Tennis

                        Check with your doctor before undertaking a new fitness activity.

                        Tennis may be unsuitable if you have joint, or shoulder problems.

                       Tennis is a reasonably accessible sport which can be enjoyed in different ways. With young children, a swingball in the garden may be all that’s needed to encourage racquet skills. With older children, there are local authority courts, private tennis clubs plus tuition is often available through schools. Tennis may be played on concrete courts, lawn courts or even indoors at private sports clubs such as many David Lloyd Clubs.

                       Television coverage of tennis during Wimbledon certainly encourages many of us to dust off our racquets and join the stars on the courts Although Wimbledon tends to grab the limelight in the UK, there are international events throughout the year. The four major tennis tournaments are known as the Grand Slams. These are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. Other events in the UK include The Artois Championships, London during June; The Sony Ericsson in Birmingham, Eastbourne and Nottingham again all in June, The Lawn Tennis Association events during August in Wrexham and Nottingham, in October in Shrewsbury and Glasgow and in November in Sunderland.

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The International Women’s Open

Sony Ericsson WTA Tour

Lawn Tennis Association in partnership with Eastbourne Borough Council

Tricia writes June 2008: 

This event has been happening for as long as I can remember in Eastbourne but in 2009 a major change is planned as the event will be for both women and men players.

I purchased my ticket for the East stand of centre court several weeks before the event to avoid disappointment, but seats with lesser views were still available on the day. Tickets were priced at £20.00 for centre court on the Monday or alternatively you could purchase a grounds ticket for £10.00 to watch games on other courts. Ticket prices vary throughout the week. Remember, there will be less play on the outer courts as the week progresses as players are eliminated from the event.

The atmosphere was relaxed with stalls selling food, drink and tennis clothing and equipment.

We had a wonderful day watching players such as Amelie Mauresmo and Petrova play plus lesser known players all of a high standard. It is entertaining just to watch the younger new players aiming to spot the stars of the future as you walk around the outer courts. You can also watch the techniques the players use to improve your own game if  you are a tennis player.

If attending do check the weather forecast. You may need a sun hat, sun glasses, water, sun cream a cardigan/jumper and a plastic mac of some sort. In the space of the five hours we had sun, heat, cloud and rain. Many people take a picnic as food prices inside the grounds can add up quickly if you are in a group.

The Eastbourne International Women’s Open is a great preliminary to Wimbledon the following week.

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          Playing Tennis   

                        Tennis provides aerobic exercise, increases strength and is high impact so is helpful in the maintenance of bone density. It can be hard on the joints such as knees and shoulders.

                        To warm up before playing consider walking quickly, jogging at a moderate intensity, arm rotations, racquet swings and trunk rotations. Keep moving during your warm up. Save static stretches for after the game  when you can lengthen out muscles that have tightened as you play. Check out the links below:

                         Pre tennis:

                     http://www.tennis.com/yourgame/fitness/fitness.aspx?id=35298

             http://natesports.com/images/resources/dynamic%20warmup1.pdf

                        Post game stretches:

         http://www.workoutsforwomen.com/stretch.asp

                      

                         For more information the following books may be of interest, or try your local library.

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                       Tennis has a strange scoring system.  The first point scored is 15, the second 30, the third 40. A score of nil is ‘love’

                       For scoring and the rules of the game: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/tennis/rules/scoring/newsid_3574000/3574853.stm

                        If you intend to take up tennis seriously you may require the correct clothing. Tennis whites look lovely and make you feel the part. Remember to wear a supportive  sports bra. Marks and Spencer sell very reasonable ones with different levels of support for sports of different intensities so check the one you purchase is supportive enough for your activity.

                        Correct footwear is important to reduce the risk of foot, ankle, knee and back injury as tennis is high impact. Playing on grass courts is slightly kinder to the joints that hardcourts but cushioned footwear is important. Any reputable sportswear shop should be able to assist you   with appropriate clothing and footwear.

                        When purchasing a tennis racquet for a beginner go for a larger head. Keep the racquet fairly lightweight,  about 9 to 10 ounces, but not too lightweight as you  don’t want the frame to crack. Aluminium racquets are usually cheaper, graphite more costly. Vibration dampeners can be purchased if  you racquet vibrates too much (this can be bad  for your wrist and elbow). Inexpensive tennis balls are fine for  beginners.

                        For a club near you the following website is a directory of UK lawn tennisclubs.  http://www.racketeer.free-online.co.uk/clubs.html

                        Have fun!

 

 

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