Outlining The Proper Physical Developmental Components For Tennis Players.

Tennis enthusiasts are happy playing tennis, watching tennis, or reading about tennis. Some also dream about playing tennis...the bottom line is that tennis enthusiasts are a dedicated group that all learn, live, and love the sport!

I believe there are four components that should to be developed in order for a player to fully reach their playing potential. The components are:

1. Physical
2. Psychological
3. Technical
4. Tactical.

In this month's article, I will discuss the physical component.

Physical Component

Enhance performance. Top tennis professionals like Thomas Muster, Amanda Coetzer, Alex Corretja and Steffi Graf use conditioning programs to help their performance during competition. These players are some of the fittest people in the sport, they know their body will not abandon them and so go all out for every point during a match. As the old cliche says, "A strong body means a strong mind."

With the fitness boom on the rise, I see a lot of people starting to work out. The only problem is that many of the organizations that are linked to fitness and racquet clubs do not have the right types of people prescribing the correct type of fitness programs for tennis players. It is a bit scary. Many of the fitness people (with training certificates) who try to get people ready for tennis actually have not picked up a racquet in their life. Some may argue, "Who cares if my trainer doesn't play tennis?" Well, would you trust a chef in a restaurant to cook your dinner if he has lost his sense of taste? Of course not. So how does a fitness consultant who does not play or watch tennis prescribe a workout plan for a person who plays? Let's look at the pros.

Remember a few years back when Andre Agassi hired a personal trainer? Agassi really put on some bulk muscle, that's for sure. Of what I remember, he was benching over 300 pounds. Well, the extra bulk did not help with his range of motion in certain joints and prevented smooth, biomechanical linkages. His tennis suffered for a while. Then, after some trial and error, that same trainer learned how to temper the training plan for Andre. You may not be so lucky with your trainer. Andre was not injured. All I am saying is watch it and be careful what you are paying for with your hard earned money.

Children playing tennis or aspiring to develop into tennis players should also pursue physical conditioning. Kids, you have to do those sit-ups, push-ups, stretching, flexibility work, aerobic work, and cut down on the hamburgers and fries. Parents and coaches, make sure to provide your players and kids with enough physical opportunities. This is to ensure a good, multi-lateral development in motor skills. This means that children should play as many sports as possible throughout their young lives. Cross over training has many benefits. For example, soccer has footwork, baseball has throwing and catching, hockey has balance and quickness, etc. Coaches and parents, I have heard very reputable tennis people say, "Get those children out of all other sports, tennis only." Don't listen to these people. When a player becomes older, there will come a time when they must choose the specificity of the sport, in our case, choose tennis. Richard Schonborn of Germany, an internationally respected speaker on biomechanics, once said in a national coaches seminar at Tennis Canada, "Kids must be able to perform certain motor skills and maximize their potential at specific ages or they will miss windows of opportunity." What does this mean? Simply put, children must be able to meet motor skill windows where they use their body to the fullest so this may provide a firm foundation on which to physically build upon. Get your kids to run, jump, skip, hop, bound, catch, throw, spin, bend, and flip. Basically, any movements that challenge their motor skills can be beneficial.

I have seen many coaches from around the world use physical conditioning to benefit their tennis players. By getting kids involved in many sports or by taking conditioning sessions, a player will ready his or her body for the sport we love so much. If you already are involved in a conditioning program off-court, then more power to you! Here are some fresh ideas that could sell the idea of fitness (making it more fun) to the nonbelievers. Try simply incorporating skills into a tennis lesson. The following examples can be used for kid's and adult's lessons:

• Have stations like a gym where, instead of waiting in a line, have the coach make areas for sit-ups, push-ups, and rolls on gym mats. After a player picks up a number of balls before they return to the line, have them go to this station before rejoining the hitting line.

• If there is an empty court beside your child's tennis lesson court, ask the coach if she can use the empty court to incorporate some physical activity so that there is always participation for the children. Ask the kids to do some sprints, and have an assistant time them to see how fast they are!

• Have them do a multi-sport lesson with emphasis on tennis. Most of the time should be spent on tennis activities. Have other activities that are fun, such as kicking a soccer ball into a goal area or taking a slap shot at a hockey net. Add goaltenders...

New news on speaking engagements: I will be speaking at the upcoming U.S.P.T.A. tennis conferences in both California and Ohio, and I will also be speaking once again in February 1998, for the U.S.P.T.R.'s international tennis symposium in South Carolina. Lastly, Tennis Canada has also invited me for the fourth time to be a presenter for both conferences in Toronto and British Columbia in 1998. Last month's article brought my first e-mail from Ireland, wonderful! Finally, I am writing a future article on favorite tennis drills and would like to hear some of your favorite drills, singles and doubles. Looking forward to hearing from you and thanks once again for all your e-mail and faxes from around the world!

Best Regards,

Reggie

This column is copyright 1997 by Reggie Vasquez Jr., all rights reserved.

Reggie Vasquez Jr. is one of Canada's leading tennis coaches for juniors. He is actively involved with Tennis Canada's grassroots player development. A frequent and enthusiastic speaker at tennis conferences, he is certified by the U.S.P.T.A., Tennis Canada and the U.S.P.T.R.. For almost 7 years he was a head coach for the Canadian Davis cup Captain's Academy at the Canada's National Tennis Center. He has been a Tennis Canada - National Youth Tennis Center Leader for over 8 years and is presently a head coach of an Elite Tennis Academy. He has experience working with juniors from the absolute beginner to the international caliber tennis player. Reggie is also a published author on junior tennis. His personal web site has additional information on his book, the Kids' Book of Tennis. The Kids' Book of Tennis can be ordered directly at a discount using this link to the Amazon.com online bookstore.

Questions and comments about these columns can be directed to Reggie by electronic mail at reggie@tennisserver.com.