Fitness Training For Tennis Players
Physical fitness refers to the capacity of an athlete to meet the varied physical demands of their sport without reducing the athlete to a fatigued state.
If we want efficiency, consistent improvement, and balanced abilities the tennis players must participate in year round conditioning programs. The bottom line in sports conditioning and fitness training is stress. Not mental stress, but adaptive body stress. The athletes must put their bodies under a certain amount of stress to increase physical capabilities.
Exercise scientists have identified nine elements that comprise the definition of fitness. The following lists each of the nine elements and an example of how they are used:
Strength - the extent to which muscles can exert force by contracting against resistance (holding or restraining an object or person)
Power - the ability to exert maximum muscular contraction instantly in an explosive burst of movements (Jumping or sprint starting)
Agility - the ability to perform a series of explosive power movements in rapid succession in opposing directions (Zig Zag running or cutting movements)
Balance - the ability to control the body's position, either stationary (e.g. a handstand) or while moving (execute all the tennis strokes in perfectly balanced body position)
Flexibility - the ability to achieve an extended range of motion without being impeded by excess tissue, i.e. fat or muscle (Executing complicated movements injury free)
Local Muscle Endurance - a single muscle's ability to perform sustained work (Individual strokes)
Cardiovascular Endurance - the heart's ability to deliver blood to working muscles and their ability to use it (Running long distances, surviving the long tennis matches)
Strength Endurance - a muscle's ability to perform a maximum contraction time after time (Continuous explosive serves through an entire tennis match)
Coordination - the ability to integrate the above listed components so that effective movements are achieved