Fitness Drill for Future Female College Tennis Players

Question By Mark Guilbeau Head Womens Coach University of Virginia

Response By Pat Etcheberry Trainer to world Class Tennis Players Including Agassi and Sampras

COACH GUILBEAU’S INSIGHTS:

The first and most basic comment or information I would have for the high school or junior player is the following: 99% of the high school and junior players who think they are fit enough and strong enough to be truly successful on a top D1 tennis team ARE NOT!!! This is a very difficult part of the recruiting process and the transition process during the first year (or more!) of college. These young players believe they are heading into college in great cardiovascular condition and with the proper training "under their belt" on a daily basis. Most are far, far from this. This is the first issue we deal with for most players.

As a coach at Kentucky for the past nine years, we did not have the luxury of attracting the top junior players... some who ARE actually fit and physically advanced due mostly to playing at so much of a higher level. We were able to consistently become one of the strongest teams in the country from a fitness stand-point, which ultimately led to three final 16 appearances and a final 8 appearance over the past four years. With a great deal less talent, but superior fitness, we far outplayed many "better" teams and reached a national ranking of #2 last season.

Many of the junior players who have signed scholarships and are in their final year of high school must become more aware of the great difference in the physical demands that will be required in collegiate tennis in a good program. If the player will come into college with the proper level of strength and fitness, they will have the potential for four great years while getting even stronger, fitter and better at tennis.

If the opposite is the case, the player will most likely fall behind; face injuries; lose confidence; and struggle to have success until enough time can be applied toward improving their fitness level. I believe many of the junior coaches out there are misleading their students and having them believe that they are fit enough and strong enough. This is not a good thing for the student. It is better to be honest and for the player to do some of the "tough" work prior to college - off the court and on.

If you could pick ONE specific exercise or workout for a collegiate player to most
effectively maximize fitness levels, Pat, what would it be?" I know this may be impossible to really answer with only ONE, but maybe there is something that you believe in far more than anything else. For example, we have great access to the stadium bleachers inside the big football stadiums. Reps up these bleachers with a jog to and from the stadium is one of my favorite and most efficient workouts for the girls. I am aware of the sand-pit workouts, but most universities do not have access.

Mark Guilbeau, University of Virginia, Head Women’s Tennis Coach

PAT ETCHEBERRY’S RESPONSE:

You make some very interesting observations, Coach Guilbeau. As you saw at Kentucky (I worked there, as well), conditioning is critical to success in the game of tennis. Your players need to develop strong legs; the top players in the world have great leg strength. And they need to work the core -- the middle of the body -- as well as the shoulders, obviously, because they use those muscles to hit the ball.

But you have to be able to do it over a long match. And if you win a tough match, you have to be able to come back the next day and do it again and again. So you need the conditioning. And this requires more than just lifting weights, although weights can be a part of it.

There are four things your players need be working on in their training program.

(1) RUNNING: Players have to be able to run, and run effectively and economically, because of the nature of the sport.

(2) AGILITY is vital because your players need to be able to get to the ball.

(3) STRENGTH: Your players need to develop their strength so that they are able to hit the ball harder and more efficiently, as well as to prevent injuries in the near and far term. And,

(4) Your players need to FLEXIBILITY to the degree that allows them to execute their strokes they way they need to.

How you as a coach mix these together depends upon where you are within the tennis year (how close you are to a tournament, etc.) as well as the particular strengths and weaknesses of each of your players.

Asking me to pick one exercise or workout for tennis isn’t really that tough for me. I recommend using the medicine ball because it not only develops strength, but it develops functional strength for tennis. And players can work the whole body – legs, shoulders, abs. And you can adjust the weight of the ball to make the training difficult enough to keep in shape as you progress. A specific use of the medicine ball I particularly like is the game we play that all the players just love. As a matter of fact, I ended my DVD series with a Coaches’ Clinic demonstrating the game and explaining what the benefits are from it.

How does it work? It’s simple. You play a tennis game substituting a medicine ball for the tennis ball and racquet. The court is limited to the service box area. Singles is played in either the deuce or add court but not the full service area. One player serves to the other cross court and the returning player must catch it after a single bounce and return. The object is to throw the medicine ball using a motion which simulates the player’s forehand or backhand. It will strengthen your players’ core while increasing their footwork proficiency. The same drill can be used with 4 players using both the deuce and add court simultaneously, allowing either player to catch and return each point.

You will need to control the weight of the ball based upon the age and strength of the players involved. For Juniors like you see in the DVD, I use 6.6 pounds or 3 kilos. I have used 10-12 pounds or 4.5 to 5.3 kilos with some of the pro players on the men’s tour.

What will your players learn from playing this game? First, they will gain an appreciation of how fit they are (or aren’t) because those that aren’t fit will get tired very quickly. In that regard, the game can also be reinforcement for fitness gained, as the more fit a player becomes over time, the longer he or she can compete in the game. Second, there is a lot of tennis specific movement: running, bending to pick up the ball, throwing it in the correct way which approximates a tennis swing. These motions put a great deal of stress on their legs, shoulders and core areas.

And third, they learn on-court, in-game strategies. It’s very difficult to win a point, so your players will have to develop patience. Sometimes, especially these days, players get too anxious to win a point, and they go for the shot too soon. This results in too many unforced errors. Yes, you have to go for the big shot. But it has to be a high percentage shot; the kind of shot that the player knows will win that point.

And players love this game. They would rather play this than anything else. It’s as if they don’t care that this can be a harder workout than the other drills and exercises they go through during the week. I have had players play tie breakers for half an hour. Pete Sampras was the undefeated champion at this game while I worked with him, and I think he would rather have lost Wimbledon than one of these games!

We would like to thank Pat for sharing his thoughts. If you have any questions about fitness training that you would like pat to answer, please forward them to info@procomparetennis.net and I will pass them on to Pat.

Best Wishes,