Tennis Warm-Up

Tennis season is back in full swing. Have you watched Break Point yet?? Talk about a training schedule. Which got us thinking… Do our tennis players have a good warm-up? A warm-up at all?!?

Let’s talk about what a quick and easy warm-up would look like for you. We are not talking mini tennis, volleys (who can even feed the ball properly to an opponent anyway!), and overheads. That’s all fine and good and should be done prior to your match. What about warming up your body?

The key to a great warm-up with a little bit of time is to get your heart rate up and your body’s core warm. Speaking of tennis, it’s helpful to use movements that you will expect of your body during your match. We love to think in 3 planes of motion and you should too! Not only will you be actually warming up your body, you will also be waking up those movements to get you that win!

Here’s a quick and effective warm-up you could use this season.

• Walking lunge with upper body extension

• High knees with upper body rotation

• Quick Side Shuffles (both directions) with arm circles

• Sidestepping squats with diagonal arm reaches, alternating sides

• Lateral lunges with reaching with both arms to same side

• Walking hamstring stretch with alternating calf raise

This group of exercises is a great way to warm up your legs, get your upper body moving for different racquet positions, and increase your heart rate. Proper warm-ups lead to better performance and injury prevention too!

Have a great season!