How do you guys warm up…

[PM_]

Just as you enter the courts before a match or just rallying.

As I was leaving my public courts the other day, I noticed a couple of regulars meet up. I got the impression they were playing each other for the first time. What I didn’t understand is that neither took the time to loosen up, stretch, or begin the warm-up phase slowly. Rather, they just proceed to bash away at the ball from the baseline. It was just a funny scene. One guy gets there first, waits a few minutes, the other arrives, they say hi, and then bash, bash, bash. I stuck around just long enough for them to rest by sitting down only and shooting the breeze. Btw, these guys are easily 4.0 players that I’ve seen a few times play before, only against other players.

When I start my warm-up phase, I like to hit the ball very gently, first just inside the baseline, then proceed to hit slightly harder from behind the line. I’ve had to deal with fast starters before and unfortunately I’m too easy-going of a guy to tell him to “tone it down a notch”.
How does everyone else here prefer to warm up and what do you do when you partner is on full steam ahead of you?

[cruzersi99]

That's the beauty of short court or volley to volley. Most of the people I hit with regularly are on board.

When I was playing tournaments I would always try to bring a buddy so that I could do most of my normal warm-up well before my match.

If I'm hitting with someone new, or who doesn't want to do short court, etc. I may take a jog for 5-10 minutes, run the lines on the court, etc.

[tonysk83]

Usually about 10 minutes before I play I'll do some stretching. Then right before playing I'll jog around. Then depends on who I play with. I hate playing mini tennis to warm up, I perfer just standing at the baseline and hitting lightly.

[jBayjoey]

I usually do some footwork warm ups around the court. Cross-overs, side stepping, and sprints. The upper body I warm up just by rallying.

[tennis_nerd22]

i do footwork first, then mini tennis for a few minutes, then regular hitting from the baseline

[ShcMad]

I warm up by hitting groundstrokes very softly without much racquet head speed or knee bend. I usually use an extreme eastern backhand grip, but during warm ups, I use eastern mostly. After the warm up's done, I accentuate more everything including the unit turn, knee bend, increase racquet head speed, etc.

[Tezuka Kunimitsu]

I use to just get on the court and bash the ball like the two individuals you saw. Since I have tennis elbow right now, I have decided to warm up properly. Jogging the lines 2 mins. Stretching 2 mins and services line warm up then short volley rally then base line hitting (concentrating on my follow through and eye on the ball) then volley when the other guy is on the baseline then overhead, then serves. Takes about 20-30 mins.

p.s. warm up correctly and have correct form, tennis elbow sucks... I want to play tennis so badly!

[BillyBee]

Sometimes I'll jump rope for 5 minutes. It really gets your blood circulating. Mostly, though, I will do a short routine popularized by Brad Gilbert in one of his books: I will run laterally across the baseline, then up the alley, then backward to the baseline (still facing the net), across the baseline again, up the alley . . . and then repeat the entire sequence once more time, except the second time you jog toward the net you bring your knees up as high as you can, and then when you retreat your jog back to the baseline (still facing the net) you kick your heels high toward your butt.

One thing I don't recommend is doing stretches before you're warmed up. You shouldn't stretch cold. Do some light cardio first.

As far as hitting the ball, I'm not a fan of mini-tennis. But I will hit at half-power for a couple minutes, then ramp it up to full speed.

Today I played a guy who was in a hurry to start because he was on lunch break at work, and against better judgment I allowed myself to start the match before I was really ready. He jumped out to an early lead and I never caught him. I HATE that! I'm going to have to get better saying I need more time to rally before playing.

So let me ask everyone that --- how long do you hit with your opponent before you start your matches? I really prefer at least 15 minutes and wouldn't mind a good 20 to 25. This guy likes to start after only five minutes or so. That's not enough for me. I'm curious what the rest of you think.

[PM_]

I've gone on 5 minutes before and with relative success. It doesn't even bother me as much as the pace of the warm-up. On rushes, I've even neglected practising my serve and instead we go on a "first serve in" basis. And that's on both sides. That can get the match going and ended before the lunchbreak ends.

[Boris]

I like to do 5 minutes of mini-tennis. Otherwise, I will start very gently and increase my rhythm gradually. I'll make sure I hit a few kick serves and a couple of flat ones, just to get the toss and motion going. Too many people confuse warm-up with practice, and think during the warm-up they should hit as many winners as possible, or anyway hit hard.

[RiosTheGenius]

I don't do any tennis before my matches, I just stretch, get my blood pressure going, and maybe hit the wall for a bit or a hitting mate if I have one.

[penpal]

I like to warm-up with easy strokes. I try mainly to focus on keeping my eye on the ball and hitting directly back to my opponent so that he can receive a good warm-up as well ... WITH THE FOLLOWING EXCEPTION ( :) ) ... if my opponent treats the warm-up as a bashing contest I change my approach.

In such cases, I've too often felt like a ball feeder, starting what I think should be a nice warm-up rally with a well-fed ball only to have my opponent crush a winner and/or whack one into the back fence/tarp repeatedly. So now, if I'm warming up with such a person I crush my feeder balls, I make absolutely no effort to play their crushing shots and if they begin the rally with a slow feeder, I whallop it, not caring at all where it lands.

It's juvenile, but it usually makes the point.

[equinox]

As they say, fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

I skip rope for a few minutes. I've had great fun bouncing the footy around the indoor syn courts before matches. :D

mini tennis works good too. I've seen 5.0+ players warmup with mini tennis and gradually move back hitting with more pace.

[Freedom]

I play mini tennis, back up, hit some groundies, maybe some volleys, then serves.

[RiosTheGenius]

play foot-tennis is fun too...