Success in tennis can’t be achieved overnight and a player should not expect to win big matches without months or even years of a tennis training program. A tennis training program is one way to prepare an individual to learn the necessary tennis skills and techniques. Tennis training is a continuous process that is why in professional tennis, each player still trains and practices during off seasons.
Physical Tennis Fitness Training Program
In modern tennis, the physical aspect of a tennis training program is increasingly becoming popular. This is because of the awareness for the need of becoming physically fit to be able to cope with the high paced modern tennis matches.
Thus a proper tennis training program should include a tennis physical fitness program. Today, a tennis player has to be explosive, fast and has high endurance to be able to cope up with the other players on top.
The objective of physical tennis training is to develop the players’ stamina, speed, agility and flexibility. The trainings should also help the players develop their racket reaction and coordination. It is also very important to teach the players on the dynamic balance between the body, ball and the racket.
The above objectives are achieved through a tennis training program that include cardiovascular exercises, weight training exercises, speed, agility and coordination drills and practices. At the end of the tennis training program, the players must improve their reaction time and move at a quicker pace. For a physical fitness tennis training program to be successful, it is important that a detailed and specific tennis training program is designed for an individual player. This is very important especially for advanced or professional players. This is the reason why each professional player has their own team of trainers.
Technical Tennis Training Program
The technical skills are the other tools that are vital for a player to be successful. Therefore, it is also important to include technical trainings in any tennis training program. Technical skills refer to the stroke mechanics, techniques and strategies. A good tennis training program allows the players to perform technical training drills to improve their technical capabilities.
The tennis training program must also help the players improve their techniques and tactics.
Each player must come to terms that practice and drills are very important for them to master every tennis tools that they can use when they are already on-court. The technical tennis training program must teach the players to plan their right attacks or defense in the actual tennis matches. For professional tennis players, personal and full time coaches are normally responsible for individual player’s technical training. The technical skills are normally the backbone for every great tennis players, thus without them it is impossible to become one.
A Tennis Training Program for Every Skill Level
For beginners, technical tennis training drills may include the basic stroke drills such as the forehand strokes, backhand strokes, the serve, volley shots and over head shots. For advanced players, additional technical drills include training drill for net play, net charge, making contact, slice, drop shots, swing and many others.
The Technical Aspect of a Tennis Training Program
The performance of every tennis player depends on their technical capabilities. The lack of technical tools will not only result to the player’s defeat but it can also cause injuries. Each player should make sure that he or she goes the proper training before going into a competitive match. This means that a player should be able to master first the necessary strokes and other technical aspect of the game before he or she goes out in a true competitive match.
As mentioned above, the first technical aspect that a player should learn is the fundamental strokes. Without those skills, it would be very hard for a player to move up in the rankings in competitive tennis. Another aspect to consider is for the player to learn how to play offensively and defensively. In addition, a player must be able to develop or learn how to play against the different types of players such as net players, baseliners and many others.
Mental Tennis Training Program
The mental aspect of tennis is normally given less attention and recognition despite its importance as one of the vital tools in tennis. Tennis is a mind game thus mental fitness is vital to achieve optimum performance. An inappropriate tennis training program for mental fitness can be a great liability for a player. Thus the mental aspect of a tennis training program plays a key role for every tennis player that desires to be successful.
Mental training should be given more emphasis than they are these days especially for junior players. The young tennis learners should be taught on the importance of mental fitness on winning or losing tennis matches.
The mental training program should discuss the different aspects such as self confidence, visualization, positive self-talk, etc. Another aspect to consider is the mind conditioning before, during and after the match. Some examples of methods utilized in a tennis training program are given below:
Visualization skills training:
This training must include lessons to teach players to visualize themselves at the highest peak of their performance. It must also include training to teach players the visualization to relax and be calm in stressful moments. Another training that can be included here is the one that teaches the players to build up confidence, overcome nervousness and on how to let go frustrations, temper and anger.
Positive self-talk in a tennis training program: To train players to be motivated and be optimistic. This is vital especially when the player is under pressure of losing the match.
Breathing techniques: Breathing techniques to stay relax, calm and focus before, during and after matches.
Goal setting training: Training for players to stay focused and concentrate on achieving their goals. Players have to take note the times when they are at their best and make them as inspiration.
Audio tapes: Designed to train players to make use of relaxing music or any audio to relax and to be inspired.
Affirmations: teaching the players to appreciate themselves and recognize their own achievements than criticizing their mistakes.
Relaxation techniques: train players to control emotions especially during extreme circumstances like after missing an easy shot, making double faults, miss calls by referees and so on.
Posture awareness: teaching players to control body language for the and bodily energy. This is also important not encourage more the opponent when the player show body language of discouragements or any negative body language.
Post-performance review: allows the players to watch previous matches and let them analyze their performance so that they can make some improvements or they can correct their mistakes.
Anger management skills: teaches players to manage their anger or frustrations especially on court or during matches. It is common to see players even the professional ones display their anger, frustrations and other extreme feelings on court. To learn how control them will save the player from wasting his/her energy and focus more on the game.
Mistake management skills: teaches the students on how to deal with mistakes and make them as challenges rather than disappointments. It is our nature to feel down every time we make mistakes. This feeling must be avoided when you are playing tennis or else one mistake can lead to more errors and eventually defeat.
In conclusion, for a player to engage in the best tennis training program, he or she must be willing to go out of his or her comfort zone. This means that to undergo tennis training means to improve your skills and techniques. Thus a player must be willing to correct the bad habits in his or her tennis tactics and techniques. A tennis training program (physical, technical and mental) is a learning process. The secret to achieve your goals and objectives is to set your mind to go from one point to the other. That is from a less skilled to a more skilled player.
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