# Effects of On-Court Tennis Training Combined with HIIT versus RST on Aerobic Capacity, Speed, Agility, Jumping Ability, and Internal Loads in Young Tennis Players

PMID: 39944983
Journal: Journal of Human Kinetics
Published: 2025
Authors: Morais JE, Kilit B, Arslan E, Bragada JA, Soylu Y, Marinho DA

## Question

How do on-court tennis training combined with running HIIT and on-court tennis training combined with repeated-sprint training affect aerobic capacity, speed, agility, jumping, repeated-sprint performance, internal load, and enjoyment?

## Summary

In 13- to 14-year-old male tennis players, both on-court tennis plus HIIT and on-court tennis plus repeated-sprint training improved performance over 6 weeks. HIIT was more clearly associated with aerobic capacity gains, while repeated-sprint training produced larger speed, agility, and repeated-sprint improvements and was rated as more enjoyable.

## Population

- Young male competitive tennis players
- Sample size: 24
- Age: 13.6 +/- 0.3 years
- Sex: Male
- Fitness level: Tier 3 youth tennis athletes with at least 2 years of training and competition
- Health status: Apparently healthy young tennis players; parental consent obtained

## Methodology

- Randomized parallel training study
- 6 weeks
- Indoor hard-court youth tennis training
- Randomized and controlled study design.

## Protocol

- On-court tennis plus HIIT.
- Modality: Tennis drills followed by running HIIT on a 400-m track.
- Work intervals: 30-60 seconds.
- Recovery: 30-60 seconds passive rest, 90 seconds between sets.
- Sets or repetitions: 2-3 sets of 4-5 repetitions after tennis drills.
- Intensity: All players exceeded 85% HRmax during HIIT.
- Session duration: About 60-80 minutes total; HIIT/RST block 8-20 minutes.
- Frequency: 3 sessions per week.
- Program length: 6 weeks.
- Progression: Work volume progressed across weeks.
- On-court tennis plus repeated-sprint training.
- Modality: Tennis drills followed by court-based repeated sprints with changes of direction.
- Work intervals: 4-6 second sprints over about 20 m.
- Recovery: 25 seconds active recovery after sprints and 3 minutes between sets.
- Sets or repetitions: 3-4 sets of 4-6 sprints.
- Intensity: Repeated sprint effort.
- Session duration: About 60-80 minutes total; sprint block 8-20 minutes.
- Frequency: 3 sessions per week.
- Program length: 6 weeks.
- Progression: Sprint volume and change-of-direction demands progressed across weeks.

## Outcomes

### VO2max
Status: improved
Aerobic capacity improved over time, with the HIIT group showing the clearest within-group increase.

Time effect F=740.215, p<0.001, eta squared=0.97; VO2max was reported as the only variable significantly increased in the OTT+HIIT group.

### Sprint agility
Status: improved
Repeated-sprint training produced greater speed, agility, and repeated-sprint improvements than HIIT.

Group effects for 5 m sprint p=0.044, RSA mean p=0.021, and T-drill p=0.048; time x group interactions favored RST for several performance measures.

### Enjoyment
Status: improved
The repeated-sprint group reported higher enjoyment and lower exertion than the HIIT group.

PACES group effect p<0.001, eta squared=0.89; RPE group effect p<0.001, eta squared=0.63.

## Practical Insights

- Youth tennis HIIT can be embedded after tennis-specific on-court drills.
- Repeated-sprint formats may better match tennis movement and may be more enjoyable than longer running intervals.
- Short running HIIT blocks may still be useful when the target is aerobic capacity.

## Limitations

- Only 13-14-year-old male tennis players were studied.
- Small sample.
- No explicit adverse-event reporting was found in the NXML.
- Internal-load reporting contained some ambiguity across abstract, results, and discussion.

## Safety And Adherence

- No explicit adverse-event or dropout details were identified in the NXML sections reviewed.

## Original Sources

- [PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39944983/) (pubmed)
- [DOI](https://doi.org/10.5114/jhk/189691) (doi)
- [PMC full text](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11812157/) (full text)

## Agent Guidance

Preserve the paper-level scope of this note. Do not generalize beyond the population, protocol, measured outcomes, and limitations above.