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Title

PHYSICAL TRAINING IN TENNIS based on Strength and Power

Abstract

Tennis at a professional level is characterized by a more systematic approach towards preparation for play than was traditionally employed. Professional players now often have the support not only of medical and conditioning staff but also the access to scientific personnel that may include physiologists, psychologists, nutritionists and performance analysts. However, until relatively recently, professional tennis players in Spain –the country with most players in the ATP top100 ranking - often placed little emphasis on strength and power training. A reason for this fact could be the long-held belief that strength training reduces speed and technique by promoting bulky muscles. Another factor is that professional players usually have to travel on a consistent basis to attend tournaments and sometimes without the attendance of his physical trainer.

Summary

During the last years we had the opportunity to help different tennis players and his physical trainers in designing their conditioning programs. The two main objectives of these programs were the following:

1) Prevent injuries via optimum conditioning.

2) Develop specific strength and power (mainly the ability to repeat them on competition).

Tennis players must compete during a long-term period in order to obtain points to reach a higher position in the ATP ranking. Usually those players in the highest positions of the ranking play more matches than those in the lower positions (see figure 2) due to the elimination system used in this sport. This congested match calendar can lead to fatigue, increasing the risk of injury and poor performance during the season. Players can not afford to be out of competition or underperform because of injury. Their absence or underperformance may lead to a reduced income due to the diminished prize money as a result of an early competition exit. In a sport where the competitive season lasts from 10 to 11 months (with a range of 20 to 30 tournaments per player) it becomes very difficult to maintain an optimal neuromuscular fitness throughout.

Figure 2. Number of matches in the ATP´s 2008 Top10 ranking selected by player. Source: http://www.atpworldtour.com. Retrieved on April 13th, 2009).

To achieve the objectives, we have been dedicated our efforts during the last decade in the pursuit of an innovative methodology that integrates the use of different technologies related to strength and power training, such as (see figure 3):

-Flywheel technology (YoYo Technology Inc.; Stockholm, Sweden)
-VersaPulley (Heartrate Inc., California, USA)
-Vibration exercise platforms (custom-made units)
-MuscleLabTM (Ergotest Technology AS; Langesund, Norway)
-SmartCoach (Smartcoach Europe AB; Stockholm, Sweden)
-Tensiomyography (TMG-BMC; Ljubljana, Slovenia)
-Stalker ATS Radar Gun (Applied Concepts, Inc.; Texas, USA)

Figure 3. An overview of our strength and power training methodology. A set of different devices for training or assessing the neuromuscular fitness of the players allows the coach to optimize his work targeted to help the players to reach their maximum potential and reduce the injury rate while competing at top level.

Traditional weight training has been almost eliminated from the training schedule. We still use it, but just for purposes of assessing strength and power or to perform complementary exercises. This fact helps to reduce the duration of training sessions and increase the motivation of players. For those interested in a conventional strength training approach for tennis see the review of Reid and Schneicker (2008)50.

The aim of this communication is to present this methodology that has been applied at top-level tennis, soccer, basketball, field hockey and rugby. In the process the scientific background to each training intervention is explained.

CV

Name

Julio

Surname

Tous Fajardo

Curriculum vitae

Dr. Tous-Fajardo was the strength and conditioning coach for FC Barcelona (2003-2004) and UC Sampdoria (2006-2007). He has been assigned the strength training adviser for several elite athletes or teams (e.g., Rafael Nadal, Carlos Moyá, Svetlana Kuznetsova, the Spanish Field Hockey Team, Real Zaragoza, among many others including Track and Field). PhD in Sports Sciences, University of Barcelona; Post-Doc, Karolinska Institutet.
His main interest is to develop a strength training methodology to enhance sports performance while reducing injuries. To achieve these objectives he uses different technologies related to strength and power training such as:
-Flywheel Isoinertial technology and VersaPulley for eccentric overload training.
-Whole-body vibrations (specially designed vibratory platforms and bars) to enhance explosive force and stability.
-MuscleLab, SmartCoach and Tensiomiography to assess the neuromuscular fitness.

History

Member for

2 years 17 weeks