Tennis Legend Michael Chang Shares His Tennis x Fitness Tips

[Sponsored Article]

1. What is the time ratio I should spend between fitness training and court training on a weekly basis?

Fitness training plays a much more important role than most players think.  It is one of the main reasons why professional players put so much emphasis on off-court training these days.  Why?  Because a fitter, more flexible and stronger tennis player helps them to play better and last longer on the court!  It doesn't take much to feel the difference in your game either!  For most players, 3 to 4 times a week of one to one-and-a-half hours of gym time can make a huge difference in your performance on court.

2. How does my diet affect my fitness condition?

Diet plays a big role in any kind of fitness activity because it is the fuel you give your body to perform.  Just like a car, if you put low octane fuel in a sports car, it won't run or perform the way it's supposed to.  The same can be said for the human body.  If you feed it highly nutritious energy rich food, it will perform well and with sustainability.  If your source of food is high in fat and/or sugar, you will learn very quickly that those kind of foods have a very poor effect on your play and concentration, and your energy level will deplete very quickly as well.

3. Shall I be putting more effort on training the muscles on my lower body (e.g. core, hip and legs) than on my arms and shoulders?

Tennis players will definitely want to focus on the lower body since tennis requires you to move with speed and agility and endurance, but the arms and shoulders also play an important role.  Light weights, bands and exercises that work the entire range of motion are very effective in keeping the arms and shoulders working properly while also helping to keep them injury free.