Physcial

There are a million different opinions on how one should train to be fit, well conditioned, fast, strong, flexible, core centered etc There are almost as many opinions on fitness as there are about ones diet. Our philosophy is more therapy based. Brenda and I both had back injuries that stopped both of our sports careers. The good news is we learned a lot since the experts told us our careers were over and that is where the information stopped. So we sought out solutions and implemented them into our training so we can lead a full athletic life free of pain. Understanding the physical side of things is complex. You have to look at ones strength, speed, power, explosiveness, quickness, agility, balance, endurance, joint and spine integrity, soft tissue issues, muscular alignment, mobility, flexibility, inflammation management and how fast you recover from training. If you are a professional you will have physical conditioning, speed and agility, Pilates, yoga and flexibility coaches or some variation of this list. The services of chiropractors, physical therapists, acupuncturists, massage therapists and a long list of other gurus will be enlisted.

Having an understanding of the athletic position is where it all starts. If your body is in proper alignment by being strong, balanced, flexible and mobile great things can happen. I mention in my speeches that if you are a genetic freak the rules do not apply. But, if you are not you can work on each item required to be athletic. Some people have one limitation while others have multiple. But, with the proper information and focused effort even the most disconnected individual can move towards being connected athletically. Being connected is worth more than a big bench press, lightening fast forty yard dash time or huge squat numbers. If you are connected you can reach your full potential and will have much fewer injuries. We have players who have trained with is since they were fifteen and never had tennis related injuries into their twenties.

The following list of products are simple, inexpensive and can be done at home, on the road or at a local park. If you make these part of your daily rituals you will be connected and moving towards reaching your full potential while being injury free. We will be making periodic posts in the form of pictures and videos to enhance your training.

www.Lifeline.com-
Power Jumper, Ab Wheel, Eischens Yoga DVD and Jungle Gym XT

YRGWorkout- www.yrgfitness.com YRGWorkout DVD set

www.blissology.com Eoin Finn Happy Hips or any of his Yoga DVD’s

www.tptherapy.com Trigger Point Therapy Rolling System

If you implement these workouts and systems into your programs, achieving your goals will be that much closer.

I have a host of requests from campers parents about the specifics of their game that need improvement. These are my thoughts and suggestions for every junior player. The pictures below give a visual of the proper execution of the fundamentals. The player needs to sit down with their coach and ask them how they can hit the ball like it is done in the pictures. If they have an issue with that give me a call and I’ll point you in the right direction with a video, text and or pictures. The main issues are footwork, preparation, loading, being athletic and pushing into the court when possible. The majority of the kids don’t drop their butt or bend their knees which will lead to effective loading. They swing across their bodies too much and watch their shots instead of getting ready for the next ball. Most need more extension on their serves, they also should focus on keeping their heads up and finishing the serve inside the court. This all starts with a proper toss which needs to be practiced along with putting their hip into their serve. When on the run they have the tendency to begin recovering before they finish the stroke. When hitting volleys most have the tendency to swing their arm rather than involving their legs in the shot. I will make sure I have periodic technical posts to go into greater detail with each above mentioned item. Thanks and let me know if you have any specific requests in my posts.

Strings,Strings,Strings!!!!

Last year at the US Open I spent a long time with Martina Navratilova discussing a number of things in the tennis world. The one thing we discussed was strings. When I came back after my back injury I used traditional gut. That is what I used when I broke the serve record. Martina told me I was missing out not using a polyester with all the advantages it gave the player. She was using Black Code by Technifibre at the time. I experimented with it and a few different blends with natural gut along with other synthetic strings to find the right mix. The biggest thing I noticed was the string goes dead and feels like a board in a very short timeframe. I have worked with players mainly male college players who never cut out the strings unless they break. I just had a few campers at my camp who followed the same stringing regimen. The strings are awesome and there are many different types that have added benefits for your game. But, the type and quality is the first thing you need to be worried about. You get what you pay for and it is an investment. That was one of the first things Stan Franker told me who was the Dutch and Austrian head of coaching for professional tennis. You cannot leave these strings in for more than a few days or you will end up with an issue. If you cannot afford to pay for the strings and stringing fees you may want to find another alternative string. The guys who were stringing at camp used and loved the Solinco strings. They felt it gave the feeling of the higher end strings but was softer on their arms for a more reasonable price. In the last year my niece had a wrist injury, her boyfriend who plays Davis Cup for the Dutch Antilles has had a wrist injury, one of my coaches was using the string for feeding balls which led to pain from her neck to her fingertips and I know if you asked the trainers in the WTA or ATP locker rooms that the number of injuries has increased. My niece did not want to spend the money on a quality string or have her racquets strung as many times as needed. She paid the price with an injury. What costs more an injury or being professional about your strings? I know the top players have dropped the tension in the strings to make them softer on the arm. I spoke with Nate Ferguson who handled my racquets when he worked for Bosworth International before he branched off on his own working with players like Federer, Murray, Gonzales and Hewitt. He told me players use a variety of strings, mixes and tensions. But, they change their strings often and usually daily. If you string a racquet with polyester on Sunday and still are using it on Thursday it is too long. If you do not hit with a lot of spin and or hit a heavy ball you are not going to break the strings in the time frame that you should to manage your stringing appropriately. Find a stringer that knows stringing. I know people have their own stringing machines, use a friend or the cheapest stringer. But, your racquet and strings are your tool. An artist does not use cheap paint when doing a watercolor so a tennis player should not skimp when it comes to their strings.

Nutrition and Supplementation

Nutrition Made Easy:
1)Make Sure 80 % of you meal is plant based, free of refined/white/enriched flour, grains and rice. The other 20 % should consist of lean proteins and high quality fats. The 80 % can be vegetables, fruits and or high quality whole grains. High quality grains consist of wheat, barley, quinoa, rice (brown, black or red), wild rice, cornmeal, oats, buckwheat, couscous, bulgur, amaranth, kamut, spelt and millet.
2)No high fructose corn syrup, white sugar or brown sugar. No fake sweeteners. Use agave, raw honey, royal jelly, real maple syrup or stevia.
3)Meat and dairy should be grass fed and free of pesticides along with hormones.  Cows are meant to eat grass so even if they are organic it does not mean the milk or meat is the best choice.  Grass fed organic is best but grass fed is better than organic. Milk is best grass fed and organic but free of hormones along with antibiotics is a better choice than normal dairy products.
4)Chicken-fowl should be cage, hormone and antibiotic free. Eggs should be the same and are one of the fastest digesting animal proteins.
5)Fish should be wild caught not farm raised.
6)When possible eat organic peanut butter there is a lot of mold and fungus that has been shown to cause multiple health issues in normal peanut butter. Sunflower butter is a tasty alternative.
7)Look for produce from the Non-GMO project. www.nongmo.org
8)Eat organic when you can but at least stay away from the dirty dozen, http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-214
9)Drink a minimum of half of your body weight in water per day. Fresh juice is phenomenal for your health, www.brevilleusa.com is a great place for a high quality juicer. Smoothies, soups and blended meals are a great way to get high fiber, delicious liquid nutrition. www.blendtec.com for an exceptional machine for smoothies, whole juice, nut butters, milled grains, enzyme rich soups and spreads. Coconut water is a great all natural electrolyte replacement beverage.
10)Stick to high quality plant based supplements. The  best brands are New Chapter and Garden of Life for multi-vitamins and fish oils. Amazing Grass, Vibrant Health, HealthForce Nutritional’s and Trace Minerals Research have great superfood concentrated powders to aid in recovery along with supplement ones diet. A serving of these powders is equal to eating 1-5 pounds of fruits and vegetables.
11)Don’t be afraid to add a few superfoods into your diet; Raw Cacao, Maca, Goji Berries, Acai, Golden Berries, Napol Cactus, Cinnamon, Chia Seeds, Hemp Nuts, Pumpkins Seeds, Tumeric, Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil, Ginger and Sacha Inchi Oil. www.renegadehealth.com is a great source for superfoods or your local health food store.
12)Great books for understanding sports nutrition and proper utilization of foods. “Warrior Diet” and anything written by Ori Hofmeckler, “The Thrive Diet” by Brendan Brazier, “The Three Season Diet;Body, Mind and Sport” by John Doulliard
13)Great sites for sourcing healthier alternatives to the mega brands for protein powders, bars, meal replacement shakes, sports drinks and more:
1)www.defensivenutrition.com
2)www.jayrobb.com
3)www.healthforcenutritionals.com
4)www.myvega.com
5)www.ebperformance.com
6)www.rwknudsenfamily.com – ReCharge
14)Learn how to be efficient burning different fuels. Try having low carb high fat days (mainly focus on vegetables and plant based fats such as avocados, nuts, seeds and olives), high protein low carb (lean meat, chicken, fish and eggs with vegetables), high carb low protein and fat (whole grains, rice, vegetables, fruits and beans with lean animal proteins such as fish, bison, chicken or turkey) and try to add a pure plant based day. Variety and food rotation is the key for optimal performance.
15)Make sure your prematch or practice meals are small, basic, full of all food groups and nutrient dense. Sugar and refined grains cause you to have a high and lows while on the court. They also cause inflammation. Dairy such as Greek Yogurt is great for after a match or practice but isn’t the best choice prior to competing.

Just remember a pit crew from a Formula One or Nascar team would never think about putting cheap fuel in their car so why should you think any differently.

We are all unique individuals so one diet does not fit all people. The key is to have high quality food. The mix can vary based on the time of year and your training level. The other thing is enjoy food when you have earned it reward yourself with something that you love and do not stress about it. The stress of worrying about the occasional cheat meal is worse for you than what is in your cheat meal.