The Dynamic Squat with Overhead Reach Stretch warms up the muscles acting on the knee, hip and shoulders used during serving and groundstrokes.
The dynamic squat with overhead reach stretch prepares various muscle groups for burst action, reduces the risk for injury, improves flexibility of the glutes and lats and enhances stability properties.
If you have difficulties maintaining stability throughout the movement then try the dynamic squat stretch first.
Dynamic Squat with Overhead Reach Progression
Implement the stretch into your dynamic stretching routine prior to your training or workout. This is also a great time to mentally prepare yourself.
Make sure you can control the action throughout the entire range of motion. Otherwise you defeat the purpose of the exercise.
Very often, athletes are not focused and they just go through the motions. They become sloppy. Especially when it comes to maintaining dynamic stability.
Here are the progression levels:
- Beginner: look down during the action
- Advanced: look forward during the action & increase speed
- Professional: close your eyes & single leg action
As a beginner you want to perform the stretch in a controlled fashion, especially during the trunk rotation, so that you can maintain dynamic stability throughout the stretch.
Advanced athletes can speed up the action and maintain a narrow base during the squat position to increase the dynamic stability requirements.
Professional athletes can close their eyes while performing single leg action. That makes it even more difficult to maintain dynamic stability throughout the action.
Dynamic Squat with Overhead Reach Description
- Stand in athletic stance (feet are shoulder-width apart; knees are slightly bent), keep hands close to the body in front of you
- Flex hips until knees are at 90˚ and raise arms over your head; keep weight on the heels of the feet and arms wide over your head
- Extend hips until you are standing and lower arms to starting position
- Repeat
Targeted Musculature
- Hip Extensors
- Hip Adductors
- Knee Extensors
- Piriformis
- Deltoids
- Latissimus Dorsi
More Dynamic Stretches
Of course we have more great dynamic stretches that you can do before you start playing tennis to get yourself prepared and ready for action.
Simply chose 6-8 dynamic stretches for your dynamic stretch routine that warm up the major muscle groups of the legs, hip and core and you are ready to go!
Here are a few suggestions:
- Dynamic Lateral Lunge Stretch w. Trunk Rotation
- Quick Carioca Dynamic Stretch
- Dynamic Forward and Reverse Lunge Stretch
Other Static Stretches For You
Apart from the dynamic squat with overhead reach stretch we have some other static stretches for you that target the muscles acting on the knee, hip and shoulders.
You can use these stretches during the cool down once you are finished with your match or training session.
Simply click on them to learn more or watch the videos:
Training Zone
In this section we provide you with some more workouts and training tips you may be interested in to optimize your training:
