Tennis Band Training – Best Exercises

>> Estimated read time: 5 mins 

At tennis fitness, we have always regarded tennis strength training as a must for every player, no matter your age or level of play you should be aiming to either build your strength up or maintain what you have. Strength is the foundation for speed and agility, power, and deceleration, get it wrong and you will limit your capacity to improve in these areas, I can guarantee you that!

Having worked as tennis trainers at all levels for over 20 years, we have found a common problem for players who want to have specific tennis workouts: getting in regular strength training.

Here are some of the issues most players face when it comes to increasing specific strength for tennis (do any of them sound familiar to you?)

• Don’t know what to do - Players are unsure what to do, how much to do and when to do it. So they do nothing.
• Players are worried they will get injured - Some people do get injured if they follow bad advice or overtrain, that is for sure. Strength training for tennis is easy when you follow the right plan though, it is totally safe. In fact, having been a trainer for 25 years I have never had anyone injure themselves during a strength session.  
• Access to equipment -  Some players do not have access to a gym or they are unsure what equipment to purchase (more on that later).
• Lack of time - Some players are traveling playing tournaments with heavy schedules, and most people work long hours or are studying and find it hard to get strength sessions in.
• Players get worried they will be fatigued and feel heavy on the court from doing strength training - This can happen, however, if your training is planned correctly, it shouldn’t be the case.

Most of these issues can be sorted out by following a good tennis training program, your programming should be tennis-specific, age-appropriate, and periodized (progressive).

You can check out the best tennis training programs 👉 here.

Another way to help you with some of these issues and improve your strength is to use versatile equipment that is easy to travel with, something that you can use anytime, anywhere. One such piece of equipment that we highly recommend is – Tennis Bands (Resistance Bands). Tennis bands come in a range of different tensions, sizes, and designs.

Tennis Bands Benefits:

• Safe for all ages and levels - (kids to the elderly) when using tennis bands muscle is challenged and fatigued by stretching the band out, the further you pull it the more resistance you will get and the harder you will need to work. So it is easy to manage the load you use.
• Good on your joints - Due to the fact there is no gravitational force when using tennis bands, your body's joints are not loaded. This makes it a great training tool for young developing bodies, older aging bodies, and players with joint issues.
• Although we are discussing strength training for tennis today, tennis bands can also be used for; power training, flexibility, and mobility, plus resisted running. This makes tennis bands the most versatile piece of equipment in my opinion.  
• Train anywhere, anytime -  Have minimal space to train? Can only dedicate 30min to training? Want to train at home? The bands are your best option in these scenarios. Check out this program that uses tennis bands, it can be used anywhere, anytime and it is for anyone (I know it sounds too good to be true.
• The resistance load can be easily adjusted - If you are working out in a gym and need to adjust the load of the weight you are using you need to walk back and switch the weight over, this chews up time and effort. Another benefit of using tennis bands is that you can easily adjust the resistance by moving either closer to or further away from the anchor point. This can easily be done between repetitions with no halt to your training.
• It is an effective way to teach the fundamentals of strength training - If you are not performing an exercise using resistance bands correctly you will work it out soon enough. When this happens, the bands will either move you off balance or you won’t be able to perform the exercise as described.

We have found the Power Bands to be the most effective and versatile piece of equipment for tennis players.

In the video below you will find a range of strength exercises you can perform using the power bands. Once you see the exercises you will understand what I mean by versatility and ease to travel with. I have included some upper body and lower body exercises for you.

TENNIS BAND TRAINING 

There are literally 100s of exercises you can perform using these bands and the fact you can simply pop them into your bag and use them when needed makes them a must-have!

So now you have no excuse to miss a strength session whether you are traveling playing tournaments, don’t want to join a gym, or have limited time and space.

Tennis band tips and information for you:

• When choosing your bands, it is best to purchase 3 different loads. This will ensure you can cover all aspects of your training e.g strength, power, resisted running, etc. For most players we recommend: Very Light, Light, Medium.
• Looped powerbands are 41 inches / 105 cm in length. They weigh between 200-500gms each depending on the size.
• Choose the band that allows you to perform the exercise with the correct form.
• Replace your bands every 6-12 months, if you are using them 2-3 times a week.
• Follow a program to make sure you are doing the right exercises that are age appropriate and specific to your needs.   
• When choosing your bands make sure you purchase a high-quality product. We have tested many brands over the years and have found the A2Z product line to be the best, they even have a tennis resistance bands pack, click here for more info.

I am hoping you have learned a few things from this blog – The importance of strength training, how to improve your strength using tennis bands, and finally that you now have no excuse to miss your strength training!

Get your bands, get your program and let’s get it done!