Tennis Speed and Conditioning - How can we program this effectively?

WHEN IS ENOUGH CONDITIONING, ENOUGH?

We have all been there at some point – either we are putting ourselves through it or a coach is taking us through a conditioning session – laying there at the end, destroyed, thinking that we will never walk again….

The problem with this approach is that athletes rarely recover from that kind of workout in enough time to have anything left in the tank for the next day’s practice. Plus, this big spike in activity is a great way to increase your injury risk - check out this ARTICLE for more.

I believe in getting your volume over a period of time and not in one shot or every day.

I want my athletes to come back the next day and still have some energy in their tank so we can have a great practice and gradually build up their capacity to work harder over time. This is how we should all think when it comes to conditioning and working out – gradually build our capacity to work harder over time.

If every practice and match is physically demanding, eventually, the well will run dry and you’ll end up being sick and beat-up. Unable to concentrate and stay healthy – never a great option

PLAN FOR THE LONG HAUL

If you want to be fast, does it make sense to beat your body up so much that you’re too sore and too tired to move fast?

If you want to be fast then make sure that you practice fast and have long recovery periods. Figure out creative ways to build in fun and productive exercises during the recovery, so it doesn’t seem like you’re sitting around for 3-4 minutes while recovering. Work on things to focus on technique like net work or your ball toss between rounds of speed work.

If you need to improve your overall conditioning level, do you really think you will gain it all-in-one practice?

Likely, that answer is going to be a big N-O!

If you have any questions about what exercises may benefit you the most, feel free to reach out anytime at Hunter@starkperformancept.com or call 850-912-9203. If you're in Pensacola or the surrounding area then let's work together to get you a long-term plan to improve!