Most of the tennis players I coach are committed to improving their game. They come my way because they want to move better, get out of pain, feel more explosive, improve their skill—or a combination of the above.
Oftentimes, when we first dig into what they’ve been doing, it looks something like this: lots of tennis, a bit of weight training, and maybe some machine cardio.
Now, I’m not saying these things are bad (in fact, any one of the could appear in our programs), but something important is missing.
Can you guess what that is?
Let’s use a recent case study to give you a hint. A really good player—semi-pro / Futures level—came to me asking for help on the physical side.
He was struggling with a few things: felt slow, not explosive, had some achy hips, and his left knee felt a little stiff.
Once we dove into what he was currently doing, things started to make sense. Lots of tennis, some weight training—but absolutely no sprints, plyos, or dynamic work of any kind.
What Is Dynamic Training?
Dynamic work is anything that requires projecting your body or an implement with high intent and acceleration. There are many sub-categories—which we won’t get into today—but let me give you a few examples.
Plyometrics are dynamic. They involve propulsion—vertical, horizontal, or lateral—of your center of mass (CoM) into the air, followed by an impact upon landing.
Barbell jump squats are also dynamic—we often refer to them as “ballistic.” They’re slower than a plyometric movement (because of the added load), but you’re still projecting yourself and the bar into the air – both rapidly and explosively.
The opposite of dynamic would be static. The term can be confusing, because it doesn’t mean “no movement.” Static lifts do involve movement, but there’s no projection into the air and the CoM stay more or less under the base of support.
For instance, a back squat – even though it can still improve things like rate of force development – would be considered a static lift. The lower-body joints are flexing and extending, muscles are developing tension — and ground reaction forces are still quite high — but the CoM doesn’t change much + the movement is controlled.
In a nutshell: plyometrics, jumping, sprinting, change-of-direction drills, med ball throws (and even Olympic lifts) all fall under dynamic work.
Why Does It Matter?
Dynamic work is important because it bridges the gap between the weight room and the court. It’s the high-velocity, rapid acceleration and high force expression that’s so critical in today’s highly athletic game.
Introducing dynamic work doesn’t mean you need to start training like a track athlete in week one—it’s highly scalable. You can still be dynamic even if the work is submaximal.
It also exposes players to various stressors they won’t get in the gym or through tennis alone. It helps them express and handle higher forces during change-of-direction tasks, in a more controlled environment.
It also gradually exposes the ankles, hips, and knees to impact stress—so those joints aren’t “surprised” when they see it on the tennis court!
The shoulders, elbows, and wrists can also learn to handle force through repeated med ball catch-and-throw drills—a better approach than simply hitting hundreds of balls in practice and then wondering why your rotator cuff is flared up again.
All of these modalities can be scaled up or down depending on your level and goals. But at some point, you’ll need this work to handle the increasingly high forces of tennis—likely reducing those aches and pains along the way.
What a Dynamic Session Looks Like
Here’s a simple way to structure a session. As mentioned, intensity can vary. For many players who are just getting back into this type of work (like my client above), I start with lighter (submaximal), more extensive dynamic training and ramp up from there.
Warm-Up:
There are lots of options here—sprint drills, skips, ballistic mobility, etc. One key point: perform a few submaximal reps of each exercise from the workout during your warm-up. This not only preps the body but improves skill execution and timing of said movement.