Good weight for playing tennis

tati85cr
tati85cr Posts: 21 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello!

My current weight is 162 pounds. I'm 5'7 and 26 yrs old. My goal is to make it to 143 pounds, but next year I plan to join tennis tournaments for amateurs and I want to be able to run fast around court. I don't wanna have a "Serena Williams strategy" (no ofense to her fans or people who choose to play like her). So I was thinking I could make it to 136 pounds. So, which weight should I go for?

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Replies

  • DannyMussels
    DannyMussels Posts: 1,842 Member
    I'd actually say you could be pretty fantastic right now. If you gear your training towards prepping for that, workign on agility, stamina etc...there's no reason why you could'nt be really good. I was better than most at volleyball around here when I was at around 220, and won more tournaments then I did when I was skinnier.
  • tati85cr
    tati85cr Posts: 21 Member
    Well, I forgot to say that I started playing tennis when my weight was around 187 pounds and I've noticed that I've gotten faster and faster because I've been dropping weight. The thing is that I still need to move a bit faster around court. I try my best, but the thing is that it gets me tired sooner than expected and I don't wanna lose matches cuz of that. Thanks so much for your answer! :smile:
  • budkid
    budkid Posts: 50 Member
    I had a good lady friend that plays tennis with me over the past couple months. She certainly dropped weight and it positively affected her game. He played D2 college tennis over 15 years ago and wanted to get back into it. She joined crossfit and played religiously to step up her game. I am not sure about how much weight she lost. She is certainly getting into peak performance weight.
  • bb_phat
    bb_phat Posts: 20 Member
    You're probably fine where you are at. I played varsity tennis in high school and I was in the 160s and 5'7. What matters more than weight is stamina. If you weight train and build your ability to do sprints, you'll be great on the courts, whether you're 162 or 143.
  • amisbest
    amisbest Posts: 38 Member
    I have been playing tennis all my adult life and have made it to USTA league National Championships twice. I also have been a yo yo dieter and my experience is that for every 10 lbs I lost I gained 10% better court coverage and playing ability. Obviously there is an end point, however. Even though you can play tennis at any weight, just look at Mardy Fish, who by our standards was in great shape to begin with, lost about 20 lbs and made into the to 10 in the world. Getting more fit and losing weight will pay great dividends if you are going to compete in tournaments. Good luck. Every day is a great day for tennis.
  • psanoja
    psanoja Posts: 28 Member
    Every day is a great day for tennis.
    I agree. Today I played two doubles games under a flurry of snow.
  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
    Assuming you are not an elite player already, as long as you are reasonably fit, your tennis game will be much more limited by your racquet skills (ie. tennis strokes and consistency) than by your movement around the court. Obviously movement matters and your weight comes into play, but I would spend time focusing on 1) improving your skills via lessons or practice, 2) eating a better diet to lose weight, and 3) doing cardio intervals, all at the same time to help you improve as a player. I don't think your weight is too outta control at this point.

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