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| LIFE IN SOLERA | OCTOBER 2022 | 35 Stretching Guide for Tennis: Stretching is an essential part of playing tennis. A good stretching routine can help to minimize muscle imbalances, prevent injury, and improve your exercise tolerance and your tennis performance. The following stretching program is designed for tennis players who do not have any current injuries. Stretch when your muscles are warm and relaxed! For optimum performance you should stretch after you have done a general body warm up of about 5-10 minutes (light running, or another light aerobic activity). You should also stretch after your match and between matches if you are playing in a tennis tournament. Tennis is a dynamic sport so you'll need both dynamic and static stretching. Dynamic stretches form part of your pre-match or training warm- up. They are used to prepare your muscles for the rapid elongation they will incur during the game. Static stretches, on the other hand, are more useful to improve your overall flexibility and are most effectively done at the end as part of your cool down. Rules for Dynamic Stretching: • Warm up your body first; then stretch while your muscles are still warm. • Move through your range of movement, keeping control of the movement with your muscles. Do not allow momentum to control the movement by "flinging" or "throwing" your body parts around. • You may feel light resistance in your muscles, but you should never feel pain during a stretch. • Start with slow, low intensity movements, and gradually progress to full-speed movements through range of motion. Complete these motions for several repetitions (10-15 times). • Finish with simulated quick tennis movements such as lunging and reaching with practice shots. Repeat for several repetitions (8- 10 times). Rules for Static Stretching: • Warm up the muscles first. • Slowly take your muscles to the end of their range. You will feel slight resistance in the muscle, but you should never feel pain during a stretch. • Hold the stretch in a static position. Do not bounce. • Maintain each stretch for 20-30 seconds. Repeat each stretch 3-4 times. Dynamic Stretches: These include arm swings, forward and back leg swings, sideways leg swings, back rotation stretches, forward lunges, and backward leg curls. Static Stretches: Examples of these are wrist extensions, wrist flexors, quadriceps stretches, calf stretch-gastrocnemius, hamstrings stretches, hip flexor stretches, groin stretches, gluteal stretches, and posterior shoulder stretches. Because we're limited to three photos in Life in Solera, I could not include all the graphics I would like. Please contact/email me at shirley_ferguson@hotmail.com for a complete list with pictures of the stretches. I will send it to you immediately. TENNIS TITANS Members are excited about the installation of The Great Hitting Wall of Solera GOLF CLUB The month of September has been witheringly hot and humid for members of the Solera Golf Club. But we persevere! Hopefully, October will be cooler. The Club will hold its Annual Meeting on Oct. 22 in the Clubhouse. Members will socialize, vote on the slate of officers for the year 2023, and applaud the Club's golfing winners for 2022. Former Club members and wives of deceased former members are invited. Call Richard Crowe at (951) 769-1580 for details.

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