Blog by Vijay Yashpaul (Coach VJ) – Strength and Conditioning Coach
It’s funny to see various views and reviews on the prevailing sports development. Isn’t it funny you all know what is required to achieve the optimum success in competition. We all have some kind of solution but have you ever pondered over what majorly lacks in our training let’s leave aside other sports let’s talk of Tennis situation from Elite level to Pro level. The most known topic of discussion is poor fitness levels as compared to Europeans and injuries affecting at an early stage well I can’t deny the fact that the conditioning standards are way orthodox ( Followers from the books) or majorly copied and wrongly pasted and are least effective as majority of parents shy away from investing in good conditioning coaches only to save pockets as they think this can be managed during junior circuits only to cause more damage and they prefer picking exercise routines from internet copying it and mindlessly implimenting on their kids or they hire an inexperienced fitness coach and guide him as per their taste. Now more funny just to add I have many known coaches all over Delhi NCR and our country who run Academies and run so called high performance tennis centres but have no strict Fitness Training programming for Elite and Pro players.
It’s sad to add on numerous occasions.As someone who approached them and proposed them to run a high performance fitness camp for their players but most of them declined and seemed less encouraged for the reasons best known to them showing not much interest saying parents don’t want to spend on it.
What I understand is somewhere there is a sense of insecurities prevailing in the community We have double standards and we are happy complaining and pinpointing about state of affairs.
To my surprise these are same coaches and same parents who don’t mind travelling out of country to overseas coaches and spend from the nose thinking they would spin magic.
Easily counted on my fingers there are quite a few known parents that have been regularly and passionately sending their kids every 3 – 5 months to train abroad for one month or 2 in world famous academies and also hiring world class coaches that train as well as travel throughout with them.Blindly hoping to get extensive and extra ordinary coaching to play their finest and perform to their optimum in Indian Tennis competitions.
Most surprising is almost 80% of the same players when playing in National circuits in India or abroad are easily beaten by MAKE IN BHARAT players.
Sending kids out of India for training is not bad but it’s more better that players be made to spend at least 6 months or a good year or more to actually make things more constructive.
Most important is that they must maintain similar intensity once they return back to the country…buy sadly this is not really maintained leading to complete mess and regression in performances.
Well In the present situation Indian tennis will take years to develop as these habits of parents and most of the coaches completely draining the players mind.
Its sad quite few Parents have turned into seasoned tennis coaches themselves to take things in their own hands.
This is an evident glimpse of glitches in our coaching system stating whom to blame the coach or an overzealous parents as Tailored physical development is not happening.
These double standards are the real cause of deteriorating progress leading to complete mess in players development, creating more doubts and confusion.Its often seen as a major topic of discussion among parents as our players carry no fighting intent.
They often complain that the players energy levels are quite low by the time they are playing in 3rd Set., have defensive approach, poor body language and confusion and loud emotional outbursts leading it to lose the tight fought matches.
Here I strongly blame the Indian coaching system where players actually made to practice playing more on single sets with the thought of getting to play with variety of players.
This habit majorly causes enough damage in strategy making as this practice deprives them from actually facing and experiencing real situations of playing hard 3 setter matches.
This faulty practice takes them far away from testing and experiencing their existing fitness levels only leading them towards injuries and continuing following poor fitness planning.
As a conditioning coach one thing that often surprises me is most of the parents that finally hire professional conditioning coach for personal training usually picks up thrice a week training sessions that amounts to 3.5 hours per week and collectively 15 hours per month..of which couple of sessions are often unattended due to uncalled reasons .Lets compare it with 4-5 hours per day tennis training that amounts to normally 28-30 hours per week.
To withstand these 30 hours ordeal most of professional players be it junior or senior does only 3-4 hours of monitored fitness per week.
Let’s add 2-3 hours more of self conditioning or group fitness during Academy hours too on alternate days .it still makes only 5-7 hours fitness per week compared with 28-30 hours tennis per week.
Check the huge difference 25 hours fitness with 100 or more hours of tennis per month.
Do we still need more evidence 🤔 comparing our under18 juniors or 20 above mens / womens players with 15 year old European girls or boys that are more athletically built with mature mind-sets that are normally seen travelling participating and winning ITF futures and challengers at a young age.
Players and Parents are blindly going gaga over new found young and rising Grand Slam New Generation players but completely blind to the fact that how hard they live their life, how hard they Train to maintain peak fitness,how far they stay away from any unreasonable distractions etc and how happily and generously their families invest in Fitness Conditioning Coaches just the same way as in Tennis coaches, how strictly they work as a Team working on complete belief system.
Normally seen around are Parents that are often laden with confusion. Carrying less knowledge of this subject and often believing in gullible things.
They Keep on changing Academies,coaches and not believing in coaching system as they looking for fast results, quick fixes and on many occasions back stabbing the coaches by suddenly quitting and holding their salaries.
Remember that day is not far we would have only more junior Tennis flourishing in our country sooner then expected It would be hard to actually develop Totally Made in Bharat singles Men’s / woman’s Tennis world class players knowing state of affairs in player Development system and prevailing parents mentality.
After giving careful thoughts it makes me clear that these loopholes requires intense understanding of True facts.
Change in Mentality is the need of the hour.
Tennis is actually developed much beyond off the tennis court. Its developed when you not actually playing.
Its about mannerisms how you conduct yourself, how you behave , how you eat how much you sleep,how much you read, how much international tennis you watch, its equally developed by how much time you invest in watching top players matches, reading books on tennis , comeback stories of sports stars, it’s developed via constructive interactions with team, it’s developed by showing extensive respect to the Coaches,its developed by keeping distractions at bay such a relationships off the family circle, giving very less time to mobile Gizmos and most important thing following positive pre sleep and post sleep rituals, practicing manifestations.
My appeal to Academies parents fitness conditioning coaches physios nutrition experts.Please work as a Team and interact as much as we hold greater amount of accountability in nourishing our students. Remember we can’t ever grow individually.
Dear parents mark my advice we have some of the finest tennis / fitness coaches in our country that can match any day with worlds best.
Please trust the process and be respectful too by paying fees on time.Availing freebies will take your kid no far either.
MY advice to players..if only facilities could have helped you turn into a champion then sorry..please be passionate, build up an intent, nurture it day in day out by pouring in your sweat and blood while training and playing.At the end it’s you and only you that has to deliver what is taught in training and practice Be accountable for your performance.
REMEMBER
