Beyond the Swing Podcast
Season 2
Dealing with Tendon Pain: In-Season vs Off-Season (w/ Dr. Byron Miller)
Blind Spots in Tennis Rehab & Training (w/ Zak Gabor)
Season 1
by Matt Kuzdub
Host Matt Kuzdub talks with Dr. Byron Miller, founder of Tendon RX, about understanding and managing tendon pain for athletes. They cover why “tendinopathy” is the correct term, the role of isometrics for in-season relief versus heavy slow resistance (isotonics) for long-term tendon adaptation, and why stretching can actually harm unhealthy tendons. Dr. Miller also shares his simple, single-exercise protocol for rotator cuff tendinopathy and tips for keeping athletes on the court safely while rehabbing.
In this revival episode, Matt Kuzdub is joined by Zak Gabor, a strength & conditioning coach and physical therapist, to discuss how sound S&C principles apply to athlete rehab and performance—particularly in tennis. The conversation focuses on common blind spots in rehab and training, including the role of cumulative physical and psychological stress, load management, and why superficial fixes or constant technique changes often miss the bigger picture. Matt and Zak explore how recreational and competitive tennis players can benefit from a “minimum effective dose” approach, emphasizing consistency over excessive volume. They also discuss how Zak’s perspective shifted after returning to higher-level competitive tennis, how elite players structure training using “high days vs low days,” and where physical therapy modalities actually fit—viewed more as recovery tools than corrective solutions, with the majority of progress coming from intelligent load management.
In this episode, I welcome PhD in Sport Science - Jaime Fernandez - one of the top tennis researchers out there. Jaime and I tackle a number of sport science topics including best (and easiest) practices for monitoring on-court training loads, where to fit the serve into the practice schedule and what really matters when it comes to keeping the tennis shoulder healthy. Given that Jaime is from Spain, I also ask him the question - why has Spanish tennis been so successful? The answer, I'm sure, will surprise you.
In this episode, creator of Hmmr Media - Martin Bingisser - joins me to talk about choosing exercises that are the most 'bang for your buck' in terms of training transfer. As a former hammer throwing athlete (and now coach), Martin has an extensive background in trunk development and describes his approach - using bodyweight, weights and med balls to target this quality. Martin also coaches athletes from other sports - including rugby, tennis etc - and shares his insights on using the Bondarchuk system to classify + organize training, where various tennis activities would fit into this categorization and the how + why behind mircodosing certain workouts.
What is coordination? What are the fundamental movements young players need to lay the foundation for future athletic + sporting success? In this episode, my good friend and colleague Howard Green joins the show to tackle all these topics and more. Howard is the creator of 'Supermovers' - a program dedicated to the development of movement skills in under 12 athletes. He works primarily with young tennis players so if you work with juniors - or you're a tennis parent - this episode is right up your alley.
In this episode, the creator of Jump Science - Daniel Back - joins me to talk strength training for athletic development. Coach Back shares with us why the back squat will improve both explosive + athletic movements like no other weight room exercise and why it's superior to the front squat or unilateral training as the 'primary lift'. That doesn't mean other lifts aren't important - they are. And coach Back outlines how to use other exercises to not only maximize performance, but to improve structure and prevent injuries. Beyond that, we discuss long-term adaptations to training, how to train while you're still playing your sport a lot and the reasons behind his daily stretching routines. It's an episode you really don't want to miss!
Is it really your strokes that are holding you back from your best tennis? In this episode, Tennis Canada Level 4 coach Wayne Elderton joins the show and dives deep into ‘model’ vs ‘game-based’ coaching - and why a game-based or 'tactical' approach to coaching is more effective & efficient when it comes to learning. Wayne and I also discuss the shot cycle, the various tennis 'situations', scaling courts + equipment for young/beginner players and his take on practices that emphasize 0-4 shots.
Coach Pfaff has been a direct mentor of mine for the last 6 years. I've learned more through his apprenticeship than any course, book or research article. With over 40 years of coaching experience, coach Pfaff has been through it all - in the trenches with world-class sprinters, consulting to ATP, WTA, NFL, NHL pro teams and today, he leads the ALTIS elite mentorship program. In this podcast, coach Pfaff and I dive into various topics including what specific work/training truly is, why contingency programming is key at the elite levels of sport and the intricate relationships between serve mechanics and skill acquisition + physiology.
We all use jumping in our training programs. But not all types of jumps are plyometric. In this pilot episode, PhD candidate in plyometrics - Matt McInnes Watson - dives into what plyos are and what they aren't. Matt also clarifies the different adaptations that exist between plyos and weight training, how tennis players can benefit from plyos (beyond just being explosive) and why 'plyo push-ups' aren't really plyometric.
In this episode of Beyond the Swing, Matt sits down with strength and conditioning coach Justin Russ to explore what truly drives performance in tennis. Justin shares his journey from IMG Academy to the University of Virginia and onto the ATP/WTA tours, breaking down how an “outsider’s” perspective shaped his coaching philosophy. He explains why movement principles transcend sport, how he simplifies complex concepts for athletes, and why external cues and clear communication are at the core of his approach. The conversation dives deep into strength training for tennis — from unilateral lower-body work and front squats to medicine ball rotational power and change-of-direction mechanics — as well as the key differences between college and pro tennis environments. Justin also weighs in on wearable technology in competition, referencing the debate sparked at the Australian Open involving Carlos Alcaraz, and makes the case for smarter data use in managing load and preventing injury. A practical, thoughtful episode for coaches, players, and anyone interested in performance at the highest levels.