At this point, we all know that tennis players have to be well conditioned. It not only helps you during those longer rallies, it also improves your ability to recover between points; so you can do it again and again.
But here’s the conundrum: most players assume that, to improve one’s aerobic and anaerobic abilities, the answer lies in more off-court conditioning. Running, bike intervals, circuits and the like.
Yet after thousands of coaching hours with elite players, I’ve realized something surprising - many of the fittest players don't do any off-court conditioning at all.
You see, their skill is so high that simply playing - tracking down more balls, controlling their shots, keeping the point going - provides all the conditioning they need.
Let’s unpack this further.
Higher Skill Drives Tennis-Specific Conditioning
Anticipation, Perception, Tracking Skills
Experienced players are better able to read the play. In other words, they have a better idea of where the ball will end up - how deep it’ll land, the type and amount of spin it’ll have - all of which has a massive influence on their movement & positioning for each shot.
Simply put, they are better at tracking balls down - irrespective of how much power they have or how fast they can run. Some of the best tennis players in the world aren’t necessarily the best athletes (Alcaraz being an exception - he’s both extremely good at reading the ball and he has the athletic ability that backs it up).
Yet they possess this reading ability - and boy is it vital. So much so that it precedes technical mastery. And when it comes to conditioning, if you’re better at tracking the ball, you’ll a) get to more balls, b) be in a better position when you do get to it and c) increase the chances of hitting a quality ball - and keeping it ‘in the court’.
In other words, less down time - because you’re not getting to the ball or you’re late etc. And more working time (i.e. conditioning).
Ball Control
The ‘in the court’ piece is tied to the perception component but can be expanded on. Because skilled players, even if they aren’t necessarily ‘on the ball’ - with the best possible positioning - can still find a way to control where they’re hitting the ball.
So ball control is about hitting your targets, your spots. That ability to change direction and hit up the line off of a crosscourt. Or having that all so coveted skill of maintaining ball depth.
This ties nicely into on-court drills because if I want players to hit a target during a crosscourt exchange and I ask them to recover fully after every ball, they can do it while we’re training both their movement (and some form of conditioning).
Consistency
When it comes to consistency, it’s not just about pushing the ball back in play. Elite players can accelerate on shots and still keep it in play (sometimes referred to as ‘shot tolerance’ - hitting consistently but with quality). Often it’s because they use more spin (and shape), allowing them to ‘rip it’ with some safety.
At times, yes, they might slow the ball down, or chip it because they’re stretched and that’s their only choice to keep the ball in play. Irrespective, they can keep the ball in play under a variety of circumstances.
This is a great ability to have isn’t it? Especially when combined with control and tracking skills. Elite players that can do all 3 - as we’ll see below - can get the most out of their on-court drilling.
Practically Speaking
From a practical standpoint, because they’re able to read/track the ball well, highly skilled players can get into better positions, can control where they want the ball to go and can keep it in play longer (with quality). All of this translates to a lot more balls being played - and movements being executed.
In other words, the rallies are extended. This places a higher demand on the anaerobic system (this is what we want).
The so-called ‘Spanish drills’ come to mind here. If you’re unfamiliar with them, they are classified as live ball drills but with very specific hitting patterns being used.
For example, 2 cross and 1 line is a classic example of a spanish drill (see video below). One player is always hitting the ball crosscourt while the other player hits 2 crosscourt and then the 3rd ball is hit down the line. And the pattern continues on the opposite wing - 2 cross, 1 line - often until a mistake is made or a coach is using a stopwatch, and calling out ‘time’ (allowing players to take a break, before beginning another sequence).
Here I was putting ATP player Marc Polmans through the ringer with the classic 2 cross, 1 line Spanish Drill.
While this drill is more ‘predictable’ - we know more or less where the ball is going - it still demands players to move really well, make little adjustment steps and control the ball with a pretty high level of precision.
If you can - and again, highly skilled players definitely can - you’re going to get an unbelievable anaerobic conditioning stimulus. Think about it, many of these rallies last 20, 30, 40 - even up to 60 - seconds in length. These sequences are repeated often - I’ve seen actual Spanish coaches working on these patterns for hours (think about how well conditioned you’d be!).
The beauty is, they’re also continuing to improve their skill, shot quality and movement abilities in the process!
Contrast that scenario with how a similar drill would look like in a younger, developing junior (or a less skilled player in general). I’ve actually seen it play out before.
They have trouble controlling the ball - hitting line instead of cross or middle instead of line etc.
They can’t keep the ball in play - two balls are in then a mistake. Then maybe 3, before another mistake (but nothing of length that would tax them anaerobically).
Or one player doesn’t have the perception or movement abilities to track down a tougher, wider crosscourt. This turns into a lot of stop, re-start, stop, re-start. And so on.
Again, the only way this works well is if you're skilled enough to keep the rally in play! And the thing is, really good players not only keep it in play longer, they save a lot of balls that are just long or just wide - keeping the drill ‘alive’.
So what should less skilled players do?
Great question and we can boil it down to 2 things:
Get better! Improve your skills. Stop over-emphasizing your technique (like so many amateur players do) and improve your ability to track the ball, choose the right shot to play, use the appropriate amount of shape, hit it within a 2 foot radius of your target - and do so over and over again. Interject with a technical cue here and there - but not as the first (or only) driver of skill development.
While you’re improving your skills, top up your off-court conditioning. Use the bike if needed to incorporate more interval training - hard efforts followed by easy riding. Or various repeat sprints that can be done on the court (or a field). Or - if you have the luxury of a coach - ask them to basket feed where your aim is to track the ball, get it into the right area and do 10-15 of these balls in a row (so that it acts as a conditioning drill, not a technical one).
The point is, you want to use the off-court conditioning as a bridge - while you’re improving your skills - so that at some point, when you do have better tracking, ball control and consistency, you can take advantage of drills like the one above - and you’re not completely gassed after 2 sequences!
And while there is always a time and place for off-court conditioning - even in highly skilled players - the biggest bang for your buck will always come from getting the specific work done with a racquet in your hand, and a ball in play.