Hitting effective tennis strokes requires getting to the ball with both balance and stability. Developing strength in the feet and lower ankles is the key to establishing a firm foundation for peak performance and injury prevention. It’s no wonder that many of the best players in tennis include balance exercises in their off-court training programs.
The balance trainer has finally made an appearance in our steady march through the Netflix docuseries “Break Point.” Ons Jabeur, or actually just her feet, are seen perched atop a balance ball during Season 1, Episode 4 of the show. It’s a brief clip, so it isn’t clear exactly what she is doing. There are certainly a lot of great options for training with the device.
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 functional tennis training.
A balance ball is essentially the top part of a Swiss ball mounted on a flat base. It can be used with the ball side up to work the fine muscles in the ankles. Flipping it over to rest 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 the Bosu can similarly enhance. It makes off-court training much more efficient.
Most commercial gyms have at least one Bosu Ball lying around. I would encourage every tennis player to familiarize themselves with how 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.
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