How far should a tennis player jog for conditioning?

A.T.: How far should a tennis player jog for conditioning?
I’m a high school tennis player, and I’m going to start conditioning for tennis next spring.

I’ve heard that if tennis players, because it’s a lot more sprinting than long distance running, shouldn’t train to jog for very long periods of time. Instead of helping you, it would hurt you by conditioning the body to do something you’re not asking it to do during a tennis match.

So, the question: how much/far should a tennis player jog for?

Answers and Views:

Answer by Me
Two miles is a solid distance. You do need endurance as a tennis player for those close 3rd set matches. I ran two miles every day for tennis conditioning and did ”suicides” on a tennis court.

Answer by West Side
About half a mile to Superdrug they sell plenty there

Answer by dima
not more than 1 mile

Answer by Ziel
Wait, what?

There’s something wrong with training for endurance? That’s a new one on me. Running is a great way to condition for just about anything. I don’t see any negative things about running too much. Way I see it, run for as long as you can, and keep adding more and more distance as your endurance improves. You’re just strengthening your heart and lungs, what’s wrong with that?

Okay, so there may be some validity to what you said about training your body for something you aren’t going to do in tennis. But you are going to need that endurance for tennis. You just need some quick sprints in addition to that. So add more to your conditioning. Do some shuttle runs, or suicides to work on sprinting with direction changes.

Here’s another great sprinting drill: The 5-ball drill. Take 5 tennis balls, and place one at each of the following spots: baseline/sideline corners, service line/sideline corners, and the middle of the service line. Now, stand at the center hash mark on the baseline. In any order you want, sprint as hard as you can, gathering one ball at a time. Get one ball, run back to where you started and drop that ball. Keep going until you’ve gotten all the balls. If you have a stopwatch, time yourself, and see how low you are able to get your time down to.

Answer by scooch
We’re supposed to be running??? Dangit!
That explains my 3rd set record then. Hahaha

Answer by bubbleheart_girl
5 miles a week will put you in shape

Answer by taylorains
Hi, I am a freshman and play Varsity tennis! I play nationally and compete in many tournaments. To become a very efficient and quick you need to run both long distance and sprints. Long distance will help you both in not getting as tired during long and difficult matches, while sprints help you keep moving and get to those short and hard to reach balls. I would run 2 miles in a slow jog and try and not stop, and also do many stretches, and sprints from different lines on a tennis court. You must do sprints for a long time, even when your body is saying stop you must continue for your mind wants to keep going. Try do many short sprints for ten minutes at a time without stopping or taking a break. Also, doing push-ups, sit-ups,jump-roping and other extrenious exercises help build your muscles stronger, which can help you become a better player. Jump Roping for thirty minutes can really help your footwork and become a quick player. These exercises can also build your body into better shape to become a quick player. =) I hope this helps and if you ever need any more information or anything feel free to email me. God Bless and Good Luck.

Answer by Ryan
I’m not sure what is efficient but I try to get around three miles. The first is a warm-up, go all out on the second, and cool down on the third. I try to go 7-8 min on the warm-up, 4:45 to 5:15 min on the second, then cool down around 8-9 min. There is nothing wrong with having too much stamina. I never even heard that you shouldn’t do long distance stuff to condition yourself. You shouldn’t do this everyday though. Maybe twice or three times a week. The other days, you do suicides and sprints across the tennis court before and after you practice tennis.