"Tennis isn't a mental game, it's physical," says Bill Wright, former men's tennis head coach at the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Arizona. "If you want a mental workout, go play a game of chess."
Wright should know. The longtime collegiate and junior's tennis coach had an epiphany during his 12-year stint at Cal State. Players were often over-coached and the spontaneous, physical nature of the game was lost. Read on to learn how to turn your tennis game into an intense workout.
Don't Let Your Mind Get in the Way
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In tennis, it's easy to get wrapped up in mental strategy and forget that your body is supposed to do all the work.
"Your mind plays tricks on you," Wright says. "When that happens, the physical part suffers and before you know it, your body is fatigued."
First, acknowledge the fatigue, and then turn your attention to your body. Instead of thinking about where you want the shot to go, first relax and move to the ball, then bend down and complete the stroke. Focus on using your body to hit the ball correctly; don't worry about hitting it to the wrong spot.
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Your Next Tennis EventInvolve Your Whole Body
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Watch how a top-tier tennis player moves. They don't just run. They use their entire body to react quickly, jump, stretch, reach, sprint and make sudden changes in direction.
When their racket connects with the ball, they're not just using their arm. They take the racquet head back with their arm, elbow and body. Meanwhile, their body has turned; they've shifted their weight to the rear leg in the backswing. Then, they explode forward with their legs and reach and stretch towards their target.
The end result is an aerobic tennis workout. By letting your body loose on the court, you can get a better workout and ultimately improve your fitness level and game.
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Your Next Tennis EventGet Away from the Ball
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Most players, sitting back on the baseline, will move right or left in a straight line to the ball. And, why not? It's efficient and seems to save energy. That might be true, but when a player gets to the side of a ball, they can get too close. The stroke becomes awkward and power is lost.
Instead, once a player sees where the ball is going, Wright suggests running behind it and then moving forward. From there, the player has the momentum and power to hit a better shot, and they will likely get a better workout.
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Your Next Tennis EventGet Low
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Standing stock upright, knees barely bent, with the weight on the backs of your heels, makes it nearly impossible to hit the ball correctly. And yet, so many tennis players are engaged in this very practice.
Instead, players should feel the court beneath them, and should move and bend low before pushing forward toward the target. This is an especially effective workout method when a player is volleying at the net.
At the net, players should focus on picking up their feet. A player should hear their forward foot hit the ground as they move ahead and get low. If you do, you know you're transferring your weight and creating a more intense workout.
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Your Next Tennis Event5 of 5
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