Is running/jogging good training/conditioning for tennis?

[dwhiteside]

I have been getting tired after about an hour of an intense match and my game really suffers. I do training drills on the court that coaches recommend like shuffling through a ladder and doing quick splitstep/lunges, I also weight train legs, but I was wondering if starting a running/jogging regime would help my movement/endurance - my gut tells me it would. I plan to do distance running on a track and cross country. I don't generally have a problem with sprints and getting to the ball quickly if it's a dropshot or something, it's just the general movement back and forth and back and forth is what tires me out after a while. Note that I don't plan to do this as a warmup before a match, I'd be running on days that I am not playing tennis even as an alternative activity from tennis, although I am curious as to if the benefits would overlap and reinforce one another. Thanks!

EDIT: I just saw this article which has great suggestions, and does reinforce my inkling that running would help endurance: http://www.tennisserver.com/turbo/turbo_99_12.html

 

[vndesu]

i think that running is fine but you should add stuff like footwork drills, medicine ball training etc.
one great way to help condition is to jump rope alot and stuff like running the lines or lunges etc.

 

[Terr]

In my opinion, jogging is great for any sport. It will greatly increase your stamina, you'll begin to notice you can endure matches for much longer after a few months of regular 20+minutes of jogging.

I'd say 3-4 times a week is best. Beginners should remember never to stop during a jog. Slowing down is ok, so is walking, but stopping is a no no. The principle is cardio workout, so keep your heart rate up.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Yes, an extended cardio workout like aerobic running should help.

On the other hand, your conditioning would be incomplete if you are only performing aerobic running. For tennis, 3 different energy systems are employed during the course of a match -- one of these is the aerobic system, the other 2 are anaerobic systems. If you want to properly develop your stamina for tennis, you need to incorporate some interval training along with the aerobic running.

It sounds as if you may be getting some interval-type training with your current training drills. You might also include some "wind sprints" and also some interval training with a jump rope. For more about the 3 different energy systems required for tennis endurance, read this following:

tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?p=3457488

.

 

[wyutani]

more sprinting than jogging mate'...

 

[Gmedlo]

general movement back and forth and back and forth is what tires me out after a while.

Then practice more movement back and forth. That will help even more than sprinting will.

 

[GuyClinch]

From what you do already - some distance work would help. I don't think you need alot of running with tennis. A good half hour jog at a decent pace should be enough.

For me anyway I have found aerobic fitness comes and goes quite fast. So what's really important is that stick to something you can keep up on at a regular basis.. YMMV.

Pete

 

[jmverdugo]

It will not harm you ... most professional tennis players run at least 30 min a day, or so I have heard, I run 30 min 3 or 4 days a week but mainly because I like to do it, I do not do it more oftenf because I have weak knees.

 

[mike53]

Is running/jogging good training/conditioning for tennis?

If you weigh over 1kg per inch of height, jogging or running help you lose weight that that could be a big positive for your game. Otherwise, it's not clear how much benefit your tennis would get from a jogging program.

That being said, I'm sitting here now having just finished a 4-mile/32min run. I run because I enjoy it. It's an athletic thing to do.

 

[coach]

Then practice more movement back and forth. That will help even more than sprinting will.

. I think the side to side thing is definitely important-- as far as ankle strength and flexibility, but to me tennis in singles is lot of quick starts/stops and is aerobic 80% of the time but 10-15% of the time it seems to be anaerobic-- you have to be able to recover from that to be able to play the next point or game.

Twenty years ago or so I would run a style of workout called "fartlek" training-- a Swedish word for "speedplay". Like tennis, it would involve varying intensity and would make training a lot more enjoyable than standard laps. So you might run to a phone pole 100 meters away at 85% intensity and then 60% intensity to the corner of the block. Then pick another landmark and run 40% to it, followed by 75% to a farther object in the distance, etc.

see these links for more information

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fartlek

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-263--12081-0,00.html

 

[GuyClinch]

Tennis is more anaerobic. However I have found that a fairly low (by running standards) baseline of straight up aerobic conditioning is helpful. No more then a 1/2 run at a decent pace, IMHO.

I suspect its just because your have an elevated heart rate in between points and you can better 'recover' during this period with more conditioning. But that's really just a guess.

Pete

 

[10ACE]

Running is a terrible thing to do for conditioning. Running is bad for the heart, bad for cardio, and just plain bad for the body. You might as well take up smoking on your down time and just stick to tennis.

 

[Moz]

Running is a terrible thing to do for conditioning. Running is bad for the heart, bad for cardio, and just plain bad for the body. You might as well take up smoking on your down time and just stick to tennis.

What an incredibly ill-informed post.

 

[maddogz32]

thats what i do. but i add push ups, sit ups and pull ups

 

[mike53]

What an incredibly ill-informed post.

I think he may be joking

 

[10ACE]

I think he may be joking

Those brits don't know a joke until they're part of it.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Those brits don't know a joke until they're part of it.

Really think so? After all, they did give us Benny Hill, Monty Python, All in the Family (Till Death Us Do Part), Bridget Jones, Shaun of the Dead, and fish & chips.

Tennis is more anaerobic. However I have found that a fairly low (by running standards) baseline of straight up aerobic conditioning is helpful. No more then a 1/2 run at a decent pace, IMHO...

A few years back, I would have assumed that aerobic component in tennis was rather limited -- even tho' it was apparent that developing a good aerobic base was beneficial for tennis. However, recent studies have shown that the aerobic element of tennis is much greater in competitive tennis than most of us realized.

In fact, it appears that tennis is a sport that requires a high level of aerobic conditioning. Check out pages 40-47 of the following document:

dps.usta.com/usta_master/usta/doc/content/doc_437_23.pdf

tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?p=2850487

.

 

[drgreenthumb]

definitely! i can feel the difference when i go on 1 month vacation diving and come back from tennis...no endurance at all.

but i think when you do running your should always vary your inclination, speed, etc...on a thread mill for ex., so you dont plateau. I also do cross training, a lot of wrist curls and reverse, hammer pulls (because I have a wristy forehand for my topspin flick). shoulder workouts, abs, etc...
biking is another substitute as well as the rowing machines for legs and shoulders.

when i play, i usually grind my oponent down from corner to corner shots during the 1 set and i could see them running out of gas on the seconds set!

 

[Moz]

I think he may be joking

Those brits don't know a joke until they're part of it.

Oops, how embarassing.

I must have got so used to the idiocy on here that I can no longer spot a joke. I'll get my coat.

 

[chess9]

When I had my first treadmill stress test about 1983, the doctor laid my result over a copy of Bjorn Borg's.

So, at least the docs think tennis is good for the heart/lungs, oxygen metabolism.

-Robert

 

[10ACE]

Really think so? After all, they did give us Benny Hill, Monty Python, All in the Family (Till Death Us Do Part), Bridget Jones, Shaun of the Dead, and fish & chips.

Lets us not forget Dudley Moore, 10 is simply amazing-Faulty Towers, excellent show "Basiiiiillllll", Not the Nine 0'clock news.. Yes they have great comedians, and wit. My comment was a simple jab, for not recognizing that my post was not even close to being serious. I mean please will running help my endurance, tennis, etc-