Why Amateur Tennis Players Should Return First

There are a couple reasons why amateur tennis players should always elect to return first.  Here is my list:

- It immediately puts the pressure on your opponent to start playing high quality tennis.
- It gives you a chance to feel out your opponent's strokes as well as your own without the risk of getting down a break of serve.
- It allows you to gradually get into the pace of the match, without the pressure of needing to hold immediately.
- If you win the game, you are up a break!

Beginner Strength Series Workout Plan

This beginner program will last for 6-8 weeks depending on your progression.  The weekly layout of your program should look like this:

Beginner Strength Series

Monday - Workout 1 (video posted on blog)

Tuesday - General Cardio/Tennis

Wednesday - Rotator Cuff Exercises (video posted on blog)

Thursday - General Cardio/Tennis

Friday - Workout 2 (video posted on blog)

* After you complete this phase of your training, you will move on to the next phase, which will consist of more maximal strength training and tennis specific conditioning.

Rotator Cuff Exercises

These are some good exercises to help prevent any kind of rotator cuff injuries you might sustain from overuse or chance.  This is the workout you should be doing on Wednesday in your Beginner Strength Series

Beginner Strength Series - Part 2

This is the second workout for the beginner strength series that you should follow to gain some fundamental strength before starting an intense program.

Beginner Strength Series - Part 1

This is the first workout (of 3) of the fundamental strength series that you should be performing on Mondays.

For this phase of your training, you should be working out 3 days a week (monday, wednesday, friday) for 1-2 months.

Part 1: Off-Season Training for Beginners and High Schoolers

 For those of you who are in high school or beginning tennis players, your off season is where the heart of your training should take place.  The off season is extremely important because there is only one short season.  

If you are new to training, I would highly recommend both general strength training and conditioning.  

General strength training is extremely important for tennis athletes because it can help to decrease risk of injury and provide a balance in your overall muscularity. 

General conditioning should also take place for a similar reason of just preparing your body for the more intense and specific training to follow.  

Intro to Tennis Strength and Conditioning

In order to condition for tennis, we must first understand the kinds of movements, speeds, and duration involved with the sport.

Tennis is a sport that is made up of short explosive movements that can vary in duration from 1-60 seconds with minimal rest periods of usually 15-30 seconds. This cycle of play and rest can last for multiple hours. Because the sport is played in this manner, this is also the way that tennis athletes should condition.  

Tennis involves all kinds of athletic movements that we can improve including: straight line speed, side to side speed, rotational strength and speed, and ability to change direction.

The first post to this blog will be about Off-Season workouts and preparing for the season.