Tennis, Anyone? Yes, Everyone!
Bjorn Borg, the stoic tennis-playing Swede who won five straight Wimbledon and six French Open singles titles, was famous for his calm, cool demeanor on the court. For a time, he was dubbed “Ice Borg.” His conditioning was legendary, and so was his resting heart rate, a reported 45 beats per minute.
Whether true or not, the story about Borg’s tranquil cardiac tissue underscores an important point about tennis: Playing it on a regular basis is good for your heart. It’s also good for the body and mind.
In fact, playing tennis on a regular basis produces physical, physiologic and psychological benefits.
These benefits include increased burning of calories, reduction in blood pressure and reduced stress. All of these benefits play a role in reducing a person’s risk of developing heart disease, the number-one killing disease among men and women.
Contrary to what you might think, tennis is not a sport played and enjoyed only by the young. In fact, 11.3 million adults aged 25 and up played tennis at least once last year.
Tennis is a sport for women just as much as it is for men. It also makes a great family activity. Playing tennis on a regular basis can help maintain or improve balance, endurance, mobility, agility, strength and fitness. It also helps burn calories.
According to Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart Institute exercise physiologist and avid tennis player Gordon Blackburn, Ph.D., research shows that three hours of moderate aerobic exercise every week can cut the risk of developing heart disease by 50 percent.
Cleveland Clinic Sports Health advises off-court strength training to help you improve your game. A strengthening program can help you hit harder and faster, and prevent rotator cuff and tennis elbow injuries. Interval training can be used to increase foot speed.
And, as always, incorporate stretching before you play, she says. Whether you’re a former tennis player ready to take up the sport again, or you’re taking it up for the first time, pre-play stretching is one of the most important pre-cautions you can take to minimize the risk of muscle or limb injury. Stretching prepares the body for physical activity by warming the muscles and joints.
The process takes only a few minutes. Stretching does not guarantee that you won’t be injured during play, but the evidence shows that it can help significantly reduce the risk.
Be sure to stretch both upper and lower body. For some good upper body stretches for tennis, see below.
To keep tennis safe and healthy, always keep these tips in mind:
- Get the body’s muscles and joints properly warmed up by stretching.
- Use water or healthy sports drinks to keep the body properly hydrated before, during and after play. This is particularly important when playing in hot, humid weather, or for longer than an hour per session.
- If you injure yourself or experience chest pain, stop playing immediately and contact your physician.
- Play within your means. Listen to your body.
The Cleveland Clinic Heart Center and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) have joined in a collaborative partnership to support each other in researching and promoting the clinical and aerobic benefits of tennis. For more information, go to www.tenniswelcomecenter.com or www.clevelandclinic.org/heartcenter.
Examples of upper body stretches for tennis
Arm Circles
Target muscles: Deltoid muscles and rotator cuff (shoulder)
Hold your arms out to your sides at shoulder height with palms down and rotate them in small forward circles. Perform 10 forward and 10 backward circles.
Then do 10 forward and 10 backward large arm circles, using the shoulders’ full range of motion. You should feel a slight stretch in the shoulders as you perform the exercise.
Posterior Shoulder Stretch
Cross your left arm over the front of your body and pull it toward your body (angling downward) using your right hand. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat with other arm.
Shoulder Stretch
With your left hand, hold a racket behind your back by the throat or handle with the head of the racket pointing down.
With your right hand, slowly pull the racket head down, bringing your left elbow to your ear and pointing it to the ceiling. Then slowly pull up with the left arm, pointing the lower elbow to the floor. Repeat using opposite arms.
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