Off-court tennis training exercises strengthen the areas of your body that are targeted most during the game.

Try these six moves.

However, becoming a great tennis player doesnt just happen when youre serving balls.

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Also be mindful of how quickly you amp up your tennis practice.

Endurance and mental toughness

To be a successful tennis player, you gotta not hold up physicallyandmentally.

Practice building up your cardiovascular health with cross-training, likerunning,cycling, andswimming.

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Life Timetennis leader and coach

Meanwhile, prepare for a match by simulating game conditions that build your mental toughness.

Rotational strength is crucial for powerful strokes, Reid says.

For overall strength, focus on compound movements likedeadliftsand bench presses.

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When youre serving tennis balls, for instance, you need different types of strength in different muscle fibers.

These stretches can include leg swings, arm circles, and torso twists, Reid says.

Incorporateplyometric exerciseslike box jumps and jump squats to improve explosive power, Reid says.

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Also do side-to-side movements where youre shuffling your left foot over your right, and back.

Thats the kind of movement you oughta be able to get to the balls and return them.

It will improve your tennis game by boosting strength and mobility, while also preventing injury.

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Life Timetennis leader and coach

Its a great workout for off days from tennis or as a pregame warmup, Reid says.

Squat and reach

Activate your core, back, and shoulder muscles with this full-body stretch.

All of these areas are essential while playing a racket sport like tennis.

Tara Davis-Woodhall of Team United States celebrates with husband Hunter Woodhall after winning the gold medal in the Women’s Long Jump Final on day thirteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 08, 2024 in Paris, France.

Set-up and movement

6.

Tennis elbow prevention exercise

Avoid tennis elbow by strengthening your forearm tendons with this exercise.

TIP

As you build up strength, you could add a light weight for more resistance.

coach kara lawson from duke university

Spring KE, Holmes ME, Smith JW.

Long-term Tennis Participation and Health Outcomes: An Investigation of Lifetime Activities.

Int J Exerc Sci.

photo of juju watkins holding a basketball while wearing a usc jersey with the number 12

2020 Sep 1;13(7):1251-1261.

PMID: 33042385; PMCID: PMC7523898.

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