Tag Archives for " strength and conditioning "

TFP 056: Speed, Power, and Plyometrics with Dean Hollingworth

On today’s show, I spoke with sports performance coach Dean Hollingworth about how we can train to become stronger, fitter, and faster tennis players and athletes.  I first met Dean while eating breakfast before the World Tennis and Fitness Conference, hosted by the International Tennis Performance Association.  Dean gave a fantastic presentation about plyometrics, and I knew that he would be the perfect guest for the podcast.

Dean is the Director of Fitness and Sports Performance at Club Sportif Cote-de-Liesse (CDL) in Montreal, Canada. He has over 25 years of experience in the health and fitness industry, and is a highly regarded author, speaker, and fitness and performance consultant.  Dean is the only strength and conditioning coach in Canada to be certified as a Master Tennis Performance Specialist by the iTPA.  He is also a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Speed and Agility Coach, and worked as the S&C coach for Canada’s Fed Cup team win against Serbia in 2014.  Dean coaches a wide gamut of athletes, including professional tennis players such as Elena Vesnina and Francoise Abanda.

We spoke about why strength and power training is essential for your tennis career, exercises to increase your strength, power and movement, why plyometrics is a great way to improve your speed and power on the court, Dean’s experience as part of Elena Vesnina’s team, and much more.

I hope you enjoy my interview with Dean, and let us know what you think in the comments below!

Time-Stamped Show Notes

• [3:59] Why focusing on our fitness training is so important in helping us become better tennis players
• [5:05] The specific benefits we get from fitness training for tennis
• [6:34] How Dean became a world-class fitness and sports performance coach
• [8:31] Associations and conferences that helped Dean expand his tennis fitness knowledge
• [9:45] Dean’s first exposure to tennis.
• [11:19] Why tennis is the hardest sport to train athletes for
• [14:47] Should we use undulating periodization in our training?
• [16:29] Why we must decide when we want to peak, or else we won’t improve
• [17:54] The biggest mistakes that tennis players make in the gym
• [19:45] Dean’s favorite thing about being a fitness coach
• [20:53] Examples of tennis players Dean trained that focused seriously on their fitness and had a huge improvement on their game
• [22:21] Dispelling the myth that weight training is bad for your tennis game
• [24:53] Part of the body tennis players need to improve the most
• [26:31] The importance of “heavy lifts” i.e. deadlifts, squats, and bench press, and why single leg training is so critical
• [29:32] How many days per week to perform fitness training, and considerations when creating a program
• [31:34] Tips for training on the road and in faraway places with little equipment
• [33:30] Exercises for speed training
• [34:57] How long does each set last for speed training?
• [36:18] What is plyometrics and how can it help our speed on the court?
• [39:15] How to integrate plyometrics with speed training
• [41:03] Plyometrics technique tips
• [42:00] Plyometrics exercises you can perform to improve your speed
• [44:47] How many reps per set should we perform for plyometrics?
• [46:07] Key principles to help us do plyometrics the right way?
• [48:10] If an athlete is deficient in a certain area, and you focus on that more so in their training, once they are proficient in it, do you then reduce focus on that area and train everything equally again?
• [49:36] Static stretching routine and optimal number of exercises
• [51:05] Dean’s advice for improving our endurance on court
• [53:02] Should we do heavier lifts in certain parts of the season, such as squats, deadlifts, and bench press, or all-year round?
• [54:09] Dean’s experience as part of Elena Vesnina’s team at the US Open a few months ago and Elena’s professionalism 
• [55:06] How Dean became a part of Elena’s team
• [56:08] What type of fitness training Elena do before and during the US Open?
• [57:17] How do we choose which exercise to use in our training when there are many different types and variations?
• [58:16] Dean’s favorite memory of the US Open as part of Elena Vesnina’s team
• [1:00:22] Dean’s experience at Tennis Congress in Arizona last month
• [1:03:09] Dean’s plans to continue working with Elena
• [1:03:46] Dean’s new tennis fitness video course he’s working on
• [1:05:44] Where we can follow Dean live and online
• [1:06:39] One key piece of advice to help you improve your tennis game

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Links Mentioned in the Show

Sample Workout Plan

Dean’s Website

Dean’s Facebook Page

Contact Dean

Dean’s Twitter Page

Dean’s Instagram Page

Tennis Technique Summit

Tennis Files Youtube Channel – Subscribe!  You know you want to 😉

If you enjoyed my interview with Dean, subscribe to The Tennis Files Podcast in iTunes or your favorite podcast app!

To improve your tennis fitness, download a free sample workout plan here! Thanks for listening!

TFP 048: Optimizing Your Strength and Conditioning Workouts with Dominic King

On today’s episode of The Tennis Files Podcast, I spoke with Dominic King, Head of Athlete Development for Everyball Tennis at Halton Tennis Centre in the United Kingdom.  Dom is an expert in strength and conditioning for tennis players, and it was a great pleasure speaking with him and learning about many important principles and tips about tennis fitness.

Dom has a very accomplished background. He is an iTPA Master Tennis Performance Specialist (MTPS), one of only a small number of people to hold this designation worldwide. Dom is also an Accredited Strength & Conditioning Coach (ASCC) with the UK Strength & Conditioning Association, and an NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES). Dom holds numerous other professional qualifications as well. 

Dom trains club players anywhere from 8 to 80 + years old and loves helping each player improve and develop as a tennis athlete. We covered several important areas of tennis strength and conditioning, including how players can optimize their workouts, optimal rep ranges and recovery periods, and key exercises to improve your tennis game.  I hope you enjoy my interview with Dom!

Time-Stamped Show Notes

• [3:16] What made Dom decide to specialize in the fitness side of tennis?
• [5:19] Dom’s competitive tennis background
• [6:27] Accreditations and degrees Dom finds the most useful for his profession as a tennis strength and conditioning expert
• [9:13] Mehrban talks about taking the iTPA exam to become a certified Tennis Performance Trainer in 3 months
• [10:15] Athletes/coaches Dom looked up to the most when he was figuring out his career path
• [12:43] How many strength and conditioning sessions do Dom’s players usually partake in per week?
• [14:30] How long does each S&C training session last for on average?
• [15:50] How should we split our workouts in terms of what part of the body is being worked out (i.e. legs day, arms day, push-pull etc.)?
• [17:43] Why working out for a tennis player is different than general weight training
• [21:53] Rep ranges and recovery periods that Dom’s players use, and whether it varies on the off season or type of workout
• [25:10] Is there a use for low rep ranges and 90%+ of 1 rep max for tennis players?
• [27:52] 3 exercises that transfer into better performance on the court
• [32:39] Is the bench press a useful exercise for tennis players?
• [34:33] How often you should change up a workout routine
• [36:44] Should we use tennis-specific exercises in our weight training, or should we get players strong in a more traditional manner first?
• [39:30] The biggest mistake that tennis players make when training
• [42:20] Tips for players to maintain their strength and conditioning while constantly traveling on the road to tournaments
• [46:42] Can players have a good S&C workout without weights?
• What types of equipment do you suggest they use?
• [48:39] Use of the legs and rotation to generate power and what we can learn from boxing and other combat sports
• [53:10] How important are the legs for the serve?
• [55:57] What other sports are most similar to tennis?
• [58:44] Dom’s experiences working with players of all different ages
• [1:04:17] A typical day training tennis players at Halton Tennis Centre in the UK
• [1:07:00] 3 books Dom would gift to a friend to help them increase their knowledge about tennis fitness and strength and conditioning.
• [1:09:18] Where we can find Dom online and in person
• [1:11:04] One myth about strength and conditioning for tennis
• [1:12:28] One key tip to help you improve your strength and conditioning for tennis

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Links Mentioned in the Show

Dom’s Website – www.maximiseathleticperformance.com

Dom on Twitter – DomJKing

International Tennis Performance Association 

Complete Conditioning for Tennis

Tuesday’s with Morrie (Dom’s book recommendation)

TFP 033: Dr. Mark Kovacs – Strength and Conditioning for Tennis Players

TFP 039: Todd Ellenbecker – Injury Prevention and Recovery

Dom’s Email Address – dom@everyball.net

Tennis Technique Summit

Note: Some of the links above are affiliate links, so if you make a purchase after clicking them, I make Eleventy-Billion dollars a small commission that helps support the podcast. Thanks either way! 🙂

If you enjoyed my interview with Dom, subscribe to The Tennis Files Podcast in iTunes or your favorite podcast app!

For more tips on how to improve your game, download a free copy of my eBook, The Building Blocks of Tennis Success below! Thanks for listening!

TFP 033: Dr. Mark Kovacs—Strength and Conditioning for Tennis Players

On today’s episode, I spoke with world renowned sports science and fitness expert Dr. Mark Kovacs about strength and conditioning for tennis. Mark has trained numerous top professional tennis players, including John Isner, Sloane Stephens, Sam Querrey, Donald Young, and Melanie Oudin. Stack named Mark one of the Top 31 Fitness Professionals to Follow in 2015.

Mark is a performance physiologist, researcher, professor, author, speaker and coach with an extensive background training and researching elite athletes. He has been featured in many of the biggest sports and news publications, including ESPN, the New York Times, and Tennis Magazine. Mark was also a top college player at Auburn and achieved a world ranking on the ATP Tour.

To sum it up, Mark has one heck of a resume, and it is an honor to speak with him on the show today.

Mark co-authored an amazing book and resource, Complete Conditioning for Tennis (2nd edition), which was published a couple months ago. I have a copy of his book and have had a hard time putting it down in my spare time. It has a ton of invaluable information on how we can put together a personalized fitness program using the exercises and in-depth knowledge from Mark, E. Paul Roetert (former managing director of the United States Tennis Association’s Player Development Program) and Todd S. Ellenbecker (Vice President, Medical Services ATP World Tour, and clinic director at Physiotherapy Associates Scottsdale Sports Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona).

The book also includes 56 videos illustrating the exercises and stretches which you can access online. The value in this book is unparalleled in comparison to any other tennis fitness book I’ve seen on the market so far.

In this episode, I ask Mark questions on how we can improve our tennis fitness to become better tennis players. We also talk about Complete Conditioning for Tennis (2nd edition) and some of the principles in the book that will help take your game to the next level.

Mark has an unbelievable amount of knowledge in sports science for tennis, and provided us all with a ton of value on The Tennis Files Podcast.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• [3:18] – How Mark became a world-class fitness expert
• [5:08] – Mark’s degrees and certifications
• [7:14] – One thing about Mark that most people don’t know
• [8:27] – The elements of tennis fitness
• [10:25] – How to train the different elements of fitness
• [12:30] – What most tennis players lack in their fitness
• [14:12] – The muscle group that amateur players tend to undertrain the most
• [15:39] – Ways to train your your weakest muscle group
• [17:16] – How low should we go when we squat
• [19:22] – What type of squat should we use during training
• [22:35] – Will partial squats put pressure on the knees
• [25:04] – What set/rep/weight ranges should we use for our exercises and what are the effects of using different ones
• [29:16] – What is periodization and how does it affect our training
• [32:30] – In what order should we train the different fitness elements in a periodization program for maximum results
• [36:07] – What are the best strengthening exercises for the serve
• [38:37] – The importance of the kinetic chain and discussing Mark’s “An 8-stage model for the tennis serve” scientific study
• [42:47] – How do we correct inefficient footwork
• [45:56] – Mark’s favorite footwork drills to help your speed and agility
• [49:10] – Stretches that tennis players should incorporate into their routine
• [51:41] – Analysis of professional tennis players’ fitness and why tennis is one of the toughest sports in the world
• [53:53] – How can we get the most value out of Complete Conditioning for Tennis (2nd ed.) and put what we learn into action
• [56:07] – What has changed in the 2nd Edition of Complete Conditioning for Tennis from the 1st Edition
• [57:27] – Mark’s favorite chapters in the book
• [58:24] – Where can we get Complete Conditioning for Tennis
• [59:39] – One common misconception/myth about tennis fitness among tennis players
• [1:01:26] – Other books and articles that Mark has authored
• [1:02:06] – Where we can find Mark online and on social media
• [1:04:14] – Mark’s one tip that will help us improve our tennis games

I can’t thank Mark enough, who was extremely responsive through social media and email, for coming onto the show. He continues to make a huge impact on the success and lives of countless athletes, and I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to put his advice and principles in Complete Conditioning for Tennis (2nd edition) into action!

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Links Mentioned in This Episode

Complete Conditioning for Tennis (2nd edition)

Tennis Anatomy

Dynamic Stretching

The Flexible Stretching Strap Workbook

Mark-Kovacs.com

ITPA-tennis.org

Interview with Allistair McCaw

Mark’s Facebook/Twitter/Instagram (mkovacsphd)

Note: Some of the links above are affiliate links, so if you make a purchase after clicking, I make a small commission.

Regardless of where you purchase Mark’s book, I hope you give it a read! I highly recommend it and will post a book review once I am finished reading this incredible fitness resource.

If you enjoyed my interview with Mark, be sure to subscribe to The Tennis Files Podcast! Next up on the schedule are Brian Boland (head coach at national champion University of Virginia Men’s Tennis) and Martin Blackman (Head of Player Development at USTA).

For more tennis tips to improve your game, download my free eBook, The Building Blocks of Tennis Success, by subscribing to my newsletter below!