Hi, what is your name, say something about you, what do you do currently?

My name is Peter Nagy I am from Hungary! I am a professional tennis player five times National Champion, member of the Hungarian Davis Cup team, ranked 415 on ATP, working on to achieve my goal to break top 200 on the professional world ranking.

Initially, when and why did you begin playing tennis?

Both of my parents were tennis players, and my family is running a tennis club. Because of this I grew up watching tennis since young age. As long as I remember and as soon as I was able to lift a tennis racket I am playing.

Why did you start tennis?

First I just liked tennis, but as I grow up I started to enjoy competing and since I want to win and become the best version of my self as a tennis player.

What is your worst tennis memory?

 I would say anytime when I have got sick or injured and I had to stop playing tennis for periods of time. On the other hand when I prepare really long and hard for some tournaments and I can not make the progress I desired, that feeling is really hard to deal with.

What do you love most in tennis?

 I completely love everything about tennis, I believe this is one of the most complete sport where I have to push myself to the limit to achieve success. It teaches great lessons how to work hard and sacrifice some things in order to became successful.

But after all the hard work, long years of suffer and practices the moment when I achieve my goals or I win the big matches in front of my family and friends and coaches, that moment is why I love tennis.

Has tennis taught you anything about yourself and others?

Tennis is a great way understand the meaning of hard work and sacrifice in order to achieve success, It is also very much international, requires a lot of travelling where I can meet new cultures, different people and make a lot of connection and grow as a person. It thought me that I am able to push myself and lift my self up even when I am experiencing hard times. I know I am strong enough to go through everything in order to reach my goals. And tennis got this out of me but now I can shift this to other parts of my life.

What reasons would you give to children and their parents to participate in tennis?

I believe tennis is a great way to learn and understand the main factors that a successful healthy life requires. Who ever is participating in tennis have to learn how to be discipline, focused and organized. Also need to motivate him or herself throughout difficult long practices. Physically also will help grow the children and make them become healthier. Overall I suggest any children to participate in tennis young age.

If it would be up to you, going back in time would you start playing tennis again?

Yes, I would go back in time and start playing tennis as well, but do some thing differently. I would start to focus on physical improvements and just overall do more work young age.

What difference made in your tennis career to start to work with coach Nandor Veres?

I believe at age 20 when I started to work with coach Nandor that was the best thing could happen with me, he and his son Nandor Veres showed me what is real hard work and working together in a positive environment.

Since I am working with coach Nandor Veres SR. and coach Nandor Veres JR., I have improved every aspects of my game and also become stronger, faster and mentally tougher.

My world ranking gone up every year from 1350 on ATP,  to 415 ATP this year, I won five National Championships, in 2014 been selected to hungarian Davis Cup Team, win over Dudi Sela ranked top 70 in the World in 2015,  assisted my team to reach the highest Davis Cup group in 30 years.

I would say that the experience and the knowledge that Nandor Veres and his son has is incredible and I feel lucky that I am able to work under their hands.

Created by Nandor Veres JR.

Before going into depth in the next few blogs about aerobic training, I would like to touch ever so briefly on a few very important concepts that every coach, athlete, social wellness person, parent and everyone else on the planet should be aware of, three fundamental concepts to training:

-General Adaptation Syndrome,

-Progressive Overload,

-Specificity,

Although, so far, in my mind I would like this blog to be somewhat academic and technical (hence limited personal input such as opinions etc) this might however very well change as time goes on, since things people say might just rub me the wrong way, and consequently, a section just might find its way in this blog, with proper foundations highlighting why that someone said something real silly. Anyways, with that out of the way, there should not be a trainer or coach, that is not crystal clear on the three concepts I am about to briefly go over, surely the reader will soon understand why (if not already clear familiar).

1) General Adaptation Syndrome:

Shared by most non-extinct species on this planet, easy way to observe this phenomena would be to, look at a person exposed to the sun, he/she gets tan to avoid burning as easily in the future… Obvious, anyways, this concept was first formalized by Dr. Selye, who observed animal short term responses and long term adaptations to external stress.

In the case of training, exercise (any form of exercise) stimulus is the stress. Prior to training, assuming a healthy individual, would be in homeostasis (a more or less constant internal environment), upon completing the training, the system/individual would first be fatigued (that is an alarm phase), then the body would attempt to adapt to the stress, given enough time to recover, the system would adapt, and in expectation of more exercise, would super-compensate, that is in the case of training, achieve a slightly higher state of readiness to deal with more stress. If more stress is given within the “correct” window, the body will go through the same cycle mentioned above, and once again achieve a higher plateau than before. This is the process by which we get stronger, faster, smarter, more efficient etc etc.

There are two other alternatives to consider, first, if the system is exposed to more stress prior to super-compensation phase, that is while still in fatigue, or compensating, but not past initial level of homeostasis, then, fatigue would once again set in, and the system would get weaker (exhausted) eventually if the poor timing continues. The other alternative is if the body goes through the entire cycle, (fatigue, recovery, super-compensation), but additional stimulus is not provided, then there would be a return to pre-training homeostasis, hence no gains (just wasted time and money).

So the key to successful training is to ride this adaptation curve, catching the body at the top of the curve with ever increasing stimulus, not to early nor to late, timing is the key, and this is were the clever coach comes into play.

2) Progressive overload: is the key element to keep super-compensation moving along. Perhaps a famous, and great example is Milo, since I do not wish to google the story, ill just briefly outline it without dates and such. Anyway, Milo was a Greek fella, long long time ago, when a little boy, he had a calf, Milo would carry the creature on his back every day. As the calf crew, so did Milo and his strength, by the time, the boy became a man, the calf became a bull, and Milo the strongest man on the planet (we can question the accuracy of that of course, but the point stands). So, he got stronger, because he progressively lifted just slightly heavier animal every day, hence his body was able to slowly adapt to the increasing load. Milo might be fiction, or not, w/e the case, however the principle is real, and beyond question or doubt. Once again, the challenge is in finding the right load and knowing how to manage it over time, once again, this is were the competent coach comes in, as this understanding takes considerable knowledge in human anatomy, biology, physiology, exercise physiology, chemistry and training background, both practical and theoretical. Ill leave it at that.

Finally,

3) Specificity, these concepts really sound self explanatory, yet are very rarely employed. Reason why should be obvious. So, to drive this point home, ill start with what this is, then a quick example.

Without getting to fancy, specificity says that you should train as close as possible, to the sport/activity you are training for. So, should a boxer use extra weighted boxing gloves? No, does anyone understand why? Should you hit tennis strokes with dumbbells or heavier racquet? NO!! why? Might sound counter-intuitive but it is not. Without going into training specifics, ill do that later, here is my example, this also illustrated perhaps why tennis is a complex sport, and will also tie into my initial blog topic, “aerobic training”.

The name of this game is metabolic specificity, so what that really is, is you train your metabolic pathways (how your body makes energy out of food stuff, mainly fats and carbs). There are three main metabolic pathways, with some different names:

a) ATP-PCr, anaerobic-alactic or phosphagen cycle,

b) Fast glycolytic, anaerobic-lactic or glycolytic (not so precise, but some books use it, perhaps ill explain at some point why, though the explanation requires understanding fast glycolysis, crebs cycle and electron transport chain, not likely if dear reader does not have proper science background)

c) Oxidative or aerobic.

So, clarification-->

a) is for quick bursts such as a punch, a 1-8 second sprint, a serve, a single squat etc,

b) couple of short sprints, ie one point played, 100m sprint, 20 reps on any given exercise (could be 10 reps slow or 30 fast, as long as the general window is clear), a spider or suicide run etc etc.

c) a longer run, ie 40min, or full duration of a match, oxidative system will kick in after 2-4minutes of continuous work (better trained individuals faster).

However, no single system works alone at any given time, perhaps sleeping at night is the closest we come to pure oxidative metabolism. Now to illustrate, if you stand up and hop on a treadmill, even though you are about to do a 40min slow jog, if not for system a) you would simple fall off the treadmill, because the oxidative system (or process) takes a while to kick in, as does b) Oooo.

So we need all three, and, all three can and need to be trained, it should be no surprise that the general adaptation syndrome, applies to our metabolic pathways as well.

Hence a properly trained tennis player, needs to specifically train the energy systems of the body, all non technical training should be done first in general form, then the obtained strength, speed, endurance converted to sport specifics. In the case of metabolic pathways, this would mean, short sprints and explosive movements for ATP-PCr, interval type training, strength endurance for FG and primarily aerobic running for oxidative, ohh and of course, progressive overload needs to apply to all of the above, hope that is not a surprise.

I will be revisiting these concepts quite a bit in the future, as they are key to proper educated training planning (call it programming and periodization yes there is a difference, also to be revisited in detail later on).

NV: Hi, what is your name, say something about you, what do you do currently?

 A: My name is Glenna Gee-Taylor, I am twenty years old, and I am currently a student at Lewis and Clark College, and the captain of the Women’s Tennis Team.

NV: Initially, when and why did you begin playing tennis?

 Glenna: I started late. Though I had hit occasionally with my father, I only started playing regularly (about once a week) when I was thirteen. I started playing seriously when I was fourteen.

NV: Why did you start tennis?

 Glenna: I decided to play tennis because my older brother had started to play tennis, and anything he did, I wanted to do, and I wanted to do it better. Tennis was fun, and I liked how much it made me think.

NV: Did you do other sports?

 Glenna: I played soccer from the age of four until I was fourteen. There were a lot of things I loved about soccer, but I still remember when I decided to quit for tennis. It was during a soccer game, and I was the goalkeeper, a position that I very rarely played. A girl on the other team broke through the defense and was coming to shoot. I started doing a split step, which is innately a tennis move. I saved the goal and decided that I should focus on tennis.

NV: What is your best tennis memory?

 Glenna: When I was fourteen, I had played a few tournaments, but I had really just started. I didn’t have very strong strokes, but I was extremely competitive (I still am), and had done well in tournaments. At one of my first higher-level tournaments, I was not seeded, but I beat four girls who were seeded to get to the final. I played a girl who was the top seed, and who I had played (and lost to) in a tournament a few weeks before. I couldn’t do much, really. My game was to get the ball cross-court with as much net clearance and top spin as possible. But that day I refused to miss. I beat this girl soundly, and I will always remember how it felt to win that tournament. This girl had been playing since she could walk, but on that day, it didn’t matter.

NV: What is your worst tennis memory?

 Glenna: My first match in college did not go the way that I wanted it to. We were playing a D-I school, University of Portland, and I was a little bit nervous. I was very tight. I played well in doubles, and even though we lost, I felt good about the way I was playing. When it came to singles, I was getting killed. I was down a set and 3-0, and I told my coach my back was feeling really tight. I went to serve the next point, and something in my back went. I couldn’t move. I was standing completely still, crying. I didn’t know how to get off the court because every time I moved even a little, the pain would multiply. I don’t remember how I got off court. I don’t remember if I shook my opponent’s hand. But I do remember hating that I couldn’t play, hating that I looked weak in front of my new coaches and my new team. I thought they would blame me for my injury, that they would think I was dumb and worthless. Even at that low-point, my only priority was finding out when I could play again.

NV: What do you love most in tennis?

Glenna: What I love most about tennis is the feeling I get when I do something right. Whether it is hitting a serve with just the right amount of spin, or getting a defensive shot back deep, or hitting an aggressive backhand up the line, there is a certain feeling you get when you know it was right. It used to be that simple, hitting a shot right, but now I am playing a more sophisticated game, and I get that feeling more often. It is not only when I hit a shot right, but also when I make the right tactical decision. There is so little time in tennis to make decisions, you have seconds, if that, to decide what to do. So when you do the right thing, and you hit it just right, whether you win or lose, you feel like a champion.

NV: Has tennis taught you anything about yourself – and others?

 Glenna: Before I played tennis, when I made a mistake, there was always someone to blame. In soccer, I could blame my teammates. In class, I could blame my teachers or my classmates. In tennis, though, it was just me out on the court. There was no one else to blame, and I was really hard on myself. I spoke to a coach last year about how I sometimes find myself rejecting advice from coaches and others, and I didn’t know why. This coach said that often people who are less coachable are this way because they are hypercritical of themselves, and so coaching and advice sometimes seems like an attack. Being able to see that about myself has made me more open to help in all parts of my life, not just tennis.

NV: Do you recommend that parents encourage their kids to play tennis?

 Glenna: Yes. I would recommend tennis to anyone, regardless of age and regardless of athletic ability.

NV: What reasons would you give to children and their parents to participate in tennis?

 Glenna: I used to be a little shy and a lot more insecure before I played tennis. Tennis gave me confidence. I learned how to make decisions quickly, how to take responsibility for my actions, and how to compete in a constructive way. Because of the individual nature of tennis, I learned to rely on myself. If I wasn’t improving, I had no one to blame but myself. I learned how hard I could work, and the value of hard work. I made lifelong friends, and I continue to make lifelong friends through tennis. I have a people that I consider family from tennis, and even though I was alone on the court, and I was independent, I never felt like I was not supported.

NV: What do you know about USTA kids’ tennis program if any?

 Glenna: I don’t really know anything about USTA kids’ programs. It was never something that was even on my radar. I am sure that the USTA has kids’ programs, but none that I have really heard of.

NV: If it would be up to you, going back in time would you start to play tennis again?

 Glenna: Yes. Tennis made my life better, and I think it made me a better person.

Even though I started late and sometimes I am frustrated by that often, my frustration is never greater than the joy and the benefits that I gain from playing tennis.

Thank you Glenna, have a successful season at Lewis and Clark College!

Long distance running, good for tennis? Why to participate in endurance training?

I have encountered a lot of discussion over whether long distance running is good for tennis players or not, does it benefit them directly in any way? If so, do the benefits outweigh the costs? What are the potential costs and benefits?

This entry will only serve to introduce the topic of aerobic training, bring up some key points, which will be examined in more detail down the road.

Though this is a complex topic, here are a few things to think about, acute and chronic physiological changes induced by aerobic and endurance training. That is what happens to the body during and after one or repeat bouts of aerobic training.

Then, I would like to also explore some of the more significant adaptations that might potentially effect tennis athletes, why and how these adaptations can be helpful. To name a few:

• Changes in mitochondria and capillary, predominantly in slow twitch muscle tissue.
• Changes in bone density and tendon strength (stiffness, is that bad?).
• Changes in cardiovascular and pulmonary system.
• VO2 max – is it relevant?
• O2 deficit during exercise transitioning, how fast can aerobic processes kick in (relevant? -lactate generation).
• Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption or EPOC (what is that and why is it relevant ?).
• Lactate threshold (how fast do we get there, can this be improved? Why?)
• Lactate clearance through lactate shuttle (from fast twitch muscle to slow twitch via blood).
• Can “it” effect memory -ie beneficial for study (what is epinephrine)?

So, changes happen to all of the above, as we train for endurance. What is more, we should also at some point define terms such as endurance or aerobic training, as that can range anywhere from a marathon to a 1500 meter run or does even HIIT qualify? Defining the energy systems (metabolic pathway) of the body will be helpful to this end.

What about the cons of cardio?

Let''s walk around that subject in the next blog.

Anyways, this is not an easy subject, hence I would like to start covering it slowly in several segments, each starting with the examination of a single topic.

“That's all I wrote” for now.

Nandor Veres JR

Should my kids play tennis? (or sports in general)

This is a question that many parents will ask at some point,

Maybe a good place to start is with a few former college players, let them share their own experience.

What former college players tells about their own tennis experiences?

Q&A Jonathan Pearlman, Harvard Graduate, Former tennis player of Harvard University

Coached by Nandor SR and Nandor JR between 2006-2012

Nandor Veres: Hi, Jonathan, say something about you, what do you do currently,

Jon Pearlman:  I am the founder of Creating Substance, a fitness and nutrition brand. In addition, my debut novel, Living Legendary, will be published this fall.

Nandor Veres: Initially, when and why did you begin playing tennis?

Jonathan Pearlman: I grew up in New York City, but I would often go to Florida with my family for vacation. It was during these trips, from the ages of 7-10, that I started taking lessons. I made a lot of progress and began playing10-and-under competitions in the Northeast.

Nandor Veres: Why did you start tennis?

Jonathan Pearlman: I played many sports as a kid, not just tennis. Basketball, baseball, golf, and soccer. It wasn’t until I was 13 years old that I focused my efforts exclusively into tennis. I think having this multi-sport background was beneficial because it allowed me to have a broader perspective. Once I became fully invested in tennis, I was fully confident it was the right decision because I had these other sports experiences.

Nandor Veres: What is your best tennis memory?

Jonathan Perlman: My senior year season at Harvard was special because we had an incredible group of players, all motivated, hard-working, and charismatic. We completed one of the most successful seasons in the school’s history, finishing with a 23-3 record, an Ivy League title, and a second-round showing at the NCAA tournament. The experience of being on this team with a group of highly-motivated players supporting one another was amazing.

Nandor Veres: What is your worst tennis memory?

Jonathan Pearlman: Any time I had to stop playing tennis for an extended period of time -- either due to injury or some other circumstance -- and then having to come back. Suffering to get back to where you were after having been away from the court is horrible -- and I think virtually any player would agree. The suffering I endured during these “come back” times has molded my current mindset. I still integrate physical fitness and tennis into my daily schedule because I want to keep fit for the rest of my life.

Nandor Veres: What do you love most in tennis?

Jonathan Pearlman: I love the hard work that’s required for success -- and the payoff when you see the results. Tennis is so demanding because it invovles physical fitness, mental toughness, skill development, etc. -- and so you have to stay sharp on so many planes. I love hard work and committing to something, and tennis has grounded me in my life overall. It gave me a constant purpose and motivation, and enabled me to find success in other fields as well.

Nandor Veres: Has tennis taught you anything about yourself – and others?

Jonathan Pealman: Tennis is great because it is a sport that’s played internationally, and therefore you can find a common ground with so many people of different backgrounds and cultures. I watched the Olympics last month and it’s amazing how sports can bring people together from all around the world. The “language of sport” (physical performance), and what’s required to learn this language, is universal, and therefore those who pursue sports are bonded by the process. You can make life-long connections with others who share this love and passion for sports, even if you don’t necessarily have anything else in common.

Nandor Veres: What reasons would you give to children and their parents to participate in tennis?

Jonathan Pearlman: If you’re invested in tennis, you will be able to find success in your life as a whole. Tennis will make you focused, disciplined, and grounded. Not only this, but you will pursue a healthy lifestyle because the components required for peak physical performance are also intertwined with physical and mental longevity. Eating healthfully. Avoiding alcohol and drugs. Taking care of your body through stretching, yoga, and massage. Connecting with like-minded people. Also, physical development assists mental growth because with exercise, you will be able to think clearer and maintain your focus longer. Children who pursue sports will certainly enjoy academic success too.

Nandor Veres: If it would be up to you, going back in time would you start to play tennis again?

Jonathan Pearlman: Yes! Having tennis in my life has allowed me to accomplish more than I ever could have imagined. It has given me health, physical fitness, confidence, academic success, proper values, and a grounded mind. I still play tennis every day.

Thank you Jonathan!

Good luck with your new book! I really enjoyed it!!!

You can find more information about Jonathan Pearlman's work on www.creatingsubstance.com

Welcome to the Veres Tennis blog

This blog is created to be a ‘meeting place of opinions’, we would like to share our thoughts on various subject related to tennis directly and indirectly. In time we hope to build an interactive setting with many interesting thoughts and opinions by us and our readers!

So, should my kids play tennis? 

Big decision! We agree with you!

You know, if you say yes, then tennis will eat up free time, kids will spend less time with the family, there will be less time for school work, other classes, music, math, chess, football, name it…maybe it would be better to spend that time on other social or academic pursuits...

What are the benefits of playing tennis? Is it worth the time, commitment and money to invest in sport activities?

What experts & studies say:

Tennis is based on wide range scientific researches - these studies conclude that sports in general, support mind and body development.

Playing tennis regularly has many associated physical and psychological health benefits.

These health benefits are particularly important for a child’s body, physical, emotional and mental development. However, the human system can be trained and improved at any stage of life.

We believe, there are several important reasons to participate in tennis for your kids, to name a few, tennis a great way to have fun, stay fit, improve skills, and make friends!

Ok, you decided, your kids should try tennis!

Are you wondering what is the most suitable age for children to start playing tennis? There are multiple variable to consider, such as attention span/focus, ability to develop fine motor skill, and learn movement patterns and technique...

Are you not sure what programs to enter (academy, after school, 10 and under)?

What if my kids are gifted…? (That would open a whole new set of questions…

We agree with you, this is a difficult decision, it is hard to find the right tennis program, the one fits your needs, the one that fits your kid’s needs.

Veres Tennis team, is looking to answer one or most of the questions you as parent, junior or athlete may have.

We cannot promise your kids will be the next US Open Champions!

But, we can provide honest and sincere evaluation of your kids potential and the best possible professional teaching program available!

We are going to post a string of interviewes with our former students, about their experience with sport,tennis.

The next blog is an interview with Jonathan Pearlman, a Harvard graduate, former number 1 player of Harvard Crimson's Tennis Team.

Looking for to hear from you!

Nandor Veres SR. and Nandor Veres JR.