With the UK’s latest national lockdown now in its second week you may have exhausted all your fitness ideas or maybe are just looking for something new to try to keep yourself and your family active. As daily exercise is still permitted there are lots of ways to stay ‘tennis fit’ in your local park, in your garden or even indoors if you have room.
Totally Tennis Instagram
Head over to our Instagram (www.instagram.com/totallytennisinsta) and check out the ‘Lockdown Exercise Videos’ highlight that has all the videos made by performance players and coaches Liam and Isla Hignett for the #AtHomeWithTheHignetts series from the first lockdown. There’s plenty of ideas here for solo and two player exercises to keep all the family activated and motivated. Why not keep a tally of your scores and try to improve daily for that extra motivational challenge. Click HERE to find all the videos.
Take a walk
This may seem rather obvious but even a short daily walk will increase your heart rate, keep your fitness levels up and do wonders for your overall mood. Walking may be overlooked but studies have shown that just 30 minutes walk every day can increase cardiovascular fitness, strengthen bones, reduce excess body fat, and boost muscle power and endurance.
Be Creative
Some of our younger junior players have been out and about in local parks with their parents practising their shots over park benches and railings. You just need a racket, some balls, a willing parent or carer and some warm clothes. Daily exercise is definitely more fun with some tennis exercises thrown in.
What’s the best training partner that you can always rely on? A wall of course. Just hitting against a wall will keep you active, it’s great fun and a really easy solo activity.
The LTA Website
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has a great resource on its website called the Tennis at Home Hub. Everything you need to keep active, healthy and entertained at home is available here with top tips on exercise from professional players and fitness experts. Click HERE to see all the videos to date, there’s even ideas of how to get the dog involved.
The LTA Youth Tennis at Home hub has amazing ideas to help your children develop key core skills and encourage their love of tennis even though the courts are closed. Tennis at Home Exercises, Activity Cards, Personal Development Challenges and even tennis themed Learning Activities. There are warm-up exercises and plenty of videos for children aged 4-7 and 8-11 years. Click HERE for plenty of inspiration for home PE lessons.
PE with Joe
Although not tennis specific the online PE with Joe keeps the whole family active with his unique style of HIIT exercise videos available on his YouTube channel The Body Coach TV – click HERE to join in. Tune in Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9am. All 78 videos from his first PE with Joe stint are also still available on this channel. Not only does it keep you active but it’s great fun and all money raised from the channel’s advertising is being donated to charity. The first PE with Joe series raised over £580,000 for the NHS and this time it will be the BBC’s Children in Need charity who will benefit.
Images from LTA website and The Body Coach TV YouTube channel used with courtesy of the respective owners.
Rob Tuckwell the girls father said, “The girls were thrilled to be interviewed by Mike Bushell and to appear on BBC Breakfast – it really cheered a lot of our family and friends up to see someone they knew on National TV during lockdown.” He added, “Our Dog Hunter evidently loves tennis too so we may need to get him into ball boy training! Olivia and Eloise can’t want to get back to training and seeing their friends in the squad once the courts reopen.”
