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Keeping Injury Out of Your Game

Stay healthy and safe on the tennis court

This year is looking up. Our daily lives are slowly returning to normal, the warmer weather is here and we are grabbing our racquets and hitting the tennis courts. However, with the rush to get out there and start playing, is your body truly ready for the demands of our beloved game? If not, you run the risk of sustaining an injury. Being injured is no fun. In addition to the pain, we can be out of the game for an extended amount of time.

Remember the phrase “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?” We should aim to prevent injury to preserve the body and not lose any time on the court.

What can be done to reduce the risk of an injury? Before we review ways to prevent injury, let’s look at two of the most common injuries tennis players experience – tennis elbow and knee issues.

Tips to keep injury out of your game:

Prevent injury on court with these helpful tips

Tennis elbow is the weakening of the tendons that join your forearm muscles to your bone. It’s typically caused by repetitive motion, like painting or lifting objects. But for tennis players, tennis elbow can be caused by the stress of hitting the ball, incorrect form, incorrect racquet grip size, or having a racquet that is strung too tight. If you would like more information and tips on tennis elbow, check out our previous article, Doctor’s Tips for Tennis Elbow. 

Knee injuries can affect any area around the knee including the ligaments, bursae (fluid sacs located near major joints), tendons, cartilage, menisci (plural for meniscus), and the bones forming the knee joint. Because our knees are complicated, a knee injury can be caused by any number of factors such as inappropriate shoes and moving when our bodies aren’t warmed up. Visit our previous article, Doctor’s Tips for Knee Pain for more information on knee issues and to help keep injury out of your game. 

Now that we know a little bit more about common tennis injuries, let’s look at how we can prevent them. Here are a few tips that you can use that are simple and effective:

Prevent common tennis injuries:

  • Warm-up your body before you play. Warming up increases your body temperature and blood flow to your muscles and reduces tension. Reduced muscle tension can decrease your risk of injury. You should aim to warm up for at least 5 minutes before you play and can start with jogging around the court. For additional tips on warming up and preparing to play, check out our post from a fitness trainer, LaRue Cook
  • Stretching before and after you play. So many players skip stretching. But stretching improves mobility, relieves tension, and reduces soreness. A few quick stretches you can perform are thigh stretch, cross body shoulder/arm stretch, hamstring stretch, and calf stretch. Remember to hold each stretch between 15 and 20 seconds without bouncing. 
  • Strength training not only improves fitness and performance but also protects your joints, ligaments, and tendons from injury. Aim to strengthen the major parts of the body – arms, legs, and core. Simple strength exercises include walking uphill or upstairs, biking, push-ups, triceps dips, and plank.  

Getting to the technical aspects:

  • Having the appropriate gear will help to reduce your risk of injury. Your tennis sneakers should not only fit you properly but be supportive enough to suit your style of play. When it comes to your racquet, consult your coach or tennis professional on choosing the right racquet and string tension for your skill and strength. Check out our post on the latest gear for 2021.
  • Taking the time to learn proper technique. Incorrect technique can cause you to stress and strain while hitting the ball which in turn can lead to an increased risk of injury. Learning good form will allow you to move effectively while minimizing injury. A certified tennis pro can help you.

We know that not all injuries are avoidable. However, investing in injury prevention will help to keep injury out of your game and you healthy on and off the court.  

USTA Mid-Atlantic Section has lots of opportunities for you to play tennis in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and eastern and southern West Virginia. Visit us and see what’s available near you!  And make sure you are following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. 

Click here to find all sources for this blog article.

Create Your Tennis Comeback Story

Don’t let time away from tennis deter you from coming back to the game.  USTA Mid-Atlantic Section has so many ways for you to enjoy tennis and gain the healthy benefits of the sport – from competitive opportunities through USTA League to casual tennis fun, and tournaments too. 

We don’t have to remind you of the many benefits you get from playing tennis: 

✅ Physical fitness 

✅ Fun with friends 

✅ Expanding your network

✅ Stress relief 

✅ Leadership opportunities

✅ Competition and new challenges

✅ A sport you can play no matter your age

Over the next couple of months, we are challenging you to create your tennis comeback story! We have gathered inspiring comeback stories from people just like you that took time off from tennis for various reasons but are back and flourishing in the game. We’ll be sharing these stories with you and hope they motivate you to get back out there and play tennis with USTA Mid-Atlantic. You’ll want to make sure you visit our news page to see these stories

In the meantime, we’ve gathered up some tips and helpful information that will help you get reacquainted with your game as well as what’s going on and available in the Mid-Atlantic Section for adults so that you can start playing. 

Tip 1: Get back into the swing of things without any pressure. USTA Mid-Atlantic has launched NEW social tennis events that allow you to get back into tennis in a fun, low-pressure way. Check out all the opportunities available and check often. We update this page regularly with new social events! 

Tip 2: Brush up on your techniques and strategies. If you’re memory of the game is as fuzzy as a tennis ball, don’t worry! USTA has a ton of great articles that can help refresh your on-court strategies and improve your game. There are even articles on the basics such as keeping score. 

Tip 3: Take a refresher lesson or classes with a local tennis pro. You can look for introductory classes at your local community courts or recreation center (or if you belong to a club or facility). Look for classes that use lower compression balls which will help you quickly gain success and reawaken the muscle memory. 

Tip 4: Come back with a friend and get REWARDED! Tennis is all about fun with friends so bring them along with you. Having friends on court is always a reward because you get to spend time together, but we are making it even better. If you are registering for a USTA League and you refer a new or lapsed 18 to 39 year old player to a League team, you’ll get rewarded. More information is available here

Tip 5: Fire up your competitive spirit and join a USTA League. USTA League is the country’s largest adult competitive tennis league for players of all skill levels. You can check out the various local leagues that are registering now and contact the listed Local League Ambassador for information on how to get involved. You can also contact USTA Mid-Atlantic at leagues@mas.usta.com  and we will be able to help you get started in local leagues. 

Now that you have some tips, it is time to start planning your tennis comeback! If you already have a tennis comeback story, share it with us and inspire others from the USTA Mid-Atlantic tennis community! Contact Megan Driscoll with your story

We can’t wait to see you on the courts soon and hear your comeback story. Make sure you are following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to get all the latest about tennis in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Gearing Up for League Tennis: The GEAR (Giveaway)

From that pop and hiss of a fresh can of tennis balls to the feel of a new racquet, to the latest tennis apparel trends, having the gear to get your season of USTA Mid-Atlantic Leagues started right is just as essential as it is to making sure you’ve got your rating and registration all taken care of!

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There’s just something alluring to having new tennis gear items in your bag at the start of the season. When your tennis gear is ready, you’re another step closer to fun competition.

We’ve been getting you prepared for the season with our “Gearing Up” series of articles. So far, we’ve covered:

Now, let’s talk a little bit about gear. Any tennis player knows that your basic essentials include a tennis racquet, tennis balls, the proper shoes and attire, and towels or items to keep you dry/cool. A bag is helpful to keep everything organized, too, and don’t forget a water bottle. You may want some additional accessories such as grip tape, vibration dampeners for your strings, and of course if you are playing outside, protection from the sun (hats, visors, sunglasses) and sunscreen.  

And you’ll want to proudly rep the Mid-Atlantic Section this league season, so you’ve got to get some gear in our official “color wars” color for 2019: ROYAL BLUE!

To go a little more in depth, there are excellent articles on USTA.com that have helpful information about tennis gear, from selecting the right racquet, to the importance of the strings in your racquet, to buying the right shoes. Check them out here.

As tennis enthusiasts ourselves, we love new gear just as much as you do! So we want to get you “geared up” and ready to play with a fun GIVEAWAY to kick-off the spring adult tennis league season.

You have a chance to WIN our Gearing Up prize pack that includes tennis strings from @MainandCrosses, 10 grips from @AlienPros, a case of tennis balls, a foam roller, and $100 in  gift cards. To enter, simply leave a comment on this Facebook post telling us “I signed up for my local spring league” and let us know which one. The contest is open now, March 6, 2019 and will run through Friday, March 22, 2019. One winner will be drawn at random at the end of the contest period; good luck!

Read the official rules here.

What tennis gear do you have in your tennis bag? Let us know on Social Media. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and subscribe to the blog.

The 2019 calendar is here for you to see which leagues are registering in your area. Contact the listed Local League Ambassador for your local area or our Tennis Connect service to get playing!

Gearing Up for League Tennis: Mental Toughness on the Court

Get  answers to questions about playing USTA Mid-Atlantic adult leagues, check! 

Get new tips and tricks to get physically ready for the tennis season, check! 

Reviewed the USTA Mid-Atlantic adult tennis leagues playing in my area and know the registration dates, check! 

If you’ve got these items crossed off your list, than it sounds like you’ve been following along on our “Gearing Up” series! We want you to have your best season of team tennis so we are continuing along with more information to help you “gear up” for spring leagues.

Here’s a topic you may not often give much *thought* to: improving and staying mentally tough on the tennis court.

Sport psychologists have examined how mental skills training helps athletes improve performance by not only developing skills, such as concentration and stress control, but also making efforts to influence personal characteristics, such as self-esteem and sportsmanship. We went straight to the experts from the USTA Player Development program to provide you with some tips on how to be, and stay, mentally tough on the court. What’s key is developing a routine between points. 

Dr. Larry Lauer is a mental skills specialist for USTA Player Development and has been a sport psychology consultant for over a decade with elite tennis players from juniors, college, and pros. Dr. Lauer developed a concept called “The Green Light Routine” that helps outline basic steps to be able to let go of the last point and focus on the current point.

There are four basic steps to Lauer’s “Green Light Routine,” outlined here, and we’ve included a VIDEO below of him discussing these steps:

Step 1: Respond

As soon as the point has ended, there will be a response. It will be positive, negative or neutral. The goal is to stay positive or neutral. Go to your strings, show positive body language and walk briskly back behind the baseline. A slumping posture will only fire up your opponent.

Step 2: Relax

Take deep breaths and let go of the last point. You want to slow down your breathing and heart rate and quiet your mind.

Step 3: Refocus

Use a towel, touch the fence, pick up the balls, walk around and focus on the current point. You should have full commitment to the current point knowing your play. Serve and Return – Visualize and commit to it. Turn and walk to the line when you know what the plan is and you are committed to it.

Step 4: Ready

Bounce the ball however many times you feel comfortable according to your routine (like a free throw shooter in basketball); sway back and forth on your returns, take a deep breath and lock in on the ball. You are now NO LONGER THINKING. Quiet the mind and trust what you are doing.

Check out this video featuring Dr. Lauer explaining the routine: 

Read Dr. Lauer’s article to get more details about this and other mental health routines.

What routines have you used to help you stay focused and mentally tough during a tennis match? Share them with us on social media – tag us and use #ustaspringgearup.

Follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and subscribe to the blog so you can keep up with more articles to come as you “gear up” for spring adult league tennis in the Mid-Atlantic.

And be sure to check the 2019 calendar here to see which leagues are registering in your area. Contact the listed Local League Ambassador for your local area or our Tennis Connect service to get playing!

Six At-Home Tennis Activities to Bust Boredom

As a mom of two active little boys, I am a firm believer in getting outside each day to burn off extra energy. We run around the yard, play games, take walks – whatever we can do to get out of the house, move our bodies and have some fun.

I don’t know about you, but we just cannot stay cooped up in the house all day long. On those days when we do, the tranquility of our family room quickly turns into a disaster area with couch cushions strewn about, toys everywhere (and I mean everywhere), boys running room to room racing to see who’s the fastest, and sporting equipment flying. Did I mention that my boys are active?

During the colder months when the temperatures dip too low to go outside for long periods of time, I desperately search for activities we can do inside that are engaging and get my kids moving with as little destruction as possible.

My older son has recently found an affinity for tennis (hooray!) thanks to his recent participation in the TGA afterschool tennis enrichment program. He wants to play all the time. And I couldn’t be happier about it! With equipment sized right, tennis is fun for kids of all ages and skill level and it boasts numerous benefits such as learning lessons in teamwork and sportsmanship as well as building physical strength and endurance.

Considering he is just a very early beginner, I definitely want to keep his interest and give him the chance to have fun with tennis when he wants. That got me thinking: what tennis activities could we do inside at home while we wait for sunnier days and warmer temps more accommodating for time out on our local tennis courts.

So I went right to USTA Mid-Atlantic’s own resident expert on playing tennis in non-traditional spaces (aka our manager of school programs) Alicia von Lossberg. She assured me that, very easily, everyday spaces can turn into the perfect places for tennis fun for you and your children.

She explained that all of the activities are suitable for a basement, playroom or even the garage and that activities range from racquet and ball handling to fitness fun. You don’t even need to have a net! You can get creative with items you likely have on hand at home. Masking tape or painters tape is perfect for marking the perimeter of the “court” on the floor or simply mark a line for where a net would be. You can also use two chairs with tape stretched between them as the net.

This is just the solution I want to have at the ready should we find ourselves indoors but chomping for an activity.

So, the next time you are stuck inside more than you like and you hear “I’m bored,” for the umpteenth time, grab your racquets and foam balls and try these six fun tennis activities at home to break up the monotony and calm the crazy.

Ball balance, tap downs and bump ups are all great activities to practice racquet and ball handling. For ball balance, have your little tennis star try to balance the foam ball on the strings of the racquet while touching the floor with their opposite hand. Tap downs are when you bounce the ball down at waist level and bump ups are when you bounce the ball (carefully) up at eye level without letting the ball hit the ground. Have your child do as many of those as they can. You can even do these activities with your child and see who can do the most in a row or go the longest balancing the ball.

Helpful hint: if this is too hard for them, try a beach ball or balloon for quick success before moving on to the foam ball.

Partner up and practice hand-eye skills. Put some tunes on and partner up with your child or partner your kids up to work on hand-eye coordination. A fan favorite is ball pass where you work together to pass a ball back and forth “catching” it with the racquet. For each catch, keep stepping back a step and see how far apart you can get. Set a record and see who can break it.

Helpful hint: for younger kids, use a bean bag to pass instead.  

Get in a rhythm with “drop, hit, catch” and “toss, hit, catch.” These games are sure to bring a smile to your child’s face and even work their rhythmic pattern skills! Partner up with them and have them gently drop the ball and hit it toward you so that you can catch it – drop, hit, catch, and repeat. Every catch is a point! After six hits, change roles and see who can get the most points. Try toss, hit, catch to work on forehand and backhand skills. Begin about three steps apart from your child and toss the tennis ball to the forehand or backhand side and have them rally the ball back to you to catch it. Toss it six times and switch!

Helpful hint: Give your child a target (like your knees or hat on your head) to keep balls from being hit like home runs.

drop-hit-catch2

Rally over the net. Remember those chairs with the tape (or rope, ribbon, or streamers) stretched between them? Set them up as the net and work with your child to rally the ball over to each other. You can make this activity easier by rolling the ball on the ground or make it harder by switching between forehand and backhand off the bounce. See how long you can rally with each other.

Agility, footwork and speed are all valuable skills for tennis that can be worked on at home. If you are playing in a more open space of the house, a few minutes of jump rope is a great way your child can work on footwork moves. See how long each of you can jump without stopping. Hop scotch is also a great game to work on balance and agility by hopping on one foot and then two. But the best game of all IMO is the “Ball Kid Burst.” Put imagination to action and pretend to be a ball kid dashing to grab the tennis balls for superstars like Rafa and Serena during an intense match. Place a racquet on the floor and then place a pile of tennis balls directly across from the racquet, about 10 to 15 feet away. Get your stopwatch ready and race to grab one ball at a time and place them on racquet. Record the time and see how fast you can get all the tennis balls picked up. Take turns to see who is the fastest. Try this one at the end of play time, when all the foam balls are scattered about. This is a GREAT way to make clean up fun.

ball-kid-burst

Strategize a new game. Tennis is all about game strategy so work those intellectual skills and have your child invent their own tennis game that can be played indoors. Kids love to make up their own games, and you never know what kind of creative ideas they will come up with that can work a new tennis skill. Just make sure you remember it for next time to add it in the rotation.

Hopefully you found this list to be a handy reference so that on the days when you just can’t get enough outdoor time or make it to the courts, you can still work with your child on their budding tennis skills and love of the game! And speaking of love of tennis, don’t forget, kids 10 and under new to the USTA are eligible for a free junior membership. Find out more and sign up!

What fun tennis activities have you tried with kids? Share them with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.


Lauren Hoffmann is the director of marketing, communication and membership at USTA Mid-Atlantic. She would write a really clever little line here but she’s a mom and she’s exhausted.

Illustration images are from the USTA Kid’s Tennis Clubs Organizers Playbook. Illustrations are thanks to Skillastics, Inc.