When looking back at my tennis career each of my coaches emphasized the importance of an effective warm-up because it increases heart rate, helps prepare the muscles and joints for exercise and stimulates the nervous system. Nevertheless, often I was eager to just start practice or play mini-tennis instead of doing my proper warm-up (I hope my former coaches do not read this ; ) ). It took me until college to fully understand the importance of warm-ups, as it also helped me prepare my body for matches and reduce the chances of injuries. Of course, there is no guarantee to prevent injuries at all times, but it is important to always consider taking all possible steps, even at a young age, to make sure that you take the best care of your body.
Made2Move (Physical Therapy on Daniel Island) is one of our local healthcare providers, who helps active people in the Charleston area get out of pain and back into the activities they love, in your case tennis. I, myself, used their services for my knee pain and after 4-6 weeks, I was back on track to play tennis again without any knee pain. They do such a great job in assessing the source of your injury and work very diligently with a personal plan to get you back on track. From my personal experience, I am able to highly recommend their professional work and personal attention to my specific needs. As tennis players are always in need of a good trainers and health professionals, it is important to us that you have all of the resources you need so you can continue playing the sport you are passionate about and competing in a tennis tournament environment.
Here are the 5 best warm-up exercises for our Charleston Tennis Circuit players recommended and demonstrated by Hannah and Dane, our partners at Made2Move to make sure you are able to compete at your highest level.
Warm-up tools in your tennis bag
Made2Move recommends having at least two elastic bands in your tennis bag for your warm-up, which helps add resistance for some of the suggested exercises.
Exercise 1 - Heel & Toe Walking
This is a great first exercise to warm-up your calves and shins. To start, you line-up on the doubles line and walk on your toes all the way to the other side of the court. On your way back you switch to walking on your heels.
Exercise 2 - Monster Walk
For this exercise, you will need your first elastic band, which you put around your feet. You then line-up on the doubles line and take 8-10 small side-steps to the left and then to the right. This is a great way to warm-up your hips.
Exercise 3 - Dipping Bird & Toy Soldier
These are very important exercises for you to add to your dynamic warm-up. It helps you to get your glutes and hamstrings ready for your practice or match. As you know the glutes and hamstrings are used constantly when moving around the court.
Exercise 4 - Rotation
For this warm-up exercise, you will need a longer elastic band, which you wrap round the tennis post. After getting into an athletic stance, you start rotating your whole body using the band for resistance. This is a great warm-up exercise for your abs and lower back.
Exercise 5 - Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat
Our last exercise is for your quad muscles. If you do not have the strength to do a single split squat, you can always do a regular squat instead, where your feet are slightly wider than your hips and you shift your weight to your heels as you push your hips into a sitting position.
If you are experiencing any type of pain or limitations with your body or your are interested in more strength exercises related to tennis, make sure to reach out to Made2Move and talk to an expert. They will be able to help you!
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