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I grew up playing tennis. And for the last 15 years, I’ve been training athletes in various sports, including tennis, with a focus on strength training exercises, power, mobility, hand-eye coordination, foot-eye coordination, agility, and endurance. One thing I quickly realized is there are way more parallels and crossovers between tennis and yoga than I’d thought.
The shapes in your repeated movements. The release of tension through your breath. Even finding a point of mental focus when you’re feeling nervous or rattled.
Whether you’re a tennis player, a yoga regular, or someone who just likes to move, being more aware of your form and the function by practicing certain strength-training exercises for tennis makes all the difference. The following poses are exactly how I train tennis players. They will not only improve your tennis game in an array of ways but also help you become more connected to your body in ways that can help prevent injury.
5 Strength-Training Exercises for Tennis Players
You don’t need to reach for your racket when you practice these strength-training exercises that are borrowed from yoga. Although you may want to try it. I find that holding my racket helps me visualize the similarities between the practices.
Tree Pose
You are frequently balancing on one leg in tennis, whether running to a shot out wide or thrusting up to an overhead. Having control in those moments is essential. By asking you to stand on one leg, Tree Pose tests your balance, strength, and stability. It also helps you maximize efficiency as well as force while reducing the chance of injury.
How to:
Stand on one leg (let’s say your right leg), bend your left knee, and bring the sole of your left foot to your inner right thigh. Keep your core engaged. Bring your hands to the center of your chest, palms together. Hold this position for 20 to 30 seconds. If that’s too difficult, focus on balancing on one leg without drawing the other foot to touch your leg. You can also hold onto a chair until you feel more confident.
Learn more about Tree Pose.
Warrior 3
This pose is extremely similar to the movement your body falls into after hitting a serve—balancing on one leg, your other leg extended behind you, and both arms reaching in front of your body.
Practicing Warrior 3 trains you to hinge at the hips while maintaining your balance. It also loads the back of the leg, where all the biggest muscles are located, which takes pressure off your back and knees. Being strong in this motion not only increases your stability through your ankles, knees, and hips but targets key core muscles that surround the spine. This movement is also very similar to what’s known as the Single Leg Romanian Deadlift (RDL) and is one of the most essential strength-training exercises for tennis players to learn, whether through yoga or at the gym.
How to:
From a standing position, shift your weight into one leg and hinge at your hips until your chest is almost parallel to the ground. Keep a slight knee bend of the planted leg and extend the other leg straight back. Reach your arms out to the side or forward to make a “T” shape. Hold this position for 15-20 seconds. Use a tennis net post or wall if you need assistance balancing until you have more confidence and stability in the pose.
Learn more about Warrior 3.
Revolved Half Moon
This is another exercise that mimics the end of the serving action in which you land on one leg, hinging at the hips with your chest leaning forward while rotating at the hips. Practicing Revolved Half Moon strengthens and stabilizes the ankles, knees, and hips while also taxing the muscles around the spine, making it a demanding core-strengthening exercise. This is very similar to the single leg RDL but with rotation.
How to:
Stand on one leg (let’s say your right one), hinge at the hips, and extend your left leg behind you while maintaining a straight back and a strong core. Maintain a slight bend in your right knee to avoid hyperextending. From here, rotate your chest in the direction of your standing leg and reach your right arm toward the ceiling and your left arm toward the ground. You can modify this by holding your racket with both hands out in front of your body as you reach and then rotate.
Learn more about Revolved Half Moon.
Revolved Forearm Plank
Bringing a rotational movement to Forearm Plank targets the shoulder and obliques, which are used during every single shot you hit in tennis. Being strong through your obliques allows you to generate and transfer force more efficiently from the legs to the arms and, eventually, to the ball. This exercise, which is called Thread the Needle in yoga, is also essential for thoracic mobility, which enables you to have full range of motion through each shot as well as general functionality for everyday life.
For tennis players, I prefer to perform this exercise in Forearm Plank rather than Plank or the top of a push-up. This ensures the elbows and forearms are the base of support rather than the hands to prevent strain on the wrists.
How to:
Start in Forearm Plank with your elbows directly below your shoulders and your body in a straight line. Start to shift into Side Forearm Plank by coming onto one side and stacking your feet on top of each other. (If you need more support, place one foot on the ground in front of the other.)
Keep your hips as high as possible and reach your free arm toward the ceiling. Then turn your chest toward the mat and reach your free arm through the gap between your elbow and your side body. Hold for a second and then unwind as you reach your arm toward the ceiling again. Repeat 8-10 times. Switch sides.
Learn more about Forearm Plank.
Bridge Pose
When you play tennis, the action of every shot you take is created by your glutes forcefully contracting. Having strong glutes also ensures your movement is initiated by glute contraction versus back extension, which takes pressure off the lower back and, over time, can prevent strain and pain. Bridge Pose is a fundamental exercise that is extremely safe and effective for strengthening the glutes, stretching the hip flexors, and engaging the core. I love the exercise for its simplicity and effectiveness.
How to:
Come onto your back with your knees bent and your feet on the ground, hip-distance apart. Rest your arms at your sides, palms facing down. Flatten the lower back against the ground by tilting your front hips toward the ceiling and engaging your core. Push through your heels and squeeze your glutes to elevate your hips. Hold and squeeze here for a few seconds before you slowly lower your hips back to the ground. Repeat 10-15 times. You’ll likely feel a nice, satisfying burn through the glutes.
Learn more about Bridge Pose.
