Should young tennis players strength train?

The one who's not afraid to do what it takes and is committed to work relentlessly 💦 until he gets where he wants. Before you undertake a plyometric program, it’s important you have an excellent base of strength. Do not jump straight to this phase of the tennis strength training plan. P.S in early 2022, we will be launching a new online mentorship for players under 18.

Over the years we have heard from many players unsure how to train themselves or tennis kids. Some stories have been crazy, like parents training their kids as an adult, doing exercises way above their limitations. We have also heard from players who have not been doing nearly enough training to make positive gains in their tennis fitness.

Yes, you can hit against a wall or do reaction volleys with a friend that’s part of your quarantine bubble, but that’s basically the limit. If no video is linked to exercises, I haven’t found one yet but will try to post one at some point. Rest day - take the day off completely, or enjoy some light cardio exercises like walking, easy cycling, or swimming. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you're playing during the season. It's also important to remember that a medical clearance for exercise is always a good idea at the start of the season. Unlike football or baseball, you can pretty much play tennis all year round—indoor or outdoor.

I love this time of year, for tennis fitness training most of us, it is like a clean slate is presented as soon as the clock strikes 12.00am and we welcome in the new year. Like we saw in the image above, strength training will drive a lot of the other qualities forward. Think of it as a way to enhance those qualities to even higher levels, compared to what they would get to, without strength work.

I don’t train as many junior players now as I have in the past. It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that I’m in a position right now where older players - those that are playing professionally (either on a full-time or part-time basis) - take up a big chunk of my time. Playing too much will burn you out and not playing enough will hold you back. If you feel great – that is, have good energy and remain injury-free – every time you step on the court, that’s a good sign; if not look to make some changes.

For clarity, aerobic means ‘with oxygen’ and anaerobic means ‘without oxygen’. The idea is not to try and hit a winner but to maintain the pace of the rally for as long as possible. This can be changed for anaerobic endurance training by playing 5 shots in a rally and the point then becoming competitive. Depending on the age and physical condition of the player you should tailor the variables for a repeated effort session/training block.

As a general guide, we get players to perform 1-3 tennis-specific movement drills on the court. Four ball pickup involves four tennis balls, a racket, and just 5-10 minutes of warm-up time. Place four balls in a straight line on one end of  the court.