How to Warm Up Before Playing Tennis
I think many recreational tennis players (and recreational athletes) do not take their warming up very seriously. This is for a variety of reasons, but the biggest one is probably time. You may be rushing to the tennis court from work, taking care of family, or just lost track of time. However, without a proper warm up, you may increase your risk for injury.
Increase your heart rate
Prior to even hitting a tennis ball, it is a good idea to increase your heart rate through some low intensity running drills. Increasing your heart rate helps to improve blood flow to your muscles. This increased blood flow helps the muscles improve their mobility which will help with explosive movements on the tennis court and decrease your risk of injuries.
One of my favorite warm up drills on the tennis court is to run the lines. Here are the steps (or just watch the video here):
Start at the baseline on the deuce side doubles line (top right corner of the court).
Then you will jog up to the net along the line.
Once at the net side shuffle to the singles line.
Backpedal up the singles alley line to the service line.
Side shuffle to the T on the service line.
Jog forward on the T to the net.
Backpedal on the T to service line.
Side shuffle to the advantage singles line.
Jog up the advantage singles line to the net.
Side shuffle to the advantage doubles line.
Back pedal up the advantage doubles line finishing in the upper left hand corner of the baseline.
You can repeat this by starting on the left side of the court and reversing or shuffling all the way to the right side of the court and beginning again. You can repeat this three times as a great way to get your heart rate up. Each repetition, you can increase your speed.
Upper body resistance bands
Now that you have increased your heart rate, in turn getting your muscles warm and mobile, it is now the optimal time to do some low resistance exercises for your shoulder muscles. These muscles are a key component in tennis as they help to stabilize your racket during groundstrokes, serves, volleys and overheads. You can always have a theraband in your tennis bag, which won’t take up too much space and is easy to use on the tennis court.
Grab your theraband and either anchor it to the pole on the net or through the fence. Here are the five exercises I like to use:
Shoulder flexion - grab the band with both hands facing the pole/fence, keeping your arms straight, pull the band over your head from stomach height
Rows - grab the band with both hands facing the pole/fence, keep your elbows bent and pull the band while drawing your shoulder blades together
Shoulder internal rotation - have your one shoulder parallel with the pole/fence, place the band in both hands, the arm further from the pole or fence will stay stable hugging into your body, the opposite arm will have your elbow at your side and you will pull the band in towards your stomach and then back out to your side
Shoulder external rotation - have your one shoulder parallel with the pole/fence, place the band in both hands, the arm closer to the pole or fence will stay stable hugging into your body, the opposite arm will have your elbow at your side and you will pull away from the fence and then back into your body
Triceps - face away from the pole/fence and pull the band over your head, start with your elbow bent and then straighten your elbows towards the sky
These are the major muscles of the shoulder used during tennis. You can do 10 reps of each of these exercises. Make sure to do both sides for the shoulder internal and external rotation. If you need to visualize the exercises, check out this video here.
Lower body warm up
You will next bring your efforts towards your lower body. In tennis there is a lot of rotation happening at the hips. These exercises will focus on that to make sure you are ready to create explosive movements.
Lunge with rotation - starting on the doubles line, take a step forward with your right foot into a lunge, hold your tennis racket out in front of you, rotate your torso to the right keeping your chest upright. Step your left foot to meet your right foot and then step your left foot forward into a lunge, hold your tennis racket out in front of you, rotate your racket to the left. Repeat until you make it to the other doubles line.
Lateral lunges - stand with feet together, step your right foot out to the side and lunge to the side, repeat on the other side. You can repeat this exercise 10 times on each side.
Finally, you are ready to start hitting some tennis balls - and please start short court! Your heart rate should be slightly elevated and you will hopefully be feeling some sweat on your body. Doing this before hitting a ball will help to decrease your risk for injury. Happy playing!
