This type of pain must be avoided

My son  Nicolas had his first tennis related cramp at 9 and a half in the summer of 2010. Luckly it was post match and happened in the car, on the way to his sister's match. It did take 3 hours of moaning , and plenty of bananas, salt and Gatorade, for him to completely recover.  He later confessed to spilling the water and being to shy to step off the court and refill his jug. I found that alarming since it was mid summer and 95 degrees out.

We had him drink more and thought he was cured , but  it happened again during an indoor match in January 2011. He had just won a hard opening match, then cramped up in his next round. After lots of howling on the couch , he was finally able to get up and leave after 2 hours of intense pain.

I started doing research and came across an electrolyte replacement , which works nicely:

http://lovingthebike.com/cycling-nurition/loving-the-bite-make-your-own-sports-drinks

He started drinking this before and during his matches, and was cramp free for most of the year. Then  the sectionals came in August 2011 . It was a hot and humid day and he was starting to get absentminded about his hydration, and eating habits . He's not a great eater, or drinker to begin with and needs constant encouragement.
Well, he cramped at the end of the first set, and had to be carried off the court. That was disappointing because this was his first major national level tournament.
He was fine after his usual post cramp time recovery routine, and even managed to win a couple of rounds in consolation.


Now we know a thing or two....
1) It was brought on by hot and humid weather, but could happen in the winter too.
2) Competing in several back to back matches would be a factor
3) poor eating and hydration habits
4) His playing style was to "push" and 20 ball rallies were common
5) Often he would play kids twice his size
6) genetics ( I had cramps during my career but not frequently)
7) his sister Mary ( age 9 1/2) eats and hydrates well and has no cramping


Armed with this background info I was able to structure a plan ....

His pre match diet consists of  potassium rich foods ,and dried apricots are his favorite.
http://www.algaecal.com/potassium-foods-list.html

Water was not enough (could lead to hyponatremia, in which you lose actually lose minerals).
Nick carries a large jug of our home made sports drink : http://lovingthebike.com/cycling-nurition/loving-the-bite-make-your-own-sports-drinks and has to drink 5 oz every 15 minutes. Sometimes I let him have Gatorade.

In August 2012 he made the zonal team for USTA New England. It was very hot and humid  up in Malvern Pa. He played 3 days straight back to back singles and doubles matches. On the fourth day after winning his doubles match, a cramp started and he had to default his singles match. We gave him salt tablets http://www.trisports.com/saltstick.html , and the cramping stopped within 20 minutes. On the 5th and last day he lost in the third set to a player of equal ability , but without any cramping.

Fortunately there was a trainer & nutritional speaker,  that gave on site presentation called  "hydration and post match restoration & recovery". He mentioned using chocolate milk as a post match recovery drink. My kids love it !


If you participate in high energy sports and are prone to cramping you have to be very diligent and stay on an anti cramping regimen. No fun being in pain !!

Here's an excellent article :

http://www.tennismadesimple.com/10 tips to help players succeed during the summer months.pdf

Do you need an all court game ?

  Both my kids are ranked in the 12 and under  USTA New England Division so I get to see a good amount of junior tennis competition. I'm not impressed with what I see : big forehand & backhand , marginal serving skills , no spin other than topspin, weakness in the front court area , no finesse ( brick hands), and poor skills at closing off the point. 

It all starts at the junior level. I've seen many matches in 12's where both players cannot hit the ball hard enough to win outright . The only tools being used are shot tolerance ( how many shots it takes to make the opponent miss). loops and drives are used to create angles,  and get the opponent  out of position.  However no one can capitalize on these opportunities, and the match becomes an mental and physical endurance test. The serve is just a "put the ball in play" shot. Overheads are pretty neutral , with no pop

 Fast forward a couple of years and our two players are now in the 14's. They hit hard and do a lot of run around forehand. If there is a short ball they will come in and volley, but it is evident that this is not a natural strategy. The angles are created with ease. There is some hesitation but more opportunities to closed off with a swing volley from the mid court. Overheads have a bit more pop. There is rarely a slice, off pace shot or drop shot.

What I'm getting at here is that more tennis is being played from the back court with rarely more than a big forehand. One reason is the racquet technology , which has evolved to a point where , a passing shot  can generated with greater pace with a graphite racquet vs a wood one . That puts many of today's would be net players at a deficit right away.

Check out Nastase vs. Ashe -1972 US open final. Notice absolutely every point is won or lost at the net.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf4wrrpzdYc
I'm not suggesting you serve and volley every point , because that would be an impossibility in today's game.


Another reason for the continued success of the baseline generation , are the size and strength of today's players, and the tremendous topspin and power they generate off both sides. That makes these players more effective from the baseline rather than the net. It is hard to hit an offensive volley effectively, when the ball you're about to hit is spinning at 4000 rpm of topspin.

With so many two shot combo ( big serve & forehand) base liners around I still don't see the end of the all court player.  My favorite is Federer and I see many more like him on the way.

My kids have shot up in the rankings ever since I've worked on a more all court approach . I've set the foundation for an all court game , and I know this will help them be more successful.
 I suggest you do the same. Work on your net game so you can... creep into the net especially when you hurt your opponent. Then get up to the ball and finish off the point. You'll get lobbed a lot, especially if you are short, so make sure your overhead is in good shape. Throw a surprise serve and volley occasionally. Hit a moon ball looper and if your opponent let's it get up too high, or hits a short reply, creep into the net and finish off the point. Practice your touch shots ( angles and drop vollies). Throw in an occasional drop shot and come in behind it , daring your opponent to pass you on the run. Slice the ball in addition to hitting heavy topspin.  Practice your serve to specific targets , so your opponent has no choice but to set you up with a weak return.