Racquet Sports
Racquet Sports
| Peak Points * Protect and strengthen shoulders with special exercises. * Improve thigh strength for long rallies and low volleys. * Use weight training and stretching to protect all major joints from the ravages of frequent direction changes and repeated swinging. |
Tennis, racquetball, squash—as racquet sports go, each may be a totally different animal from the other, but your body doesn''t know that. All your body knows is that you''re in a playing zone that seems roughly the size of a postage stamp, doing enough explosive activity to fill a football stadium. You''re charging, lunging, reversing direction in a split second, all the while using an oversized paddle to control a tiny ball with a series of swings that seems carefully calculated to rip your arm from its socket.
And you''re trying to have fun all at the same time.
Fault-Free Fitness
Racquet sports are games of endless swinging and running, stopping and starting. That sort of work takes a major toll on muscles, not just in the thighs and feet, but also in the shoulders and upper arms.
"And the muscles are just the tip of it," says Todd Ellenbecker, P.T., clinical director of Physiotherapy Associates Scottsdale Sports Clinic in Arizona and a member of the U.S. Tennis Association''s Sports Science Committee. "One of the real dangers of racquet sports is that they are incredibly hard on so many joints." Ankles, knees and hips pay their dues when you sprint, stop short and set up for your shot. Shoulders, elbows and wrists, though, have it even worse. You''re trying to power the ball back at your opponent while maneuvering the racquet for aim and spin, says Ellenbecker. "You''re trying to mix finesse with sheer strength, and your joints pay the price."
While perfecting your form can help you avoid a raft of joint problems, Ellenbecker says the real secret is mixing weight training and range-of-motion exercises. "The idea is to train your muscles and joints to move in certain ways so you won''t injure them on the court." More important, strong muscles build a powerful cage of protection around your joints, which will keep you strong, fast and flexible through any rally. If you''re an avid racqueteer, you''ll want to add these exercises to your core workout.
Giving Tennis Elbow the Cold Shoulder You don''t have to play tennis to get the pain and swelling of tennis elbow. Heck, you don''t even have to pick up a racquet. This nagging injury, known by experts as lateral epicondylitis, can result from any overuse of the elbow. "You can get it from doing a lot of different activities," says Paul Roetert, Ph.D., director of sports science for the U.S. Tennis Association in Key Biscayne, Florida. But this elbow inflammation goes by its more common "tennis" appellation, not simply because "epicondylitis" is so darn hard to pronounce, but because so many amateur racquet-sports enthusiasts tend to use improper technique when they swing—especially when they use a one-handed swing. That improper form is what gets the elbow out of joint. So here are a few tips to keep from elbowing yourself out of the game. Put your shoulder into it. Tennis elbow often occurs when, during a backhand swing, the player points his elbow toward the net, says Dr. Roetert. To avoid leading with your elbow, turn your shoulder toward the net and straighten your arm as you swing. Avoid tension headaches. Sometimes, epicondylitis results from simply having the tension on your racquet too high, he says. A sporting goods store that strings racquets should be able to adjust the tension properly. Be flexible. If your elbow is getting sore, maybe the blame lies not in the arm, but in the racquet. Dr. Roetert says a racquet made of stiff material won''t absorb the shock of hitting a ball—and so the force travels down to your elbow. "If that''s the case, I would strongly recommend going to a racquet that''s made out of more flexible material, such as a composite racquet," says Dr. Roetert. |
Shoulder Extensions
Lifts like shoulder shrugs and seated or bent-over rows are great for racquet sports enthusiasts and should be part of your regular workout. You should also do this extension exercise, which works the muscles right at the top of your shoulder.
Lie face down on a table, with one arm hanging straight to the floor. Holding a light weight, or wearing a hand- or wrist-weight, point your thumb away from your body, your palm facing forward.
Now raise your arm straight back without bending your elbow. Stop at your hip—your arm should be fully extended. Lower and repeat for three sets of 10 to 15 reps, then switch arms.
Empty-Can Raises
Your serve wouldn''t be much good without the rotator cuff, a powerful little bundle of muscle in your shoulder. Ellenbecker says most guys don''t really work these muscles as much as they work surrounding ones. "That''s bad, because you''ll end up having an imbalance in your shoulder, and you can end up injuring—even tearing—the rotator cuff," he says. So pre-train that muscle bundle with empty-can raises.
Standing, hold a light weight (never more than five pounds) at your side. Keep your elbow straight and the thumb of the weighted hand pointing toward the ground.
Now slowly raise your arm to shoulder level at about a 30-degree angle to your body, as though you were emptying a can of tennis balls. Slowly lower, then repeat for three sets of 10 to 15 reps. Then switch arms.
Back Extensions
Although your arms and shoulders do most of the work when you play racquet sports, you need a strong back to support every hit. "Most players tend to ignore the back, and as a result, they end up with underdeveloped back extensors, which is too bad," states Ellenbecker. Don''t make the same mistake—make back extensions a part of your regular workout routine.
Obliques Exercises
Ellenbecker says crossover crunches, where you curl your trunk first toward one knee, then the other, will work the obliques, which are on the sides of your abdominals. "This supports your back and gives you more power for your swing," he says.
Neck Exercises
Super ballistic sports like racquetball require you to make a lot of fast direction changes as the ball bounces from wall to wall. Trying to keep an eye on that sucker can be as tough on your neck as on your arms and legs. "You''re constantly swiveling your head around, following the ball, so it''s probably a good idea to do some neck stretches before you play," says Ellenbecker.
Don''t roll your head in a circle—that''s the path to neck injury. Instead, tilt your head toward your left shoulder, hold for a moment, then tilt toward your right shoulder.
Wrist Exercises
Bolstering forearm and wrist power is key for any racquet-swinging sport. You can strengthen both areas with wrist rolls, says Dennis Van der Meer, founder and president of Van der Meer Tennis University on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. To increase grip strength, you can do weight-plate finger raises as well.
Leg Exercises
You''ll notice a significant improvement in your game if you spend some time working your lower limbs, too. "The best players in the world have hugely developed thigh muscles," says Van der Meer. "That''s because you need that strength to push off and play at a very high speed." What''s more, having strong leg muscles is going to help protect your knees and ankles, which take a good pounding on the court from all your stopping and starting.
So start with basic leg exercises—squats, lunges, extensions and curls. To toughen up the knee joints, cross-train with another aerobic sport, like cycling or running. Ankle stretches and toe raises will help keep the lowest part of your legs limber and ready for anything.
Weight Lifts to Avoid
Complex joints that they are, shoulders are easily wrecked from hours of high-speed serves and returns. To keep your shoulders strong and flexible, go easy on exercises like the overhead military press and the bench press.
"You may feel strong doing those lifts, but they''re potentially damaging to the shoulder," says Ellenbecker. Do enough of them, and you''ll not only hurt your game but you''ll also expose yourself to shoulder tendinitis, a painful inflammatory condition of the tendon.
Full-Court Conditioning
"Every time you swing a racquet, you are doing some resistive exercises. So the more you play, the stronger you''ll become," points out Van der Meer. That said, there are some extra toning tricks you should do to stay in shape. All you need to do them is your racquet, your duffel bag, a can of balls and, of course, a court.
Carry-All Extensions
That duffel bag with your change of clothes and tennis equipment is a lot more than deadweight—it''s a free weight. Use it. Hold the bag in one hand, as though it were a dumbbell. Keep your arm straight, palm facing your side.
Now slowly extend your arm out from your body. Don''t bend your elbow. Do 8 to 12 reps, then switch arms. This will strengthen your deltoids.
Carry-All Curls
For a quick biceps curl, hold your bag at your side, your palm facing front.
Now slowly lift the bag until your hand almost touches your shoulder. Lower and repeat for 8 to 12 reps, then switch.
"You''ll limber up important arm and shoulder muscles that way," says Van der Meer.
Ball Squats
Your legs and groin can never be too flexible when you''re playing. Van der Meer says you can keep them even more supple with something as simple as modifying the way you pick up a ball.
Instead of scooping the ball with your racquet, stand by the ball, feet shoulder-width apart.
Now squat down slowly to pick the ball up. Keep your shoulders and back straight and stay as upright as you can. You should feel the contraction in your quads. Snatch the ball, then return slowly to the starting position.
Ball Lunges
You can modify that lunge you do in the gym for an on-court exercise between sets.
Position yourself so the ball is on your right side. Stand with your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart, with your toes pointing away from your body.
Now bend your right knee, keep your left leg planted and shift your weight to the right side until your thigh is almost parallel to the court. Don''t let your knee extend past your foot. Scoop up the ball and return slowly to the starting position. Switch sides next time you pick up the ball.
Ball-Can Lid Relays
Here''s another tip for you tennis players: Get a ball-can lid and place it in the middle of the court. As you volley, run up and around the lid, then back to your starting position. "By the time you''ve completed the circle, the ball should have come back. Hit it and run around the lid again," says Van der Meer.
Baseline Sprints
While you''re waiting around for your opponent to show up, increase your sprinting and explosive strength by doing this brief drill. Start in the middle of the baseline and sprint three yards to your left, recover back to the middle of the court and then sprint three yards to your right. Repeat several times.
For racquetball or squash, try sprints from the center of the room to each of the four corners and back to the center.
