The Lesson Lounge - Tennis Warrior

Your Link to Professional Thinking!

Nutrition for extra stamina

In this quick tip I will give you a tennis tip about closing out a match. And since I have received questions regarding the nutrition supplements I offer at my site, I will briefly cover why I believe in these products. If you are going to close out a match properly, good conditioning and good nutrition for extra energy and stamina can be the difference between winning and losing.

How can increased stamina and energy help your tennis? When you close out a match the ENERGY MUST be there to make the proper decisions and then physically execute the strategy or all the strokes and mental techniques will not help. Not only do you need physical energy but also mental energy. This is no time to be losing your concentration.

THE PITFALL FOR MOST PLAYERS:
When most players are leading in a match and are on the verge of victory they unknowingly do the opposite of what is necessary to close out a match. They become more conservative, tentative and play not to lose. Making these incorrect decisions take very little mental energy.

THE SECRET:
In Paul Fein's book "Tennis Confidential" page 30 Serena Williams explains how she learned from her sister Venus's struggle to close out matches. Here is what she said. "Venus had a little problem closing out matches, which she has mastered now," says Serena. "She'd win the first set, lose the second, and barely pull it out in the third. And I was able to learn how to close it out without struggling. I think the secret is keeping up your aggressive game and not letting your concentration go."

To play aggressive and to keep concentrating are the keys!

As a pro you quickly learn you must put yourself on the line and take the match. At this point your opponent will be going for his shots with little fear because he has nothing to lose. This means you must learn to play aggressive, keep concentrating, and take the match. This in turn requires a great deal of mental and physical energy at this point in the match. It's up to you! If you have not conquered this aspect of the game yet, be of good cheer, the pros have to learn the same thing and often it takes them many, many matches to master this mindset. But, as a Tennis Warrior you have learned to fail and keep moving, so learning to master this mindset over time should not be a problem... right?

PROPER NUTRITION CAN HELP:
There is no question that eating well and getting the proper nutrients into your body can increase your energy, stamina, and ultimately improve your tennis. If you are out of shape and out of gas when you attempt to close out a match, as I have mentioned earlier, the greatest strokes or mental techniques will not help. Besides developing your strokes and strategy, good conditioning and a nutritional program are all pieces of the tennis puzzle.

SUPPLEMENTS FOR ATHLETES:
n my web site I offer a specific brand of nutritional supplements for athletics. I will briefly explain why I believe in these products and show you, if you're interested, how you can purchase them at wholesale prices.

To begin I am not a nutritionist. However because of my athletic background I have studied nutrition over the years and have always been interested in good health and top conditioning. To me supplements are like insurance. I still eat well and take care of myself, but I take high quality supplements to cover any nutrients I may have missed. They are an add on to my daily program and not intended to replace healthy food.

In the past I would wing it more for my nutritional supplements, taking a variety of different nutrients. I was not sure of the forms I was taking or if the dosages were compatible with the other nutrients. When the "Essentials" (the multi vitamin mineral antioxidant system that I offer at my site) came along it simplified my program. Dr Myron Wentz, the founder of the USANA nutritional company and developer of the "Essentials" is a microbiologist and an immunologist. He created this nutritional system in the proper forms and potencies to specifically feed the cells in our bodies and support the immune system. The "Essentials" are loaded with high dosages of antioxidants and other nutrients which make the "Essentials" the perfect sport supplement. I have used them for the last 8 years. These are great supplements for athletes!

Case and point, the USANA products were chosen as the official nutritional supplement sponsor of the American and Canadian Olympic speed skating teams at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

PHARMACEUTICAL GRADE SUPPLEMENTS:
In addition, the USANA products are pharmaceutical grade supplements. This is important! It means they were manufactured in an FDA approved laboratory under the same stringent requirements and regulations the FDA holds for medicine. This does not mean these products are FDA approved because the FDA does not approve any nutritional supplements. However, it does mean that USANA has chosen to meet these rigorous guidelines to insure maximum quality and consistency in their products.

For example, under pharmaceutical grade manuafacturing practices, the supplements must dissolve in your stomach within 30 minutes. Because of this higher standard, the amount of every ingredient listed on the label MUST be accurate. If it says 200 mg. on the label, that's what has to be in the bottle. You may not know this, but that is NOT true for most supplements. With inferior brands of supplements, you could have 200 mg on the label but only have 100 mg. in the bottle. The supplement industry is a loosely monitored industry. If you look on the label of the USANA's supplements, you will see LABORATORY TESTED, QUALITY GUARANTEED, AND MEETS THE USP (United States Pharmacopeia) SPECIFICATIONS FOR POTENCY. Check your supplements and see what you can find on the labels. I can promise you most supplements are not pharmaceutical grade.

Who knows... maybe this will be the missing link to give you that burst of energy and confidence to play aggressive and keep concentrating when closing out your next match!

Tom Veneziano