The game of tennis dates back several thousand years. Today the love of the game lives on. I have had the opportunity to gain experience in training tennis players and share the brilliance of Pilates. I have had the one –time experience of training Mary Pierce, winner of the Australian and French Open. What an incredible experience! Furthermore, my Pilates studio is located between two tennis clubs; therefore, as you would guess many of my clients are very committed tennis players. Tennis is part of their lives. Unfortunately, I have observed that after years of playing, whether at the professional level or just for friendly competition, the body takes some punishment. Most of my clients who play tennis twice or more a week all suffer from back, neck, shoulder, and/or knee discomfort or injury. Many of them confess that they wish they would have discovered Pilates a long time ago. Let’s look at the benefits of Pilates for tennis players and also specific exercises you should incorporate into a Pilates program.Many tennis players turn to Pilates to improve their game and give them the edge on the court. For those of you who play tennis, it is no secret that tennis requires agility, stamina, and endurance. Pilates improves your body’s balance for quick reaction to directional changes, improves power of your stroke by increasing the strength of your core (powerhouse), improves muscular control, increases upper and lower body strength, and increases overall flexibility. Furthermore, it produces higher levels of concentration and strengthens and balances the body to prevent injury. Let’s take a closer look at these two benefits. Pilates Improves ConcentrationJust like tennis, Pilates requires that you concentrate for a period of time. Pilates sessions are usually 50 to 55 minutes, which require you to concentrate on how to execute a specific movement. You must focus on what your Pilates instructor is asking you to do. You are focusing on what is moving, which muscles you are using, and what is the quality of the movement. This obviously, requires concentration and a connection between the mind and the body. This in turn, will increase your levels of mental concentration on the court. Pilates Prevents InjuryTennis players often develop muscular imbalances between their dominant and non-dominant side. A well-designed Pilates program will help the body attain muscular balance both posterior / anterior and also bilaterally. In doing this, my clients have reported less low back, neck, shoulder, and knee pain. Although, tennis players will enjoy all the benefits of Pilates in a group class setting, they will be better served attending private sessions. When working classically with your client, you can be very effective when choosing the individual and ending exercises of the session. Keep in mind their individuals needs. Besides the core, the shoulders, and ankles need to be strong. Furthermore, ankle, knee, and hip alignment is vital to long term knee health. The following are some examples of exercises to target each of these areas.Shoulders: First think of the more commonly used strokes that tennis players execute; there is the forehand, backhand, and overhead. Now think of the muscles that perform these strokes. The majority of the time a player is performing a great deal of internal rotation of the humerus (upper arm). In order to address the anterior and posterior balances of the shoulder, it is important to keep the external rotators strong. This will increase the power behind their forehand and backhand strokes. Many times during the Pilates session the shoulders will want to internally rotate in error. This inhibits the body’s ability to stabilize the shoulders. It is important to correct this, not only during the “individual needs” section of the session, but also during their mat and/or reformer section. Also, teach your client how to correctly execute external rotation with a set of hand weights. I personally assign this to clients as an everyday exercise that they are to do before their session and at home. Now when addressing the bilateral imbalances in their body, choose exercises like the Arm Series, Hug a Tree, and Side Pull on the Cadillac. You also have a variety of exercises to choose from on the wunda chair and MVe chair both split and single pedal; for example, but not limited to, Pumping One Arm, Side Ways Push Up I and II, and One Arm Push Down. Feet and Ankles and Knees: The feet and ankles take quit a beating on the court. It is important to keep them flexible and strong. In order to address the feet, incorporate the towel work. To set-up the exercise, sit tall and place both feet parallel on a small towel with the heels at the back of the towel. Assure the feet, knees, and hips are in alignment when setting up and executing the towel work. In executing the exercise, reach the toes, spreading them apart and gather the towel under the feet; keep the heel down. Work evenly with both feet until the towel is fully gathered under the foot. Reverse, working the towel out from under the foot, drawing the toes into the arch and dragging the towel forward (Peak Pilates Level II Barrel). Make sure to work both feet equally and with full articulation of the feet and toes. It is important to keep the ankles and knees strong and, it is equally important to correct the ankle, knee, and hip alignment. Some examples of exercises to incorporate are the Achilles Stretch, Pumping One-Leg Standing Front, Side, and Crossover on the high chair. Also, Footwork Series, Pumping One-Leg Sitting, Tendon Stretch, One-Leg Standing Front, and Achilles Stretch on the low chair are great choices. Don’t forget the jump board on the reformer. Exercises executed on the jump board help to correct alignment of the feet, ankles, knees, and hips, and improve coordination in jumping. Furthermore, it develops stamina in the small muscles of the feet. And last, but not least, make sure to prescribe the foot corrector exercises. These are great exercises to do before or after a session. In Conclusion, this blog just begins the conversation of Pilates for tennis players. So here are some basic teaching tips. In working with any athlete, always look at the body and see what is going on. How does the posture look? What looks imbalanced? How does the client walk or move? Where is the client feeling pain and discomfort? Then ask yourself, which muscles are involved or affected in that particular area of the body. And, finally which exercises support the needs of the body. By thinking through this process, you will then be able to successfully support your client and make a difference in their body allowing them to play the game for years to come.Time to hit the courts,Sonia Rodriguez, Peak Pilates Master Trainer

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