Why tennis is great for your fitness

If you are looking to improve your health and fitness, tennis is a great sport to get into. Not only is it fun to play, but it also delivers a fantastic range of health benefits. However, there are a few common injuries you need to be aware of if you want to enjoy this incredible game.

To celebrate the start of Wimbledon at the end of June, here we look at why tennis is great for your fitness and the common injuries to watch out for.

Benefits of tennis

Tennis offers an abundance of health and fitness benefits. Suitable for all ages, it provides a fantastic workout for the body. Let’s look at just some of the key benefits you can expect to experience when you take up this popular sport:

• It improves coordination

• It strengthens your muscles

• It is a great form of cardio exercise

• You will burn a lot of calories

Tennis involves a lot of dynamic movement over a long period of time, and it builds up coordination skills much more than other racquet sports like squash or badminton. The ability to accelerate, decelerate and change direction on the court can be quite demanding.

When you play tennis, you are moving different areas of the body, working out a wide range of muscles. This means you will get a great full body workout. Your muscles also have to work against gravity when you play, greatly boosting their strength and endurance.

You will find tennis is one of the best forms of cardio exercise too. You need a good level of cardio exercise to help keep the heart healthy. Finally, you will also burn a lot of calories, helping with weight control and overall fitness.

Common injuries in tennis

While tennis can be hugely beneficial to your health, there are some common injuries you should watch out for. It is a demanding sport which can place a lot of pressure onto your body.

Overuse injuries in tennis most often affect the shoulders, wrists, and elbows. Tennis elbow or epicondylalgia is a painful condition that occurs when tendons in your elbow are overloaded, usually by repetitive motions of the wrist and arm.

Injuries can vary in severity, with more severe injuries leading to months off the court. The good news is, there are plenty of ways you can prevent injury in tennis and fully gain its plethora of benefits.

How to prevent injury in tennis

If you do decide to take up tennis, there are a few tips you can follow to prevent injury.

Proper strengthening of the arm and shoulder muscles, along with a regular warm-up routine that includes jogging and moving stretches for the arms and legs, will help decrease the likelihood of experiencing muscle strains.

Strength and conditioning training off the court is essential for players to have better movement preparation, prevent injuries and to be more dynamic. Also, with the rotational movement that occurs in tennis, it is important to prepare the body to be able to maintain good stability.

If you need help with an exercise plan for tennis, or want to find out how to prevent tennis injuries, speak to us at Physio Remedies. We can help you with a tennis strength training programme.

One of our physios, Alex is a competitive tennis player himself, and was once a full time physio for a GB tennis player. Alex helped him to recover from a long-term injury. There is good experience in the team if you want to get back onto the court.

Book a consultation at Physio Remedies so we can help maximise your tennis potential, and minimise your risk of injury.