Janis Bottai
Janis is a functional aging specialist and personal trainer. She has kindly offered the following suggestions to improve your conditioning, balance, and strength while minimizing injuries.—John Sochacki, SaddleBrooke Tennis Club board member
Three areas of focus to improve both your conditioning level and your ability to move about the court efficiently and effectively:
1. Foot-Ankle Complex: Everything starts with the feet.
• Stability in the foot: Practice single leg balance on a balance pad.
• Mobility in the ankles: Stand on the flat side of a half roller and move it from front to back, stretching front ankles and calf muscles. On the floor, work heel lifts and walk on your heels.
• Agility in the foot/ankle: Practice movement patterns that include stepping from front to back, back to front, sideways, and diagonal patterns.
2. Hips: The power for rotation comes from the hips.
• Practice single-side butt squeezes.
• Practice standing rotations and ask yourself if you feel a grip in the side of the butt you turn away from.
• Practice bridge pose, walking bridge, single-leg bridge.
• Practice ball squeezes.
• Practice walking side steps with a resistance loop above your ankles.
3. Shoulders and Upper Postural Muscles: Upper postural muscles are wide and strong, therefore, providing strength and power.
• Shoulder muscles are small and narrow and allow for shoulder movement.
• Practice lat pulldowns, rows, back flys, and pullovers for upper postural muscles.
• Practice shrugs, alternating shrugs, triceps press-downs, planks, and planks with shoulder taps for shoulder muscles.
Playing tennis consistently will help you to improve your tennis skills. Being consistent with your conditioning work will help you improve your steadiness, mobility, endurance, and power!
Conditioning is worth your time and energy. Your body will thank you by feeling and performing better! I suggest TRX training as a good starting point.
If you have questions, comments, or concerns, contact Janis by email at vitalmoves25@gmail.com or call 520-850-4089.
“There is no drug in current or prospective use that holds as much promise for sustained health as a lifetime of physical exercise.”—Journal of American Medical Association
SaddleBrooke Tennis Club, dedicated to the health and enjoyment of SaddleBrooke residents.