It is imperative that the players get this part of the session ‘right’ so that they can get the maximum out of the session that they are going to do. But, when one considers the picture that comes to the mind of most players, when this particular word “warm-up” is mentioned, it is quite clear that what needs to be achieved from such a session is not achieved in normal circumstances.

When the word “warm up” is mentioned, what normally comes to the player’s mind is physical warm-up. This, in the Sri Lankan context, normally consists of the player running a few rounds around the court and then doing their stretchings.

In some cases, the players would indulge in dynamic stretching, yet in most cases the players would indulge in static stretching. After their stretching is completed, they will take the racket and go to the court to do their “tennis warm-up”. Therefore, with all of the above points in mind, let us examine what should be considered essential for such a warm-up session!

Physical warm up

Any practice sessions should start with a physical warm-up. The meaning of “physical warm-up” could really be classified as “muscle activation” as well. Scientifically, there is a difference in this meaning. But for most players, it is more or less the same.

Physical warm-up should ideally consist of the following activities:

It is ideal if this can start with jumping rope. A certain number of repetitions of jumping rope will get the blood moving in the player’s body and also get his/her heart beat rate up to an ideal level.

This could be followed up with dynamic stretching. This is not the ideal place to discuss the difference between dynamic and static stretching. But it should be noted that dynamic stretching can be loosely classified as doing stretching exercises whilst moving and static stretching is to do the same being on one place.

The stretching should then be followed up by a few sprints. Though it has been mentioned in rather loose terms here, it should be realised that this is an extremely important pre-practice routine which should be properly coordinated and planned with a physical trainer.

Tennis warm-up

The above physical warm-up should then be followed by the tennis warm-up. Again, in the Sri Lankan context, this will consist of playing mini tennis from the service line for an umpteen number of minutes. This will then be followed by the player moving back to the baseline starting their rallying. But whether this, being done mindlessly, is the best way to do the tennis warm-up is highly doubtful. Undoubtedly, as the activities would remain the same, how they are done will make the difference. That depends on whether the player is ready for an optimal practice session.

Players need to understand that a proper warm-up is needed for them to perform at their optimal level for the first 15 to 20 minutes of the session. Normally, since the first 20 minutes of the session would set the tone for the upcoming session, it is important that the players get their approach “spot on” in this regard.

Otherwise, the players would find that they are struggling with their rhythm for the first part of the session. And, by the time the player manages to get his/her rhythm, the allocated time for the session might have elapsed or might be very close to elapsing.

Ideal approach

What is the ideal approach in this regard? It could be that the players as well as the coaches need to approach the tennis part of the warm-up as part and parcel of the same training session.

For example, most players and coaches would focus on improving their technical, tactical, physical, and mental aspects during a practice session. And they can achieve a few “extra hours” of training by focusing on one of these aspects during the warm-up itself.

By doing this, they would be making use of some of the time wasted by just hitting balls over the net during their warm-up. That is for improving an area of the game that they need to be working on during the session.  

Here are some drills that the players can use:

• Hitting the balls into a set target area only, so that the players are working on their direction and depth
• Making the player hit a certain number of consecutive shots so that he/she is working on consistency as well as getting him/her to work under pressure. As the player nears the target number of shots, he/she will feel more pressure
• Hitting alternate shots so that the player has to focus on the footwork as well as the movement when hitting the ball
• Calling out the shot that the player is going to hit so that he/she improves the ball perception as well as having to get into position early
• Using one ball for the warm-up so that the player needs to make sure that the warm-up needs to be a high-quality one, as otherwise the player will be spending a lot of time picking up balls
• Using only one stance, open or semi open, so that the player is working on some aspect of technical improvement
• Playing only inside the baseline so that the player can work on taking the ball early and hitting it, and also to adjust the footwork accordingly

These are only some of the suggestions and ideas that can be worked out during warm-up for a tennis session. How exactly it should be structured is a question for the player and Coach to solve, that too on an individual basis.