“Off Season” – “On Season” – Dusting off your racquets

OFF SEASON: I Have a lot of my personal clients tell me that they get frustrated during the winter months, especially the holidays. Therefore I thought I would use this blog as an opportunity to share with others who may struggle with this. So before we talk about dusting off our racquets and equipment, let’s talk about managing the “Off season”. My clients come to me concerned about training enough and proper diet and don’t feel they are doing enough during the winter months. In some cases it is true because they are not doing enough during the “On season” or more accommodating months. Winter and holiday season in the US, Thanksgiving through New years and further, brings less daylight, more rich food, and more things to do as well as uncooperative weather.

Here is my position. Training during these moths is tough and so is eating best. I love the good holiday stuff. But, with our industrialized nation, we are probably the only mammal that is not as tuned into our natural seasonal clocks. Maybe we should be. For Tennis at least, we are forced off the court for some of winter in many parts of the country. For training and fitness we can still do quite a bit – but should you?

I am not telling you to go hibernate, stock up on food or eat till you bust – but I say stop feeling guilty about that 2-3 month period where daylight is limited, temperatures don’t cooperate and weather is harsh or wet. Stop beating yourself up. Either enjoy the seasonal changes, break and enjoy the food and rest and feel good about it – OR – engage and get over the winter and holiday barriers by creating a workout or court time that works. Some of you reading this are wondering what does this have to do with the tennis season……….It’s coming.

Here is my take . I do one of two things or sometimes a little of both.

Food: From the week of Thanksgiving I enjoy eating all the good stuff until about the first week of December. Then I reel myself back in a bit….. By then most the leftovers are gone and my midnight kitchen rendezvous for turkey sandwiches and pie are over. I then don’t worry about eating strictly from the first Christmas party until Jan 2nd. So for maybe 6 weeks I am fairly relaxed, and for about 2 weeks really don’t worry about deplorable eating. That’s only about 10-15% of a total year. Well worth the short term gratification and fun. Even if it means a few strict weeks or heavier training later.

Training: I modify my training, on and off the court. I do this with training one of three ways. For fitness and conditioning I either 1) take a good four week break or 2)I go to a totally focused but different regimen. One that is not too similar to any of my requirements for the rest of the year. Like heavy weight lifting, gymnastic free body work, yoga, Pilates or biking – just different – I like to challenge my body and mind. This year I have used the time to master my TRX training system. Another option is to 3) modify my training time, frequency and intensity to just maintain and give my body a little rest. Look up the FITT principals in previous blogs.

I also modify my tennis by just playing down and not playing high level competitive tennis. (Hey, even top pros complain about not enough time off from the US Open to the Australian Open.)

Take advantage of the tennis “Off Season” to just work on a specific part of your game during the less available court time. Work on just a certain stroke instead of trying to grab some folks to play a few hours of tennis in the potentially short available playable hours. Hire a pro for 30-60 minutes just to work on one thing or hit on a wall when weather permits – it is the perfect timing tool.

Your body needs some rest if you are a year round athlete or fitness achiever. Regardless of my “Off Season” choice, I always take at least 2 full weeks off and do nothing – Its not unusual for the physical mental and emotional components of your body to need a good 7-14 days or more of rest for all those little ailments that can haunt you later when you start to train hard or compete. This seasonal recognition or flowing with the seasons without guilt also helps reduce burnout and increase drive during your “On Season” time. This “Off Season” also allows you to strengthen both your physical and game weaknesses, improving your competitive abilities and overall fitness while lessening your chance of injury when you really hit it.

ON SEASON: So now that you have made it through the off season, you are looking at the “On Season” and dusting off your Racquet and equipment, which is where we are in Texas. One of our first major zones of the year is in a few weeks and it is time to get ready! YAY TOURNEY TIME!!!

Fitness and court readiness: I am always amazed that in this department I find it so hard to practice what I speak. After not being on the court for a while or not really being tennis fit, I’ll go out and get on the court with a few of my junior clients and decide to hit out or crack that big forehand, or hit big serves. Next thing I know my shoulder and elbow hurt because my timing was off and my body was not tennis ready and I spend the next week sore. My right shoulder hurts as I type this because I did that this week with the arrival of nice weather.

Many players make this mistake in the spring or early “On Season.” They go out with lots of enthusiasm, play way too hard and too long and are so sore or hurt they can’t play again for a few weeks or more. Don’t do this. Start slowly. Work on the court for only 30-45 minutes. Start in the short court. Hit at 30-45% power. Play short court/mini tennis for a while so you don’t create any injuries because you are not hitting with good form or timing and over stressing your body. Find your timing and stroke before you go big and don’t serve big. Ever wonder why the pros warm up for 5 minutes? They are already “warm.” It’s more about adjusting to that court, match, opponent and dialing in timing and what not. When you are off the court for weeks or months you will need to spend many minutes dialing your stroke in again. Play some points but play with someone who you don’t feel like you have to beat! Its not a tournament, it is a warm up to the new season. Be casual about your game until you are in better shape and tennis condition.

Take some extra time to stretch beforehand than you usually do. Refer to my blog article about active warm ups in pre-match play and preparation. If you are really sedentary and plan to pick up your sticks soon, start walking and jogging a little or do some light strength and endurance exercises. Hire a coach or trainer who can help you prepare in stages appropriate for you. Join a fitness group, or one of my 10FITTTM classes for a few weeks to get ready for court play. This way you hopefully do not hurt yourself the first day out.

Our bodies are amazing and capable of much more than we sometimes realize or do but the first day out this season is not the time to test it. Be prepared and ready, start slow and don’t forget to stay hydrated, your body is adjusting again to more activity. I know its hard to go easy and slow when you love the game. But its worth not knocking yourself out of future play because of starting too fast.

Equipment Check: I know this may seem picky, but here I am mostly talking about racquet condition. Did you know that Rich and many of his stringers at First Serve are Certified Master Racquet Technicians? They can test your racquet for playability, defects or if it is just dead and you are due for a new racquet or just strings. Don’t worry. I wanted a new racquet for a while as I kept thinking my current one was dead or not as it should be. Rich tested it and said “Wait, don’t spend your $. Try new or different strings instead.” So don’t hesitate to take your racquet in to First Serve. A new racquet will not be recommended unless it is needed. Rich made me wait 8 months before I bought a new one. Strings however are needed regularly and I bet if the last time you hit a ball was late fall or you played even occasionally or your racquet got either real hot in your car or cold in your garage than you need new strings. Let First serve help you decide on the type that is best for your game and your racquet. As a rule of thumb you should string your racquet the same number of times in one year that you play a month. That is a general rule of thumb, not a hard rule but check with First serve on that too. It will be well worth the investment because many cumulative trauma injuries in the arm and shoulder arise from less than ideal racquet performance. Finally, don’t ignore your shoes – if they are thin in tread, too stinky, too loose or too flexible and have lost their support, they are unsafe and you might need another pair! This is a great time to buy shoes at first serve. The new models are coming out and the old ones are a good deal. Gloria is the best with shoes for you at First Serve.

So, Check your EQ, start slowly and have fun – Play hard eventually.

Hit well and Be Fit for Life,
Coach Eric 210-396-3063
eric@ericjamescoaching.com

* This article is not intended for exercise prescription or health and fitness advice. Always check with your healthcare professional or personal trainer about your personal activity levels, sport participation or exercise levels before you participate in such activities.