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A Quick and Easy Dynamic Warmup For Junior Tennis Players

By Alton Skinner

Dynamic warm-up and flexibility training is an essential element of any pre-practice or pre-competition routine and helps prepare the body for the demands of today’s tennis game. An effective warm-up does five very important things for junior tennis players.

  1. Increases body temperature allowing muscles to work more efficiently.
  2. Gets the heart and lungs ready for vigorous activity.
  3. Stretches muscles actively, preparing them for the forces experiences during tennis.
  4. Engrains proper movement patterns and the coordination needed in tennis.
  5. Wakes up the nervous system and gets the brain talking with the muscles.

A dynamic warm-up, which involves stretching with movement, accomplishes all of these tasks. Pre-practice and pre-competition warm-up routines for junior tennis players have typically focused on static stretching. While this type of stretching is still important for maintaining flexibility and joint range of motion, it really should be performed after play, not before practice or competition.

Warming up for tennis is an important part of your routine. Research suggests it can speed nerve transmission, increase blood flow to the muscles and assist in injury prevention. The aim is to increase your breathing and warm up the specific muscles to be used in each stroke and court movement. Start with low impact movements and gradually build to more dynamic movements that contract and stretch the muscles through their full range of motion. Start at the baseline and move forward to the net, then repeat each movement backwards to the baseline:

On the spot with racquet:

It has been my experience that when junior tennis players follow a consistent dynamic warm up they play better, practice better, and experience far fewer and less severe injuries. It is to a junior tennis player advantage to follow this quick and easy dynamic warm up program.

About the Author:

If you are a weekend tennis player, a competitive amateur, or professional player, Alton Skinner, a Raleigh, North Carolina athletic performance and nutrition specialist, can help you create a conditioning and nutrition program that adds endurance, reduces painful injuries, and reshapes your body so you can win more tournaments and play your best tennis all the time. Work with him directly or follow the guidelines in a personalized Tournament Player Performance Plan, a complete plan designed just for you based on your playing schedule and current body condition, to maximize your performance when it matters most to you.

More information is available by calling . Or visit his website www.altonskinner.com. Mention that you read this article and receive a complete tennis conditioning analysis and a copy of Alton’s quarterly conditioning and nutrition guide, Accelerated Golf and Tennis, a $40 value.