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FITNESS.
by Anne Quinn, Australia
The following is a tennis
specific exercise that Anne Quinn believes should be included in every serious tennis player’s fitness programme.
THE QUINN AGILITY
DYNAMIC BALANCE &
RESPONSE TIME TEST.
Purpose.
This is a
test designed to measure the agility, dynamic balance and response time of a tennis player – that is the ability of
a tennis player to start and stop, remain balanced, to react to their opponent (the tester in this case) and the ball, and
to change direction quickly and effectively whilst moving. This test was designed
specifically for tennis players, as the movements in this test occur so frequently in a tennis match.
Equipment
1.
Half a Tennis Court
2.
Stopwatch
Procedures
- The subject begins standing in the starting position at the intersection of the service line
and the centre line.
- The tester stands in front of the subject (on the other side of the court) approximately six
feet back from the net. The tester is thus simulating an opponents position.
- Holding a ball in their hand the tester points to a mark and at the same time calls the direction
to which they are pointing (e.g. right) simultaneously, the tester starts the stopwatch, held in the other hand.
- The subject must run quickly to that mark, touch it and return to the starting position.
- The tester immediately calls and points to another
direction.
- The subject then runs as quickly as possible to this direction and touched the line, then returns
to the starting position.
- The subject only has to touch the line to which they run, not the starting position on which
they return. (This simulates running to the sideline for a shot, bending down to hit the ball, then returning to the middle
of the court for the next shot).
- It is imperative that the subject watched the tester constantly. This test simulates game situations,
and thus the subject must not take their eyes off the “ball”. They must run in all directions, keeping their eyes
on the tester and the ball, as though the tester were an opponent.
- This procedure is repeated eight times – that is, once to each direction.
- However, the order must change with each trial, so that it is unpredictable. A player will
have to react to the tester and the ball, just as they react to an opponent and the ball in a game situation.
- The stopwatch is clicked off when the subject returns to the starting position after touching
the eigth mark.
Scoring
The best
of two trials is recorded as the score. A recovery period of two to three minutes is given between each trial.
Average
Male 29.4
seconds
Female 34.5 seconds
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