Should I Play Tennis to Get Fit, or Should I Get Fit to Play Tennis?

“Should I play tennis to get fit, or should I get fit to play tennis?” This question has bounced around the tennis world for years, and like most either/or questions, the answer lies somewhere in the middle.

The direction you take depends on who you are and what you want. An army colonel played in my doubles group a few years ago, and he told me that playing tennis and handball got his legs fit for jump school. His fitness was enhanced because his steady partner had a bad knee and stood in one spot during points, forcing the colonel to run for any shot not hit directly at his partner.

Current thinking is that distance running to get in shape for tennis is wasted effort since most of the movement in tennis is lateral. And running for health got a bad rap when Dr. Jim Fixx, an early enthusiast for running, died in 1984 during an early morning run. In truth, Dr. Fixx had underlying cardiac problems, and a family history of heart problems. So running was probably good for him, but it was not a cure-all. I have never been excited about running, and by the time serious runners began laughing at those of us who called the activity jogging, I had stopped altogether.

Enthusiasm for stretching has gone up and down during the last decade. Andre Agassi made the least favorable comment about the value of stretching. When asked if stretching was part of his fitness regimen, he demonstrated by pulling his wallet out of his pocket, tossing it on the ground, then bending over and putting it back in his pocket—stretching. Of course Agassi is no critic of performance enhancing programs, and credits his fitness training with Gil Reyes for getting him back on top for the last stages of his playing career. Together, they have designed and are producing gym-quality machines to improve a serious competitor’s strength.

Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, says that stretching is a major component of his off-court preparation for staying in the top four. According to one Internet source, Roger Federer uses props such as jump ropes, resistance bands and medicine balls to help maintain and enhance his high level of skill.

Just a reminder … the key to your fitness is to know who you are and what you want.

If you are number 14 in your group’s ranking, you know that getting into the top 10 will require a major commitment of both time and effort. Decide if your problems are your tennis skills and strategies, or your level of fitness. Then get professional help in that area to facilitate success.

You can see how fit young children are just by watching their everyday activities. I observed some of my six-year-old students working their tricks on monkey bars, but why did some need a nap after just 15 minutes.

If you are somewhere in the middle like most of us, you are probably managing a busy career and family life. The thought of finding an easy-to-follow moderate fitness program seems attractive. Rest easy, you are not alone. 

The Daily Dozen originated with the military. They needed a fast way to get recruits up to acceptable levels of fitness. According to Sarah Koh of Demand Media, the Daily Dozen was developed by Walter Camp in 1920, and originally consisted of 12 simple exercises that took about 15 minutes to complete. The Daily Dozen was one of the early total body workouts and the full set of exercises consisted of moves that he labeled “Hands, Grind, Crawl, Wave, Hips, Grate, Curl, Weave, Head, Grasp, Crouch and Wing.”

Those exercises would probably be hard to incorporate into your tennis training, so let’s move to the 1950s and look at a very popular program called “The Royal Canadian Air Force Exercise Plans for Physical Fitness.” According to fitnessgal, an exercise blogger and instructor, “This plan is old school, designed by a doctor for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). It is a series of five exercises for men, and 10 exercises for women. The idea is to work all your muscle groups in a short period of time (approximately 11 minutes).” This is an efficient and effective plan for the short time required.

In 1974, a Chinese trauma physician created a program based on thousands of years of Qigong tradition. Rather than working muscles, his program was designed to move every joint in the body smoothly. Dr. Zhuang Yuan Ming called this program “Lian Gong Shi Ba Fa.” Once learned, the program can be completed in 18 minutes. There are many free versions on YouTube, and a DVD can be purchased if you want a well-organized presentation to help you learn quickly. When I work this program, my heart rate and blood pressure both drop significantly.

For 2015, the trendy program is the Seven-Minute Workout, as popularized by a New York Times article. All you need for this program is a wall, a chair, and the willingness to work for seven minutes at high intensity. There is disagreement about the value of this combination of short duration plus high intensity, but if you are doing nothing this might be a good place to start. Apps are available from Apple’s iTunes Store and for Android devices.

Because I like researching topics, I sometimes forget that solutions are often found close to home. I am going to quote from the publication QuickStart Tennis: A Guide for Parents and Recreational Coaches:

“It is important to prepare your body before you play tennis and treat it kindly after you play. You can easily do this by following a simple warm-up exercise, pre-play stretching, warm-down exercise and post-play stretching routine. If you do this, you will have fewer injuries, feel better and recover sooner to play again the same or the next day. As people age, this routine becomes even more important. It is also important for serious younger players who spend many hours on the tennis court.”

You might want to download just the appendix to the book, which starts on page 111. The USTA has outdone itself with this section of the book, which has easy to follow background, instructions and diagrams.

Most New Yorkers can find easy ways to put simple fitness into their daily routines. When riding the subway, try getting off one stop before your regular stop, and put a few extra blocks into your everyday habits. If your train is not crowded, remain standing and practice your balance as you move from station to station. If you live on the 10th floor of your building, get off the elevator on the ninth floor and walk up one flight. When that becomes easy, get off on floor eight, seven, six, five, four, etc. How about walking crosstown at lunch hour instead of waiting for the bus in frustration? If you drive to work, park as far away from the entrance to your business as you can.

Reviewing some of the exercises I have used has been fun for me. But don’t delay by searching for the perfect program. Pick a routine you are willing to do on a regular basis. Why wait? Start today.