Guest post by Adam Lee, TPT, CTPS
​Glen Head Racquet and Fitness

Visualization is arguably the most important factor in the mental approach to tennis, and the current situation we are facing with the COVID-19 pandemic gives us an opportunity to turn within and hone our craft through improving mental acuity with certain visualization techniques. Strong visualization skills allow players to run scenarios in their heads, getting an edge on the court through practicing meditation, imagery, and interval training off the court.
 
Meditation is a technique used by many athletes who want to train their mind. An athlete meditates in order to find a state of consciousness to focus on only what is necessary for that period of time with undivided attention. Current world number one and 17-time Grand Slam Champion Novak Djokovic is known throughout the tennis world for his rigorous routines and preparation, which involves meditation, diet and yoga. Meditation improves an athletes ability to focus in the zone, sharpen concentration and awareness, while releasing negative energy that could poorly impact performance.
 
Djokovic says that “One of the ways is to kind of meditate but not meditate with the intention of going away from those problems, but visualize,” (Wegela. 2010).  Doing so, he is able to reflect upon his self and obtain the mental clarity needed to overcome any hurdles he may be facing.  Meditation requires significant brain power, and many young athletes have not yet developed a sufficient degree of control and willpower to fully incorporate mediation into their program. That said, the sooner meditation is started as part of a young player’s routine, the better, as it may not have an immediate impact, but will certainly pay huge dividends on a competitive level down the line.
 
During COVID-19, I have spent much of my time researching and watching webinars, with one in particular being  ‘Building Character and the USTA Teaching & Coaching Philosophy.’ One topic in particular discussed was how players can gain so much knowledge and confidence by using a visualization skill such as imagery. Imagery will help players absorb information through the demonstration of others. Just by watching another compete can offer you so much information, allowing the otherwise new skill to feel more familiar, translating into a more confident attitude emulated. Juniors can use imagery in their homes as a way to visualize and connect with the idea of competing. Watching others compete can give these players a better sense of what a particular skill, tactic, technique or mindset looks like which will ultimately make it easier to emulate and thus improve the quality of their own game. Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena Williams’s coach, understands the importance of watching. He believes that is one of the best ways for a player to learn.
 
Many pros watch each other to develop tactics and help them mentally in stressful situations such as break point down at 4 all in the 3rd set. For example, Victoria Azerenka studies Rafael Nadal for his mental strength because he is known to make a stressful situation look calm.          
 
Lastly, another visualization skill for juniors to use during COVID-19 is the ability to use interval training to connect with competing in matches. So what exactly is interval training and how can this help players visualize themselves in a competitive match?
 
Interval training alternates between short and high intensity bursts of activity with a recovery in between allowing the body to train the two energy systems: aerobic and anaerobic. Briefly, aerobic exercise is any type of cardiovascular training - i.e.  cardio - and the anaerobic system involves short intense burst of energy performed at maximum effort.
 
As any competitive player knows, tennis matches consist of short bursts high intensity points, usually lasting no more than than 10 seconds, with pauses up to 20 seconds in between points and 90 seconds at the change of ends. To simulate this sort of activity you don’t need fancy equipment, just your driveway, a nearby hill, high school track or a treadmill if you have one. You can recreate a match experience mentally by sprinting 10-15 seconds to represent point play, taking 20 second rests to signify the time between points to regroup, gather thoughts, and take deep breaths. Not only can this help you on a physical standpoint but also mentally. By the middle of the exercise, you may be  exhausted but have 4 sprints remaining. This is when it is time to draw back to visualization and imagine yourself being one game away from winning a tournament after playing an excruciating 3 hour match earlier in the day. That visualization will push you to finish the intervals time and time again.
 
During this challenging time where so many of us are unable to continue our day to day activities, these visualization techniques provide an easily attainable way for you to improve your game and can provide a bit of peace in an otherwise stressful time. Always remember, hard work opens the doors of success, accomplishments and your dreams.
 
References
 
Wegela, K. (2010 January 19). How to Practice Mindfulness Meditation. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-courage-be- present/201001/how-practice-mindfulness-meditation
 

Introduction/History
Over the past few decades the numbers of players trying to play professional tennis has grown significantly. The prize money has increased 13% in the last year; in 1990 Pete Sampras beat Andre Agassi in US Open Final and Pete’s prize money check was US $220,000. In 2020 the winner will receive right at US $4 million. As a result, the financial benefits of being a top tennis player has increased significantly and more people all over the world are looking at the possibilities of making professional tennis a career. The finances are very top heavy, but if you can make it the rewards are impressive. As a result a lot of players, parents, coaches, agents and federations put time, energy and planning into the young careers of promising junior players. However, from my experience, far too many players are not being developed effectively based on their physical styles and genetics -  or what I like to call “Physical Signature.” Every athlete has a physical signature; it is the athlete’s personal DNA. Just like a fingerprint it is unique to each individual. However, in tennis, three broad categories of physical styles do exist and it is easy to break out most tennis athletes into one of these three styles/signatures. It is important to understand this from a Talent/Physical development perspective, but also to help train each athlete most appropriately. This article is focused on the physical aspects, but I also do the same analysis for technical style, tactical style, mental style and the intangibles (professionalism, desire, etc). 

Based on the current style of play at the top of men’s tennis you can see three broad groups of players that make a great living playing professional tennis. I have used other sports as an example of this athlete and the likelihood that any of the top professional tennis players that would fall into this category would be able to play that sport at the highest level if that was the focus at a young age.

1) The NBA “Big Man” Athlete (A very tall big serving athlete). Just being tall is not enough. You need to be an athlete, a competitor and great tennis player. John Isner, Reilly Opelka, Ivo Karlovic, Kevin Anderson among others fall into this category. They are over 6ft 6inches tall and most are closer to 7ft. 

• If you are a junior tennis player (or the coach/parent) of a young player who is projected to be in this category then the training from a young age should be specific and targeted to focus on the areas of most need.

1. Injury Prevention/Reduction Training: This is specifically on the areas of most need including: lower back, knees and shoulders, foot/ankle. Prevention programs should be implemented from a young age specifically on the areas of most risk. From the research on tall growing athletes the areas of concern/risk are clear and a well targeted program and long-term plan should be implemented. From my personal experience working with two of the tallest players in tennis history (as well as many big men in other sports), the concerns and potential injury risk is higher during the developmental years due to the rapid growth and subsequent challenges associated. You need a very structured plan and long-term focus with measurable data, consistent evaluation periods, smart scheduling and the right type of training to be successful.
2. Movement: In the development years, this will be the biggest weakness and will likely result in this type of athlete not always having the same results as some of their peers. The main reason is that the ability to play defense is challenged and it is harder to win when not playing their best. So it is common to see more losses (and sometimes more “bad” losses during development). As a result, movement mechanics, on-court technique work is paramount to ensure they are efficient and effective with the right movements. Check out the International Tennis Performance Association (iTPA) work on Tennis Movement and Footwork. Go to this site and you can get the full “free” book going through over 30 of the most important tennis movements to make sure you know what to train www.itpa-tennis.org

The Duel Threat Modern NFL Quarterback – This is the tennis player who is between 6ft 1inch -6ft 6inch in height. However, they also are very fast, a great mover and see the court very well. The highest percentage of all-time greats over the past few decades have been in this category – Sampras, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, Lendl, Becker, Edberg, Safin et al. What makes this bodytype so valuable is that they all can serve above 130MPH and control the tempo of matches with the serve, but also are great movers and can play outstanding defense when needed. This usually gives them a slight advantage when they are not playing their best to still find ways to win. These individuals do not follow the same developmental timeline. Some can grow early, some can be late maturers, so many players between 10-16 may fall into this category and need to be trained to have a full court game, with the ability to play defense, offense, move very well and be in great overall tennis specific conditioning.  

• If you are a junior tennis player (or the coach/parent) of a young player who is projected to be a in this category then the training from a young age should be specific and targeted to focus on the areas of most need.

​

1. Strength & Power: For this athlete to have a long a successful career the right training habits are needed to be trained throughout the development years. Age appropriate strength and power training is important for this athlete as this will be an important area of training as they get older and need to maximize these areas on-court.
   
2. Movement: Although movement should not be a major weakness during the development years, many athletes are struggling during the years as they are growing at different stages. Therefore, it is vital to train the right movements and mechanics throughout this development period. Here is a good resource that highlights over four hours of on-court movement training for all aspects that are needed to be successful  -TENNIS MOVEMENT
3. Mobility: This is an area that all tennis players need to spend a lot of time developing. However, for this type of athlete it becomes even more important due to the need to play a hybrid of styles. Need to be as fast and agile as the World Class Soccer Player, but be able to bring the power like the NBA Big Man. The hips of a tennis player are one of the most important joints in the body for all tennis players, but specifically for athletes who have this style. Here is a resource specifically focused on the Hips for Tennis Player. We call it Bulletproofing Your Hips.

The World Class Soccer Player: These are the individuals that are usually under 6ft 1inch in height yet have top of the charts on-court tennis movement and tennis-specific fitness and endurance. Think about players such as Lleyton Hewitt and David Ferrer. So how many Top 100 players fall into this category? At the end of 2019 the average height of the Top 100 on the ATP Tour was 6ft 2inches or just above 187cm. However, less than 20 players would fall into the 6ft 1inch height and below category. Although the data suggests that being taller than 6ft 1inch is helpful as a starting guide for professional tennis, many players under this height have made a very successful career from professional tennis. This being said, these players who are succeeding currently (for example as Kei Nishikori, Fabio Fognini, David Goffin, etc.) have some unique talents whether it be shotmaking ability, touch/court craft, fitness, court speed etc. It is vital that this category of player has multiple skills from a physical perspective. This needs to be understand from a young age and the various physical skills need to be developed in a structured and planned method. Although this athlete needs everything to be developed at a very high level to be successful, the following are two that always need to be prioritized:

• If you are a junior tennis player (or the coach/parent) of a young player who is projected to be in this category then the training from a young age should be specific and targeted to focus on the areas of most need.

1. Tennis Specific Endurance: Individuals have a genetic aspect to all these styles and having great endurance is one of the most genetically determined areas. Individuals have a higher composition of slow twitch fibers, higher hemoglobin and myoglobin levels (which helps with oxygen delivery and use by the body) and higher capacity of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). However, training can significantly improve these aspects if done correctly. Most younger athletes do not realize the level of tennis specific conditioning needed to be successful on the ATP Tour. Not only at regular tournaments throughout the year, but specifically during Grand Slam events involving 5 set matches.
   
2. Speed & Movement: The challenge for this player is that although tennis specific endurance is a major area that needs to be trained, so does speed and movement. These are two somewhat opposing biomotor capabilities, and improving one to a great extent does potentially reduce the other. Therefore, it is important to structure your training weeks with these competing goals in mind. In simple terms you want to work on speed and movement when the athlete is fresh (early in the training day for example), and you work on tennis specific endurance at the end of the training day or after any skill based or speed-based work is performed. Although a lot more goes into planning for these types of athletes, this is a good rule of thumb to help plan the sessions.
   
3. Strength: This style of athlete needs to be very strong as they are somewhat undersized compared to most of their competitors and as a result, will need to make up for it with developing a strong and powerful game built both on the court, but also in the gym. Having a personalized training program focused on this area will allow this style of athlete to compete and thrive with taller and stronger competitors. 
   

The goal of this article was to highlight a simple framework to help effectively train younger athletes who have the desire to play at the highest levels of the game. It is understood that all athletes are unique and a one size fits all training program is not recommended, these three broad categories outlined above can help provide guidance about how individual young male tennis players should be developed through their formative years. 

by Doug Eng EdD PhD CSCS CTPS MTPS

​PART I – CHANGING PHYSIOLOGY, DEMANDS OF MOVEMENT AND THE CASE STUDY OF NADAL

Traditional tennis movement has been taught as involving quick, small, shuffle and adjustment steps. The traditional clay court game has been taught with additional sliding movement involving long, grinding points. However, today’s matches don’t involve as many long rallies as 40 years ago. Research on modern tennis movement shows today’s game has some different characteristics. Points are shorter and faster creating greater demands on speed, agility and quickness.
Tennis-specific movement is generally regarded as 70% lateral, 20% forward and less than 10% backwards movement (Weber et al 2006, Kovacs 2009). That is, most movement occurs laterally on the baseline, with some movement forward or backwards. Forward movement may be slightly in front of the baseline or up to close to the net. Studies show that the average tennis point lasts 6-11 seconds and as much as 15.7 sec during the average baseline rally (Bernardi et al 1998). Playing style was a major factor in the length of rallies as shown in Table 1.

​For full article, click HERE. 

As part of the 2018 World Tennis Fitness Conference, the International Tennis Performance Association hosted a half day Summit on Tennis Technology and Analytics. The purpose behind the Summit was to bring practical experts together to discuss the State of the Tennis Industry and provides some recommendations for the future.
 
“The Science of Today is the Technology of Tomorrow”
The growth of technology and analytics in all sports has grown exponentially in the last decade. The tennis industry has embraced many aspects of technology and analytics, but also has many areas that continue to be developed to improve the sport in all the various areas.
​
Tennis Needs Innovation
The first step in innovation is understanding where the areas of strength and the areas of opportunity exist. To improve technology and analytics in the sport of tennis, it is paramount to bring together the best minds in the industry and focus on what we currently do well and what we can improve on.
 
The Tennis Technology and Analytics Summit presented by the International Tennis Performance Association (iTPA) was hosted in Atlanta, Georgia on July 22nd, 2018.
The first of its kind, Tennis Specific Technology and Analytics Summit focused on the evidence around quality technologies to help teach, train and test tennis athletes. This summit was a think tank event bringing together some of the top minds in the industry to highlight products followed by panel discussions and moderated sessions focused on how to better utilize current technology/analytics and create a roadmap for the future of the sport to improve the use of technology going forward. 
 
The Summit Had A Few Simple Objectives:

• Highlight the latest tennis technologies that can assist individuals working with tennis athletes in various areas of performance and injury prevention.
• Provide a vehicle for companies in the technology and analytics space to network with the leading minds in the tennis industry to speed the progress of technological innovations in the tennis industry.
• Provide networking opportunities to spur more research and technology development to improve the quality of products and the implementation of existing products. ​
• Develop a consensus document at the end of the Summit which will be circulated throughout the tennis industry to stimulate growth, investment and sales in the areas of data driven and research backed technologies that can improve performance and reduce the likelihood of injuries in the sport at all levels of the game. 

The Big Questions for the Tennis Industry:

Beginning an industry wide analysis focused on athlete monitoring software and hardware:

• What's being done with tennis technology?
• What do we want to target?
• Is the tennis industry accepting of the advances in new technologies and providing a network to embrace new technologies?
• Is the tech providing better information and better outcomes than what's been done in the past? 

The professionals at the summit agreed that SIMPLICITY was the most important factor for a technology to be adopted by tennis coaches at any level. It would be advisable for any technology to have the ability to turn quantitative data into actionable information that can be easily combined with qualitative data, as tennis coaches tend to be more visually oriented. Any technology needs to make a coach or player’s life easier – only then will they adopt it into their training routine. At the same time, the tech needs to give useful quantitative data to a more tech minded individuals in the tennis industry.
 
The future is bright for Technology and Analytics in tennis. The International Tennis Performance Association thanks all the experts and attendees at the Tennis Technology and Analytics Summit for sharing their expertise and experiences which has helped to move the tennis industry forward. It requires forward thinking individuals with a passion for excellence to help us all achieve high performance results.

 
The International Tennis Performance Association would like to thank the individuals who were involved as expert panelists and moderators for the Summit:

Charles Cox, SwingU
Alexander Johannson, Tennis Techie
Mark Kovacs, (PhD, FACSM, CSCS*D, CTPS, MTPS), iTPA and Kovacs Institute
Warren Pretorius, Tennis Analytics
Paul Robbins, Sport Tech Consultant
Jason D. Vescovi (PhD, CSCS, CEP), High Performance Expert
 
Here is the link the full PDF of the White Paper

Here is the link to the iTPA Tennis Technology Company List. This is an ongoing project through the ITPA which lists the major companies in the Tennis Industry in the area of technology and analytics. This list is consistently being updated, and we recognize that this is never a complete list. If you are involved with a company that has a quality product that can help a tennis club, tennis athlete, tennis coach, tennis administrator we would like to add it to our list. Please email us with the information at [email protected]

​By Jonathan Borsky and Dr. Mark Kovacs

Ashton Eaton, winner of two Olympic decathlons, has been quoted as saying that tennis is the “next most athletic sport,” one that requires an interplay of technique, agility, and mind-body awareness. It is one of the few modern sports where athletes under six feet tall still be among the game’s elite, with names like Diego Schwartzman, David Ferrer, David Goffin, and Alex De Minaur competing against those who are more physically imposing. The same could be said regarding those who are taller than the average tennis professional, with giants like Alexander Zverev, Juan Martin Del Potro, Marin Cilic, and Kevin Anderson all predicted to have year-end top ten rankings in 2018. These athletes are undoubtedly genetically-gifted, possessing required base levels of athleticism that keeps moving the sport to new heights. However, it is their movement around the court—the ability not only to reach their opponents’ shots and recover, but also get in an ideal position to produce the effective transfer of forces through ball contact—that allows these men to earn their paychecks. The start-and-go nature of the sport is very taxing on the neuromuscular system, which requires both effective technique and conditioning. While it is not possible to make a slow athlete fast, it is possible to make them faster and is a trainable aspect in a strength and conditioning program.

It’s important to consider the open-skill nature of the sport of tennis, where each ball is hit at different locations on the court with varying degrees of spins and velocities. This requires a great degree of reactiveness, responding to stimuli and simultaneously providing an adequate amount of ground reaction force for first step quickness. The concept of developing relative lower-body strength (at loads of at least 80% of 1-RM) becomes paramount in recruiting the muscle fibers necessary for explosive movement around the court. Research by Hoope et al has found that teenage tennis players perform around 50-55 accelerations and 45-50 decelerations over the course a two-set match. The average explosive burst covers around 3 meters (Kovacs, 2006), and depends on the ability of the tendons to utilize the fast-stretch shortening cycle. Tennis trainers should understand this demand of the sport, using resistance training to develop both eccentric and concentric strength in addition to the reactive strength required provide rapid force development.

It has been argued by top tennis coaches that the sport is won not necessarily through hitting winners but rather inducing forced errors; variables like spin, depth, power, height, and taking time away from the opponent can all be used to force players out of position, where ideal movement application and power production allow a player to remain in the point. The nervous and muscular systems must be able to provide continual activity, requiring both the work capacity AND its ability to endure the activity. That being said, any improvements in the anaerobic and aerobic capacity would be beneficial to a tennis athlete and allow them the best opportunity to keep the point alive. A recent 2018 study by Isha et al. has demonstrated that SAQ (speed, agility, and quickness) training can significantly improve junior performance for both T-test (movement) scores and VO2-max (aerobic capacity) compared to a control group. The experimental group, who received SAQ training 3 times a week over the course of a month, performed drills that consisted of resisted runs and upper-lower body plyometrics at similar work to rest intervals seen in tennis points (about 20 to 30 seconds of work with 1 to 2 minute breaks). The authors suggest that this tennis-specific overloading of the proprioceptive organs leads to positive adaptations and should lead to improved movement capabilities on the court.

The necessity of effective movement training cannot be overemphasized, as even a split- second difference in multiplanar displacement can result in being in an offensive position as opposed to a defensive one. Gil Reyes, the legendary trainer of Andre Agassi, has said that “weak legs obey, while strong legs command,” with the lower body commanding both the strength and endurance to compete in the sport. In end, it could be what separates the “good” from the “great.”
 
 Isha, Garg, and Khurana Sunal. Effective Conditioning Program for Junior Tennis Players. Journal of Physical Fitness, Medicine, and Treatment in Sports , 21 May 2018,     juniperpublishers.com/jpfmts/pdf/JPFMTS.MS.ID.555629.pdf.
 
 
 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2653871/  

Lalo Vicencio, CTPS, MTPS
​ 
La temporada de arcilla esta en pleno apogeo y Roland Garros estará aquí en un abrir y cerrar de ojos. Para entrenadores, jugadores, papas y seguidores del tenis, los torneos previos a cualquier Grand Slam son siempre emocionantes. El tenis es un deporte único en el que los atletas juegan en diferentes superficies, climas, alturas, etc. Este deporte también ofrece la posibilidad de ver a los mejores tenistas del mundo jugar en 3 superficies diferentes en los torneos de Grand Slam durante un mismo año. Vamos a poner todas las variables que tanto entrenadores y jugadores encuentran en su paso por el tour y concentrémonos en los aspectos necesarios para prepararse físicamente para competir en arcilla. Estos son algunos factores a considerar:
 
Pretemporada
 
Para muchos atletas la palabra pretemporada viene cargada de recuerdos de días largos, trabajo duro y una buena cantidad de dolor físico. No me lo tomen a mal, todo eso es necesario para elevar el rendimiento físico de un jugador y poder cumplir con las metas deseadas. La pretemporada brinda una buena oportunidad para reagrupar ideas, escribir y poner en orden de prioridad los objetivos, elaborar un plan, crear un calendario, revisar el presupuesto, evaluar el rendimiento físico, prepararse para lo inesperado, etc. Muchos atletas pueden llevar a cabo días largos ya sea en la cancha de tenis o en el gimnasio. Sin embargo, es de vital importancia que el atleta cuente con un plan elaborado que contemple todas las variables del entrenamiento para subir el rendimiento y prevenir lesiones. Estos son algunos aspectos en los que entrenadores y jugadores tienen que tomar las mejores decisiones:

• Cuantas pretemporadas para este año? Que día empezar?
• Cuantas semanas sura la temporada de arcilla? Cuantas semanas totales de competencia?
• Cual es el nivel de acondicionamiento físico actual? Cuando se busca un pico en el rendimiento? En Roland Garros? Y que hay de Wimbledon?
• Que tanto debe entrenar el atleta fuera de cancha? Que tanto dentro de cancha? Cuantos días? Prevención de lesiones? Fuerza? Potencia?

El reto de todos los especialistas en tenis y rendimiento físico es acomodar todas esta variables en el calendario anual del jugador.


Deslizándose en la Arcilla
 
Todos los tenistas hacen cosas diferentes en preparación para competir en arcilla. Podemos discutir hasta el cansancio sobre las formas mas eficientes para lograrlo. Sin embargo, hay algo que la mayoría de los jugadores hace en común: jugar en arcilla. Esto significa que los entrenamientos, sesiones de movimiento y agilidad, partidos de practica, etc. los llevan a cabo en arcilla. Desde la óptica de la preparación física, estas son algunas consideraciones para entrenar en arcilla:

• Identifica los grupos musculares que se usaran (por encima de lo normal). Por ejemplo, los aductores de las piernas.
• Extremidades inferiores: los tobillos juegan un papel importantísimo en el movimiento del jugador. Un buen balance entre fuerza y flexibilidad es necesaria para un buen rendimiento.
• Cadera y tronco: mantener un centro de gravedad bajo y un tronco estable es importante en todo momento cuando se compite en arcilla. Los jugadores dependen de estos factores para generar potencia y mantener el cuerpo estable cuando se deslizan en arcilla durante situaciones de defensa.

 
Puntos mas Largos
 
No es ningún secreto que la cancha de arcilla hace que la pelota tenga un bote mas lento. Un bote mas lento tiene un impacto directo en el juego del tenis en muchos niveles. Bueno, que tiene de interesante que el bote sea mas lento? Acaso no seria mas fácil jugar tenis? Tiene sentido, no? Sin embargo, si un jugador tiene mas tiempo de golpear la pelota debido al bote lento, esto quiere decir que tiene mas tiempo de golpear la pelota con mas potencia, darle mas velocidad y mas giro a esta. Este proceso de generar mas potencia – bote lento – potencia – bote lento – continua durante los intercambios haciendo los puntos mas largos y por consecuencia existe una mayor demanda física para el jugador. Estos son algunos factores a considerar cuando se prepara para competir en eventos de arcilla:

• Resistencia específica al tenis. Los jugadores tienen que poner atención a todas las partes: aeróbico, anaeróbico, potencia y capacidad anaeróbica, etc.
• Tren superior y tren inferior: un hombro fuerte. Es muy importante considerar el fortalecimiento del hombro y tener un programa de prevención de lesiones. Si el bote es mas lento y el jugador tiene mas tiempo para impactar la pelota, entonces podríamos pensar que el hombro necesita mucha atención, correcto? La respuesta seria si pero el hombro no es el único responsable en la aceleración de la raqueta en los golpes de tenis. Utilizar el tren inferior con una buena base para iniciar el golpe es muy importante para realizar un golpe potente. Moverse a la pelota de forma rápida y explosiva, preparar una base de apoyo firme, usar las piernas y la cadera para la ejecución de los golpes es de vital importancia. Los golpes potentes empiezan en el tren inferior.

 
Hidratación, Nutrición y Recuperación
 
En el tenis de alto nivel la mayoría de los atletas entiende la importancia de la nutrición, la nutrición y la recuperación. Ellos entienden que su cuerpo necesita estar listo para la siguiente sesión de entrenamiento o para el siguiente partido. También saben que la diferencia mas pequeña puede ser crucial para ganar un partido. Poner atención a los pequeños detalles es clave y es un proceso. Los tenistas juveniles tienden a no poner mucha atención la hidratación, nutrición y recuperación de la forma en la que lo hacen los profesionales. Estos son algunos factores para jugar entrenar o competir en arcilla:

• Hidratación. Antes y después de cada entrenamiento o partido. Cuales son las condiciones del clima? Calor y humedad? Que tipo de bebidas deportivas funcionan mejor para el jugador? El jugador utiliza un suplemento para hidratar? Que seria lo mas recomendable para partidos que duran mas de 4 horas? Que debe el atleta tomar inmediatamente después del partido o entrenamiento?
• Nutrición. Comer de la manera correcta no solo significa comer saludable. También significa comer las porciones adecuadas en los tiempos correctos. Que comer antes del entrenamiento o partido? Cual seria el mejor snack entre sesiones o partidos? Que comer en partidos superiores a las 4 horas? Que comer inmediatamente después de terminar un partido?
• Recuperación. Tina de hielo? Masaje? Estiramiento? Dormir? Rodillo? Cuanto tiempo?

Dominar las variables del entrenamiento y la competencia resulta siempre un proceso de aprendizaje. Cada atleta es diferente, único y el calendario de competencia esta siempre en cambio constante. Si deseas saber mas y ayudar a tus atletas con decisiones basadas en evidencia científica, entonces acércate a iTPA y conviértete en un especialista certificado en acondicionamiento físico especifico al tenis!

by Lalo Vicencio, CTPS, MTPS

Clay court season is in full swing, and Roland Garros will be here in a blink of an eye. For coaches, players, parents and fans who follow tennis, the tournaments leading up to any Grand Slam are always exciting. Tennis is a unique sport where athletes play on different surfaces, weathers, altitudes; the list goes on. Tennis also offers the audience the possibility to watch the best athletes in the world play on 3 different surfaces during the course of 4 Grand Slams every year. Let’s put aside the many variables that players and coaches encounter on the tour, and let’s focus on the physical preparation required to compete on clay. Here are some factors to consider:
 
Preseason
 
For many athletes the word “preseason” brings flashbacks of long days, hard work and a good amount of physical pain. Don’t take me wrong, all those things are necessary in order to improve the level of fitness and achieve some goals. Pre-season provides the time to regroup, write down and prioritize your goals, make a plan, create a calendar, take a look at your budget, evaluate your level of fitness, prepare for the unexpected, etc. Everybody can do long days and spend hours at the gym or on the tennis court. However, it is paramount for an athlete to have a well-organized plan where all the training variables are working together to enhance the athlete’s performance while minimizing the risk of injury.
 
These are some aspects where coaches and players have to make the best decisions:
 

• How many pre-seasons for this year? When would it be the right day to start preparing for the clay court season?
• How many weeks does the clay court season have? How many total weeks of competition?
• What is the current level of fitness of the player? Is the player going to reach a peak by the French Open? What about Wimbledon?
• How much off court training? How much on court training? How many days? Injury prevention? Strength? Power?
  
  

The challenge for all tennis and fitness specialists is to accommodate all these variables into the year-round calendar of the player.
 
Sliding on the dirt
 
All tennis players may have a different approach to prepare for the clay court season, and we can argue all day long about the best process to reach this goal. However, the one thing most players have in common is: to play more on clay. This means that players run practices, movement sessions, drills, practice matches, etc. on clay. From the physical point of view these are some considerations:
 

• Identify muscle groups that will be used (above average). For example: leg adductors
• Lower extremities: ankles play a huge role in movement. A good balance between strength and flexibility is needed to be efficient on the court.
• Hip and core stability. Keeping a low center of gravity and a very stable core is important at all times when playing on clay. Tennis players rely on these two factors to produce power and to keep the body stable during sliding movements such as defensive situations.

 
Longer points
 
It is no secret that clay courts make the ball bounce slower. A slower bounce has a direct impact on the game at many levels. So what if the game is slower? Wouldn’t that make tennis easier? Sounds like the answer would be yes. However, if players have more time to hit the ball, then they have more time to produce more power, more speed and more spin on the ball. This process of power – slow bounce – power – slow bounce – goes on during rallies making them longer and more physically demanding for the player. These are some factors that coaches and players may find when getting ready for clay court events:
 

• Tennis specific endurance. Athletes need to put it all together! You name it: aerobic base and anaerobic power and capacity.
• Upper and lower body: a strong shoulder. It is very important to consider strengthening of the shoulder and having a good injury prevention program for the player. If the ball bounces slower and the player has more chances to hit the ball harder, then we would think that the shoulder needs a lot of attention, correct? The answer would be yes but the shoulder is not the sole responsible for the racquet acceleration during a tennis stroke. Using the lower body with a good base to initiate the stroke is key to hit a powerful shot. Moving to the ball quickly, setting up a firm base and using the legs and hips to execute are paramount elements. Powerful strokes initiate at the lower body.

 
Hydration, food intake and recovery
 
At a high level of tennis most athletes understand the importance of hydration, nutrition and recovery. They understand that their bodies need to be ready for another session of training or another competition match. They know that the smallest difference can be crucial to win a match. Paying attention to detail is key and it is a process. Junior tennis players usually do not pay as much attention to hydration, recovery and nutrition as professionals do.
Here are some factors to be considered when playing on clay:
 

• Hydration. Before and after practice or competition. How are the weather conditions? Hot and humid? What type of sport drinks work better for the athlete? Do you use a powder supplement for hydration? What to drink for matches over 4 hours? What to drink right after a match?
• Nutrition. Eating the right way not only means to eat healthy; it means to eat adequate amounts at the right times. What to eat before practice or competition? Which would be the best snacks in between? What to eat during matches over 4 hours? What to eat right after finishing a match?
• Recovery. Ice tub? Massage? Stretch? Sleep? Foam roller? How long?

 
The mastery of putting together training and competition variables is always a learning process. Every athlete is different and unique and the calendar of a tennis player is changing constantly. If you want to know more and help your athletes with decisions based on science and based evidence, then come to iTPA and become a Tennis-specific strength and conditioning specialist!

El próximo 21-22 de Julio se llevará acabo en Atlanta una de las mejores conferencias a nivel mundial que se enfoca en el rendimiento físico, preparación y prevención de lesiones de los tenistas. Este año la conferencia lleva como tema principal: APLICANDO LA CIENCIA AL TENIS. Si eres entrenador de tenis que quisiera saber mas acerca de la preparación física de los tenistas o si eres preparador físico general y te gustaría especializarte en el rendimiento físico de los tenistas, esta conferencia es para ti.
 
Lo que puedes encontrar en la conferencia
 
Preparación física de un tenista incluye varias áreas en las que los entrenadores tienen que poseer un buen conocimiento de cada una para poder ayudarle al atleta. Es muy fácil encontrar (y esta de moda) en las redes sociales una gran cantidad  de videos con ejercicios de todas las modalidades para tenistas. Si te interesa convertirte en un especialista en rendimiento físico y aportar a tus jugadores con conceptos basados en ciencia y conocimiento esto son algunos temas que se presentan en la conferencia de este año:

• Robby Ginepri: Ex jugador top 20 ATP. ENTRENAMIENTO FÍSICO DE LA MANERA CORRECTA
• Gil Reyes: Preparador Fisico de Andre Agassi. LAS PIERNAS DÉBILES OBEDECEN Y LAS PIERNAS FUERTES TE DAN AUTORIDAD (Experiencias de entrenar a Andre Agassi)
• Dr. Mark Kovacs: ENLACE DE LA BIOMECANICA DEL TENIS CON EL ENTRENAMIENTO FUERA DE CANCHA
• Dean Hollingworth: Preparador físico de Elena Vesnina. EJERCICIOS PARA ENTRENAR A JUGADORAS DURANTE GIRAS
• Jonny Fraser: DESARROLLANDO AL JUGADOR DE 12 Y MENORES
• Ted Borgerding: DESARROLLANDO POTENCIA ROTACIONAL EN EL TENIS
• Aylin Seyalioglu: EVALUACION PARA EXTREMIDADES SUPERIORES (perspectiva del trabajo como fisioterapeuta de jugadoras WTA en el top 30)
• Dr. Neeru Jayanthi: CLASIFICACIÓN DE LA EFICIENCIA DE LOS GOLPES PARA PREVENCION DE LESIONES
• Page Love: DIETA PARA TENISTAS

 
Otros temas a tratar son:

• Entrenando el monitoreo de la carga en el tenis.
• Potencia rotacional cuando se desplaza hacia la derecha y el revés.
• Split-step – arranque explosivo con el primer paso.
• Desarrollo del atleta a largo plazo en el tenis.
• Movimientos específicos de recuperación.

 
Beneficios de asistir: aumenta tus conexiones
 
Esta conferencia en especial tiene un gran número de especialistas en rendimiento físico. No solo los ponentes, la mayoría de los que asisten a la conferencia trabajan con tenistas en áreas como:  fisioterapia, biomecánica, entrenadores y preparadores físicos de universidades, investigación y por supuesto entrenadores de tenis. Cabe señalar que muchos miembros certificados de iTPA en todos los niveles (TPT, CTPS y MTPS) asisten a la conferencia. Esta es una excelente oportunidad de hacer nuevas relaciones a nivel profesional, de intercambiar puntos de vista con entrenadores y hacer preguntas a los especialistas en diferentes áreas.
 
¿Quién esta invitado a asistir?
 
La conferencia esta abierta al publico en general, pero ojo! Muchas de las ponencias y temas de investigación están hechas por médicos deportivos, doctores en áreas de rendimiento físico y fisioterapeutas así que la mayoría tienen un alto contenido de conceptos aplicados al tenis en las áreas de anatomía, fisiología y biomecánica.
 
Información sobre la Conferencia
 
Estos son los pasos que te recomiendo:

1. Registrarte a la conferencia, estos son los precios:

*Debes de brindar tu numero de afiliación y otra información. Es mejor mandar un correo para que te digan los pasos si eres miembro activo
 

1. Busca tu hotel. En la pagina www.itpa-tennis.org encontraras la lista de los hoteles. También podrías buscar por tu cuenta en otras paginas de internet. Si lo haces busca hoteles en el área de KENNESAW o bien busca en un mapa la universidad LIFE y de ahí puedes buscar los hoteles que estén cerca y se acomoden a tu presupuesto.
2. Si viajas fuera de Estados Unidos es importante que lleves esta información contigo impresa ya el departamento de Migración en Atlanta querrá ver un comprobante de a donde vas, que estarás haciendo, donde te vas a quedar y cuando te regresas.
3. Uber es la mejor forma de transporte llegando al aeropuerto de Atlanta.

 
ATLANTA ATP 250
 
Los días de la conferencia se juega la calificación del torneo ATP 250 de Atlanta. Quizá no tengas tiempo de asistir a los partidos pero siempre es bueno quedarse un día mas para asistir al torneo. La alineación de jugadores para este torneo incluye entre otros a:
 

• John Isner
• Nick Kyrgios
• Kevin Anderson
• Fernando Verdasco
• Taylor Fritz
• John McEnroe (exhibición)

 
El torneo se lleva a cabo en el corazón de Atlantic Station, un lugar muy pintoresco con muchos restaurantes y tiendas para caminar, pasar un buen momento y ver partidos de tenis. Del lugar de la conferencia al torneo hay un camino un poco largo así que te recomiendo ir con alguien mas para compartir Uber.
 
Espero que esta información te pueda ser de utilidad y que te animes a asistir a esta conferencia!

http://itpa-tennis.org/espanol.html​ 
 
Lalo Vicencio
Director de iTPA en Español
CTPS, MTPS

By Patrick Aubone, CTPS & Dr. Mark Kovacs, CTPS, MTPS

             
Headed into the professional clay court season, common perception is that in tennis surface matters. As we get older, clay courts are the surface of choice. “It’s easier on the body” is the most repeated phrase. “Hard courts hurt my knees and my back” is often heard. But what if the injuries were not a result of the playing surface?  Most players over time get some type of overuse injury. Whether it’s the playing arm, the back, or the knees and ankles, everyone gets “niggles.”
           
A recent 2016 study in Netherlands evaluated 4 different surfaces and their injury rates over a 6 month period. Hard courts, clay courts, sand filled artificial grass and red sand filled artificial grass were used. The average age of the participants was 49 years old. 20,000 adults were invited to participate, 18% (3656) participated. There were 4047 injuries (53%) reported by 1957 participants. 80% of the injuries were overuse injuries and 20% were acute injuries. Participants who played on multiple surfaces suffered from overuse injuries compared to those who played on one surface. The researchers concluded that there was no significant injury prevalence of injury with the different surfaces.
 
This study shows that unless a player suffers a freak injury such as Bethanie Mattek-Sands at the 2017 Wimbledon or David Goffin at the 2017 French Open, the grand majority of injuries are due to overuse and not surface type. Essential to maintaining a healthy body is rehabbing minor injuries and strength training to prevent injuries. Rest is vital for the body. More is not always better.
           
Another study evaluated the influence of tennis court surfaces on player perception and biomechanical response. The researchers noted that there was a difference in the way players stood on a hard court compared to a clay court. Players on a hard court were in a more upright position. This allowed the athlete to be more on their toes in anticipation of sliding. They did note that players with previous clay court experience may experience a reduction of injury as a result of reduced loading on the knees and lower limbs.
           
Research is clearly showing that playing surface has limited correlation with injuries in tennis. The injuries reported were preexisting injuries. Past injuries from other sports or accidents can be exacerbated because of the start/stop nature of the sport. The forces generated can place extra stress on the body and cause flare ups in injuries that were not properly rehabbed
So how much is too much in professional and recreational tennis?
           
Professional players travel 25-35 weeks a year between tournaments, preseason camps, and home visits. Recreational players play between 2 and 3 times a week. While some individuals can argue that Courier, McEnroe and Lendl all played 85+ matches in the past, there are many variables that have changed. For recreational players, you have to worry about outside stress from home and work. The professional athletes are stronger, faster and fitter than ever. Matches are going 4+ hours in Grand Slams with the winner having 36 hours to recover before playing again. The physical toll on the athlete’s body after these matches is tremendous. In recreational players recovery can take a few days depending on how much outside weight lifting and endurance training is done. Technology has played a part in developing more powerful racquets allowing players to hit harder and add more spin to the ball.  
 
3 Takeaway points

1. Injury prevention begins before you step on court and does not stop when you leave the court. Stretching, foam rolling, dynamic warmup all help.
   1. Basic Injury Prevention Exercises for Tennis http://itpa-tennis.org/itpa-blog/basic-injury-prevention-exercises-for-tennis
2. Stress Management – outside stressors such as work and family can have a negative impact on the body. Meditation, reading a book or any activity that activates the parasympathetic nervous system will greatly reduce stress levels.
3. Technology- USE IT! With the advances in technology today there are a lot of tools that can speed recovery not just from an injury standpoint but also after a practice or match. Just make sure you use technology that has a track record of success and has evidence based support.

​Here are another few nice resources from the iTPA
Are You Helping or Hurting Your Young Tennis Players? - http://itpa-tennis.org/itpa-blog/april-19th-2013
 
Sources:
The influence of tennis court surface on player perceptions and biomechanical response
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26699792
 
Injury rates in recreational tennis players do not differ between different playing surfaces
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28209569

Common sports injuries in young tennis players
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9777684


Alternating Hot and Cold Water Immersion for Athlete Recovery: A Review
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1466853X03001226

Preventing overtraining in athletes in high intensity sports and stress recovery management
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2010.01192.x/full

Patrick Aubone, CTPS & Dr. Mark Kovacs, CTPS, MTPS

Practice may be the most important part of playing tennis but recovery is just as, if not more, important in order to stay injury free. Injuries increase every year. Tennis elbow makes up for 50% of arm injuries in recreational tennis. Plantar fasciitis and knee tendonitis are other common injuries found in tennis players at both the competitive and recreational level. Technological advancement in the last 10 years has helped recreational and professional athletes increase recovery times post practice/match. As a recreational athlete you want to be able to play as much as possible and stay injury free. Below are the top 6 bang for your buck ways to decrease injuries and increase performance.

​ 

1. Stretching Routine – A stretching routine can take as little as 4 minutes or as long as you want. Getting a good stretch post match or practice will not only help with muscle tightness the following day but will also increase muscle range of motion. A simple routine including 4-6 exercises completed for 30-60 seconds at a time for 1-3 rounds will help in numerous ways with muscle flexibility.

 

1. Foam Rolling – The foam roller might be painful but your body will thank you for it afterwards. The soft tissue massage provided by the foam roller also helps improve blood flow and reduce stiffness. Research shows that foam rolling post practice or competition can help reduce the feeling of fatigue and reduce the soreness in your muscles.

 

1. Muscle Stimulation -  Are now made available to the public at an affordable price. It is commonly used to treat various issues in the recovery space. A decade ago it was common to utilize ice as a prevention treatment after training. Now using electrical muscle stimulators and other blood flow focused devices has become a more appropriate and common technique to help speed recovery.  Here is some info on ways to utilize these technique on various parts of the body  -  http://mark-kovacs.com/marc-pro.html

 

1. Sports Massage – A massage is probably the most commonly used recovery/relaxation technique in sports. If you have ever had a massage you know the body “feels” great once it is completed, but is it worth your time and money? Current research shows that a massage as a modality does not improve recovery or that it benefits performance. Does that mean you should not do it? Absolutely not! If you feel like getting a massage after a match or practice will help get the aches and pains out then do it.

 

1. Recovery Boots - These techniques have become very popular over the past few years due to the portability and ease of use. The concept revolves around compression followed by relaxation around the muscles involved. The basic premise focuses on vasoconstriction followed by vasodilation of blood cells. The goal is to increase oxygenated blood to the area while moving deoxygenated blood away. Here are two companies that provide the technology and are used by athletes on a regular basis.
   1. Recovery Pump -https://www.rpsports.com/recoverypump  
   2. Normatec –  https://www.normatecrecovery.com/how-compression-works/how-and-science/

 

1. NSAIDS or Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs – NSAIDS are probably the most commonly used of all the above modalities. A lot of players will take some before, during, and/or after a practice or match. Research shows that in the short term there are benefits in pain reduction. The long term risk may involve increase risk of cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal and renal problems.  The short term effects of taking NSAIDS will allow you to practice discomfort free but taken over the long term on a consistent basis is not recommended. Below are a few articles of interest related to the topic of NSAIDS in athletes.
   1. Bring on Exercise, Hold The Painkillers https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/05/well/move/bring-on-the-exercise-hold-the-painkillers.html
   2. International Olympic Committee consensus statement on pain management in elite athletes - http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/51/17/1245

Here is a link to another older blog post dating back to 2012 from the International Tennis Performance Association discussing recovery modalities that is another great resource http://itpa-tennis.org/itpa-blog/tennis-recovery-some-simple-terms
 
All of the above mentioned modalities can help increase performance and decrease injury risk. Some have more benefits than others. It is up to you to pick which ones work best for you and combine it with your daily routine to get the most of your tennis playing experience.  
​
Sources:
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3697/9adb857bd0e925268684acd86d9d94077008.pdf
http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/abstract/2014/01000/the_effects_of_myofascial_release_with_foam.8.aspx
https://www.fitmasterfreddy.com/data/blog/bloggen-mei/macdonald-2014-foam-rolling-as-a-recovery-tool-after-an-intense-bout-of-physical.pdf
http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2009/12000/Comparison_of_Swim_Recovery_and_Muscle_Stimulation.19.aspx