Tennis Lessons and Strategy – How to Increase Your Stamina During Matches
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010If you recently watched John Isner and Nicholas Mahut battle through their epic long match 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(9-7), 7-6(7-3), 70-68 you know that tennis is sport which requires a tremendous amount of energy and stamina.
While their match is a classic example of a professional level of stamina and years and years of training, what tennis lessons and strategies can junior players and novice players implement to help boost their physical and mental stamina on the court?
In my last article, I recommended storing energy prior to competition (no heavy hitting the day prior) and suggested truly preparing for a tournament 3-5 days in advance. One aspect included saving your eyes, by not reading or watching movies. Another aspect, which I will focus on, was not watching very high adrenaline action movies the night before? Why?
Most players have a very equal level of concentration and output during a match. If you look at Roger Federer he is typically very calm and shows little emotion on the court. He did not always used to be this way. In the juniors Roger Federer had a reputation for having a temper. In his move from amateur to probably the greatest player of all time one of the greatest changes was the way he conserves energy on the court.
Roger will keep an even keel temper and mentality throughout most of his match. However, in a tough situation where he gets down or wins a big point he will yell or scream “CMON”. Not only does this show his opponent he is into the match and willing to put up a fight, but it also released adrenaline throughout his body.
Understanding how to release adrenaline throughout your body and storing it for difficult points in a match or most importantly tough third set can help you increase your energy and mental output late in a competition.
A couple tips to do this:
1) Conserve your energy prior to a match. Listen to soft music but nothing that will really get your blood pumping prior to competition. In other sports this may work, but in tennis your are engaging in a lengthy match process where THERE IS NOT SHOT CLOCK OR TIMER that you can depend on to end the match. You are entering a state of competition where the end time is not predetermined (biggest difference in preparing for tennis vs. other sports).
2) Keep an even keel mindset and temper during the tennis match. If you are required to pump yourself up to get through a tough first set then do so… but understand the consequences later in the match.
3) Learn how your body responds to yelling or fist pumps during tennis practice and learn what points you should do this on… (i.e. not when you tie… when you take the lead or win the more important points in a match)