Get Into The Swing Of Tennis
Inspired by Wimbledon? Follow these top tips to serve up a fitness ace this summer
Hoping for an active summer? Well, why not issue yourself a court summons? Tennis court, that is.
Because these warmer months are an ideal time to have a go at this ace form of exercise and its long list of health-boosting benefits.
Playing regularly can help lower cholesterol and blood pressure, reducing your chances of developing heart disease. It’s also a good all-over workout, leading to strengthening throughout the body’s muscle groups, as well as improving flexibility and coordination.
Plus, the average man will burn around 600 calories playing an hour of singles tennis, while the average woman burns 420. What’s more, a fierce rally doesn’t just work wonders for you physically; the focus and fast responses required could help sharpen brain function too.
Best of all, however, is that it’s great fun, can be enjoyed by children and adults of all ages, and can be as competitive as you like, whether you want to master your technique at a local club, or hire a court at a nearby park for an active day out with the kids.
Of course, a lot of hard work goes into becoming a Grand Slam champ. On average, the pros will hit a tennis ball 2.4 million times by the age of 24, which equates to 100,000 strokes of the racket a year. Top players also cover around 2,500 miles on court each year and, added together, their time spent on the tennis court totals an average three years, before they reach Grand Slam status.
But don’t worry if that sounds a tad too exhausting, you can still net yourself all the benefits playing any level of tennis. Richard Burns, racquets manager at Virgin Active Chiswick Riverside, shares some of his top tips:
FIVE TOP TIPS FOR BEGINNERS
“The most important thing to do when you’re learning to play tennis is just keep practising,” says Burns. “The more you play, the better you’ll be!”
1. Work on basic sending and receiving skills by rallying with a tennis partner. Get used to keeping your eye on the ball at all times.
2. Always try to get back to the ‘ready position’. Have both hands on the racket, feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. Try and bounce on your toes to give your legs extra spring.
3. Keep your swing smooth with a continuous flow – straight after the ball leaves your strings, extend the racket and arm in the direction that you’re hitting the ball, then turn the racket and bring it across your body in a smooth motion. This will help to decelerate the racket and your body smoothly.
4. Make sure you’re constantly looking to improve your game – reinforce positive swing patterns with shadow swings, particularly after making an error. Shadow swings are a mimic of the movement, without the ball – this gives you a feel for your racquet and stroke.
5. Work on your overall fitness in order to improve stamina. Increase whole-body strength (not just your arms!) to put more power into your shots. During tennis, your body uses the legs, arms, back and core.
FIVE WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR MENTAL FOCUS
“Having mental toughness is vital for success in a match situation,” says Burns. “Professional tennis players spend hours each week just doing mental toughness exercises.”
1. In order to feel mentally prepared for a tennis match, it’s really important to feel that you’re physically prepared. If you know your fitness levels are high, this will help you to feel confident about your game and give you mental toughness. Conversely, if you are not prepared, then you are conceding the mental ‘edge’ to your opponent.
2. Focus on ‘controlling the controllable’. [Rafael] Nadal has an extremely regimented pre-match routine, where he gets his surroundings into order, thereby ordering his mind.
3. Keep your mind on the present moment; don’t be distracted by a point lost in the last set. Just focus on the ball at all times.
4. Aim for emotional balance – being too pumped or too negative will take energy away from the physical energy. Stay balanced and centred to maintain and preserve energy.
5. Use tricks to keep yourself mentally relaxed. Many tennis pros pluck their tennis strings as a way to quiet their mind and divert attention during pressure-filled moments.
THREE TIPS FOR BETTER GROUNDSTROKES
“To succeed on the court, you really need to develop consistent and powerful groundstrokes,” says Burns. “Work on getting your forehand and backhand strong with a great technique, then build up to incorporating spin and speed.”
1. Get your split step right – this is a small hop taken when in the ready position, to create force from the ground to push off explosively towards the ball. Do this every time your opponent is about to make contact with the ball.
2. Practise your timings for hitting the ball in forehand and backhand. Work out where your ideal contact point is, and then develop your timings around this – with split steps and moving forwards.
3. Work on your balance – if you are balanced when hitting the ball, you can get your weight through the shot better. Do some drills for improving balance when hitting from standing, and hitting when running.
FIVE TIPS TO IMPROVE MOBILITY AND FOOTWORK
“The game of tennis is about more than just hitting a ball,” says Burns. “In the words of Bjorn Borg, ‘There is no substitute for mobility’.”
1. Learn how to jump like Li Na by using a skipping rope effectively. Work your legs with 30 seconds of skipping with both legs, then 30 seconds on each leg individually. Build this up to 60 seconds on each.
2. Get flexibility like Maria Sharapova by stretching after each tennis session – focus on your back, shoulders, legs and calves. Foam rolling is great for this. Pilates or Yoga can also really increase flexibility.
3. Keep your feet and ankles as flexible as Laura Robson’s by performing stretches every day. Do ankle circles, toe extensions and abductions (stretching forwards and sidewards) and ankle inversion stretches.
4. Be as speedy as Heather Watson. Increase your sprint speed by decreasing body fat, strengthen your hip flexors with hill sprints and use weights to improve the explosiveness of your muscles.
5. Get lower body strength like Serena Williams with squats and lunges – this will give you great mobility in your hips, legs and upper back. Get your technique spot on by keeping the back straight, knees bent and feet shoulder-width apart.
:: Virgin Active has 21 Racquet Clubs nationwide. Visit www.virginactive.co.uk
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