The “Tennis Training Tuesday” post enters new territory this week. For over a year, we have examined the off-court training techniques glimpsed in the Netflix docuseries ‘Break Point.’ Today, we are examining an exercise that appeared in the background of the exercise we broke down last week in “Ons Jabeur Kicks Butt.”
While Season 1, Episode 7 of the show focused on Ons Jabeur’s journey to the Women’s Singles Finals at Wimbledon in 2022, Elena Rybakina eventually prevailed in the three-set match to win the title. Since she wasn’t one of the featured players on the show, Rybakina didn’t get much screen time in what was the crowning moment of her career.
As Ons Jabeur is performing Butt Kicks prior to the match, Rybakina is seen performing a shoulder flexion and extension exercise using what appears to be a stretching strap. It is a classic shoulder mobility movement that is great for tennis players. Used over time, it can increase the range of motion of the shoulder joints. In this case, Rybakina is using it as a part of her dynamic warmup.
The shoulder flexion extension is performed by gripping the strap in front of the body with the arms facing down and then rotating the shoulders until the arms and hands are behind the back. The movement is then reversed back to the starting position. While Rybakina uses a stretching strap in this clip, this exercise is frequently performed using a wooden dowel or a broomstick, which is a little more challenging.
I have to confess that I have never tried a stretching strap with built-in loops like the one Rybakina is seen using on the show. I usually use a plain yoga strap for my stretching. However, now that this device has appeared on my radar, I can see the benefits of the loops as they create a greater range of targeted movements. This variation of the strap has been added to my personal wish list.
Shoulder mobility is essential for tennis players. Incorporating this stretch and similar exercises into your overall fitness routine can improve performance and decrease the likelihood of injury.
Gradient Fitness Stretching Strap (<-Sponsored Link)
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