As the US Open has started, it is worth reflecting on what it takes for players to achieve success at the highest level. It is important to understand as a coach, trainer, therapist or parent how difficult it is to become the best in the world at anything. Remember that making the US Open main draw means that you are in the top 128 players in the world at the time. This is an outstanding accomplishment. In any profession – lawyer, doctor, plumber, teacher, coach, therapist etc – it is unbelievably difficult to reach the pinnacle. Tennis is a global sport with over 100 countries producing professional players and to rise to the top is very challenging. Many people talk about how difficult it is to make it in today’s game.
        One discussion point that comes about in coaching and training circles is about how best to handle young players who have the dreams of one day stepping on the court at the grand slam tournaments and making a successful living as a professional tennis player. As a coach or influencer this mindset and goal should be 100% embraced and encouraged. At the young age (i.e. before puberty) potential is a beautiful thing. It is too early to tell which players will and will not make it as a professional. Many factors come into play during puberty (height, social factors, training interest, motivation, financial resources etc) and this many times helps to separate players. However, before puberty it is not unreasonable for every player to have the dream and goal of becoming a professional tennis player.
         It should make it very clear that to become successful in the sport of tennis is very, very difficult. The odds are small to make it big in tennis. However, if you are working with young players, especially before puberty, it is too early to tell who is going to make at the highest level so as mentors, coaches, parents or influencers, it is necessary to encourage the dream, make it possible for the young player to believe, while also making it very clear that to be successful at the highest levels it requires a lot more than writing down on a piece of paper that “ I will become no. 1 in the world and win the US Open.” The amount of daily work that needs to be put in, in a daily structured way (i.e. deliberate practice) is what most people do not successfully accomplish. Many people have the dreams and aspirations of the end result, but very few are willing to do the required daily work needed. This, unfortunately, is where the disconnect is in many situations. Setting lofty goals at a young age is a positive, but it must be made clear that to achieve lofty goals, the athlete, and the support team of the athlete, needs to put the work in to achieve these lofty goals. Without the daily work, the goals are unrealistic. It is unfortunate that most players, coaches, trainers and therapist do not realize the intensity of work and the daily engagement needed to truly achieve success. 

Set Expectations High, But Clearly Define What Is Needed to Achieve These High Expectations!

Don't forget to enter our US Open Player Fitness Challenge Contest! Details here.

I think we all understand the many lifelong benefits of tennis play from a health, fitness and wellness perspective. However, much of the interest has traditionally been in how tennis can improve an individual’s life as they age, cardiovascular health, bone density, muscle strength, etc. These are all important benefits of tennis play and will be discussed in other posts. As tennis provides so many physical and mental benefits, it should be considered a major tool in reversing the disturbing trend in childhood obesity levels in developed nations. It is well documented that tennis players have below average body fat compared to the normal population and this makes sense due to the activity level (calories burned), but other factors also contribute to this including the lifestyle that most tennis players live by. Better diets, active friends, a peer group that has a similar interest in physical activity among many others. Although exercise alone is not the answer for avoiding childhood obesity, it is a key part of the equation.  Let’s look at how playing tennis regularly helps you to avoid childhood obesity.

Increase Activity
We have become a society of little movement, and even schools are eliminating basic physical education requirements.  When you don’t move, your body does not require many calories to function on a daily basis.  Exercise not only improves your body’s fitness and finesse, but also burns calories that would otherwise become transformed into fat.  That’s the basic equation: if you eat more calories than you burn, then the excess calories become stored as fat for the future.  And if you continue to eat more than you burn off, the fat storage will accumulate more and more. This simple concept seems to be lost on a vast number of the population. Too much food, too little exercise. Tennis can increase the exercise component of this equation.

Eating Right
Although tennis players have lower body fat than the general population, exercise alone is not enough to avoid obesity.  We have become a society that is sugar and starch addicted.  We like “fast foods,” which make us feel good in the short run but which lead to obesity if left unchecked in the long run.  Here is the problem.  Rather than eating a well-balanced diet that includes fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, whole grains, and protein through meat, fish or soy. If the calories from sweet and starch foods are not burned off through exercise, then they become stored as fat.  Many people mistakenly think that fat tissue comes from eating fatty foods, but the reality is that most fat tissue in the body is from consuming too many sweets and starches. Better education about how this process works is needed through coaches, trainers and medical professionals. Unfortunately this simple concept is not well understood by the majority of the population. 

Eating properly sounds easy, but it is not occurring sufficiently throughout society. It requires good habits on a daily basis.  Many people prefer a sweet snack and this is in part because the sweet foods send signals to the brain that cause immediate gratification.  Avoiding childhood obesity means developing good, daily food habits and letting go of the instant gratification of sweet foods.  As children are even more interested than adults in instant gratification, they are the most vulnerable to problems with diet. This is compounded if their parent or caregiver provides these sweet and salty foods. Children will eat what is provided to them, so good choices by the caregivers are the most vital link in the entire obesity question.

Movement with Good Eating
Ultimately, avoiding childhood obesity is a way of life.  Remember the simple equation: if you eat more calories than you burn off, the excess calories become stored as fat.  Excess fat storage leads to obesity, which leads to many health problems. A combination of regular tennis play and healthy eating habits is a sure bet for not only avoiding childhood obesity but also for living a healthy life.

So take this information and spread the word about the many benefits of tennis play and help to do your part in reversing the childhood obesity problem.

Coach Loren Landow provides his insight in the above audio clip about some similarities and differences between tennis athletes and athletes in other sports, especially with respect to training the young athlete. The ITPA thanks Loren for his support and the work he does developing athletes (especially tennis athletes).

Loren Landow, CSCS, USAW

Coach Landow has trained thousands of athletes in numerous sports to maximize their athletic potential while reducing their risk of injury. He has successfully trained over 400 professional athletes, including 17 NFL All-Pros. Coach Landow has trained the USA U-19 Rugby National Team, over 60 nationally and internationally ranked high school and collegiate tennis players, Olympians and many other athletes in the NHL, MLB, MLS,UFC and NCAA. In addition, Coach Landow serves as a consultant for several professional organizations. Most importantly, Landow is highly sought after for his ability to analyze and correct biomechanics. He is a certified Muscle Activation Techniques Specialist, utilizing soft tissue massage techniques to correct imbalances and enhance muscle regeneration. Through his various innovative methods Coach Landow has made dramatic improvements in an athlete’s speed, power, agility, coordination. In addition, Coach Landow serves on the S.P.E.E.D. advisory counsel, a position reserved for the top performance coaches in the country. Coach Landow is also a national and International presenter and speaker for the leading associations in the performance industry.

Check out Loren Landow at www.lorenlandowperformance.com