Recovery and healthcare techniques to improve your tennis

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In his first monthly column in 2019 tennis coach Marcin Bieniek talks about the importance of recovery and ways of taking care of your body to ensure that you stay healthy so that you can play tennis for the many years to come.

When we train hard, we have fun, we improve physical abilities and we get stronger mentally. On the other hand, many hours of physical activities put a lot of stress on the body, so players are prone to injuries. Moreover, it is impossible to train and play in the same manner at the age of 16 and when we are over 40 years old. That is why it is important to take care of your body by performing specific recovery techniques that will allow you to play tennis for many more years.

Below you can find areas that you should focus on to stay healthy and be able to play tennis for decades.

Implement off-court physical training

If you don’t already have physical training in your weekly schedule, it is time to include it. To be able to constantly train hard and develop skills, you have to make sure that you can push your body to the limits. You can achieve it only by doing some off-court sessions focused on physical factors like endurance, speed and strength. You will quickly notice how much your tennis (and your body) improve when you do more than just on-court activities.

 

Use foam roller consistently

Your muscles work tremendously to get your game to the highest level, so you should give something back to your body. Massage is really helpful, but it can be costly, so I recommend investing in a foam roller. Spend 10-20 minutes a day with a foam roller and you will see great benefits of faster recovery (here are the Top 5 foam roller exercises you can do). Now you can have massage anytime you want. Again, injuries happen mostly because of lack of proper recovery. It is in your hands how much time you spend to help your body.

Never play hungry

You need energy to play your best tennis and to stay injury free. When you have enough fuel in your body, you can make right decisions, perform exercises with higher intensity and maintain sharp focus for a long time. Additionally, your body will be prepared for demands of practice sessions, so you don’t have to worry about pain and injuries. Remember to eat a proper meal before activity and take some banana/energy gel with you to constantly maintain a high level of energy.

Get professional service

From time to time everyone deserves something extra. After a hard week or an intense tournament, make sure you recover by signing up for a personal massage, going to Jacuzzi or having cryotherapy to get back in the proper state. It is all about your well-being – money spent on recovery is money spent really well.

Lose unnecessary weight

Athletes should be examples of athleticism and healthy lifestyle, but it isn’t always the case. Some tennis players eat poorly and carry unnecessary weight. This extra load is not only unhealthy, but it also damages your tennis. When you run on the court with a few more kilos, you get tired faster and your body has to deal with more load. It simply means that you can’t play up to your potential and you risk chronic injuries. Take care of your diet and be the walking example of a professional tennis player.

Kristina Mladenovic & Ajla Tomljanovic not stressing about weight ahead of the 2019 Brisbane International 🙂

Let’s make 2019 your year. Focus on these small areas related to recovery and you will see that dramatic improvements are not that hard to achieve.

Marcin Bieniek is a professional tennis coach, currently working with a Top 60 ITF player, and founder of instructional website TennisIsland.us. Marcin is the author of Enjoy Tennis Blog and a frequent contributor to TennisPro and TenisKlub magazines. Moreover, Marcin was a speaker at International Coaching Tennis Symposium 2016 at Hilton Head Island, USA. 

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