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 JUNE 25, 2003 Tennis: Keeping Fit in Season The outdoor tennis season is now in full swing, but you can't ignore basic fitness training in between matches. Keep your abdominals, back, legs, and arms strong and powerful, and don't forget to stretch them out after a quick warm-up before, and again after, playing. Trunk Rotation Trunk rotation is the main part of the tennis swing. You need it to have stability in the middle of the body. Work on flexibility and strengthening by doing abdominal crunches and oblique (sideways) crunches. You can also use a medicine ball or a basketball -- hold the ball in front of you and move it from side to side, then up and back. Avoiding a Back Injury To avoid a back injury, tie one end of an elastic band or surgical tubing to a door knob, grab the other end and simulate forehand and backhand strokes. Do this once or twice a day for a few minutes at a time. It's not how much you do at once, but you'll feel the benefit over time. You can also do Superman's -- lie on your stomach, hands over your head, and raise the right arm and left leg straight up off the floor. Put them down and raise the left arm and right leg. Continue alternating arm and leg raises. Arm Strength Swing a racquet with the cover on. This creates great resistance. Spend 5 to 10 minutes a day a few times a week on both forehand and backhand strokes. Power Power is more important than strength in tennis. Obviously, you need to develop power in your legs and torso, as well as shoulders and arms. Do full range-of-motion exercises with light weights and lots of repetitions to improve your power. Conditioning Do anything to keep your heart in shape -- swimming, dancing, racquetball, basketball. Or try paddle tennis, which is basically the same game, miniaturized, using a wooden paddle tennis racquet and spongy ball inside a fenced-in court. |
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