective as the players naturally form bonds, feel supported, challenge one another, and time after time rise to new heights on the court.

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Keeping Up With The Speed of the Game

Weight training and tennis haven’t always gone hand in hand. From the start of competitive tennis, there was a fear of becoming too bulky and having to sacrifice speed. No one wants to see their stroke ruined just for the sake of bulk! Of course, as history has shown, that’s not how the body works. Throughout the 20^th century, the more professional tennis players incorporated sport-specific weight training-combined with lighter, wider-bodied rackets-the more the speed of the sport began to accelerate … and by all accounts continues to.

So, what’s the trouble? The faster the game, the better, right?

The trouble is that, by and large, training regimes are still struggling to keep up with the sport’s accelerating pace. Injury is never something a player means to risk, but that’s exactly what’s at stake with improper off-court training. No tennis player can play themselves into shape. It’s not enough to just run out onto the court and get some exercise-not if you want to keep up with the speed of the game: You need to be strong. And at the same time, it’s not going to help your performance if you pump iron every day because to be a competitive tennis player: You also need to be lean.

Be careful not to fall for style over substance in the sports training industry. It’s one thing to appear more athletic, it’s another thing to win more matches, diminish the risk of injury, and play with all your heart.

Are doing what it takes to keep up with the speed of the game?