Tossing a tennis ball around is a recurring warmup exercise seen in the Netflix docuseries ‘Break Point.’ We have previously covered an Overhead Dynamic Warmup for Tennis performed by Storm Hunter and a Ball Focus Drill courtesy of Matteo Berrettini. I also somehow managed to skip over it, but Iga Swiatek was also briefly seen performing a reflex exercise using tennis balls in the series.
This week’s exercise features Felix Auger Aliassime using a tennis ball as a dynamic shoulder warmup before one of his matches, which is shown in Season 1, Episode 5 of the show. It is very similar to Using a Football for Warmup, as demonstrated by Paula Badosa during the series. FAA essentially uses a tennis ball as a light activation technique for his shoulder while simultaneously activating good footwork.
As a training exercise, throwing and catching a tennis ball improves eye-hand coordination. When my court time is constrained by bad weather or business travel, I frequently throw a tennis ball against a wall and catch the rebound as a way to stay sharp. I firmly believe that merely playing soft-toss catch with a tennis ball builds and maintains a sense of connection with the ball.
FAA is also likely using the repetitive motion of throwing and catching the ball to reinforce a positive sense of rhythm and timing prior to stepping onto the court for his big match. The act of throwing a ball is an effective way to release tension. It also is a good method to channel excess nervous energy in a controlled manner.
In addition to the benefits of activating the shoulder muscles, playing catch with a tennis ball can allow a player to focus the mind and enhance concentration. It may be one of the most simple ways to get into a good mental state for an upcoming match.
The professional tennis players do it. Perhaps you should as well.
