Preparation for Tennis Competition
How to Warm-up Before Your Tennis League or Tournament
Apr 20, 2007
Pre-match preparation is a key to developing your mental game and a vital component of winning in United States Tennis Association (USTA) tournament and USTA league tennis competition. Most tournament and league tennis formats provide a 15-minute warm-up period once you take the court before the match begins. Using this period as your only warm-up won’t provide you with your best opportunity to win. The 15-minute period before play begins should be used as a strategic tool, rather than as an opportunity to warm up. By the time you step onto the court to play your match, you should have already had a “true warm-up.”
The True Tennis Warm-up
If winning is your ultimate objective, warming up for approximately 35 minutes within 50 minutes to an hour prior to your scheduled match time will enhance your chances of success. This 35-minute session can be considered your “true warm-up,” because the 15-minute period prior to the beginning of the match should be used to analyze your opponent and the court conditions.
Preparing Body & Mind for Tennis Match Play
The 35-minute warm-up (which may be somewhat longer or shorter depending on your preference and physical condition) is used to loosen up your body and hone your timing on all strokes. You want to begin the warm-up with approximately 10 minutes of stretching and light calisthenics. This will prepare your body for the task at hand and decrease the potential for injury. As you get older, you may want to lengthen the time you allow for stretching.
After stretching, begin the stroke warm-up with you and your warm-up partner about halfway between the net and service line. Begin by hitting volleys, half volleys, and short groundstrokes, gradually working your way back to the baseline. This should take about five minutes, will get the blood flowing quickly, and speed up the warm-up process. This first 15 minutes is just to allow your body and mind to prepare for the task ahead. During this period, you should focus on reviewing your fundamentals and using whatever relaxation techniques work for you. Remember, you are preparing both mind and body for your match.
Groundstroke and Volley Preparation for Winning Tennis
The next 10 minutes of warm-up should include five minutes each of forehand and backhand groundstrokes, hitting all your shots with a variety of spin, pace and depth. After grooving your groundstrokes, begin the final 10 minutes of your warm-up by moving to a foot or two behind the service line for approximately eight minutes of forehand and backhand volleys and overheads. Conclude the warm-up by serving to both deuce and ad courts for approximately two minutes.
Fit the True Warm-up to Your Game
It is important to understand that the suggested time-frame for warming up each stroke is approximate and provided with an all-court game in mind. You should adjust the time-frame to match your style of play. For example, if you never play at net, spending eight minutes at net during warm-up would not benefit you. If you need more time to loosen up your shoulder for serving, take some time away from one of the other components of your warm-up.
Fresh & Ready to Rumble
Once you have completed the “true warm-up,” go to the locker room or restroom to wipe down with a cool towel to refresh yourself and change to a dry shirt. If you sweat a lot, you may want to change socks as well. After warming up fully and refreshing yourself within 10 to 15 minutes of your match, you should be as ready as you can be to play your best tennis and emerge victoriously.
