Court Ready by Cronjé

Let's go.

Today

—

Today's Sessions

Daily Foundations

Reset all progress

Recovery

Recover Like
a Pro

Training breaks you down. Recovery is where you improve.

Sauna & Steam

🔥

Sauna

3–4×/wk

Post-gym. 15–20 min. Recovery, growth hormone, cardiovascular adaptation.

💨

Steam

2–3×/wk

Pre-tennis. 10–15 min. Joint mobility primer before court.

💪

Mon / Wed / Thu Post-Gym → Sauna

Already hot from training. Sauna extends the recovery signal. 15–20 min.

🎾

Sat AM Before Lesson → Steam

10 min as warm-up. Gets joints supple before your biggest tennis day.

☀️

Sun Post-Pilates → Sauna

Sets you up before the afternoon match with friends.

⚠️ Two Rules

Hydrate 500ml before every session. Don't sauna the night before a big match until adapted — it can disrupt sleep early on.

Sleep

😴 Your #1 Performance Drug

8 hours minimum. Consistent sleep/wake time. No sleep = no adaptation. Protect it like a training session.

📵 Screens Off by 9pm

Blue light tanks melatonin. Non-negotiable for twice-a-day training.

🌡️ Cool Room

18–20°C. Core temp must drop to trigger deep sleep.

Knee & Ankle — Topical Protocol

💊 Voltaren (Diclofenac)

A real anti-inflammatory — treats joint inflammation, not just masks it. Works cumulatively; consistency beats intensity.

🌅

Morning — after mobility

Rub into knees & ankles while warm. 2–3 min of real massage, not a smear. Clean dry skin.

🌙

Before bed — the key dose

Tissue repairs overnight. Anti-inflammatory present then accelerates it. No tight bandage right after.

📅

Week 1: twice daily, every day

Feel it by day 2–3, real difference day 5–7. Don't stop early. Then evenings only on tennis days.

🐯 Tiger Balm — Pre-Activity Only

Warming primer — drives blood flow before you load joints. Not a fix. Wears off after 60–90 min.

✅ 15–20 min before warm-up

Small amount into knees & ankles, then dynamic warm-up while it builds.

❌ Never at night

Warming irritates skin under sheets, disrupts sleep. Keep 1 hr from Voltaren.

🎾 Saturday Game-Day Sequence

Wake → Voltaren · before lesson → Tiger Balm + warm-up · gap → hydrate & walk · before club → Tiger Balm if stiff · bed → Voltaren.

🔑 The Real Fix

Niggles are usually a hip + ankle problem — the knee is the meat in the sandwich. Your daily ankle mobility + glute work is the long-term solution. 4–6 weeks. If it doesn't clear or there's sharp pain, see a sports physio.

Other Protocols

🔁

Contrast Therapy

After hard sessions: 1 min cold, 2 min warm, 3–4 rounds. Your pool makes this easy.

🧘

Box Breathing

4-4-4-4 for 5 min after intense sessions. Better recovery, sleep, and match composure.

The Why

The Plan,
Explained

The principles and the long arc behind your daily work.

Account & Sync

Core Philosophy

⚡ Movement Quality First

Your greatest limiting factor is movement quality, not fitness. A stiff body transfers force poorly and gets injured. Every session improves movement or protects it.

🔄 Rotation is Your Engine

Power comes from the kinetic chain — ankles → hips → thoracic spine → shoulder. Your Pilates base is ideal; the gym loads it.

⚖️ Composition Follows the Plan

Don't chase weight loss. Train and eat well and 4–5 kg comes off in 12–14 weeks. Aggressive deficits kill court energy.

Training Phase

❌ Avoid in the Gym

Heavy barbell back squats · Bench press as a priority (restricts serve) · Training to failure near match day · Ignoring pain signals.

On-Court Development

🎾 Split Step

Every shot. Time to opponent contact. Turns explosiveness into court speed.

🎾 Unit Turn

Rotate shoulders + hips together early. Early turn = time.

📍 Recovery Position

Return to centre after every shot. A habit, not fitness.

🎯 Serve

Trophy position + leg drive before spin. 60% first serve = game changer.

📹 Video Your Lessons

What you think you're doing and what you're doing differ completely. Watch footage back Sunday — the cheapest coaching upgrade there is.

Ball Machine — Tenniix Basic

🤖 Your Solo Reps Engine

100 balls, dual-wheel spin, ~2-min setup, 18.7 lbs so it goes anywhere. Slots into Tuesday between your Wed & Sat lessons. The loop: lesson teaches it → machine drills it solo → next lesson refines it → matches test it.

🏃 Movement feeds

Alternate Baseline Balls to the corners so you move to every ball. Split step + recover to centre. Your movement-quality priority, drilled.

🎯 Groove one shot

Baseline + Top Spin to a single spot for the forehand unit turn. Dual wheels = real spin control, not topspin-only.

📲 Program the lesson weakness

9 shot types and 15 placement zones from the app. After each lesson, drill exactly what your coach flagged. 15 focused minutes beats an hour of random hitting.

⬆️ The Upgrade Worth Eyeing

The Pro's AI Vision Module unlocks Smart Training Mode — set a Recovery Zone and it only feeds the next ball once you've recovered to centre. That's your "reset after every shot" habit on autopilot. Not on the Basic, but it's a modular add-on later if the Tuesday sessions prove their worth.

⚠️ Still a Court Session

Warm up properly first — Tiger Balm + dynamic warm-up. It replaced Tuesday's swim, so it doesn't add load; it redirects it to higher-value technical work. Keep Friday's pool session for your aerobic base.

1mo

Movement Feels Different

Morning stiffness reduced. Split step automatic. 1–2 kg lost.

3mo

Composition & Court Speed

Under 90 kg. Better court coverage. Serve toss consistent.

6mo

Competitive Shift

Winning more. Third-set fitness no longer a weakness. Rotational power in groundstrokes.

12mo

Competent Player

Consistent patterns under pressure. Fitness not a limiter. Playing with intention.