The game of tennis only gets faster, even for junior level tennis players. That can make increasing strength off the court even more important should your child want to remain competitive. Keep in mind that strength training doesn’t have to involve the traditional picture many people have of power weight lifting. That’s not even a health perspective. Instead, with the right approach, strength training is a great way to help your child stay competitive on the court and prevent injuries. These tips can get you started. 

• Begin with body-weight only exercises. In these drills, your child will use his or her own body as the resistance. Things like push-ups and pull-ups are classic body weight exercises that will help your child build muscle and movement. 
• When your child has built up quite a bit of core strength with body-weight only exercises, you may want to add in some resistance training with resistance bands. Just be careful because it’s easy to go too hard too quickly. 
• When your child is ready to graduate to actual weights, make certain you’re using a weight and machines that are designed just for them. You can get weights designed just for kids, and you’ll want to stick with that routine and weight set until your child masters it. Again, the key is to go slow. 

If you’re interesting in using strength training with your junior tennis player, your best bet is to meet with a personal trainer who specializes in strength training for kids. He or she will help you guide your child in the type of workouts, the number of workouts, and the frequency so your child can maximize his or her potential and prevent injury, not create it. The last thing you want is for your child to burn out, so tread lightly!