Plyo Return

Not too shabby.  Looks quite a bit like a plyometric return drill that the team knows well.

And here it is:

Nuff said...

January Conditioning

Training

Conditioning...

Today marked a good start to the team's conditioning program. We will be working hard on speed and agility as well as strength and power in the off season. For the first day, the team did a nice job. However, conditioning is an area where we can really improve. I can not guarantee that your Clippers are the most talented tennis team in the country, but we will be among the best conditioned and hardest working as long as I am associated with the program.

Have a peek at some agility footage below. As you can see, Felix has already improved his foot speed!

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Plyo Workouts...

It seems as though the fellas are really excited about the plyometric workouts and the subsequent soreness. We were able to use the gymnasium for a speed and agility training Monday and it seems as though we have a ways to go to be in top condition. Thanks to my colleague and friend, Dr. Don Chu, and his book "Power Tennis Training", we will be working hard to get fit to my satisfaction.


I never liked the sprinting and agility 20 years ago either but I am quite sure I felt my best when training with them.

Hope the players are ready to work.

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Power Training...

Traditionally, athletes have used heavy resistance lifting exercises to improve strength and ultimately performance. Such exercises would usually be conducted with 85% of the one-repetition maximum for 4 to 6 repetitions. However, with the development of more sophisticated training programs, athletes are combining several methods such as plyometric exercise, dynamic weightlifting and both together, in order to develop explosive movement and power.

Essentially, heavy resistance training and plyometric exercises have been known to improve power in athletes. As a result, experts have combined the two in programs in order to achieve even better results. In other words, programs are now best designed to combine strength and speed to create power. This translates to explosive movement on the court, on the field, on the track or any other venue of competition.

In fact, the latest research indicates that maximal strength levels can be significantly increased by using lighter weights (30% to 60% of the one-repetition maximum) while engaging in highly accelerated movements often simulating the actual motions of a given sport. This type of training is called "complex training" and can lead to rapid gains in power output for athletes.

It should be noted that this type of training is very stressful and should not be implemented for longer than a 3 month period. However, it should be a component of your regimen at times when short periods of training are available so as to best prepare for competition.

For more information, I suggest picking up a copy of "Jumping Into Plyometrics". You will be on your way to a more powerful you.

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Core strenghtening in tennis players...

Unlike years ago, most athletes today have learned that they need to get into the gym and do some form of weight training to excel in their chosen sport. However, one muscle group that is often neglected in training is the core musculature. This is particularly unwise for the tennis player as most movements are heavily dependant on this region. In addition, leaving out the core in your training program may also lead to muscle imbalance and injury.

As a result, I suggest clicking here and reading "Improving Core Strength in Tennis Players" by Dr. Donald Chu, a leading authority in sports medicine and expert in the field of plyometric training. I am sure you will find something here that you will want to include in your next workout.

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