Training from an athlete: tennis with Anna Chakvetadze

The famous Russian tennis player and sports commentator Anna Chakvetadze invited the editorial staff of “Championship” to her training and talked to us about what a healthy and active lifestyle means to her.

– How do you keep in shape?
– I went to Thai boxing for a few classes, I liked it. But my problem is that my back starts hurting quickly. This is a professional injury, because of which I left the big sport. In general, I believe that sport can be present in everyone’s life, and it is not necessary to go to the gym. You can spend 15-20 minutes a day exercising, thus increasing your vitality.

Training with Anna Chakvetadze

– Do you follow a healthy lifestyle?
– Yes, I practically don’t eat carbohydrates, I don’t drink alcohol and I don’t smoke. When I was doing sports professionally, I didn’t watch my diet at all. We ate everything (laughs). When I left sports, the training became less intense, and I began to notice that the kilograms were only going up. That’s when I started to watch my diet.

– Tell us what you are doing now. Is tennis present in your life?
– Of course, a year and a half ago I opened my tennis school. At the moment it has 40 students and three coaches, but the school is growing, so I want to attract new specialists over time. We don’t emphasize professionalism, we teach tennis to everyone. I believe that anyone can learn to play at one level or another.

Training with Anna Chakvetadze

– Even if a person decided to take up tennis at the age of 20?
– In this case, of course, you can only play at the amateur level. It’s still different – to be a professional and just to play well. But if a child wants to emphasize his studies or, for example, a certain level of sports skills will help him when entering university, we are always ready to help. It seems to me that practicing tennis is always useful. Firstly, you are constantly on the move, and secondly, tennis is considered an elite sport. And in general, the more you know, the better.

Armen Teg-Grigoryan, the head of the “Game Programs” direction of the network, master trainer in big tennis: “However, it is impossible to achieve perfection only by training with a coach. It often happens that the trainee gets used to the coach, predicts his movements and, as a consequence, the directions of his strokes. That’s why it is important to play with other partners, because your victory depends on how quickly you adapt to the opponent’s style of play, how quickly you figure out his tactics.

– Now directly about training. How long does a tennis player’s warm-up last?
– On average, the warm-up should be at least 5-10 minutes. For children, of course, less, because they can get tired if the warm-up is too long and intense. Professional athletes take different amounts of time to warm up: 10 minutes is enough for some, while others warm up for half an hour.

– How much water should an athlete drink during the day?
– It depends on how much energy you use during the day. If you have a normal day without training, you should drink at least a bottle of water (one and a half to two liters), and if you train intensively, you should drink more.

– Should you eat before your workout? And if yes, what kind of food should you eat?
– Before training it is better not to eat for an hour, but if you can not, you can snack on fast carbohydrates (rice, pasta, bread). Protein (fish, meat, chicken) is better not to eat before training, because it will not have time to digest, and there may be unpleasant sensations and heaviness in the stomach. But after training, the body needs to recover, in which case protein is what you need.

Training with Anna Chakvetadze

– What are the main mistakes beginners make when they start playing tennis?
– Beginners immediately want to play with the score. I’ve seen people come in more than once who don’t have the technical equipment yet, but they are already trying to compete. I understand that it’s fun and cool, but if you want it to be interesting for both you and your opponent or partner, it’s better to take a few lessons, learn the correct technique and only then play with the score. Also, beginners often buy not tennis sneakers, but running shoes. This is a very important point, it is necessary to practice exactly in tennis shoes, which does not give the foot to move. In running shoes your foot can go sideways and there is a big chance that you will get injured.

– Tell us, in what projects can we see or hear from you in the near future?
– I act as a sports expert, I comment on tennis on television. Now we are actively preparing for Roland Garros. There is another project, which is also connected with sports, but it has stalled a bit. As soon as it is realized, I will tell you about it in detail. In general, I do everything related to sport. Now I am interested in it from a business point of view.

– What else besides tennis occupies your free time?
– I’ve recently become interested in art. My friends invited me to the Sotheby’s auction, which is held in London, and after that I got a craving for art. My knowledge in this field is still shallow, but this unexplored world is very intriguing.

Training with Anna Chakvetadze

TOP 3 warm-up exercises from Anna Chakvetadze

1. Circular arm movements
Stand up straight, place your feet shoulder-width apart, with your hands pointing to the sides. Slowly start performing circular movements forward and then backward.

The main mistake: it is absolutely necessary to bring your arms all the way up, so that the spine stretches. If you do not do this, then even from such an elementary exercise can hurt your back.

2. Circular movements of the shoulders
Bend your arms at the elbows, put your fingertips on your shoulders. Make circular movements back and forth.

3. forward tilts from a standing position
Stand up straight, feet shoulder width apart, back straight. From this position, lower your torso downward, trying to reach your hands to the floor. This is a stretching exercise, once you do it, you will immediately feel your back straighten.

By adding these three simple exercises to your warm-up and performing them every morning, you will not only stretch your back muscles, but also provide yourself with energy and positive emotions for the whole day.

Training with Anna Chakvetadze

Training with the athlete was held in World Class Pavlovo Fitness Club.