As illustrated in the annual periodised training
programme, testing session will occur during the start of major preparation
phases, and these manifest themselves on weeks 7, 30 and 46. The functional
movement screen will be utilised to test for assessing the athlete’s
progression, if any, in mobility, stability, technique and flexibility.
Evaluation
In order to evaluate the progress of the athlete as
a result of the intervention programmes aim to improve strength, a relevant
test of strength is required. Tennis is a sport that doesn’t require maximal
strength, so using a multiple rep maximum (RM) testing protocol to test
strength seems more functionally correct. The protocol is similar to 1RM
testing, but instead the aim of the test is to find the weight at which the
subject can only perform 10 reps and is exhausted. This 10 rep weight is then
extrapolated on a table which works out the 1RM potential for the athlete.
In order to fully assess the body, five multiple RM
tests will be carried out to test maximal strength. They are; back squat, bench
press, incline dumbbell flys, bent over row and Romanian deadlift. Another test
for power that will help assess progression is the vertical jump test. This will
be another indicator of lower body power, and whether or not there is
improvement as a result of the intervention programme.
Finally, an agility test will be conducted in order
to test improvements in agility and footwork speed. A T-test will be used to
test the athlete’s agility (see below for a schematic representation of the
test). T-tests have been shown to be a good method of testing agility (Miller,
Herniman, Richard, Cheatham & Michael, 2006).
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Figure 1. A schematic depiction
for a T-Test.
Monitoring
In order to monitor the athletes progress through the programme, a
series of excel workbooks will be used to collate a log of all completed sets,
reps and loads of all exercises. This will therefore allow for greater analysis
of rate of progress. Furthermore, the comparisons between the training plan and
actual performance records will give a wider representation of how the athlete
is coping, and whether the programme needs to be altered in any way.
Reporting
The resistance
training programme implemented was designed around the athletes required areas
for physical improvement. It came to light that the athlete’s main goals were;
·
To improve upper and lower body strength
·
To improve lower body power
·
To improve core stability
·
To improve stamina by improving muscular endurance
As a result of the programme
designed, there are numerous physiological changes that the athlete
experienced. One of the first major adaptations is an increase in 1 RM for
squats, deadlift and bench press and also an improvement in vertical jump
height. This suggests the athlete has become a lot stronger and powerful in the
lower body.
Another physiological adaptation was that the athlete reduced T-test
times, it can be concluded that this is a result of the specific lower body
exercises prescribed (theraband side steps). Furthermore, this improvement in
T-test time suggested an improvement in footwork speed, which was highlighted
by the coach as in need of attention.
One area in which our testing did not test true progression was core
stability. This was highlighted as a secondary goal, and even though the
exercises prescribed for the athlete worked the core and tried to include sport
specificity. Nevertheless, it was beyond our reach to test if the athlete did
improve his core stability.