THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MAXIMUM FORCE BY MEANS OF THE “MAXEX” METHOD FOR TENNIS PLAYERS AGED BETWEEN 16 AND 18

Tennis is a sports branch in which high performance is determined by qualities such as speed, reaction time, accuracy and efficiency in the movement of the athlete. Accordingly, the training basis of the high-performance tennis players consists in the physical training, which takes on a greater importance on the training, particularly at 16-18 years old. At this age, the priority objectives, from the physical viewpoint are focused on developing strength, strength resistance, power of reaction and maximal force. This paper aims to develop muscle strength by means of the Maxex method for tennis players between the ages of 16 and 18. The method used for developing the force combines the maximum tension exercises with the ones for strength. In order to objectively verify the force program developed and applied to train the tennis players, we used the OptoJump analysis and measurement system. This recorded the results directly during the testing and produced them in graphic and table form. This aspect gave us the possibility to consult the recorded data at any time during the testing, so as to make comparisons between the different performances of the same athlete on different testings. In the research conducted two tests were applied: freejump, which assesses the explosive force in place and 60 "plyometric which assesses the strength resistance. The longitudinal experiment lasted a year and included a sample of 10 athletes, boys and girls, who were assessed at the beginning and at the end. The results obtained at the end of the experiment attest the fact that the means employed have proven successful and that the Maxex method used in the training of the tennis players leads to significant increases of the muscle strength.