Gil Reyes, a pioneer in tennis fitness training for Andre Agassi, had his player run sprints in sand. Consequently, when Greek tennis player Maria Sakkari is shown performing short sprints in a long jump sand pit, it is a rare opportunity to observe that her version might be relatively saner than what Reyes had Agassi do back in the day. While Sakkari is barefoot, Agassi always kept his shoes on because he performed his sprints out in the desert, where rattlesnakes and tarantulas are a concern.
We are currently in the midst of breaking down a montage of intense training techniques performed by Greek tennis player Maria Sakkari featured in S1 E3 of the Netflix docuseries “Break Point.” Consequently, this is a chance to examine why tennis players can benefit from performing sprints in sand.
Running on sand requires considerably more effort than running on a solid surface. The leg muscles have to work harder to generate movement. It develops stronger and more explosive leg muscles, which are necessary for speed and agility on the tennis court. That is essential for changing direction, lunging for shots, and accelerating to chase down balls.
The instability of sand can challenge balance and stability. The foot sinks and shifts when running, requiring constant adjustments to stabilize the body. That can ultimately improve balance, which theoretically translates to better lateral movement.
Training on sand provides a low-impact way to perform intense cardio training for tennis players who usually spend a lot of time on hard court surfaces. It is quite simply much easier on the joints. Sand has more give and absorbs some of the shock generated during foot strikes.
I am still toting around beach tennis paddles and balls, looking for an opportunity to try out that racquet sport variation on one of my local sand volleyball courts. It now occurs to me that when that happens, I should run a few sand sprints to call it a full workout. In fact, I suspect that playing Beach Tennis might produce the same benefit as just straight-up doing the sprints.
Prior Posts on Beach Tennis:
- Life’s a Beach… Tennis, May 10, 2023.
- Beach Tennis: The Court, May 17, 2023.
- Beach (Tennis) Balls, May 24, 2023.
- Beach Tennis Racquets, May 31, 2023.
- The Basics of How to Play Beach Tennis, June 7, 2023.
