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John Steinbreder, TennisMD News
Jan 17, 2011
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Few things are as important to tennis players as well-functioning shoulders. Especially the ones they use to swing their racquets.
After all, they need good flexibility and range of motion in those areas if they expect to hit their forehands and lobs, their overheads and backhands with power and efficiency – and to maintain performance if they happen to play a great deal. But it’s not easy to do things, especially if their shoulders are tight.
Fortunately, there are ways to remedy that problem through stretches. “What you need to focus on is stretching the soft, connective tissues in the shoulder, the tendons and ligaments,” says TennisMD expert Bob Donatelli. “And unlike muscles, which respond better to active stretches, it is best in these circumstances to prescribe low-load, or pain-free, static stretches in order to increase that shoulder range of motion.”
Donatelli recommends a series of stretches focuses on external rotation of the shoulder.
Shoulder Flexibility
“What’s good about these is that they can help tennis players eliminate stroke flaws that occur primarily as a result of physical limitations,” he explains. “The stretches don't take more than ten minutes or so each, and they can make a very big difference in a player's game.”
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