Weight Training and Tennis Players

When, why and how should tennis players begin using weights?

There a number of good resources devoted specifically to this topic, and to attempt to answer these questions thoroughly here would be redundant. Following is basic information regarding weights and tennis players which will allow you to understand their role in tennis training so that you can decide whether or not you wish to add a weight program to your training methods.

Why Use Weights?

Many coaches think of weight training in terms of building muscle mass (“bulking up”) to help an athlete develop more power.

While more body mass allows tennis players to hit the ball with more force, there are other physical attributes an athlete can improve by using weights, such as speed, flexibility and cardiovascular capacity.

Following is a brief explanation of the power, speed, flexibility and conditioning benefits a proper resistance training program can add to your tennis player’s training regimen to give you an idea of which you might want to begin to research so you can incorporate it into your training program.

Improve Speed
People are born with different physical attributes, such as body types. The three main body types are ectomorph (tall and skinny); endomorph (stocky); and mesomorph (rounder and softer).

Ectomorphs will tend to have more speed and power, while endomorphs will have more endurance. Despite the type of body a person is born with, however, any athlete can do certain exercises which affect the muscle fibers which are responsible for quickness and speed.

Muscles contain both fast-twitch and slow-twitch fibers. Fast-twitch fibers are responsible for quickness, speed and power, while slow-twitch muscle movements are responsible for endurance.

Some people are born with more fast-twitch muscle fibers, and will be faster than others, while other people have more muscular endurance because their muscles contain more slow-twitch fibers.

This does not mean, however, that athletes can’t increase their ability to produce speed; there are exercises an athlete can do which have an enhancing effect on fast-twitch muscle fibers, allowing your athlete to increase his or her speed. That’s right, in addition to on-court speed training, you can help improve your player’s speed in the weight room.

It is not yet known whether exercises aimed at improving speed and power, such as plyometric training, increase the number of fast-twitch muscle fibers, or whether it increases the diameter of existing fast-twitch fibers. What is known, however, is that exercises which are explosive in nature will effect an athlete’s fast-twitch muscle fibers and increase his or her ability to produce speed.

Improve Flexibility
Tennis requires incredibly quick movements, a high degree of body rotation and a variety of movements which an athlete is better able to perform the more flexibility he or she has.

In addition to improving performance, flexibility also helps prevent traumatic and repetitive-stress injuries.

Even if you are working with young girls who are concerned about bulking up or young boys who may not be ready for the weight room, weights can be used to improve and maintain a player’s flexibility by helping to stretch muscles. Obviously, these exercises need to be done gently, and a weight program specifically designed to increase and maintain flexibility should be designed separately from weight programs designed to build muscle mass or improve speed.

The key here is to get your player to realize what flexibility is, and how important it is. “Flexibility” as a concept sounds good, but your player can’t see it like she can measure a serve on a radar gun, or see topspin on a groundstroke — or can she?

Prior to beginning a flexibility program, it’s extremely helpful to measure your athlete’s flexibility in a number of areas, including the lower and upper body. Using concrete measurements, such as the number of degrees your player can raise his legs, or the number of inches from the floor your player can place her palms when doing toe touches gives your player a starting benchmark by which to measure progress.

Every few weeks, measure players’ progress and let them see how much more flexible they’ve become since they were first measured.

The United States Tennis Association has measured the top

juniors in the U.S. in a number of areas to give coaches and players around the country standards by which to judge their physical

fitness as compared to nationally ranked players. Using the USTA’s fitness protocols (there’s a video and book) to judge players’ progress will allow you to set goals and measure results.

There are a number of fine books on the subject, with specific stretches for tennis which can help you develop a proper, measurable and fun flexibility program for a tennis player.

As with any other physical conditioning program, it is best to meet with a qualified physical fitness professional to help you

initially evaluate your players and plan their flexibility program.

Improve Conditioning
Resistance training consisting of light weights, many repetitions and at a higher rate of speed can be used to improve or maintain a player’s cardiovascular system.

An aerobic base can be achieved and maintained just as well, or better, without weights, and because variety is such an important element in any athletic program, adding a cardiovascular weight program to one that includes work done for speed, flexibility and power may get your athletes bored with weights.

On a rainy day, however, when there is no chance for on-court work, or even indoor sprint training, weights used for this type of conditioning may be appropriate, especially if you are in your season, when conditioning work should be low in volume and high in intensity.

Make sure you are thoroughly familiar with the types of exercises your players should be doing if you find yourself indoors and wish to use the weight room. That rainy day is not the time to experiment with or learn a new exercise program.

When to Use Weights
While adults may be ready to immediately begin using weights (albeit slowly at first as they build new muscles), it’s probably not a good idea to have 10 and 11 year-olds trying to bench their weight.

As with any program which entails physical activity, it’s good to start in advance with the advice of an exercise professional or a certified strength coach.

It would be well worth your time to make an appointment with a local exercise physiologist to discuss what benefits a weight program would have for a tennis player the age of your player.

Start by discussing your specific goals:

•Are you looking for more power on the player’s serve or ground

strokes?

•Are you looking for more speed?

•Do you feel strengthening your player’s legs is a priority?

•Is upper body strength your goal?

•Are you looking for a cardiovascular (aerobic) benefit?

•Do you want more flexibility?

You may be surprised to find that after you have discussed your goals for your player, your exercise physiologists recommends that a medicine ball may be better than weights for the specific goal you have; or that a stretching program which increases flexibility will provide the increased torso torque or arm speed your player needs to increase racquet head speed; or that your particular player would benefit from leg exercises, when you thought the arms were the source of power your were seeking.

Not knowing and not finding out what are player’s strength and flexibility needs is almost as bad as having your player follow a generic resistance training program you found in a tennis workbook. If you are working one on one with a player, or have a small group of players for an extended period of time, take the time to work out a beneficial program for each one.

If you are working with a high school or collegiate team with physically mature students, using a good book with tennis-specific weight exercises might be advisable, especially if each player determines what his or her specific needs are and develops an exercise routine to help them achieve them.