Balance is critical for playing tennis well. It is increasingly important for tennis players as they age, as a poor sense of balance can directly lead to falls and injuries. When I built out my personal home gym, the very first piece of equipment I purchased was a commercial grade Bosu ball. It is a versatile device that magnifies the effects of static gym exercises for tennis functional training.
I case you are unfamiliar with the Bosu Ball, it is essentially the top part of a Swiss ball mounded on a flat base. It can be used with the ball side up to work the fine muscles in the ankles. Flipping it over so that it rests on the round side is perfect for more dramatic balance movement training.
As an example of how it can be used, I frequently stand on my Bosu Ball when doing bicep curls and tricep extensions with free weights. The Bosu adds an element of instability to those exercises to simultaneously develop core strength and balance. There are a lot of exercises that can be similarly enhanced by the Bosu. It makes off-court training much more efficient.
Lately I have been hitting my Bosu Ball pretty hard as a part of the rehab process from my recent ankle injury. There are a lot of reputable physical therapists on the internet that specifically recommend use of it for ankle injury rehabilitation. That was reassuring as I crafted my own tennis movement specific exercises in addition to what was medically prescribed.
When I first got out of the walking boot and into my cross trainers, I would simply stand on the ball. I gradually worked my way back up to low impact movement across the Bosu. Basically right now I am using my Bosu for low-speed and low-impact on-court footwork motions. It has been an arduous journey. My stability ball has accelerated the process.
Most commercial gyms have at least one Bosu Ball lying around. I would encourage every tennis player to familiarize themselves with the various ways it can be safely used for functional tennis training.
The Bosu Ball is also a practical item to have for home use. Even just standing on it while watching TV returns some benefit. I have never regretted purchasing one for myself.
Of course mine is orange. The banner picture was taken in the back yard of the Wichita Falls house. It is so critical to my current rehab that it is traveling back and forth with me.
