Inspired by Wimbledon Tennis? Here's how you can Get Match Fit

The All England Tennis Club might call the shots when it comes to big international tennis names, famous courts and legendary matches, but Wimbledon also has an abundance of smaller clubs for the non-pros and more casual SW19 players.

No matter what your tennis ability is though, if you want to improve your game, you should do what the Centre Court Champions do, and train off-court.

STRENGTH, ENDURANCE & POWER

For a winning combination of fast serves and powerful volleys, you need a strong upper body and good core stability.

Medicine balls, kettle bells and battle ropes will all help with this. Use big moves that require large ranges of motion and make demands on your whole body.

Build up endurance in your legs with body weight exercises like split jumps, squat jumps and box jumps. Include lots of multi-directional moves that involve leaping and hopping sideways, forwards & backwards.

CARDIO

Tennis requires brief bursts of intense effort. To be fast on the court, practice short sprints with quick changes in direction.

The fitter you are, the quicker you’ll recover after pushing hard. Include some HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) into your week and you’ll be less like to gasp for air in between points.

AGILITY

Off-court training allows you to focus on your footwork technique, without having to worry about hitting a ball. Set-up some drills using agility ladders and cones. Test yourself on both your speed and accuracy. Try and improve one, without detrimentally affecting the other.  It’s not as easy as it sounds!

FLEXIBILITY

To reach those really challenging shots, you need a certain degree of flexibility. A good yoga or stretch class will help you to loosen up those tight bits and give you a greater range of motion, particularly in your hips and shoulders.

Taking time out each week to improve your flexibility, will not only boost your game, but will reduce your risk of injury and may help you to unwind a little too.

ENJOY IT!

Vary your workouts to keep your mind motivated and your body challenged. Off-court training can be lots of fun, and you might be pleasantly surprised how it can really transform your game.
 

HA fitness runs a wide range of outdoor classes that incorporate all of the above! Check out our timetable for more details. Or why not get in touch to book some one-to-one personal training sessions with us.

Durnsford Park, Not Wimbledon Park This Week

With the Tennis Championships heading our way, SW19 will soon become the sporting focus of the world again.

During this busy fortnight (27 June to 10 July), all of our classes will continue to run, however this year we'll be temporarily moving out of Wimbledon Park (it's the Council's new policy unfortunately).

So this here's the plan:

Buggyfit postnatal classes will take place in Durnsford Park (see below). We'll be there at our regular times of 9.30am on Wednesdays & 11.00am on Thursdays (29, 30 June & 6,7 July). If you've got older children, bring them along as there is a fantastic little playground!

Fit In The Park 6.15am sessions will meet just outside of the Revelstoke Road Wimbledon Park gates. We'll then be putting you through your paces with some running drills around the grid & surrounding areas. It should be fun & you don't have to be a runner to take part! See you there at 6.15am on Wednesday & Friday.

Fit In The Park Saturday 9.00am classes will also take place in Durnsford Park (see below). We'll be there on 2 & 9 July with some challenging new moves for you!

Durnsford Park is a lovely green area just off Durnsford Road (put SW19 8EY into your sat nav). You'll find street parking (pay-at-machine) on Wellington, Lucien, Gordondale, Havana & Mount Roads. It's a bit further away from where all the action is, so there are no Wimbledon Tennis parking restrictions.

Obviously we do recommend leaving your car at home & giving your workout an extra boost by walking, running or cycling to our classes. However, if you're driving around Wimbledon during the tennis fortnight, it can get very busy, so it's wise to plan in extra travel time. Parking can also be challenging as there are restrictions in place. Go to the Wandsworth & Merton council websites for details. 

All of our South Park Gardens classes will be running as normal. Check out our timetable for full details of all our classes. Be warned though, we've got some great workouts planned & we may even include a tennis theme here & there. We know this is a busy time, but we'd love to see as many of you as possible training with us over the coming weeks. If you need to renew your pass, or buy a pay-as-you-go session, head over to our purchase page.

Happy Training,

Heather

All eyes on us

With the Tennis Championships heading our way, SW19 will soon become the sporting focus of the world again.

During this busy fortnight (24th June to 7th July), all of our classes will continue to run as normal. However, we'll be keeping well out of the way of the happy campers in Wimbledon Park by training at the top end of the park. Come in through the Revelstoke Road entrance & turn left. We'll be slightly up the hill to the left of the tennis courts.

We recommend giving your workout an extra boost by walking, running or cycling to Wimbledon Park when the tennis is on. With the usual 2 car parks closed & no parking on the local roads, your best option is to come on foot or by bike.

All of our other classes in Wimbledon Common & South Park Gardens should be unaffected, although the traffic may be a bit heavier. Surprisingly, the Windmill car park on Wimbledon Common never gets too busy, so no problem with parking for Buggyfit on Tuesdays & Fridays.

Don't let this put you off though. We've got some great classes planned & would really love to see you there. You may even bump into some famous faces!

Do you have any visitor parking permits for Wimbledon/Southfields/SW19?

Despite being a small business in the area, we're unable to get parking permits for the tennis fortnight. We'd therefore really appreciate it if anyone has a visitor permit that they could give or lend to us (with lots of kit & many sessions to train, it's not so easy to leave the car behind).

If you can help, please get in touch & we'll arrange to pick it up.

Many thanks!
Heather