1 Requirements
1.1 Learning group
Providing a detailed learning group analysis is difficult in the context of the teaching trial for the DTB athletic trainer, as this is largely unknown to the trainer before the day of the test. This means that no differentiated statements can be made about deficits and strengths in both the athletic and technical areas. Nor can information be given about the exact psychological and physical condition of the athletes. Nevertheless, there is some key information that gives a rough picture of the training group. The learning group to be trained will probably consist of two to six young people aged 12 to 18. The tennis-specific level can be seen as homogeneous and is at the level of district/state squad players. However, no more precise information can be given about the gender and exact group size as well as possible limitations due to injuries, which is why the further part of the teaching trial draft must address a training structure that is as adaptable as possible. Since these are young athletes at a competitive level, it is also assumed that they have a corresponding basic athletic performance and sufficient cognitive, motivational and general psychological performance requirements, so that all exercises are designed to be of high technical quality and appropriate to the level of exertion. However, depending on the actual form and individual characteristics of the athletes, adjustments may be necessary before or during the session. Due to the level of performance, the trainer expects a certain level of experience in the area of athletics as well as the existing basic requirements (see leg strength, muscular control, sufficient degree of stability and mobility in the required movement patterns) in order to complete speed and direction change training.
1.2 External conditions
The training takes place at the location of the state performance center of the Hamburg Tennis Association. The unit will take place indoors, more precisely on a tennis court. The trainer will bring all the necessary equipment himself or will ensure that it is available in advance. The tennis flooring is a decisive factor, especially in the context of the topic of "speed and change of direction training" . Since the teaching trial takes place at the start of the clay court season, the players may have to re-adjust their movements, as slipping will hardly be possible. The same training unit would have to be adapted to the external conditions on a clay court. Overall, the current training draft refers to a 60-minute athletics unit, the main part of which is to be demonstrated in 25 minutes in the teaching trial. Due to the fact that there are several candidates on this day, possible delays should be planned for. It is also important to ensure that, despite the teaching trial situation and the requirement that the players warm up on their own responsibility, they are thoroughly warmed up. Especially with the current lesson topic, this warm-up is a prerequisite for injury prevention and movement economy/quality.
1.3 Previous knowledge
Since the athletes mostly train in their club outside of the training trial and are otherwise looked after by the association, no statement can be made at this point about possible previous knowledge such as macro or micro injuries. It is also difficult to integrate the unit into a weekly load profile. Since the training trial takes place on a Wednesday, often the most intensive day of the week, it can be assumed that the athlete has recovered since the last league game or tournament. Nevertheless, a query using the BORG scale should be carried out before training begins in order to compensate for this lack of previous knowledge as best as possible. The increased number of micro units on this day can also be a potential problem, so that more individual and flexible reference should also be made there. Any chronic illnesses (e.g. diabetes, cardiac arrhythmias) should also be briefly asked about due to the unfamiliarity of the group.
2 Factual analysis
2.1 Justification of the topic
The assigned topic of the teaching sample, "Speed training with special consideration of stopping and starting, as well as changes of direction," includes some of the most important conditional performance components in tennis. If you take a closer look at the physiological requirements profile of the sport to be discussed, tennis, this relevance becomes clear. Although the parameters mentioned depend heavily on the respective rules, the surface and the playing style of the players, a physiological picture can then be seen. The total distance run by the athletes is on average only three to five kilometers, which is rather low compared to other sports such as handball or soccer. However, a game includes on average over 100 changes of direction, over 70 high-intensity stopping movements and is also characterized by more than 80 high-speed runs (DTB Athletic Trainer 2024). The parameters mentioned are all significantly higher than in soccer. The requirements profile is structured even more clearly when you take a look at the load and break times. On average, a tennis match lasts around two to four hours. The average rally duration, however, is just five to 10 seconds, followed by a rest period of almost 20 seconds after a rally. This creates the image of a start-stop sport with long breaks and high-intensity phases. The fact that when changing direction, eight to ten times your own body weight is placed on the outside leg also illustrates this specificity. Derived from the requirements of the sport, the following should be developed in the speed area: repeated sprint ability, maximum linear acceleration, maximum linear speed, maximum lateral acceleration, reaction and direction change speed and the ability to stop quickly eccentrically (Trainer training: Tennis-specific athletic training Schleswig Holstein, 2023). By writing out the demands of the sport, the conclusion also emerges that training of these skills must be carried out sufficiently in order to be able to withstand these demands or even exceed them with one's own skills in order to keep the risk of injury in these movement patterns as low as possible. The fact that the world's best tennis players undergo speed training is shown by the performance diagnostic data of Novak Djokovic, who reached a speed of 35.9 km/h in a sprint. This value would be among the top 10 values in the Bundesliga. The obvious fact that the sport of tennis has gained significantly in speed in recent years thanks to better equipment, better technical training, improved sports science and the better fitness of the athletes also indicates the special need for targeted training in this area. Reaching more balls, reaching the balls earlier and thus being able to hit them better, having a significant advantage over the opponent, withstanding the high loads in these movement patterns and generally being able to carry out quick changes and stopping movements after quick linear and lateral accelerations are important aspects in tennis in this topic. Finally, a chain of effects within the training effects can also be concluded that both reduces the risk of injury within the ligaments of the leg axis and increases the hitting potential that benefits from the speed stimuli of the leg and core muscles.
2.2 Analysis of the learning object / definition of terms
After explaining in the previous part why training in the areas mentioned is of particular relevance for the sport of tennis, it is now time to explain the terms and definitions of the individual areas in more detail. The ability to be faster than the competition can give both physical and tactical advantages in competition. Within training science, there are many different attempts to structure speed, agility and change of direction. However, due to the individual complexities, there is still no generally accepted definition. For example, the terms are formulated differently between the German and English-speaking areas. While the terms change of direction, agility and speed are most frequently found in the literature, in Germany people increasingly talk about elementary and complex speed (informational & motor speed). In order to narrow down the various ability dimensions, I refer in this work primarily to the systematization model by Wiewelhove (2021). First, important terms should be defined in this context (OX Guide Training and Performance):
Speed: Skills required to achieve high movement speeds.
Change of direction: Basic physical ability (and skill) required to explosively change the direction, speed or type of movement. Agility: Ability to react as quickly as possible to a stimulus through perception and cognitive processes and then to adjust the direction and/or speed in a differentiated manner.
Elementary speed: In conjunction with the concept of motor speed, this is based on the quality of the interaction of the control and regulation mechanisms of the CNS and the nerve-muscle system and is expressed in simple, mostly linear movements.
Complex speed: Can be assigned to the term informational speed and is primarily dependent on sensory-cognitive parameters. Complex speed depends on other requirements such as strength, mobility and reaction ability and is particularly required in more complex movements.
The different manifestations place specific demands on the biological system. Wievelhohe (2020) divides speed into the following biological influencing factors:
Factors influencing genetics and development: age, gender, constitution, technique, talent, socialization
Sensory-cognitive and psychological influences: concentration, information processing, motivation, experience, anticipation, mental strength
Neuronal influencing factors: intra- and intermuscular coordination, conduction velocity, neuromuscular innervation patterns
Tendomuscular properties: muscle fiber type distribution (type 2), muscle fiber cross-section, contraction speed, muscle and tendon elasticity, stretch-shortening cycle
This list also shows why the topic of speed is so complex, because in addition to biological factors, there are also factors such as sprinting or direction change mechanics. And when it comes to agility in particular, the whole thing can be influenced by other factors such as the stance phase and the rate of force development at certain angles.
In order not to exceed the scope of this work, I will restrict myself to a few parameters that I would like to focus on in the training session. Due to the apparent complexity and the correlation between simple exercises and their transfer to a specific sport, which is repeatedly discussed in science, I have decided to structure it from simple to complex. This very brief overview of speed training should make the individual influencing factors in the exercises recognizable.
I ask for your understanding that this topic will not be discussed further here and hope that the readers have gained sufficient insight into the definition of the term.
3 learning objectives
3.1 Classification in the overall planning
A training session and the associated goal that makes that session a sporting training session should always be placed in an overall context. While for most professional players this context is expressed primarily in a sensible periodization over the course of the season, for young athletes it is primarily about taking into account the concept of long-term performance development. Young athletes are a unique population in that they also complete regular sport-specific training and competitions at an age when they are already going through a multitude of physical changes as a result of growth and maturation processes. Not to be forgotten are other developmental tasks and psychological demands that young people have to contend with. If you want to create a training session, a training block or an entire season plan for young people, it must be adapted to the current stage of development both pedagogically and in terms of content. This is rather difficult in group training. Nevertheless, certain goals can be set within certain time frames, which must be checked regularly. In order not to exceed the scope of this work with the content of the influence of growth and maturation on physical performance and psychological stress, I will keep the following section somewhat shorter.
Since the young athletes in the teaching trial normally train in their club or in the Hamburg Tennis Association, as a trainer I have little insight into their current training phase, individual goals and problems. As a trainer I also have no reference to the differentiated performance level of the young people before the unit, which is why I carry out basic training in the area of speed and direction change ability. In the context of long-term performance development (Llyod & Oliver) and depending on biological age, exercises to strengthen the core, strength (in the lower and upper extremities) as well as extensive jumps, landing training, basic skills in running mechanics and sprinting should be present. Above all, the preparation of the body for the more intense eccentric loads that occur during reactive landing and push-off as well as during changes of direction and stopping movements should have been well prepared in a larger overall context.
With regard to season planning, there are two main structures to consider. Within the microstructure, i.e. the weekly planning, such a unit should preferably be completed on a Tuesday or Wednesday in order to avoid subsequent DOMS during a competition. Although the primary focus for young people is on long-term development, it should nevertheless be avoided to frequently complete competitions under moderate to high pre-fatigue, as the risk of injury and the risk of overtraining and the associated micro-injuries can increase. In terms of overall planning, I would conceptually place the speed stimuli between warm-up and tennis. The whole thing can then be used as a continuation of the warm-up and as a transition to tennis training. For example, after the general warm-up, you could start with reactive jumps, then move on to linear sprints, direction change sprints with a reactive optical component and finally do a drill with a racket. If you look at an entire tennis season for youth players, the block periodization according to Issurin is the best option. For example, in the winter you could work mainly on linear and lateral top speed skills, while at the start of the sand season you work mainly on sliding movements in combination with changes of direction. Overall, especially for young competitive athletes, all components should be trained at least to a small extent twice or more a week. Depending on the intensity, there should be at least one or two days' break between two training sessions with this focus. In addition to Wednesday, Saturday or Sunday, for example, is suitable as a second day, depending on the tournament load and success.
This training must be supplemented with strength training. If not absolutely necessary, non-specific endurance training in the basic area should be avoided in order to limit negative fiber transfer to the slower-twitch ST fibers and to promote coordination and neuronal control of the FT fibers, especially in adolescence.
3.2 Hourly goals
The goal of every training session is adaptation. In general, training stimuli can cause short, medium or long-term adaptations. This adaptation depends on endogenous factors such as age, gender, training status, etc. From this, the goal of training can be seen as the best possible speed stimulus in linear top speed. The advantage of this is that all athletes perceive this stimulus as long as they sprint as fast as possible and are not too tired. In addition, complex speed and the associated reaction ability should be trained. Finally, the athletes should concentrate primarily on specific movement patterns in tennis, so that the goal there can be described as a very specific complex speed stimulus when changing direction. Such speed training includes other stimuli such as: hypertrophy stimulus (through eccentric stopping movements), anti-rotation and rotation training of the core through multidirectional sprints, improvement of ankle stiffness.
The aim of the lesson is to provide well-dosed but intensive training of elementary and complex speed for all athletes taking part in the lesson, which will transfer to tennis-specific performance.
3.3 Sub-goals
Exercise 1: Max Speed Sprint Linear:
Maximum sprint linear as acceleration training, intramuscular coordination, FT fibers, elementary speed
Exercise 2: Multidirectional change of direction reactive extensive
Multidirectional preparatory exercise. Can be assigned to complex speed. With reactive optical stimulus and time pressure. In the second stage also eccentric deceleration.
Exercise 3: Multidirectional change of direction reactively intensive
(Preliminary exercise split step – crossover – deceleration)
Time pressure, complexity pressure, recognition of deceleration as a time advantage after exercise 2, lateral speed, competition extrinsic motivation
Exercise 4: Tennis-specific change of direction
Complex speed under tennis-like conditions. Should symbolize 4 balls into the corners and, in addition to lateral speed, change of direction and deceleration ability, has the main goal of teaching the tennis player to go back to the middle at full speed.
4 Considerations for Lesson Planning
4.1 Load structure
On a scale of 1-20, athletes should be between 12 and 16 after the session.
Exercise 1: Max Speed Sprint Linear
Normal unit: 4x20m (120 sec. break)
Training test: 2x20m (+1 acceleration run) (60 sec. break)
Exercise 2: Multidirectional change of direction reactive extensive
Normal unit: Everyone completes 10, then 10 with deceleration (60 sec. break)
Teaching sample: Everyone completes 5, then 5 with deceleration (0 sec. break)
Exercise 3: Multidirectional change of direction reactively intensive (preliminary exercise Split Step – Crossover – Decceleration)
Normal unit: 7 rounds (45 sec. break)
Teaching test: 5 rounds (30 sec. break)
Exercise 4: Tennis-specific change of direction double line Normal unit: 4 changes of direction x 6 (90 sec. break) Teaching sample: 4 changes of direction x 3 (90 sec. break)
4.2 Methodological procedures
Methodological procedures that should be used in the teaching sample are, for example, optical signals, verbal signals and the questioning using the BORG scale
4.3 Methodological measures
The primary methodological measures include striving for an open but focused and motivated training setting. This can be achieved by being open in the introduction and meeting the young people at eye level. Other measures can include whistling as a signal for a break or giving corrections. Exercises should also be demonstrated by the trainer himself or by athletes, with the focus being shown slowly and exaggeratedly.
4.3.1 Organizational forms
At the beginning of the teaching practice, we gather in a semicircle to welcome the group, explain the lesson goal and ask questions. As a coach, I keep an eye on the players. Subsequent organizational forms take place on one or both halves, depending on the number of players. For the linear sprints, one or two rows are formed next to the nets. Otherwise, the organizational forms vary greatly, depending on the size of the practice group.
4.3.2 Passing
Since I am not a tennis coach and do not want the technique in the change of direction or the actual purpose of the exercise to be missed or a player to be busy passing, I do not use passes with the tennis racket in this unit. In exercise two, these are simulated by throwing a tennis ball. The last exercise can be expanded so that subsequent passes can be made by the coaches in the next level, thus ensuring a successful transition to tennis training.
4.3.3 Media/Help
The following aids or materials are required for the teaching test: small, easy-to-grasp huts in different colors, tennis balls (not played), time sheets (for orientation and, if necessary, for noting down various query results), black roll, watch. If Blaze Pods were available, the huts could be replaced with them.
The athletes need indoor shoes and tennis rackets.
4.3.4 Learning objective controls
The main controls are the speed and the subjective assessment of the athletes' willingness to exert themselves. In addition, a trained trainer's eye can observe improvements in effective footwork when changing direction and running mechanics. It can be seen whether given corrections have been implemented. Arm control and upper body movement can also be used to determine whether the athletes have any problems with their torso control. Further learning goal controls could be tested over a longer period of time using performance diagnostics in the sprint and jumping power area. Examples of this would be testing various sprint distances with light barriers, broad jumps and results in specific direction change sprints (e.g. 4x9m).
4.3.5 Teacher information / corrections
Corrections should always be used sensibly depending on the individual, training goal and situation. The following list shows examples of corrections that may be necessary depending on the athlete:
“ Try to work more into the ground ”
“ Meanwhile, look to the other baseline ”
“ Stay flat when split stepping while changing direction ”
“ Try to make your steps longer/Imagine stepping into a puddle ” “ The ground is lava/keep your ground contact time short ”
“ Body tension, your torso should hardly move ”
“ When you run on the line you notice the problem (Stride Length) ”
During the exercise instructions, the young people are initially given only the movement task. In the second round, they then receive one of the corrections mentioned above or, depending on their age, the complete information for optimization.
4.3.6 Student actions / reactions
Possible student actions could manifest themselves in a drop in concentration (due to the longer day). It is also possible that the athletes have not warmed up sufficiently for a speed unit due to youth carelessness. It is also possible that the students are already tired or their intrinsic motivation is not high enough for training with such intensity.
Content-related actions could be lacking deficits in the running and direction change mechanics, which can be traced back to different causes.
5 lesson plan
The exact lesson plan for the teaching sample unit can be found in the attached file of the email.
6 Literatur
This bibliography only lists collected works.
Anna Wargel. (2023). OX GUIDE Training and Performance. Everything about the effects, adaptations, control and implementation of modern training . Hamburg. Accessed on April 11, 2024. Limited availability at https://outoftheb-ox.de/products/ox-guide-training-leistung
G. Gregory Haff & N. Travis Triplett (eds.). (2024). Fundamentals of STRENGTH & CONDITIONING . Munich: bodyLife Medien GmbH.
Joyce, D. (ed.). (2016). Athletic training for peak athletic performance (1st edition). Munich: riva.
Kadlec, D. & Groeger, D. (2021). Athletic training in sports physiotherapy (physiology book). Stuttgart: Georg Thieme Verlag.