Brian's Tennis Newsletter - 24th October
Brian's Tennis Newsletter
Hi Everyone
It's been a while but felt it was about time I sent out a newsletter..!
Congratulations to Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf on 24 years of marriage.. Makes me wonder who has been married the longest at the club. I managed 9 years! Feel free to let me know your numbers!
Club News
GRACE TOURNAMENT.... Hopefully you are getting your matches played... Keep the organisers happy!
Remember club sessions on Wednesday evenings 630pm onwards (might need to be patient if busier with our 4 floodlit courts) and Saturday afternoons 2-4pm. A nice bunch of players bringing a mixture of youth, experience, wiliness and shots you may never see on the tour!
A big welcome to our new members. Feel free to contact if you need any assistance getting more tennis in..
Keep sweeping the courts even if they are wet and may leave a few clumps of sand.. Better to leave mostly smooth for the next players than full of footmarks...
Big hugs and prayers for our members who are going through tougher times, injuries, or illnesses... We never stop thinking about you!
Congratulations to Mila Hancock who went to U8 County event and was invited back for weekly county training.... She is just at the start of her promising tennis journey and we are very proud of her...
Don't forget the club has a ball machine if you want to practice!
Strangest Point Ever In Tennis... (A must watch!)
https://youtu.be/IUpPFG8AwBg
Coaching Tip of The Week
Colder days and evenings are drawing in so make sure you are warming up a bit more before you are playing or practicing... Here's some exercises to help you out...
1. Gentle jog around the court
Tennis involves a lot of cardio exercise, so start your tennis warm up routine with a light jog around the tennis court and get your body moving.
Follow the lines around the full court and complete a couple of full circuits. You can mix things up by doing sprints along the doubles side-line, then slower jogging along the baseline.
2. Jumping jacks
Jumping jacks are a fantastic full body warmup for tennis, since they get your arms and legs moving.
To do jumping jacks:
Stand up straight with your hands by your side and your legs hip-width distance apart
Jump into the air, swinging your feet out to land shoulder width distance apart
As you jump, swing your arms up to touch above your head
In a smooth motion, jump again so your feet come back to centre, and your arms to your sides
Repeat this movement at least 20 times.
3. Knee lifts and butt kicks on the spot
This warm up is great for activating your leg muscles in preparation for the rapid back-and-forth footwork involved in tennis.
Begin by jogging on the spot then switch into 15 seconds of knee lifts (drive your knees up so your front thighs are parallel to the ground, alternating feet). Return to jogging on the spot for 15 seconds, before shifting into 15 seconds of butt kicks (flick your lower legs up behind you and alternate between the legs as quickly as you can for 15 seconds). Repeat this process two or three times.
4. Arm and shoulder circles
Tennis exerts a lot of strain on your arms and shoulders – whether you’re serving or reaching for shots. Arm circles are therefore a great exercise to get these parts of your body warmed up and ready for action.
To perform an arm circle for tennis, stand facing forward and simply swing your arms forward in a circular loop forward 10 times. Then perform the same motion swinging your arms backwards.
5. Walking lunge
Walking lunges are a great tennis warmup because they mirror many of the common movements involved in the sport. To do a walking lunge, simply step forward with one leg, bending at the knee. Then step up, bringing the back foot beside the front foot. Then lung forward with that foot and repeat the process five times with each leg.
To alternate here, you can incorporate twists of your upper body to the left and right mid-lunge, as well as doing backward lunges.
6. Shadowing
By now, your body will be well warmed up, so it’s time for shadowing.
Grab your racquet and spend a couple of minutes performing tennis movements, but without using a ball. Perform a range of movements, including serves, forehand and backhand swings, and slams. The point here is to get your body ready for tennis movements, but without the full strain of hitting a ball.
7. Mini tennis
The final stage of your perfect tennis warm up routine is to play mini tennis with your partner. In mini tennis, you both stand in the front half of the court (inside the service boxes), and simply play some gentle shots over the net.
The purpose of mini tennis is to get your eye in, and make tennis movements without the full physicality of serving from the baseline.
A good tennis warm up will engage the full range of muscles you need to call on when playing tennis. This means you'll be well prepared for the requirements of the game, reduce the risk of injuries, and can perform at your best.
Once you start following a tennis warm up routine, it will soon become second nature. You can then begin mixing it up with other kinds of warm ups and stretches depending on your specific needs.
Enjoy each moment you are hitting that tennis ball and always remember what a great club we are a part of...
Have a good week whatever you get up to and don't forget to say hello if you are walking past us coaches...
Brian
Brian Love
Head Coach
Dorking Lawn Tennis & Squash Club
07712 557076
