This program contains all the technical and tactical aspects of serious
tennis; from beginner’s level to competition. These excercises have been planned by stages, focusing on different levels
of assimilation and the progression of the excercises.
Each of the stages consists of 20 sessions. In each session
a different technical & tactical excercise, or the progression of a previous excercise, is worked on.
All the technical and tactical excercises are explained in full
detail with easily understood descriptions, demostrations and, also accompanied by drill sessions.
Successful tennis performance requires a mix of player talent and player
development. This development requires a player to understand those aspects of sport science pertinent to tennis if he is
to ever reach an optimal level of performance. In the early stages of training, parents and coach can coax the individual
into developing some parts of his skills.
Ultimately, the athlete determines this development himself. Desire is
the basis of motivation. Knowing how to desire is a mystery that is rarely solved, but in the end it is always up to the individual
athlete.
You cannot push anyone up a ladder unless he be willing to climb himself.
-Andrew Carnegie
Practice sessions must be approached
with a sense of purpose. That means asking yourself some very basic questions. How much of an investment, in terms of both
time and money, can you afford to make in your tennis?
If you want to get the most out of
your court time, knowing how many hours you can allot to the game will allow you to plan appropriately. When you do play,
try to remember that tennis is like every other sport, in that if you wish to improve your game you must work at it, give
it concentration and remember that essentially it is a sport and good excercise.
Go to a tennis court and practice the various movements needed to be competitive.
This will give the player "court sense."
Experience is
a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward. -Vernon Law
Age sensitive approach
Coordination,
balance, speed, flexibility, agility, strength and endurance are all important components of human movement and sport performance.
The different stages of child’s growth and development determine which motor skills should be emphasized in training
program.
Speed and
agility is important development for 8 to 12 years old, during puberty, on the other hand, some of the fine motor skills regress
as the body adapts to huge changes in height and muscle mass.
The
development stages before and during puberty should focus on children’s strength and not their weakness. Flexibility
becomes more important and strength and endurance abilities are better absorbed at this stage than earlier.
Up until puberty the emphasis in player preparation should be on developing
stroke production, enhancing coordinative ability and enjoying the game. Those players post-puberty, who wish to develop their
game fully, must integrate off-court strength/endurance/power training into their programs. The use of weights, plyometrics,
medicine ball drills and so on, that incorporate a stretch-shorten action should form a part of this training. Flexibility
training methods should be a permanent feature of player preparation to maintain the appropriate muscular length-tension relationship
that provides for injury prevention and optimal power generation.
Running is excellent for the legs and lungs with distance for stamina and
sharp bursts of short sprints to keep a player conditioned for the many short bursts of speed neccessary getting to the net,
moving across it, back to the backcourt for lobs and for the many points a good player must scramble for in top company.
Weight training can help improve your serve and overheads.
Exercising and stretching in general can help reduce injures. Physical conditioning
is a necessity - sprints, sliding, crossovers, jumping rope, etc. Work on developing fast feet.
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