Cardio Training For Tennis

Tennis is an activity that can last several hours and a good endurance is very important to perform well. During tournaments players have matches every day and a good stamina will allow them to recover faster and better between matches. A good general endurance is then required for tennis players and this can be improved by jogging, cycling or swimming. This will work the aerobic capacity of a tennis player and this kind of workouts should be done for at least 20 minutes in a row. A good aerobic capacity will allow player to recover better between matches and practice sessions but this is not specific to the activity and more training should be done to really enhance the performance.

Once a player starts to have a good endurance it is important to be more specific to the activity. Tennis requires a good aerobic capacity but anaerobic capacity is even more important. A good anaerobic capacity allows athletes to repeat short and intense efforts throughout a full match or practice. In tennis an average point lasts around 8 seconds and players have 25 seconds of rest between each point.  Cardio training for tennis should then target as much as possible.

Interval training will help players to increase their anaerobic capacity and specific endurance. Different means can be used for this. Basic running or biking can be done with the following intervals: 20 seconds very intense followed by 20 seconds of rest. This should be done for 10-15 minutes. The most specific will be to do a very intense effort for less than 10 seconds and to rest for 25 seconds for 10-15 minutes. Both of this kinds of workouts should be done regularly.

Cardio training for tennis could also be done while using specific movements with rackets and even tennis balls. Using short bursts and an adequate recovery will really work the anaerobic capacity that a tennis player needs. Making a circuit training including movements in all the direction and shadows is a great way to improve the endurance. Again use intervals 8 seconds work for 25 seconds rest as much as possible. During this kind of workouts ti is very important to be as intense and fast as possible during the effort. 

Going to a track is another great way to increase a tennis player endurance. When doing this kind of work try to use a ratio 1/3 which mean allow 3 times more rest than effort. This will really target the cardio vascular system in the same way than during a tennis match. Interval like 200, 100 meters or even less should be used during track workouts. The closer a player is from a competition the shorter should be the intervals but the higher should be the intensity. 

Interval training is a great way to improve a tennis player specific endurance and this should be done on a weekly basis. Basic aerobic training should be used at the beginning and then occasionally. Interval training with shorts and intense bursts will be a lot more specific and helpful. If players work well on this capacity it will be a lot easier to keep a high intensity all the way to the end of the match. The best way is to use running motions but all those intervals can be worked on a bike or even in the pool if the player have some lower body injuries.

Fitness training for tennis should be done on a regular basis in order to become a complete player. Strength and conditioning for tennis will focus on agility, strength, endurance and flexibility training. Following a good fitness program for tennis is then a must for any player who wants to reach his highest level.