An engineer overthinks tennis in a daily journal.
A quick first step is essential to competitive success in tennis. Some baseline capability for speed is an inherent characteristic of a person. It is similar to being tall. While these core attributes cannot be modified through training, a player can develop additional skills that mitigate and enhance their natural abilities. For example, a short player can work to increase vertical leap capacity and consequently “play taller” than their natural height.
Tennis players are conditioned to think of tennis competition and practice in even numbers. Singles and doubles matches, and consequently drills, are typically designed for two or four players. One of the best practice session formats is actually three players on a court engaged in continuous rally using two on one court positions. All players should seriously consider adding two on one play to their training toolbox.
Heat therapy for sports related injuries is suddenly back in vogue. As details of my ongoing battles with plantar fasciitis emerged, a handful of people in my social circles recommended infrared therapy for that specific injury. Another tennis buddy who struggled with tennis elbow for an extended period of time swears that he recovered only after he started using the heat treatment on a regular basis.
My love of hitting off a backboard is previously well documented on this site. Today I am sharing a drill for hitting off a backboard to build control and accuracy. When I achieve a steady state of flow with this exercise, it is also very meditative.
Balance is critical for playing tennis well. It is increasingly important for tennis players as they age, as a poor sense of balance can directly lead to falls and injuries. When I built out my personal home gym, the very first piece of equipment I purchased was a commercial grade Bosu ball. It is a versatile device that magnifies the effects of static gym exercises for tennis functional training.
I’m not going to lie. My life was better before ice massage became an essential part of my daily routine. Between the injury to my foot and chronic tenderness in my elbow, I am starting to develop personal preferences and opinions in the best form factors to use for ice massage. This is what my life has come to.
Over the past few months I had been experiencing tenderness in my elbow when playing tennis. I was extremely resistant to calling it tennis elbow because… I had never experienced tennis elbow before in my life. However, that is what it is. I found that the Simien Tennis Elbow brace provided enough pain mitigation and support to allow me to continue to play.
Recently I have been suffering from plantar fasciitis. One discovery I have made about this particular injury is that frequently icing of my arches and achilles tendons is essential. I have also learned that the ice treatments as I go to bed each evening significantly cuts down the pain levels experienced the following day.
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I recently decided that a contributing factor to my plantar fasciitis issues is directly related to weight gain over the past year. One of my personal objectives for 2022 is to reverse the that trend and get back down to “playing weight.” I made zero progress in January. Clearly that was the fault of the scales that I was using to weigh myself. Stick with me on this one.
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Last week I wrote about how I was using a Post-Match Evaluation Worksheet as a part of maintaining a Player Development Journal in 2022. That post framed out the initial use of the worksheet during and after my first “real” match of 2022. In strange twist of fate, I wound up playing against the same exact doubles team the following weekend. I was playing with a different partner this time around, but the quick rematch still provided valuable and immediate feedback on the impact.