Strength training in tennis is only a support element.
The main goal, the top of the pyramid, is agility, or to be even more precise, it is the endurance of agility
So, strength, speed, power, etc are all tools to develop a higher level of speed and agility. So, it’s like a pyramid. First, we need the base to eventually get to the top. Agility itself is so complex that we need to invest a lot of time in order to develop efficient and effective movement for a tennis player in a multidirectional environment.
In agility, intensity is very important. Agility only happens if we go a 100 %, but it’s not possible to stay all the time in 100 % in each movement of a multidirectional drill. In tennis, we have acceleration points. We have a stop and go element. The acceleration points are 100 % intensity. We express this 100 % in a change of direction to restart again. Then the player can drop down to 60 %. He can be a little bit relaxed.
The problem is that a lot of players, they move constantly with 80 %. So, once they need to go fast, they are not able to peak. Once they could relax a little bit, they are too intense. They keep 80 %, but I think tennis is like Formula One
You go full power and then relax a little bit because you need to turn around. You cannot go full power because then your wheels, will get burned. So, you need to find this feeling of deceleration to be able to peak again. That’s something players need to express in the agility.
Agility is not just speed; Agility is a step further. Agility is always linked with the flying element, such as the badminton shuttle or a basketball or a tennis ball. So, it’s linked with the flying element and the tennis player need to adapt to this flying element. So sometimes he/she can slow down their movement to be effective, efficient, to go on 60 %, adapt to the ball being precisely with his/her distance. Once the shot is done, then he/she needs to be able to accelerate. Then he/she has to change to 100 %.
It’s very important to understand this concept because it’s linked with strength training and being able to push 100 %.
It’s a question of strength and not just a question of speed. The more power I have in my legs, the more I can push in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd step. So, it’s a question of strength. And that’s exactly the window of 17–21 when they rise their performance on 15 % plus.
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