Daily Maintenance

Every young tennis player should spend at least 30 minutes a day doing strengthening and flexibility exercises to prevent injury. I like to refer to this as 'Homework'. A short daily 'assignment' that must be completed before the child goes to bed. It makes for a nice study break and keeps the blood circulating after long bouts of sitting!

As we know, many young tennis players are 'early-specializers' and are not exposed physically to the developmental advantages of playing multi-sports. Also, many good players are often challenged physically, mentally and emotionally by 'playing up' against peers who are sometimes 4-6 years older than they are. This presents an incredible challenge to the structures in the back that act as 'shock absorbers' for this repetitive loading. Over time this leads to a breakdown somewhere in the kinetic chain.

It's my desire with this blog to provide a daily workout for kids to follow.
It will include all the major problem areas in young tennis players: scapular stabilization, lumbar stabilization, core strength and flexibility. In my experience working with young tennis players I have found that LESS is MORE. Many strength and conditioning 'experts' in their haste to create the next grand slam champ end up training children as if they are just small adults. Nothing could be further from the truth and mismanagement often leads to pain and injury.

Most exercises in the homework can be completed with resistance tubing, light medicine balls and body weight. As the child advances and becomes stronger,the weight can be progressively increased. The important aspect is not being able to lift heavy weight but to strengthen the muscles while maintaining flexibility.

Before puberty and the onset of the wonderful hormones that come with it any changes in strength are due to changes in the central nervous system. These neural adaptations exists as long as the child continues to workout. Consistency is KEY! A minimum of 3 times per week is necessary to prevent injury and I have found that if a child has a short daily routine to follow it actually helps there self-reliance and creates positive habits.

In March I will begin linking these workouts and hope that you will subscribe so they will be sent directly to you. Thanks for reading!