Think about this:

Most of the time when we lose our focus in a tennis match, it’s when we’re tired, fatigued, and basically out of gas.

So as we’re running out of gas, our focus moves from keeping our eyes on the ball to moving our lagging behinds towards the ball…

This shift of focus, a lot of times, leaves us to shank an otherwise powerful winner over the fence and into the pond… So how do we fix it? How do we make sure we don’t get too tired to focus on the ball?

First, let me BRIEFLY explain that tennis is a game that’s a large part anaerobic…Without getting scientific, it basically means your muscles are contracting without the use of oxygen…

Since, this is the case, that’s how we have to train our bodies. Whether on the court or in the gym.

Hit the gym and train like you’re on the court. Grab moderate weights, hit it circuit style with several different exercises non-stop until all the reps of each exercise are complete, rest 30-60 seconds and hit it again.

Here’s an example:

Complete 12 reps of each exercise, moving from A1 to D1 without rest. Once the last exercise is complete, rest 30-60 seconds and repeat 1-2 more times.

A1 Burpee
B1 Reverse Fly
C1 Jumping Lunges
D1 Hammer Curls

Choose exercises that are specifically beneficial to Tennis for every circuit. And it’s okay to throw in A bench press or a traditionally non-tennis exercise here and there.

The object is to train anaerobically with short rest periods, so your body will adapt and recover faster.

As your body begins to recover faster, you’ll notice, on the court, you’re not getting winded as often allowing you to focus on the ball - NOT on how much energy it’s gonna
take you to it.

Kick Fatigue and Fix Your Focus

Once you begin training in the gym to prepare for the court… take it to the next step.

The best way to improve your focus while you’re fatigued is practice in that state. This
technique is NOT for a beginner.

So to increase your focus in tennis, be sure that you train anaerobically with weights for a few weeks first, so your body will already have begun to adapt. Couple this technique with training like described earlier and running out of gas in the final set will be your last thing on your mind.

The point is to take it to the extreme and practice in a more fatigued state than you’ll reach in a match.

Here’s how to do it:

Take someone that’s your ‘equal’ to the courts for practice. Warm up as usual, then play a set in its entirety. Once the set is over, rally practice begins.

First, you’ll need a stop watch. Then you and your partner stand on the doubles line on opposite sides of the net.

On cue, sprint to the opposite doubles line and back twice as fast as you can, rest 10 seconds and immediately begin a rally. The object is to keep the tennis ball ‘in play’ for as long as possible. As soon as either you or your partner miss a shot, sprint to the doubles line and repeat the sequence.

Sprint to the opposite doubles line twice, rest 10 seconds, and then immediately begin a rally keeping the ball in play as long as possible.

Repeat for a total of 8-10 times.

You’ll need to keep a few extra tennis balls within a short distance, because you’ll only have 10 seconds from the end of your last sprint until the rally begins.

Combine this technique with a Tennis Specific Fitness Program and watch your game catapult to the next level.

As one of the nation’s most in-demand fitness trainers, Todd Scott is a training advisor to Men’s Fitness and Muscle & Fitness Hers magazines. You can find his articles on news stands today and in nearly every issue of Men’s Fitness or Muscle & Fitness Hers magazines for the past 2 years. A high school champion tennis player-turned-fitness expert finally decided, after a little arm twisting by his tennis clients, to allow public access into his Tennis Specific Fitness Databank to help people just like you develop strength and power to hit stronger shots and win more matches. TennisFitnessTips.com is a website designed to help you “Train Hard & Win Easy!”…

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