Tennis Fitness: Increase Your Quickness By Increasing the Power of Your First Step

Tennis Fitness: Increase Your Quickness ByTotal Working Time
Increasing the Power of Your First StepTake 2 players, Player A and Player B.
Many tennis players ranging from the weekendEach can squat 135 pounds for 8 reps.
warrior to the competitive athlete sometimes findIt takes player A approximately 30 seconds to
themselves down in the dirt late in a match - KickedPerform 8 reps and Player B it only takes 27
out wide and unable to recover to the ball.Seconds to perform 8 reps.
Did you need to work on your footwork?Power Output for Player A:
Endurance?1080 (135x8)/ 30 seconds = 36lbs/second
Strength?Power Output for Player B:
The answer may shock you.1080 (135x8)/27 seconds = 40lbs/second
Training to Recover From Wide, Crosscourt ShotsPlayer B has greater power output moving 40 lbs per
The logical assumption in this instance is that yousecond and will be able to recoveralot quicker than
may have footwork problems.player A if he's kicked out wide by his opponent.
That may be the case, but what if your footwork isIncreasing your power output on your first step will
sound, your endurance is great, your strength isgreatly increase the chances of youfully recovering
there, yet you're still getting pushed out of the pointfrom a wide shot from your opponent. Increasing
from across the net?your total power outputdoesn't necessarily mean
Well, frankly, sometimes it will happen. You won't beincreasing the amount of weight lifted. Here are a
able to recover. I'm not goingto sugar coat that forfew ways toincrease your total power output.
one second.-1-> Total reps increase, while total working time
But sometimes, a lot of times, you're able toremains the same
*almost* recover, bringing your racquetto within-2-> Total working time decrease, while the total
inches of the ball, but it's still not enough.weight and total reps remain the same
A fraction of a second determines whether the ball-3-> Total weight increase, while the working time
zips by you or whether you smackand total reps remain the same
It back across the net - maybe for a winner.-4-> All of the above occur at the same time? Total
So what gives?weight increases - total reps increases - total working
It could be your first step back towards the ball -time decreases.
lack of power output.Shave a fraction of a second off your recovery time
Measuring Power Outputin tennis by increasing your power output and your
Power Output =opponent may have unknowingly just set you up to
Total Weight X Total Repssmash a winner.
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