Chris Lewit, Prodigy Maker
Sport scientists and most coaches agree that it is valuable to play another sport or multiple sports to support the athletic development of a tennis player and prevent injuries.
While it is true that some prodigies specialize in tennis very early, the vast majority of players show an interest in multiple sports at young ages. Thus as parents it is important to choose sports that a child likes of course–but also steer the player towards sports that have the best athletic benefit for tennis players.
It is very healthy for kids to play other sports than tennis and can also help reduce overuse injuries, which are currently at epidemic levels on the junior circuit. I like to advise my clients to choose one main cross-training sport that their child loves and that builds valuable athletic skills for tennis. If a child plays too many extra sports, it can dilute the focus on tennis, and can slow tennis skills development.
Here is a list of my top 10 favorites in no particular order, that my best players over the years of benefited from. Remember–the best sport to cross-train is the sport your child enjoys. It makes no sense to force a kid to play a sport he or she doesn’t like, just because it has great athletic benefit for tennis!
Soccer
The favorite pastime of children in Spain, this is also a popular cross-training sport in the US and around the world. Soccer is well-organized and relatively inexpensive. Soccer develops stamina, footwork, and eye-foot coordination skills. It is better if your child plays a position that runs up and down the field as much as possible, for the cardio benefits. Goalies build good eyes, hands, and reflexes–but not much cardio!
Boxing and Kickboxing
My favorite cross-training sport. Relatively inexpensive to train, these sports have a culture that builds toughness and discipline. Athletically, they develop the eyes and reactions, full body agility and coordination, footwork, power development in the hips and body, and stamina. If parents are concerned about contact to the head, players can simply participate in the training session, but skip live sparring.
Wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Another personal favorite of mine and also an inexpensive sport. These sports are like gymnastics but they develop strategy and a fighting spirit. They build tough tennis warriors mentally. Physically these sports enhance full body power, core stability, flexibility, proprioception (body awareness), and agility. Just be careful to choose responsible training partners and coaches for your child to work with to prevent unnecessary injuries.
Traditional Martial Arts
I have had many students participate in TMA like Karate, Taekwondo, etc. These sports have many of the same benefits of boxing and kickboxing. Striking develops hand-eye and foot-eye coordination, footwork, and power development. TMA also teach children respect and etiquette, and build a warrior spirit and discipline.
Gymnastics
A great cross-training sport that many girls like, but it is an option often overlooked for boys. Builds flexibility, core strength balance, and strengthens a child’s body overall, but offers low cardio benefits. Depending on how serious the training is, there is an injury risk, so just be careful and find a responsible and safe coach!
Ice Hockey
This is a really great cross-training sport for tennis that is often overlooked. It can be expensive so perhaps that is why it is less commonly played. The game really parallels clay court tennis in the sense that players learn how to handle a stick–like a racket!–and learn movement skills on an unstable surface. Balance and coordination, speed, and agility are all trained in hockey. Hockey players also learn to be tough as part of the culture of the sport, which aids in building up mental strength.
Baseball
The American classic pastime. Great for practicing developing the booming American serve! The throwing practice in baseball is really valuable in this regard. However, the downside is that there is not too much cardio development or movement and footwork benefits in baseball. Catching and hitting are great for hand-eye coordination.
Basketball
Popular, well organized, and relatively inexpensive to play. Good for developing some footwork patterns and hand-eye coordination. Basketball develops more of the hands and upper body coordination skills than lower body and feet (like soccer for example). Basketball also has some moderate cardio benefits.
Football
A great sport to make a tough warrior as the culture and training habits build mental strengths. Many parents are concerned about head injuries so this aspect needs to be monitored carefully. Different benefits derive from different playing positions. Throwing a football is an excellent trainer for the serve. Catching is valuable for hand-eye coordination. Positions that have more sprinting and footwork are more beneficial for tennis than more stationary positions.
Cross Country or Track and Field
I have had many of my students participate in running sports. Tennis is–after all–a running sport, even though many American kids do not like to run when they play! Give me a well-trained cross country runner any day and I can build a pretty good tennis player. When a player likes to run and has a good cardio stamina base, tennis is easier to master. Obviously, these sports do not have any hand or foot to eye coordination benefits, but they still offer valuable athletic benefits in terms of leg conditioning and cardio development. Running also builds the mental strengths of focus and patience–basically forming the Spanish mindset that a player needs to have to grind on clay.
Conclusion
This list is not exhaustive and represents some of my personal favorite cross-training sports that I have seen benefit my players over the years. I may have missed a few good ones! If you have a personal favorite not on the list, feel free to email them to me and explain the athletic benefits for tennis players, or share in the comments section with our community.
Remember–don’t force a child to play a sport that is “better” for tennis if they hate it! A healthy practice is to use the cross-training sport for fun on an “active day off” from tennis, or as an extra fitness session for your child on a regular tennis day. If used correctly, a cross-training sport can keep a player’s mind fresh and enhance athleticism.
Parents should understand that when building a tennis champion, they must have a plan to prevent injuries and mental burnout,–and to enhance athletic development–especially during the early years under 12 years old. The blueprint for building a champion should not be only about hitting millions of tennis balls!