Be Tennis Safety Smart!
Conditioning
All of the following exercises should be performed 3-4 times weekly for about 30-40 minutes each day to better prepare your body for the stress it may undergo.
- Stretching - All stretches should be held for 15-20 seconds!!!
- A proper stretch is always needed before playing tennis.
- Five to ten minutes of simple stretching exercises of the shoulders, legs, and calves help reduce chance of injury while playing.
- Stretch shoulder and chest muscles using a towel or a racquet for pulling the arm in front of or behind the body.
- Leg stretches consist of:
- pulling your knee to your chest and holding it
- pulling the back of your heel towards your thigh
- toe-touches with legs together and apart
- placing one foot in front of the other (about shoulder length apart) bending one leg at a ninety degree angle and leaning forward while keeping the other leg straight with the heel constantly touching the ground - (this is called the front lunge).
- Strengthening Exercises - Prevent injury and enhance performance!!!
- Isometric exercises for the forearm and hand will improve grip control and minimize the effects of ball impact on the arm and elbow.
- Use of free weights for strengthening the shoulder and leg muscles.
- Abdominal curl ups and back extension exercises can strengthen the trunk.
- All weight training should progress from use of low weights to heavy weights over a gradual period of time to prevent injury to muscles and joints.
- Aerobic Activities and Conditioning
- Continuous exercise must be performed for 20-30 minutes continually about 3-4 times a week to attain aerobic conditioning.
- This type of exercise improves court endurance and can be further improved if you cross-train in other activities such as swimming, cycling, or jogging.
Elbow PainTo Prevent Elbow Pain:
- Make sure that you understand and follow the rules of tennis..
- Do warm-up exercises before you begin to play (for example, jog around the court for five minutes) and avoid playing when you are tired..
- After warming up, do stretching exercises for your wrists. This will make your wrists much stronger and take stress of your elbow. .
- Always bend your arm when you serve the ball.
- Try not to put too much topspin on the ball by rolling over with your wrist and elbow when hitting groundstrokes. .
- Drink plenty of water when playing, expecially on hot days.
Shoulder Pain
How do I prevent injury to my shoulder?
- Stretch before exercising to stay flexible and avoid excess strain to the shoulder. .
- Avoid playing for a long period of time at once..
- Don't try to hit every shot like Andre Agassi (hitting the ball too hard).
Exercise program to prevent shoulder injury:
- STEP #1-Warm Up
- Warm up the shoulder with some easy arm front to back swings and rotations out to the side of your body.
- STEP #2-Stretches
- Grab a door frame at waist height with arm behind the body and palm face out. Slowly stretch front shoulder by leaning body away from the door. Hold this position for about 20 seconds. Repeat with your arm at shoulder height.
- With opposite hand, pull your arm across body at shoulder height and hold for 20 seconds.
- STEP #3-Exercises
- Internal/External Rotators- While standing, bring elbows up to shoulder height and to the side. Hold light weights with elbow bent at 90 degrees. Slowly lower and raise weights rotating around shoulder joint with elbow staying at shoulder height.
- Cable Pulls- Grasp cable attached to low pulley or sport cord with arm crossing over body, elbow bent at 90 degrees and positioned at hip. Keeping elbow against hip, rotate arm outward. Repeat exercise with resistance starting at outside and rotating across your body.
- Pull a Gun and Hitchhike- Reach over across your body and pull cable as if drawing a gun from a holster. With elbow at 90 degree angle slowly abduct and rotate the shoulder so the arm comes out and across the body. Finish by putting thumb and hand up and back as if hitchhiking in slow motion.
- Buckets- Hold dumbells with arms straight and halfway between straight out to sides and straight in front. Keep hands rotated with thumbs pointed down as if pouring from a bucket. Lift and lower weights to shoulder height.
- If you don't understand these directions, ask parents or coach about them.
Ankle Pain
You can reduce the risk of injury to foot and ankle by doing the following things:
- Always play on tennis courts with "give" (soft courts). These types of courts are usually clay or fast-dry surfaces.
- Make sure that your parents buy you some shoes that are made for tennis only. These types of shoes are better for the side-to-side sliding that happens when you play.
- The heel of your shoe should fit tight to keep it from sliding side-to-side within your shoe. Also, make sure that your heel and toe area in the shoe is soft and cushioned.
- When you go shopping with your parents, try on a lot of different tennis shoes to find the one that is the most comfortable for you. Wear tennis socks when trying on these shoes. Double-check that your ankle is not rolling around in the shoe.
- Before you begin your match, warm up for about five to ten minutes. After you warm up, do some stretching exercises to loosen up your muscles. Remember to do strengthening exercises frequently also. This is the main way to keep from getting hurt.
Extreme Heat
When Playing on Hot Days:
- Exercise and stay in shape all year round.
- Drink plenty of water before, during, and after your tennis match.
- Try to limit your warm-up to no more than five minutes before your tennis match begins.
- During the changeover between games, put an iced towel on your neck and drink more ice water. Sit in the shade if it is possible.
- If an iced towel does not cool you down during the change over, soak your arms in ice water. This should cool you off quickly.
- Take a cool bath before and after you play your match.
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