As it is this time of year where watch the Centre court at Wimbledon I thought it would be great to look at what and how a tennis professional trains. I love to watch the tennis players and really appreciate the agility, the stamina and skill they have. To play in different temperatures/conditions, different lengths of time, opponents with different strengths and weakness…there are so many elements to concentrate on.

It is this interest that has made me write this blog and share with everyone being one of our favourite British sporting events in the annual calendar. In the past tennis coaches believed that all types of strength training were detrimental to the skill these players needed. It is now more relevant to look at what type of strength training tennis players are using then apply this to their game to become more precise, more powerful and increase muscle stamina for those long games.

The benefits can be seen by an increased power in serve, forehands, backhands, volleys. If we look at the fastest serves today compared to 20 years ago it is phenomenal to see the speed at which the ball gets played. With increased muscular strength will bring greater speed and acceleration around the court which is what you need to get around the court and into position. Improvements in muscular endurance will help you to maintain a high level of performance during the long rallies. Not only with each rally but some games can last up to 5 hours and these tennis players need to be strong right up until the final point of play. Strength training also stabilises and helps support the joints. With all the twists and turns, the jumps and the lunges the risk of injury is high! Resistance training can help with any muscular imbalance and is therefore very important to train hard and remain injury free. Professional tennis players take their training seriously.

If you are a tennis player then you must follow these professionals and ensure you are using resistance training to help you with your game, just as they do. The programme does not need to be complicated, but it does need to more specific and individual to your requirements. Understand and research how to train optimally for your needs of your sport and you will reap the rewards in your game. There are so many types of equipment from the Dynamax ball, Stroope bands, Kettle bells, Queenax systems where you can apply many apps. Find out for yourself or ask a professional to help you work with the best equipment in the best way.