Easy Leg Power Tennis Training Programme
I was in the gym training the other day (yes I do train, it’s not just a rumour) and one of he things that struck me was the fact that nearly everybody was training their upper body. I think the only people training their legs were the people that couldn’t get on the upper body equipment! This just does not make sense. Let’s think about it for a minute. How often are you using your upper body when you play? A lot of the time – turning, twisting, hitting etc. How often are you using your feet and legs when you play? ALL THE TIME!! Just waiting to return serve means you are on your feet and therefore using your legs. Just walking over to get a couple of balls means you are using your legs, never mind what’s involved when you hit the ball. Don’t ever forget that every tennis shot should start from the ground up, meaning that you relying on your legs (and feet) to not only get you to every shot but to initiate the movement that ends up with you striking the ball with your racket. Just watch all the top players, Federer, Nadal, Williams, Sharapova next time to see their footwork and their knee bend and calf flex before and after every shot! If you can shift the emphasis of your training over to your legs just a bit with an easy leg power programme you will see massive improvements in your game!! What To Do! Using jump training (plyometrics) is a great way to improve the power and speed in your legs (especially calf muscles) and therefore your game. Here is a simple way that does not involve any equipment or weights and therefore can be done anywhere anytime. The Program This is an 8-week easy leg power training programme that you will perform twice per week with no less than 48 hours (preferably more) between each session. Muscle soreness is normal (especially early on as you get used to it). You need to execute a thorough dynamic warm up before you perform this and every workout. You will perform 2 circuits of the following exercises with a 5 minute rest in between each circuit. Recovery will be a walk back in between every exercise. Using a tennis court for a guide, here are the progressions you should make. Level 1 - Singles sideline to singles sideline. Level 2 – Doubles sideline to doubles sideline. Level 3 – Baseline to opposite service line. Level 4 – Baseline to baseline. So… Week 1 and 2: Level 1 Week 3 and 4: Level 2 Week 5 and 6: Level 3 Week 7 and 8: Level 4 The jumps Linear (Forwards) 1. Two footed with feet facing forward. 2. Two footed with feet turned inwards. 3. Two footed with feet turned outwards. 4. Two footed “in-outs”. (Start on toes with feet turned inwards, jump forward and turn your feet outwards so that heels touch, jump forward back into the starting position and so on). Lateral/Sideways 1. Two footed jumps moving sideways to the left with feet facing forward (then right). 2. As above feet pointing inwards. 3. As above feet pointing outwards. 4. As above performing “in-outs”. This easy leg power tennis training program will get you to move better as well as drastically improving your balance, agility and speed of the mark (quickness). You can thank me later :-)
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