Many tennis players get their cardio benefits, but choose not to address their exercises to strengthen and stretch their muscles, joints, tendons, and bones by going to the gym. With a little extra work, tennis players could improve their level of play, help recover from injuries or prevent them from happening in the first place. It doesn't take that much time, maybe, 20 minutes to just do basic maintenance. Beyond that, 40 minutes could be allotted toward improving hand-eye-foot coordination, agility (footwork), explosive movement (plyometrics), anaerobic/aerobic capacity (cross-training), reaction time, and stroke production.I'd like to impart my experience from tournament tennis and martial arts in a way that is both interesting, exciting, and enriching for all players by addressing the attack and defence tactics that both disciplines have in common. I suggest that players looking to improve their athletic performance combine their current fitness regimens with sports specific techniques. These techniques include work outs that practice their strokes in between sets of conventional push-ups, crunches, squat-thrusts (burpees), squats, lunges, and jumping jacks. Stroking on forehand and backhand sides high, middle, and low with topspin, backspin, or side spin, using open stances, closed stances, and front stances for ground strokes, volleys, overheads and serves could be implemented with one's hand. A table tennis paddle can be used in a crowded space and progression to added resistance can be accomplished by utilizing a paddle ball racquet. Depending on space considerations, racquetball racquets and tennis racquets could be used as well. Consider using both right-handed and left-handed sides and eventually simulating short points in shadow-boxing or in this case shadow-stroking solo routines as a martial artist practices their martial routines (known as kata,kuen, abakada, or Pyrrhic). Remember that although functional core training exercises are in vogue right now, I feel that if you really want to make an exercise sports specific with tennis in mind then combine these and other exercises with your tennis racquet while doing your strokes and footwork between sets or within the set...just ask some of my former clients:Ivan Lendl,and John McEnroe. posted by: Spencer Gee
If you have any questions regarding the charity, or how to donate tennis racquets, visit TennisRacquetsforKids.org
Showing posts with label Tennis tournaments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tennis tournaments. Show all posts
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
Sacrifice for bigger better things in life
"RSVP: I am sorry I can't make your birthday party, I have a tennis tournament"; "I will be celebrating my birthday on the road, probably at Applebee with my coach"; or the infamous Facebook group "This weekend, did you...No, I had a tournament".
When kids dedicate themselves to a sport, it often comes with many social sacrifices. Whether it leads them to homeschooling or traveling for weekends at a time - in all case scenarios they give some other part of their average life up such as going to late movies, attending birthday parties or trick or treating on the weekend of Halloween. At the time each of these events seems like a once in a lifetime opportunity and the parents and the sport take the role of bad guy and "punisher" when kids are told they can't be like their school friends. Matter of fact is that these are sacrifices that are not pin pointed at one kid here or there, they are shared by all kids pursuing tennis or anything else with high goals in mind. In most cases missing holidays is unavoidable due to the fact that most tournaments are hosted during and around holidays because those days allow kids to travel without missing school. After all, it builds character. Reasonable sacrifice is a necessary ingredient to being really good at what you do, another ingredient is having demanding parents.
I know from personal experience and talking to many players who went from junior to pro in the past 10 years, that of course you regret missing your ordinary could be life, but you find your social life on that tennis circuit and if you make it big one day, the sky is the limit for the attention you receive, parties you attend and cakes you are baked. Still doesn't mean you'll be at home, but at that point you're one experience will top the other.
Just yesterday Ana Ivanovic turned 21, during the Sony Ericsson in Doha and the sponsors threw her a birthday party. Still on the road and I am sure with limitations due to her tennis schedule but the attention and press it garnered must have been a pleasant surprise. Too bad she got sick and pulled out of the tournament. Check out her cool Babolat looking cake!
Check out Halloween Serena Williams style from her blog:
When kids dedicate themselves to a sport, it often comes with many social sacrifices. Whether it leads them to homeschooling or traveling for weekends at a time - in all case scenarios they give some other part of their average life up such as going to late movies, attending birthday parties or trick or treating on the weekend of Halloween. At the time each of these events seems like a once in a lifetime opportunity and the parents and the sport take the role of bad guy and "punisher" when kids are told they can't be like their school friends. Matter of fact is that these are sacrifices that are not pin pointed at one kid here or there, they are shared by all kids pursuing tennis or anything else with high goals in mind. In most cases missing holidays is unavoidable due to the fact that most tournaments are hosted during and around holidays because those days allow kids to travel without missing school. After all, it builds character. Reasonable sacrifice is a necessary ingredient to being really good at what you do, another ingredient is having demanding parents.
I know from personal experience and talking to many players who went from junior to pro in the past 10 years, that of course you regret missing your ordinary could be life, but you find your social life on that tennis circuit and if you make it big one day, the sky is the limit for the attention you receive, parties you attend and cakes you are baked. Still doesn't mean you'll be at home, but at that point you're one experience will top the other.
Just yesterday Ana Ivanovic turned 21, during the Sony Ericsson in Doha and the sponsors threw her a birthday party. Still on the road and I am sure with limitations due to her tennis schedule but the attention and press it garnered must have been a pleasant surprise. Too bad she got sick and pulled out of the tournament. Check out her cool Babolat looking cake!
Check out Halloween Serena Williams style from her blog:
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