TENNIS

Integrated Performance Profile is a major component of tennis training. Evaluation of Subjective and Objective Information of Client Evaluation of postural distortion patterns that would alter gait:

- Total Body Profile
- Stretching Techniques
- Reactive Assessment
- Integrated Kinetic Chain Assessment

   FLEXIBILITY
   ABSOLUTE STRENGTH
   EXPLOSIVE POWER
   SPEED
   AGILITY
   SPEED ENDURANCE
   CORE STRENGTH
   UPPER BODY STRENGTH
   LATERAL SPEED
   STARTING SPEED

        The physiological demands of tennis makes a comprehensive strength and conditioning program essential for players who want to reach the top. New PP contributor Sean Fyfe discusses these demands and presents a case study of a highly ranked world junior from Australia to illustrate the key principles of targeted tennis strength and conditioning
        Let’s start by stating some fundamentals about the physical demands of tennis. The energy demands for tennis are 80% derived from the ATP-PC energy system, 15% from the lactate pathway and the remaining 5% from aerobic metabolism.
        Information regarding the relative contributions of energy systems required to compete in a particular sport is essential to physically prepare an athlete. Average and maximum work durations and work/rest intervals also need to be understood so that competition physical demands can be replicated.
        In tennis, this varies for two reasons:
        Surface type – clay courts such as the French Open, which are the slowest, will promote longer baseline rallies than grass courts or fast hard courts such as Wimbledon and the US Open respectively, which make for shorter points.
        The type of player – servers, volleyers and aggressive baseliners who like to go to the net will generally play shorter points, whereas baseliners who are more defensive will play longer tennis points.
        Some general statistics are as follows: the average point length is less than 6 seconds and with advancements in the game, the average point duration in professional tennis matches has decreased. For example in 1988, the final of the US open saw average point duration of 12.2sec compared with 5.99sec in 2003. Ninety-three percent of all tennis points are less than 15sec. The maximum time players are allowed to take between points is 20sec but the average is 15.2sec, and players are allowed to rest for 90sec every 2 games they play. Taking into account average point durations and rest periods, players can therefore expect to rest for 2.3-3.2sec for every second of work performed (1). These statistics should be kept in mind when structuring speed and agility and endurance sessions, but you also need to bear in mind the type of player you are dealing with.