Nov 23, 2016Net Strength
The University of Georgia boasts one of the premier men’s tennis programs in the country. Last year, it captured its fourth-straight Southeastern Conference Championship and made its 23rd NCAA semifinals appearance. One secret to its success is its work on strength and conditioning.
The squad works out year-round, including during the spring competitive season. We dive right into the spring in-season less than a week after players return from winter break. The focus of our conditioning sessions during this time is agility. Some of the exercises we do are ladders with bands, lane drills, Murray drills, slalom step-throughs, side-steps, call-outs, triangle call-outs, and court-tempo runs. The athletes complete four to six sets of each activity, with one to two minutes of rest in between.
Due to the increased practice volume during the spring in-season, I put a lot of emphasis on athletes’ proper execution of these activities. When the squad conditions following a two-hour practice, I know the players have likely used up most of their glycogen stores and might get sloppy with their form. However, forcing them to do each drill correctly when fatigued helps them become more disciplined, which should pay off during long, grueling matches.
The team lifts twice a week during the spring in-season, and the aim is to maintain the strength gains made in the fall. I usually run the players through a strength exercise supersetted with an explosive movement in the same muscle group to increase their power outputs. Here’s a sample workout week:
DAY ONE
Prehab
TRX Single-leg squat……………2×5
TRX rows……………………………2×6
Purple band ankle series………..x8
Miniband walk……………………….x6
Pillar push-ups………………………x8
TRX YTWL’s……………………….2×5
Keiser hip pull-throughs………..2×8
Exercises
Box jumps……………………………..4×6
DynaMax ball snap-down…………3×5
Dumbbell snatch…………………….3×6
Keiser with pull down………………3×8
Single-arm landmine press………3×5
45-degree split-jumps……………..3×4
Keiser standing abs………………..3×10
Med ball crossover abs…………..3×10
Split-stance Keiser bar-chops….3×8
Abs (30 sec. on, 10 sec. off)……6 min.
Foam roll or partner stretch
DAY TWO
Prehab
Piriformis to lunge……………………….2×6
Single-leg squat unilateral reach…..2×3
Figure four stretch……………………..20 sec. ea.
Wrist roll……………………………………x2
Physio ball single-leg glute bridge…2×6
YTWL’s on physio ball…………………2×6
TRX squat…………………………………2×6
Exercises
Bike at 16 mph for half-mile……………….x5
Crossover step-ups………………………….x8
Slamdowns……………………………………..x8
Bench squat jumps…………………………..x10
Full sit-ups………………………………………x20
Alt straddle jump………………………………x8
Burpee to chin-up…………………………….x3
Single-leg rear foot elevated squat…….x6
Foam roll or partner stretch
