Most Tennis injuries are preventable and stem from overuse, improper form, inadequate nutrition, or excessive stress. Tennis elbow, various sprains, and stress fractures are all possible consequences of not preparing your body for exercise.  It’s important to know how to protect yourself from the physical injuries that are most common in tennis. We’ve outlined a few ways to look out for your health when you’re constantly on and off the court. 

Gear

You should have a tennis shoe that has enough support to prevent ankle injuries. Some of the pros recommend wearing two pairs of socks or opting for extra padded shoes to protect your ankles. Your tennis racquet should also have the appropriate grip size for you. Make sure the string tension on your racquet is correct to help avoid putting any extra stress on the shoulders. Your racquet should adequately reflect your individual needs and capability. 

Wellness

Like any exercise, Tennis requires a healthy body. Making sure to nourish yourself with healthy foods is essential to keep your game on track. The same goes for sleep. The human body needs to rest and repair from strenuous physical activity. Make sure to exercise and stretch off the court to maintain your physical ability. 

Warm-up 

A thorough warmup before a game can do wonders when it comes to protecting you from injury. Like most endurance exercises, the human body needs time to prepare itself before the intense physical movement involved in tennis. Find a way to start sweating before you’re even on the court. Tennis requires many fast movements and an unexpected lunge or bounce could leave you with a muscle tear. 

Breaks

When starting out, some athletes believe it’s in best practice to play as much tennis as possible to improve their game. It’s possible that you could injure yourself by playing too much tennis. After any exercise, the human body needs adequate time to recover. Overexertion can diminish your tennis abilities and lead to serious injury. 

Form

Some athletes are able to play with bad form for years without any serious injury. It’s critical to avoid isolating muscle groups to avoid relying on just your upper or lower half. For example, if you’re overusing your back and arms, you’re likely you suffer an injury to that area due to the fact that you aren’t getting any power from your legs. It’s in your best interest to avoid overusing any part of your body and practice variety in different contact points. Avoid overarching your back and make sure to balance the weight of your upper body by bending your knees. A good tennis instructor will be able to help you improve your form and create a personalized approach to avoiding injury. 

Conclusion

If you want to improve your game and maintain your health, make sure to properly care for yourself on and off of the court. Interested in learning more about the best tennis practices? Contact us today!