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3 Steps Tennis Players Must Follow to Get Safely Back on the Court After an Injury
Few things bother a tennis player more than an injury that leaves you unable to play . Even more frustrating is going back on the court when you ’ re feeling better and ending up getting hurt again . Although this is a common plight for many players over 60 , by following these 3 steps you ’ ll give yourself the best chance of getting back to your previous level of play and staying injury free in the process .
1 . Identify and address the weaknesses behind the original injury . Injuries have two broad categories- acute and repetitive stress . Acute injuries result from a forceful trauma that happens all at once and repetitive stress injuries happen gradually , causing more and more pain over weeks , months or years . In general , acute injuries can often be addressed by mainly focusing solely on training the injured area ( i . e . training only the knee when you ’ ve had an acute knee injury ). Repetitive stress injuries typically require addressing weaknesses in multiple converging areas ( i . e . training the entire leg thoroughly vs . just training the knee , or training the shoulder , neck , scapula and arm when you ’ ve had repetitive stress shoulder injury ). Using the right training approach for your injury can make or break your success in returning to play .
2 . Be patient . Commit to giving yourself whatever time you need to getting your body back where it needs to be so you can safely and comfortably play again . This may be a longer process than you anticipated , but as many of my clients have seen , it is well worth the wait when you can get back to playing again with confidence .
3 . Have a plan for progression . It takes time to re-establish your bodies strength and mobility after an injury and a progressive training plan helps ensure that you don ’ t overdo it or underdo it . What you do on day 1 needs to be different than what you do on day 21 , so beginning your plan with small amounts of challenge on the injured area and gradually increasing the challenge is the best way to ensure that your body responds positively . Try using simple training drills at first and slowly progress into playing a few points with a partner . Taking time to build up slowly will provide you with the best chances of playing your full schedule again without getting hurt . If you want the shortcut to figuring all this out , come on over to the fitness center and let ’ s talk . Either way if follow the steps I ’ ve laid out here , I ’ m willing to bet that you ’ ll be impressed with what happens .
To read about some of Chris ’ clients , see his free videos or to get a free copy of his book “ Improve Muscles-Improve Life ” go to www . NonFictionFitness . com