Survey study reveals strength and conditioning practices among tennis coaches, indicating prioritization of on-court integration alongside gaps with formal scientific guidelines.
Key Points
To investigate the strength and conditioning practices, exercise prescription habits, and professional perspectives of tennis strength and conditioning coaches.
Administered an online survey to Brazilian tennis strength and conditioning coaches (N=34) assessing coaching backgrounds, education, qualifications, exercise selection, and perceptions.
Analyzed fixed-response questions using frequency analysis and evaluated open-ended responses through thematic analysis.
Strength and conditioning coaches held exclusive responsibility for delivering physical training programs (100%), sourcing information primarily from the scientific literature (58%) and peer coaches (48%).
Conditioning was deemed very important for physical capabilities including strength, speed, power, agility, and injury prevention (70–85%), as well as tennis strokes and court movement (60–75%).
Coaches prioritized tennis-specific exercises and integrated physical preparation directly into on-court sessions, revealing disparities between published guidelines and practical application.