Have you ever seen one of the viral videos showing Maria Sakkari train with her fitness coach? Almost every exercise they are performing is explosive and aimed towards fast power, as are many movements in our beloved sport. Here is why you should also include explosive movements into your fitness routines, what to look out for and where to start!
Tennis is explosive
First of all, unless you have been living under a rock for years, you should be aware that the modern game of tennis is one of athleticism and explosive power. Whether it is hitting an all-out flat serve, a blistering forehand or defending on the run, you need to be fast in this game today. With the technical innovations around equipment and courts, the importance of athletic training has improved for all levels. Playing at a club or tournament level, you will always have an advantage if you can move more explosive for an extended period of time.
Equally as important, explosive movements put a lot of stress on your body, its joints and connective tissue. We see an ever rising amount of injuries on the tour these days, which also does not exempt hobby players. If you want to prepare for this game and the strain coming with it, you most likely will benefit a lot from explosive training. It will train your muscles to move at this pace, but also prepare all the strutcture around and improve your overall athleticism. Are you in for the ride?
Key points to keep in mind
When starting to train more explosive, you first want to make sure that you have mastered the underlying static movement. If you want to perform a box jump, first make sure your squatting technique is on point to jump and land safely. Any technical fault will be exposed in a rapid movement and may lead to injury if done repeatedly. So basic strength and positioning work is prerequisite number one.
Of course, you always want to warm up properly before these exercises as well, with slower and controlled movements, as well as dynamic stretches. This ensures that your body is really ready to move at top speed and you wouldn’t straight jump into your fastest first serve as well, wouldn’t you?
Finally, the weight should not be important for these movements. It is about moving fast and properly, not about adding weight here. So, let’s say you include a medicine ball throw – start with a light one and work your way up here. An inflated ego has hardly ever done any good inside the gym, but this is especially true when working with fast paced exercises. Now that we should be prepped, warmed and on the same page, let’s see which exercises can be helpful for your tennis.
Lower body – jumps and some
Your legs are not only important when you are running after another dreadful dropshot. They also generate a ton of the power you use in your strokes, so make sure to address the legs well in training. And you don’t only want to include regular jumps, but also have lateral movements included, as well as single leg exercise. Some of them are rather to help with the repeated runs and moves, others will help you generate the needed power on serve or your other favorite shots.
My favorite jump variations can all be done with a regular box in the gym. If you are unsure about your landing skills, try to start low and get a padded version. These are often less stable, but give in when your shin hits them and trust me, that might be worth something here. To start, practice your regular jumps by jumping off both feet at the same time and landing on the box with both at the same time. You can add variation by starting sitting on a bench or landing/jumping on one leg only, adding a sidestep before the jump or starting with one foot on the box and alternating legs.
Just do me one favor – hobby athletes as us don’t have to add balance pads, jump onto moving things etc. – the things you see on Insta are often just showboating and the risk/reward ratio is not a good one.
More variations shown below:
Other lower body explosive exercises I would recommend:
- Sled pushes and pulls
- Jumping lunges and variations
- Hurdle jumps (frontal and lateral)
Upper body – throw and twist it
The main power from your upper body in tennis is not coming from your arms, but from the torso. Often cited in strength training, the principle behind this is „from core to extremity“. So, when we are working on explosive upper body movements, we also want to adhere to this basic rule of movement. This means that throws and twists always are initiated by our core and then only finished with the shoulder and arm. Remember this next time you train or play, as this will surely be helpful for any movement.
My favorite explosive upper body exercise is the medicine ball throw, and it basically is unlimited in its variation. Whether you throw it over your head, from a squat, from a sit-up or simply sideways, you can work a lot of angles with it. My favorite variation: you are in a half-kneeling position, the med ball to one side. Reach over and explosively rotate the ball over your head, to slam it into the ground on the other side of your body. This will help your serve speed, rotational power and even balance in your groundstrokes.
Other upper body exercises:
- Banded or pulley rotations
- Explosive push-ups
- Hand-over-Hand sled pulls
