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Tennis Elbow: Avoiding It
Category: Tennis Elbow
Sep 15, 2005
With the necessary preparation, equipment and strokes, you'll never need to experience it
Tennis elbow is not an ailment which arouses enormous sympathies. It is, however, one that can be excruciatingly painful. If you are one of the lucky who has never experienced tennis elbow, you should take certain precautions to ensure you remain one of the unharmed.
Check the can of tennis balls before you play. Make sure the label does not say "extra-duty." Extra-duty tennis balls are heavier and cause more stress on your arm. Before you hit the first ball, stretch both forearms by holding your arms straight in front of you and doing three wrist circles in each direction. These stretches warm up your forearm muscles so your first few hits will be less jarring to your muscles.
When you start to play, ease into a hitting warm-up by hitting your first 15 shots more softly than you usually do. Again, the point is to lessen the shock to your arm when you start to hit harder. On both your forehand and backhand ground strokes, prepare by turning your shoulders sideways to the net. This is easily achieved when you change your stance so your feet are also perpendicular to the net rather than facing the net.
You may have noticed Andre Agassi or Gabriella Sabatini facing the net when they hit a forehand. Their shoulders are turned, but their feet aren't. They are exhibiting good power generated from their torso rotation and the fast action of their arms. To experience less stress on your arm, your stance should more closely resemble a baseball's stance as the pitch approaches home plate.