Warm up / cool down tennis exercises

How many of you do a warm up before a match? :p If you do, what kind of exercise do you do? And how about cool down exercises?

I never spent too much time on that, but i need to pick up some tips on what, how and how much, because i can't afford being injured and not being able to use the courts that i payed for in advance. :p If anyone have any useful info and wants to share it - much appreciated.


Actually, a long long time ago, there was a small book about tennis exercises, injuries and how to treat them that my coach showed me when i just started to play... :scratch: But it didn't make much sense to me then, even 5 minutes of exercises seemed like a waste of time. Now, 10 years later, i wish i looked at it more closely. ;)

I never grab a racquet before some stretching jumping and bouncing to get warmed up. I am young and it's a good habit to keep.

Warm up by stretching etc. was once thought to be vital.. now some sports science ppl are saying depending on type and intensity of exercise intended..... if you think its a waste of time, why not just take it easy for 5-10 minutes until you are "warmed up" and ready to go?

some sports scientists say that if you do regular stretching it takes away 10% of strength, so they recommend dynamic stretching which is jumping jacks, knees up, feet to the backside etc. I do both.

Before a match, jog slowly for a couple of minutes. Then stretch for a few minutes. Make sure to stretch your legs, arms, etc. If you do these things, you should be fine.