Your second serve depends on what your hips can do at minute 90.
Acceleration, deceleration, late-set conditioning, rotational power.
What this is
Tennis performance training is the structured development of how a player accelerates, decelerates, redirects, rotates and recovers, programmed around the demands of a real match rather than general fitness. Most amateur tennis training defaults to running and core work. That misses what actually wins points: short repeated sprints, fast change of direction off both legs, a rotational chain that produces racket-head speed, and conditioning that holds up in three-set matches. At DJP Athlete, tennis players are coached by Darren J Paul, PhD (CSCS, NASM, USA Weightlifting Level 2), who has worked with WTA professionals as part of 500+ athletes coached across 15+ sports. Training happens in two formats: in-person in Tampa Bay (Zephyrhills, FL), and online for traveling players, with weekly programming, video feedback and ongoing oversight. The same five-pillar framework runs both: assessment, individualized programming, load monitoring, technical coaching and long-term development.
Programmed from the diagnostic. Not bolted on at the end.
Get to the ball faster off both legs, off split-step, and out of awkward stances. Trained with short-distance starts, resisted accelerations and reactive starts.
The skill that decides defensive points. Trained with eccentric strength, single-leg landings and lateral cuts that hold up under fatigue.
Where racket-head speed actually comes from. Trained with the kinetic chain from the floor up: anti-rotation control, rotational strength, rotational throws.
Repeated-sprint capacity that lets you play the third set the way you played the first. Trained with sport-specific intervals, not steady-state running.
Every program at DJP Athlete runs the same five-pillar logic. For tennis, the pillars look like this:
Want the underlying philosophy? Read about the Grey Zone framework.
What sets him apart is how much he genuinely cares about you as a person first. The Online Program is so easy to navigate and thoroughly explains how to perform the exercises.
Tampa Bay Service Area
Our facility in Zephyrhills, FL is within driving distance of every major Tampa Bay city. Tennis players train here from across the region.
Zephyrhills, FL
On-site
Wesley Chapel, FL
~20 min
Land O' Lakes, FL
~25 min
Lakeland, FL
~30 min
Tampa, FL
~35 min
Brandon, FL
~35 min
Riverview, FL
~40 min
St. Petersburg, FL
~50 min
Drive times are approximate from city center. Coaching is by application; sessions are scheduled around athlete availability and capacity at the facility.
The same training principles, written as a structured block you can run on your own.
See the programApply for tennis performance coaching with Darren J Paul, PhD. We reply within 48 hours.