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Before you start playing tennis you should go through a stretching and movement routine to warm up. Warming up will loosen your muscles and joints, making you more flexible, which can prevent injury. It will also make your heart beat faster, which will prepare you to move more quickly and stretch further on the court. Going through a warm up routine before a match can help you concentrate. | |
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Leg stretch
This exercise stretches your hamstrings at the back of your legs. Sit on the ground with your legs stretched out in front of you. With the back of your knees on the floor. reach for your toes. If you cannot reach for your toes, then reach as far as you can. Hold this position for 20 seconds. Repeat 3 times. |
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Butterfly
The butterfly will stretch out your inner leg. Sit on the ground and bring the bottoms of your shoes together and pull your feet towards yourself. Hold in this position for 20 seconds. Repeat 3 times. Make sure to keep your back straight and keep your ankles on the floor. |
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Figure eights Improve your footwork and agility with this exercise. Place two tennis balls 3 feet apart. Move as quickly as you can in a figure eight pattern around the balls. |
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Cross over steps
In tennis it is important to move quickly and with good footwork while keeping your balance at all times. To test your footwork and coordination, practice side-stepping along the baseline. Repeat 3 times. From a standing position, travel to your left by crossing over your right leg over in front of your feet. Make sure to always stay on your toes, always face forward, and use your hands for balance. |
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Ball control
To help with your hitting coordination, bounce a ball up off your racket strings. Count how many times in a row you can hit the ball. Try to keep the racket between shoulder and knee height. |
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Shoulder stretch
Warm up your upper arm and shoulder area with this exercise. Stand up right, only using one arm try to touch the bottom of your shoulder blade. Repeat 3 times |
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