12 Top Yoga Poses For Tennis Players
The Best Yoga Routine For Tennis
As a tennis player, yoga and flexibility offer tremendous benefits to high-performance and recreational players. Tennis is a game of agility and strength but don’t forget about the value of flexibility and body control on the court; look at Serena Williams! See — flexibility matters!
Why every tennis player should practice yoga
On a physical level, tennis requires a lot from the body. Coordination, strength, stability and aim are only a fraction of what tennis players need to showcase during a game. And knowing your body, its strength and limitations, as well as your individual anatomy, are key components to making the most of a match. How can you improve your physical ability and mental awareness on those topics, you ask? By practicing yoga for tennis.
Mental benefits of yoga for tennis players
More and more professional tennis players are turning to yoga, with Novak Djokovic being the poster child for it.
Novak Djokovic - Yoga for tennis
And while some still think of yoga solely as a form of flexibility training, it really is a philosophy and lifestyle that has physical but also mental benefits. And while the latter might be very obvious to tennis players, don’t underestimate the power of the mind. In yoga, this is shown by the power of meditation and introspection. Imagine that you’re waiting on someone’s serve or return. During those seconds, the world can sometimes seem to move in slow motion. Are you going to keep calm or become anxious?
This is where yoga comes in and helps you focus and clear your mind. Regular meditation for 3-5 minutes can already help regulate your nervous system, which is where we can calm anxiety and invite relaxation into the body. And any athlete knows that rest is just as important as training. Plus, taking just a few moments before a training session or a match to tune into your body and mind will help you understand your body’s strength and limitations on that day and even prevent injury, such as tennis elbow. So, next time you dismiss yoga as some spiritual nonsense, think of what it could do for your performance within but also outside of tennis.
Meditation for Tennis Players
Physical benefits of yoga for tennis players
Now, let’s look at the physical advantages of yoga. One of the key components of a yoga practice is body awareness. In yoga practice, we get to know our individual anatomy, as we all are different and rarely symmetrical. Once we understand that, we can work with it and turn an imbalance into an advantage.
As we establish more physical awareness, we can target specific muscles with mobility elements during practice. Tensing the glute muscles in a pigeon pose turns a more passive pose a lot more active. Implementing poses that train stability, such as poses for balance, like a tree pose, or that train ankle mobility, will allow us to run and bounce more stably and safely. And as you learn to tense specific muscle groups, you also learn how to release them again, which will not only teach you how to use your resources wisely, but will also result in a quicker recovery.
Yoga for tennis elbow
Like any sport, there are common injuries that come with it. For tennis, it’s tennis elbow. As a form of precaution, yoga can work as a preventive method to know when to stop training and rest. If you already have tennis elbow, you can still practice yoga, but really avoid putting your weight on extended arms, like in poses such as tabletop or downward dog. Luckily, you can practice these poses by being on your forearms, too. This does not only train your upper back and shoulders more, but it gives your forearms and elbows a little bit of rest, too. To follow the routine mentioned below, just rest on your forearms for poses 2 and 3 and you’re good to go.
Looking for a 10-minute yoga routine for tennis elbow? This quick practice will be your best friend!
Yoga routine for tennis players
Implementing a short routine after a game or to start your day can really be beneficial for your body and mind. Not only will you take a few moments to practice something other than tennis and strengthen and stretch muscles in a different way, but you’ll also create a new habit and learn something new. This helps you take your mind off your other daily tasks and is time spent just for you.
1.) Check-in
Take a comfortable seat and check in with yourself. Notice how your body is feeling. Take 3-5 conscious and deep breaths.
2.) Cat-Cow
Come into a tabletop position with your hands under your shoulders, shins parallel and knees underneath the hips. Really spread your fingers wide and distribute your weight equally to support your wrists. On your inhale, starting at the tailbone, arch your lower back, drop the belly towards the ground and gently lift the gaze. Keep the elbows straight. On your next exhale, starting at the tailbone again like a wave, push the ground away and round your spine towards the sky and look towards the legs. Keep moving for about 10-15 breaths.
3.) Downward Dog
From table top, tuck the toes under and push your pelvis towards the sky. Keep your fingers spread widely and start with bent knees. Release the head and neck by shaking your head and nodding it. Paddle it out by bringing one heal closer to the ground and then the other one. Stay for about 5 breaths.
4) Warrior 3
Stand on one foot and bend forward, keeping a straight back. Extend your arms toward your head until your reach a point where you feel a stretch in your back, shoulders and standing leg. This is a more advanced pose, so only go to the point of feeling the stretch and hold. This pose opens up your back and helps strengthen your shoulders and rotator cuff. The flexibility of your back will improve and contribute to a stronger kick serve.
5) Bound Side Angle Pose
Put your arms up by your sides and lunge with your right foot, keeping your knee compact and not excessively extending beyond the right foot. As you lunge, drop your left hand under your right leg and your right arm over your back to attempt to reach your left hand. Note it may not be possible to grasp your opposing hand fully. If so, extend to where you feel the stretch or keep your arms up laterally. Be sure to look upwards as you hold the pose
6) Bow Pose
This intermediate, advanced pose will significantly improve your back and arm flexibility. This will contribute to a strong first and second serve while also keeping your arms loose to help with forehand and backhand pace. To execute this pose, start on your stomach and begin bending your back and arms. Stretch your arms back and bend your knees. Then slowly kick your legs back with your arms on your ankles. You’ll feel a deep stretch in your shoulders. Remember to keep your head up.
7.) Pigeon Pose
From downward dog, bring your right knee to your right wrist and lower your left knee. Bring your right shin into a diagonal by moving your right foot more towards your left hip bone. Keep the hips balanced - you can also place a rolled towel underneath your right hip. Start with an upright spine and engage your right glute. Then release the glute and lower onto your forearms. Stay for 8-10 breaths and repeat on the other side.
8.) Tree Pose
Come into standing. Stand on your left leg and place your right foot somewhere on your standing leg and turn the knee outward. Place the hands together in front of the heart and squeeze leg and foot as well as your hands together. Challenge your balance for about 5-10 breaths and repeat on the other side.
9.) Triangle Pose
From the top of your mat, take a big step back with your right leg, bringing the heels in line and turning the right foot out 90 degrees. Then tilt your right hip upwards and extend your arms sideways at shoulder hight. Imagine someone is pulling you forward with your left hand as you reach to the side. Then place your left hand wherever it can reach on your left leg and extend your right arm towards the sky. Engage your glutes and think of reaching your arms apart. Stay for 5 breaths and repeat on the other side.
10.) Forward Bend
Step towards the back of your mat with your feet hip-width distance apart. Then, start rolling your upper body down until you dangle in front of your legs. Grab hold of your elbows and move side to side, releasing the neck once again and keep the knees slightly bent. Shift the weight towards your toes and back to your heels. Stay here for about 10 breaths.
11.) Pyramid Pose
Keeping your legs straight, take a step forward. Slow start to bend over one leg keeping your legs straight. Extend downward as much as comfort allows while feeling a stretch in the back of the forward leg. Stay here for about 8-10 breaths then switch
12.) Child’s Pose
Untuck your toes and bring your knees further apart. Lean your torso over your thighs and reach your hands away from your body. Bring your palms together and bend your elbows, so that your thumbs are now resting by the back of your neck. Stay here for about 10-15 breath and finish with a short meditation of 3-5 minutes.
Conclusion
Yoga for tennis players is a practice that will improve your movement and limit your chances of a nagging injury like tennis elbow. Although flexibility is one of the most common reasons for yoga practice for tennis players, the benefits go far beyond flexibility. You’ll improve your body awareness, giving you more control. Furthermore, you‘ll improve your ability to play loose which generally improves pace and power. Finally, the game of tennis is equally as much mental as it’s physical. Yoga and mindfulness improve your ability to stay in the moment and not dwell on a missed shot.