Hi - Winter is ALMOST over and this could be the best tennis year for all of us. Seriously, are you ready for ALTA and USTA? Jumping rope can be one quick way to get you moving!

Beth.McCaskill@TennisPlayersNetwork.com

Tips for Playing Tennis in Cold Weather

The winter can pose a challenge for tennis players around the country. It is not much fun playing tennis in cold weather and challenging conditions as tennis players in the north can attest. Here are some ideas for surviving cold weather tennis.

Find yourself a good tennis glove to keep your hands warm. Nothing can alter a tennis match more than playing with cold hands. It affects everything from grips to the shots you are willing to even try to hit in the match. Make sure the glove fits tightly and doesn't cause blisters.

Pocket warmers are very useful as well. They don't cost a lot and can be a godsend during breaks to get those hands warmed back up.

Layer, layer, layer. Proper clothing is a must. Under Armor is wonderful. You want light-weight clothing that keeps the heat in while not hindering your movement and court coverage at all. Get some type of headwear as that is where we lose the majority of our heat.

Playing tennis in cold weather can be a challenge, but with these tips it can be done. It can allow a tennis enthusiast to get their winter tennis fix instead of having to patiently await warmer temperatures.

Coordination & Movement Skill Development - The Key to Long-Term Athletic Success
by Brian Grasso, YCS, CMT

The key ingredient to working with pre-adolescent and early adolescent athletes is providing global stimulation from a movement perspective. Younger athletes must experience and eventually perfect a variety of motor skills in order to ensure both future athletic success and injury prevention. Developing basic coordination through movement stimulus is a must, with the eventual goal of developing sport-specific coordination in the teenage years. Coordination itself, however, is a global system made up of several synergistic elements and not necessarily a singularly defined ability.

Balance, rhythm, spatial orientation and the ability to react to both auditory and visual stimulus have all been identified as elements of coordination. In fact, the development of good coordination is a multi-tiered sequence that progresses from skills performed with good spatial awareness but without speed to skills performed at increased speeds and in a constantly changing environment. As Joseph Drabik points out, coordination is best developed between the ages of 7 - 14, with the most crucial period being between 10 - 13 years of age.

As with anything else, an important issue with respect to coordination development is to provide stimulus that is specific (and therefore appropriate) for the individual. Prescribing drills that are either too easy or too difficult for the young athlete will have a less than optimal result.

An interesting note, as I have suggested in past articles, is that there appears to be a cap with respect to coordination development and ability. Younger athletes who learn to master the elements associated with good coordination (balance, rhythm, spatial awareness, reaction etc), are far better off then athletes who are not exposed to this kind of exercise stimulation until advanced ages. The ability to optimally develop coordination ends at around the age of 16. This validates the claim that global, early exposure is the key from an athletic development standpoint. Again, global coordination will serve as the basis to develop specific coordination in the teenage years.

Once again, it is important to mention that coordination development is a process that encompasses years of exposure and is based on DIVERSITY and VERSATILITY. Young athletes cannot be pigeonholed into sport specific stimulus at a young age and expected to vault into the ranks of elite athletics. As the motto of my company says, 'You Can't Become a Champion Until You Become An Athlete'.

Furthermore, it is important to understand that coordination-based exercises must be introduced during the preadolescent ages. Adolescence is not an appropriate time during which to begin elements of coordination training. As strength, speed, height and body mass change significantly during these years, it is much more prudent to reinforce already known movements rather than teach new ones. Herein lies the art and understanding of developing a young athlete. Coaches, trainers and parents must accept the fact that developing a healthy and successful athlete is a journey or process that encompasses several varying degrees of stimulus, all of which build on top of the other.

Coordination training, for example, is introduced during the pre-adolescent ages while nervous system plasticity is high and movement habits have not yet been ingrained as permanent. The scope of coordination training changes during the adolescent ages, during which physical growth alters the young athlete's previously mastered movement habits. At this time, refinement of movement should take precedent over learning new movement-based skills. In post-adolescence, coordination training can once again be taken to new heights.

One point to consider about coordination is that genetic pre-disposition plays a significant role. Less coordinated children will likely never exhibit the tendencies of naturally coordinated children regardless of training. That is not to say that improvements cannot be made, however - quite the opposite. Here are three basic principals of coordination training -

1. Start young - coordination improves as a result of learning and mastering new movements. Start young athletes off early with coordination-based exercises that challenge their abilities (within reason). The more coordination a young athlete has, the more ability he or she will display at any perspective sport.
   
   
2. Challenge young athletes on an individual and appropriate level - Some youngsters have good balance while others display good rhythm. The key to successful coaching is to undercover what elements of coordination each athlete requires and develop drills/exercises that most suitably target the weaknesses.
   
   
3. Change exercises frequently - young athletes learn quickly in most cases. Be sure to challenge them physically and intellectually with new exercises often.

The following list provides some basic exercises that you can use with your young athletes to help develop elements of coordination -

• Multi-directional forms of running, jumping and skipping
• Single leg balancing games
• Mirror games (mirroring each other's movements)
• Known exercises starting or finishing in new positions (start sprints from belly or one knee; end with hands up or on all fours)
• Opposite arm circles (right hand circles forward, left backwards)
• Simultaneous arm and leg circles
• Jump in place with 180 or 360 turns while in flight
• Balance exercises on a low balance beam
• Cross step-over running or carioca
• Somersault to balance (somersault to standing one legged balance)
• Skipping A, B and C's
• Obstacle running (place hurdles directly on floor and have athlete run over them)

Brian Grasso is the Executive Director of the International Youth Conditioning Association and considered by many to be one of the premier authorities on youth athletic development in the world.

Team Building is a very important part of Alta. Most of the Championship Teams are not based solely on Talent. If you go and watch the City Finals whether Men's or Women's the players have a passion for their team. They appreciate doing their part whether that means cheerleading, waiting 5-6 hours to play line 5 or sitting out as an alternate. The teams also have good leaders that captain and co-captain the team putting team first themselves and other agenda's second. The team also has good leadership at the top of the team with the strongest players dedicated to improving and working as hard as any member of the team. The team's players are all committed to practice, watching all the lines complete their matches, and cheering them on with positive verbals and praise. The players enjoy the overall experience, friendships, exercise, and companionship and would be satisfied with just those things even if it didn't mean a championship.

The teams players are made up of players that talk to one another, are all working toward a common goal of improvement in there tennis games, and don't worry about the position they play as they know the captain or coach will put them in the appropriate spot with a complimentary partner. These players will also enjoy the company of teammates outside of tennis activities. When the players come out to practice they feel excited, ready to learn, and compete for enjoyment. Players get out of every practice: knowledge, enjoyment, exercise, and friendship.

Championship teams have their struggles but will be more likely to experience these positive feelings towards tennis than do the teams that struggle. Team Building is part of Mental Toughness and again one of the most important parts to fun and quality tennis yet it is practiced and talked about the least.

Be ready for Spring Tennis Buy a jump rope

Old-time boxers knew what they were doing. According to the Compendium of Physical Studies, jumping rope for 10 minutes can burn as many calories as jogging at an eight-minute-per-mile pace. No wonder many fitness experts call the jump rope the best all-around piece of exercise equipment you can own. Here are five reasons to learn the ropes:

1. Cost. Unlike a treadmill, elliptical, or other high-tech cardio machine, jump ropes sell for about $15, and a good one should last for years – if not decades.
   
   
2. Portability. You can take it anywhere and use it indoors or out.
   
   
3. Strength gain. Jumping builds bone-mineral density and improves total-body power. Athletes have used it to improve their vertical jump height.
   
   
4. Improved coordination. The jump rope forces you to keep a rhythmic pace and use proper form, otherwise you trip.
   
   
5. Fat loss. Jumping rope involves nearly every muscle. Some people report that it's the only cardio they need to lose fat.

THE WORKOUT
This beginner's routine will jump-start your conditioning

Jump for 30 reps swinging the rope forward. If you trip up, it's OK, just continue until you hit 30. Rest 30 seconds, and then do another 30 reps, swinging the rope backward. (Hint: it's harder.) Rest again. That's one set. Perform four to eight sets depending on your endurance. If you have never jumped rope before or haven't for a while, imitate a jump-rope workout for a few days–pretend you're using a rope and rotate your wrists in time with your jumps. It may feel silly, but you'll learn timing and condition your body to use the rope.