Tennis physiology : Training the competitive athlete

The game of tennis has evolved from the wooden-racket era of long, crafty points based on style and finesse, to the current fast paced, explosive sport based on power, strength and speed, where 210 km/h serves are common. This evolution over the last 20 years has led to an increased interest in tenn...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sports medicine (Auckland) 2007-01, Vol.37 (3), p.189-198
Main Author: KOVACS, Mark S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Body Fat Distribution
Drinking Behavior - physiology
Energy Metabolism
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Heart Rate - physiology
Humans
Lactic Acid - blood
Oxygen Consumption - physiology
Physical Education and Training
Rest - physiology
Tennis - physiology
Testosterone - blood
Vertebrates: body movement. Posture. Locomotion. Flight. Swimming. Physical exercise. Rest. Sports
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The game of tennis has evolved from the wooden-racket era of long, crafty points based on style and finesse, to the current fast paced, explosive sport based on power, strength and speed, where 210 km/h serves are common. This evolution over the last 20 years has led to an increased interest in tennis research. Competitive tennis athletes need a mixture of anaerobic skills, such as speed, agility and power, combined with high aerobic capabilities. The work-to-rest ratios of competitive tennis athletes range between 1 : 3 and 1 : 5, and fatigue has been shown to greatly reduce the hitting accuracy. Competitive male tennis athletes maintain body fat 50 mL/kg/min, and as high as 70 mL/kg/min. Results from lactate testing in tennis players are inconclusive as some studies have shown increased levels, whilst other studies have shown little or no change. Further investigation is required to determine the production and utilisation effects of lactate from playing tennis. The average length of time to play a point in tennis is
ISSN:0112-1642
1179-2035
DOI:10.2165/00007256-200737030-00001