What is it about?
General physical conditioning, or ÜKE, is an integral part of sports. The aim of the training is to train the whole body, develop all the main muscle groups, give the athlete better body awareness and posture, and develop physical abilities according to the movements and specifics of the specialty. ÜKE training also helps to prepare the young athlete's body for specific training and prevent injuries. Proper and well-thought-out general physical preparation can take a competitive athlete's performance or result to a completely new level.
How is USTA organized?
ÜKE trainings for competition-oriented groups take place 4 times a week, where children have the opportunity to participate either before or after tennis group trainings. The trainings are planned in different stages, during which we develop the physical abilities of the athletes and the skill of movement resulting from the profession as versatile and comprehensively as possible, which supports the children's tennis game in parallel. Training plans have been developed in cooperation with tennis coaches, which help children develop the whole body - muscle power, endurance, circulation and respiratory system, as well as strengthen the muscles using movement patterns similar to tennis movements.
Why is ÜKE important?
Tennis is often described as a dynamic sport, demanding rapid responses to ever-changing situations. This includes quick sprints, frequent changes in direction, abrupt stops and accelerations, as well as endurance and strength. A proficient tennis player must efficiently reach the ball and execute shots with precision. Achieving this necessitates well-conditioned and robust muscles, essential for success in both practice and competition. Furthermore, well-developed muscles play a crucial role in injury prevention. Consequently, ÜKE holds significant importance in the training regimen of a tennis player.
Trainers
The training sessions are led by General Body Preparation Coordinator and trainers, Siim Oja and Miljana Jocic.
Siim holds a degree in physical education from Tallinn University, is certified as an EKR 5 athletics coach, and also serves as a coach at Erki Noole's athletics school.
Miljana (Miki) was a member of the Serbian youth tennis team alongside Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. She is a certified fitness trainer and strength and conditioning coach accredited by ISSA (International Sports Sciences Association). Additionally, she completed her Master of Business Administration at Lewis University in the USA, where she also worked as a tennis coach. Miljana continued her career as a junior development manager at Five Stars Tennis Center in the USA and holds a fourth category tennis coach certification.
