Archive for the ‘Stretching’ Category
Working on your tennis game, just as your fitness and health, is a life-long process. Make you sure you stay persistent and enjoy the process. I have just read and interesting philosophy from Jim Rohn (www.JimRohn.com) whom’s teachings I greatly admire. They are simple and powerful. His ant philosophy applies to life and our athletic endeavors.
“I think everybody should study ants. They have an amazing four-part philosophy, and here is the first part: ants never quit. That’s a good philosophy. If they’re headed somewhere and you try to stop them, they’ll look for another way. They’ll climb over, they’ll climb under, they’ll climb around. They keep looking for another way. What a neat philosophy, to never quit looking for a way to get where you’re supposed to go.
Second, ants think winter all summer. That’s an important perspective. You can’t be so naive as to think summer will last forever. So ants gather their winter food in the middle of summer. An ancient story says, “Don’t build your house on the sand in the summer.” Why do we need that advice? Because it is important to think ahead. In the summer, you’ve got to think storm. You’ve got to think rocks as you enjoy the sand and sun.
The third part of the ant philosophy is that ants think summer all winter. That is so important. During the winter, ants remind themselves, “This won’t last long; we’ll soon be out of here.” And the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they’ll dive back down, but then they come out the first warm day. They can’t wait to get out.
And here’s the last part of the ant philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the “all-you-possibly-can” philosophy.
Wow, what a great philosophy to have—the ant philosophy. Never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can.”
Apply Jim Rohn’s ant philosophy to your tennis fitness training, too. Have a goal that you plan to achieve always in your sight and diligently work on it, even if it is just a little bit every day. Ten minutes of stretching is better than nothing. Doing a few sets of jumps or lunges after your tennis practice is better than nothing. Rolling your feet in bed before sleep and upon awakening will surprisingly make a big difference over time. Even if you feel that you don’t have time, remember that even a minimal effort toward your tennis fitness is going to help. Remember the ants!
We take 5,000 to 10,000 steps per day, with forces on your joints 1.5 or more of your body weight. For a tennis player it is even more — more steps and higher forces. Tennis players’ feet suffer tremendous overuse. In the last newsletter, we were addressing the importance of healthy and fit feet. I’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback from people with different (minor) knee and hip problems, who started to pay attention to their feet, and only after a few days of regular ankle and feet strengthening exercises, they already feel difference and their aches went away. That is very exciting!
All the exercises outlined in the previous newsletter will help, but it may not be enough. It’s about the whole chain between your feet and the upper body. If your pelvis suffers from decreased flexibility, the feet and ankle will suffer, too. With all the prolong sitting that the majority of us does, and with the subsequent athletic overuse on the tennis court, the hip flexors get shortened and tight and displace the pelvis forward from its optimal position. The pelvic tilt will move the hamstring attachment higher and thus pull on the hamstrings. The hamstring’s fascia is interconnected with the calves, which are interconnected with the feet. Therefore, for the full range of motion and complete functionality of our ankles and feet, we also need to stretch the hip flexors (psoas and iliacus), quadriceps and TFLs. Here are 4 simple stretches:
1. Quadripceps Stretch
Stand on the right leg, bend your left knee and grab the left foot behind you. Pull toward your glutes until you start to feel a good stretch in the front of the left leg. Tuck your pelvis under and squeeze the glutes. Hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds and repeat for the other leg.
2. Psoas Stretch
Step forward with your right leg into a big, deep lunge. Tuck the pelvis under and squeeze the left glute. Continue tucking your pelvis, lower your chin to the chest and look down at your belly button. Hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds and switch sides.
3. Iliacus Stretch
Start in the same position like the psoas stretch, with the right leg forward in a deep lunge. Lift your left arm high up and slowly rotate your upper body back and to the left, toward your back leg. Hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds and then switch sides.
4. TFL Stretch
Step forward into a deep lunge with your right leg forward, just like in the hip-flexor stretches above. Lift both arms over the head and grab your left wrist with your right hand. Keep your glutes engaged and slowly lean your body to the right side. Hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds and then repeat for the other side.
Even if you don’t have any serious aches in your hips, knees or feet, doing these stretches and feet exercise regularly will help you to move better and more efficiently, and you will notice that you are faster on the court and play better by getting to the ball quicker. Give your feet all the love they deserve!
Lastly, I have an announcement from my fellow tennis teacher friend, who not too long ago launched his amazing Tennis Forehand Solution program that helped many (including me) to improve their forehands. He has just released the Total Tennis Training Inner Circle program, which is said to be the most comprehensive training you can find on how to play your best tennis, and is created by a former top 100 ATP player, Stanford All-American, and national junior champion Jeff Salzenstein.
Jeff says that it’s time for players to learn how to improve their tennis games by getting the right advice and information. Why not take your tennis to new heights right now and become a better player? Jeff’s tennis system can help you do it. His program can help anyone from the complete beginner to the top pro. You have 30 days to test drive it before you decide if it is for you. You can continue for as long as you want and it is easy to cancel at anytime. All the videos play beautifully on your iPad and iPhone so you can easily take them on the court with you and learn as you practice. If it sounds tempting, join Jeff’s Inner Circle now!
Here, you can look at some of his free videos with great tips on footwork (just like a dance), running forehand or holding the finish. Good little tips that you can for sure incorporate into your game and feel better.
The winter is almost over, the summer saving time is starting this weekend. Unless you live in the sunny states where you can be outdoors all year around, you will now look forward to your workouts in the good smelling spring grass. Get intense and get fit for the summer! If you need motivation for intense and effective exercises without any equipment, browse through your favorite “Tennis Fitness for the Love of it” book, or email me with questions, requests or ideas.
Flexibility training is possibly the least popular and the most underrated element of tennis fitness training. Even though you might have heard a lot of contradicting opinions about the importance of stretching in the injury prevention, it is obvious that the flexibility of the muscles and joints plays an important roll in any athletic movement. The muscles that are not tight can move more efficiently and in a bigger range of motion resulting in better performance and less injuries, because the limb can move further before an injury would occur. A flexible athlete is a supple athlete. With better flexibility your movement and agility on the court will improve. Another benefit of flexibility training is that the stretched muscles get more relaxed, and with relaxed muscles, it is easier to learn new skills. Your body awareness will increase and that itself will help with your movement and performance.
Content
1. Static stretching routine
2. Calf stretch
3. Glute stretch (pigeon)
4. Hamstring and hip stretch
5. Quadriceps stretch
6. Seated groin stretch
7. External hip stretch
8. Supine groin stretch
9. Hip crossover stretch
10. Straight legged hip stretch
11. Spinal twist
12. Rotator cuff stretch
13. Backbend: the total stretch
14. Dynamic warm-up
Price: $2.99
The legendary tennis coach Oscar Wegner (modern tennis methodology) has interviewed me about my book “Tennis Fitness for the Love of it.” We were chatting about the importance of fitness and stretching for maximum tennis performance and life. Watch, listen and enjoy!
You can find more of Oscar’s teachings at www.tennisteacher.com
Click to buy on Amazon.com
To make sure that you are completely satisfied with your decision to buy “Tennis Fitness for the Love of it”, you can view sample material from the book in the resources below. Enjoy the viewing.
Amazon’s Search Inside Feature
Sample Chapter 13 — Calf Myofascial Relase
Tags: tennis fitness
I am glad to announce, that the book “Tennis Fitness for the Love of it. A Mindful Approach to Fitness for Injury-free Tennis” that many have been so impatiently waiting for, is available on Amazon.com for $14.95. Get your copy here now! For bulk orders, please contact me.
To all the tennis players of any age and skill level, who always strive for improvement and who never stop believing that the impossible is possible, and who know that there are no limits to growth and performance other than the human mind.
It is Never Too Late to Become Functional, Fit and Healthy
It is possible to play pain-free tennis for the rest of your life. One of the prerequisites is improving your fitness. However, it is not just any fitness. It needs to be mindful, purposeful, and perfectly suited for you. Nobody can tell you what is perfectly suited for you, only your body can. Listen to it because it will ask for what it needs. In your pursuit for maximum fitness and tennis performance, you need to be aware, patient, and disciplined.
Carry this little book with you always and reread the chapters often. Each time you will discover something new. Learn to understand your body. Every exercise you do should be performed with the goal of increasing awareness of your body, and gradually building a new relationship with it. Learn how to free up the tightness and how to balance your strengths. The less pain you experience, the healthier and more functional you are, and the more your energy will increase. Treat the moments of stretching and myofascial release as time for meditation, relaxation, and introspection.
Create daily routines that fit your lifestyle and treat them as essential for your fitness, well-being, and tennis performance. Think of your health and fitness in the long term. Be patient and disciplined in applying the new ways of exercising and treating your body. Remember that even modest effort applied over the long term will bring excellent results. Therefore, do not postpone your fitness until tomorrow and start today, even if it is just a little bit. Treat your body with respect and love. Treat the fitness as one of the necessary elements of your tennis game. Become fit for tennis and you will become fit for life, and tennis will be in your life forever. Practice your tennis fitness, for the love of it.
Strained or torn calf muscle is a frightening thought for every tennis player. It can easily happen when you push off or lunge after a ball. Often it happens when the athlete hasn’t warmed up properly or the calf muscles are de-conditioned and tight. Previous calf injuries make the calf muscles more vulnerable for future injuries as well. Calf muscles are deceivingly powerful—they help the body to sustain its upright posture, they propel the body forward in running or walking and assist in lifting the body to stand up. They are strong and thick even on slender individuals.
Chest muscles, or pectorals, are very often overused and shortened in a tennis player. They can become stiff from overtraining and cause shoulder problems, poor breathing and hunched back. Stretching of your chest muscle is important, but sometimes doesn’t do the job because it is difficult to reach deep. It is very common that trigger points form in the chest muscles. Trigger points in the fascia of the muscle can restrict and alter the motion of the joint, changing the feedback to the nervous system which becomes less efficient over time, and you can experience premature fatigue, chronic pain and injuries.
Stretching after your tennis practice has enormous benefits. If you play on the hard courts a lot, the muscles and joints get a lot of beating. A thorough stretch afterwards will lengthen the tight and overused muscles and recreate balance between the left and right side of your body. Remember that you don’t want to do any static stretching before your practice; rather perform dynamic and ballistic movements that produce better results in speed, strength and power movements. Here is a sample of a dynamic workout to review, and the difference between static and dynamic stretching.
After your tennis practice, focus on all the major muscle groups with a center of attention on the hips. You can include as many stretches as you wish, or you can follow this example of an efficient stretching routine. It will take about 20 minutes to complete. You can hold the stretches longer if you wish.
- Child pose – kneel on the ground, sit on your heels, lean forward and rest your upper body on your thighs, arms and head on the ground, and relax. Feel how all the tension from your hip-flexors, thighs, low back and shoulder lets go.
- Glute stretch – hold it for 2 minutes.
- Hamstring stretch – remember that if you do this stretch regularly, you will be surprised how deep you can eventually go.
- Kneeling quadriceps stretch
- Lying groin stretch – one of the more comfortable ones, yet very important. Hold it for at least 2 minutes. Don’t force, just relax.
- Seated groin stretch – you can move your body to one leg or the other for different feel.
- Seated external hip stretch – stretches the outside of the hip, and the hamstring and calf of the other leg. Hold it for at least 1 minute. Don’t resist the feeling of discomfort, breathe and relax.
- Hip crossover stretch – not as painful but can reveal some imbalances of the left and right side.
- Crocodile stretch – harder than it seems.
- Spinal twist – one of more comfortable stretches, yet very beneficial.
- External rotator cuff – every tennis player should do this stretch regularly.
- Wheel – an extreme stretch for the daring and flexible. Once you are able to do it, it will feel really great because it opens all the front side of your body – a movement that we do very seldom.
Be disciplined in creating this new habit of static stretching after each tennis practice. It could be the most important 20 minutes in your tennis fitness and longevity.
In tennis you execute a lot of upper body rotations, and if your muscles and spine are flexible, you can load and unload better and have more powerful shots. Every tennis player can benefit from twisting and stretching their spine; and with better flexibility, you are reducing the risk of injuries as well. If you sit a lot during your day and feel low back pain frequently, stretching your spine with twists will relax your back muscles and ease the pain. Often we stretch our spines forward and backward but it is also important for them to be twisted laterally. This twisting in different direction than they are used to helps to better relieve the tension. This side twisting rhythmic and gentle motion limbers the muscles, aligns the vertebrae, boosts the blood circulations, loosens the hips, and even chest and shoulder muscles.
Most of the shoulder injuries happen because of the excessive forces that tennis creates on the tendons of the shoulder muscles. If the shoulder muscles are weak or tight or if there are imbalances, the motion in the shoulder doesn’t happen correctly and the constant repetitive forces of tennis strokes will create problems and injuries over time. In the past article you have learned how to strengthen the notoriously weak external rotator cuff. Besides strengthening you should always stretch the shoulder muscles – give a lot of attention to your rotator cuff! And include a little chest stretch too.
