Most tennis injuries don't just happen — they build up slowly from habits nobody corrects. Here are 3 things I teach every new student. Free, no strings attached.
I've coached players who took months off with tennis elbow — and when we traced it back, the injury started weeks before the pain did. The signs were there. Nobody knew what to look for.
That's the problem with tennis injuries. They feel sudden, but they're almost always the result of skipped steps — a warmup that doesn't do anything, a muscle nobody trained, a pattern that's been wrong for years. Once you know what those are, most injuries become preventable. Here's where to start.
If you're doing a few arm circles and jumping straight into hitting, you're asking your cold muscles to absorb full-power groundstrokes. That's how strains start. Tennis demands explosive lateral movement from the very first point — your body needs to be ready for that before it happens, not during.
Do this instead: 3 minutes of light movement (jog in place, side shuffles, skipping). Then: leg swings front-to-back, lateral leg swings, hip circles, and arm crossovers — 10 reps each direction. Only then pick up the racket. Total time: 8 minutes. It's not glamorous, but the players who do this consistently stay healthy.
The name is misleading. Lateral epicondylitis — tennis elbow — is a tendon overload issue, and by the time you feel it in your elbow, the problem has already been building in your forearm for weeks. Most players wait until it's painful to deal with it. By then, you're 4–6 weeks behind.
2-minute fix after every session: Rest your forearm on your knee, hold a light weight or water bottle, and do slow wrist curls — palm up and palm down, 15 reps each direction. Do this 3× per week and most players never develop tennis elbow at all. The tendon gets conditioned to handle the load before the load becomes a problem.
Tennis is a lateral sport. Running shoes are built for forward motion — the sole geometry, the cushioning placement, and the lateral support are all wrong for what tennis actually demands. Wearing running shoes on a tennis court changes how your foot strikes the ground and puts rotational stress on the knee every time you split-step or change direction.
Simple fix: Get a proper tennis shoe with a reinforced lateral side wall. Brands like Asics, Nike Court, or New Balance's tennis line all make them under $100. If you already have knee discomfort, also check your split-step: land on the balls of your feet, not flat-footed. Flat landings absorb zero impact — it all goes straight to the joint.
I had tennis elbow for almost a year before I started working with Kaz. Two months in, doing the forearm exercises he showed me, and it's basically gone. Wish I had this guide two years ago.
The serve is the most shoulder-demanding motion in tennis. Here's what to strengthen before the pain starts, and what to do if it already has.
Every groundstroke rotates your spine. Without the right core work, that rotation becomes wear and tear. Here's the 10-minute routine that fixes it.
Ankle sprains are the most common acute tennis injury. Most are preventable with one specific type of balance training most players skip entirely.
Not every pain means stop. Not every soreness means go. Here's how to tell the difference so you don't overtrain or under-recover.
Full progressive program. Week 1 through 12, sets, reps, and what each phase is building toward. Follow this once and you'll feel the difference on court.
This isn't a generic fitness PDF. Every section is built around what actually happens on a tennis court — the specific movements, the specific tendons, the specific patterns that break players down.
7-Day Money-Back Guarantee. If you go through the guide and don't find it useful, reply to your confirmation email and I'll refund you. No questions, no hassle.
Drop your name and email and I'll personally reach out for a free 10-minute call to talk through your game and see if HitHard is the right fit for you.