Warming up for tennis conditionings

By: Nanki Hura

   SHS tennis players meet at the Gregory Fitness Center on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 6:00 a.m. tobeginthe tennisconditionings.
   “Conditioning at first isn’t fun, but it really wakes me up and gets me ready for the school day,” said Carla Ibarra, 10, who recently attended her first morning conditioning.
   Currently, both male and female athletes are training during their off season. The conditionings allow the players to build stamina through different exercises, which strengthen various muscles in the body.
   However, before the stations begin, all players must warm up. At such an early time, the students tend to be sleepy and stiff. But, there is nothing like a quick jog and a couple of lunges to fix that!
   “Yeah I do (think the warm up helps give you better results), because a quick jog and some lunges warm me up and get me ready for a more intense workout,” said Sophia Southard, 9.
   After a short two laps around the gym, the athletes line up on the green basketball line (shown in the picture above) and begin to do lunges along the length of the court.
   Not only does this wake up the players, but also allows their muscles to warm up before a fast, strenuous workout, minimizing possible injury.
   “Since most of the workout is geared toward legs, two laps and lunges are enough to warm us up, wake us up, and get us ready to go,” said Emily Mills, 11.
   Tennis involves strength in the upper body, shoulders, and legs, so it is important to condition all types of muscles. The warm up is the key to a successful, injury-free workout.