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Tennis perfect for physical workout, social connection

Angie Ferguson

Tennis is a very popular sport around the globe and is highly regarded here is sunny Southwest Florida where you can work on your game 365 days year.

It is a social and competitive game that allows you to improve your fitness while having fun. It has been estimated, due to the required energy exertion of an average match, that you can burn 200 calories per 30-min effort. The sport of tennis also requires agility, flexibility, and both aerobic and anaerobic conditioning. In fact, did you know that there are at least 12 muscle groups involved in each forehand swing and 16 in each backhand?

Due to the nature of the sport and the addition of a swinging racket, tennis is often considered an upper body workout. However, your core (agility, balance and strength used in every shot) and lower body (if you can’t get to the ball, you can’t make the shot), including your glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings and calves, do most of the work while you’re on the court.

In addition to the fitness and physical health benefits, tennis also provides numerous other benefits as well including:

•Increasing aerobic capacities

•Lowering resting heart rate and blood pressure

•Improving metabolic function

•Increasing bone density

•Lowering body fat

•Improving muscle tone, strength and flexibility

•Increasing reaction times

Other less obvious benefits include:

•Being primarily a non-impact sport.

•A great way to meet people, socialize and spend time with friends.

•Suitable for all ages and skill levels. Whatever your level, you can find someone of similar ability to play with.

•A great way to reduce stress or decompress after a stressful day.

•Not dependent age dependent. Players can start the game at any age and can play for a lifetime.

Getting started

In order to play tennis you need a racket, a ball, a court with a net, and an opponent. Club and public courts are available all over Southwest Florida. You can start by taking lessons, which are available in nearly every community in the area, or simply contact your local Parks & Recreation department for information about instructions and league play.

Like any sport, safe play depends on smart training. To play long into your golden years, use common sense to avoid potential injury and stay in the game.

•Avoid playing with a pre-existing illness or injury. If in doubt, talk to a healthcare provider.

•Warm up your muscles and joints before hitting the court.

•Maintain an adequate fitness level. Undertake conditioning and training exercises specific to the physical demands of tennis.

•Avoid over-repetition of any one type of shot. Practice a range of strokes including ground-strokes, serves, return of serves and volleys.

•Ensure you have plenty of fluids on hand and drink regularly.

•Depending on your age and condition, don’t overdo it.

Angie Ferguson is an exercise physiologist from Fort Myers. She is a USA Triathlon Advanced Level 2 coach, USA Cycling coach and has a Specialty in Sports Nutrition certification. For more training tips, read her blog at or contact her at