One of my favorite parts of the Netflix docuseries ‘Break Point’ is how frequently Ons Jabeur has been featured on the show. Every tennis player can learn a lot about tactical tennis and point composition simply by watching her matches. It is also interesting to analyze how Jabeur prepares and trains. Since her husband Karim serves as her physio, and she has risen up in professional tennis without a large team of specialists, the things she does are usually also within the grasp of recreational players.
In Episode 7 of Season 1, Jabeur is seen performing Standing Chest Flys using a superband with her husband Karim providing a dynamic anchor point. This exercise is particularly beneficial for tennis players because it focuses on strengthening the chest muscles which play a crucial role in generating powerful shots and maintaining stability and control with the racquet.
The Standing Chest Fly is a fairly easy exercise to perform. The anchor point can be provided by a training partner or with the superband anchored to a stable object, such as a fence post. The Fly is performed by grabbing the band with one hand and facing away from the anchor point while holding the arm straight out to the side parallel with the ground. The arm is then rotated forward by contracting the chest muscles before reversing the motion to return to the starting position. That’s one rep.
Basically, the Standing Chest Fly mimics the functional arm movement used when hitting forehands. While tennis players might be tempted to only perform this exercise with the racquet arm, doing the same number of reps on each side of the body is important to maintain muscle balance and symmetry.
Superbands are great for tennis players, as they integrate well with strength training, agility drills, and dynamic warm-up routines that are ubiquitous to the sport. These resistance training devices support functional movement patterns relevant to tennis. They are also are lightweight and can be easily carried in a racquet bag.
The number of times Ons Jabeur is seen using superbands in ‘Break Point’ is a testament to how frequently they are used at the professional level. It is an investment in equipment and time that tennis players at all levels should consider.
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