With peak tennis and pickleball season now in full swing, it's the perfect time to ensure you're getting the most out of your game while staying injury-free on the court. At COAST, we want to help you enjoy every moment without the setback of injuries, which is why we've put together some tips to help you stay healthy and perform your best.
These simple, yet effective exercises will reduce your risk of developing tennis and pickle ball injuries by strengthen susceptible and often weak muscles. Incorporating these into your routine will also significantly enhance your enjoyment and overall performance this season.
Improve Your T-Spine Mobility
The ability to rotate through our upper body is very important for good shoulder mechanics. A good T-spine mobility drill can greatly benefit your tennis season by improving your range of motion and reducing strain on your shoulders during serves and swings.
How To Strengthen Your Soleus
Tennis is a fast sport with many rapid foot movements, including lunging, jumping, and running, which can put significant strain on your lower body. The soleus muscle, or lower calf muscle, is often weak in many people and can contribute to Achilles injuries, calf injuries, and calf strains. Therefore, it's important to strengthen this area. To do this exercise, start by sitting down into your hips. Place your hands on a wall for balance and lift one foot. Focus on contracting that lower calf muscle to lift you up and down.
In addition to the soleus, tendons in the lower leg and foot are also prone to injury stemming from weakness and overuse. For tendons to be healthy, they need to be regularly exposed to explosive and reactive forces. Skipping rope is a great way to train this capability and help avoid injuries down the road.
Reduce the Risk Of Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow is a very common racquet sport injury, resulting from weakness in the muscles on the backside of the forearm. A basic forearm strengthening exercise involves using a dumbbell, isolating the wrist and elbow, and focusing on contracting and strengthening the muscles that control the wrist. This can significantly help prevent and alleviate symptoms of tennis elbow.
Build Strong Shoulder Muscles
Poor shoulder mobility and strength can actually lead to tennis elbow and other common racquet sport injuries. This exercise helps us increase shoulder range of motion and strengthen the rotator cuff muscles at the same time. When performing this exercise, let the dumbbell come down nice and slow and controlled. It can be a little more explosive on the way back up. You can use your other hand to support your elbow on your knee. This will help you maintain proper form and focus on the targeted muscles.
We hope these exercises help you stay strong and enjoy a fantastic and injury-free season on the court.
If you need help with a successful tennis season, or have some injuries that are slowing down your game, book an appointment with one of our exercise and rehabilitation experts today!