Tennis demands sharp reflexes, quick changes of direction and powerful, precise strokes that come from a balanced and stable body. Still, the repeated one-sided movements in tennis, pickleball and other racket sports often cause muscular asymmetries. These imbalances reduce movement efficiency, increase injury risk and can hold back your performance. STOTT PILATES® offers targeted training that helps restore kinetic chain balance, allowing athletes to move with greater intention, biomechanical efficiency and resilience throughout every match.
Watch the Workout
Led by STOTT PILATES Instructor Trainers Carlo Yanez and Bianca Bolissian, this intermediate-to-advanced demonstration features three Reformer exercises on the V2 Max Plus™ Reformer (Jet Black), and three Matwork sequences, from the STOTT PILATES® Athletic Conditioning repertoire. Each movement reflects the dynamic and multi-planar actions of tennis to promote total-body coordination and functional athleticism on and off the court.
Key Benefits
- Promotes Symmetry & Alignment – Counteracting imbalances caused by dominant-side overuse and compensatory strain.
- Supports Shoulder & Core Stability – For controlled, injury-resistant power in overhead and rotational strokes.
- Improves Lower-Body Integration – Developing strong, reactive legs and hips for explosive footwork and sustained court coverage.
- Builds Multi-Directional Strength – Training muscles and joints to manage rapid stops, pivots and lateral transitions without loss of control.
- Sharpens Neuromuscular Coordination – Helps athletes sustain precision, rhythm and speed during intense physical and mental pressure.
Why This Matters for Instructors
By focusing on exercises that mirror tennis-specific mechanics, players naturally bring their on-court movement habits into the studio. This gives instructors the chance to recognize, replicate and reinforce functional movement strategies in a controlled environment. Ultimately, this supports the design of tailored, sport-informed Pilates programs that sharpen performance, improve movement quality and build resilience both on and off the court.
Breakdown of Each Exercise
Exercise #1: Chest Expansion – Unilateral with Rotation
In a seated kneeling position, hold the strap in the working hand, palm facing down. Pull the arm back while rotating the torso toward the pulling side. Maintain pelvic stability and initiate rotation through the thoracic spine to simulate the coiling action of an overhead swing.
Exercise #2: Side-Lying Side Kick with Strap
Side-lying on the Reformer carriage, place the working foot in a strap with the hips stacked. Extend the leg straight, ensuring the pelvis remains in neutral position. Maintain this alignment throughout as you drive the leg, simulating the stride and deceleration needed during lateral side-to-sides in tennis.
Exercise #3: Side-Splits, Skating with Rotation
Standing with one foot on the carriage and the other on the Padded Platform Extender, push with the working leg while keeping your body stacked over the carriage-side foot. Rotate the torso toward the supporting side, maintaining axial elongation, knee alignment and a braced arm position to mimic an athletic tennis stance.
*Carlo’s Pro Tip: Lead directional change with the head to support visual tracking in tennis. The movement should flow seamlessly from push to return, with a controlled pause after the return to maintain balance and stability, especially when standing on a raised surface.
Exercise #4: Unilateral Breaststroke with Contra-Lateral Leg Extension
Lying prone with hands under the forehead and legs hip-distance apart, lift the upper torso and one leg while reaching the opposite arm out to a "T" position. Fix the gaze on the mat to simulate coordinated cross-body reach and spinal extension.
Exercise #5: Shoulder Bridge
From a bridge position, extend the leg toward the ceiling while keeping the hips lifted and glutes engaged. Focus on smooth controlled transitions to maintain dynamic lower-body loading and single-leg stability.
*Bianca’s Pro Tip: Plantarflex ankle during the lift to engage the calves and create reach through the leg. Dorsiflex ankle on the return to activate the shin muscles and improve control.
Exercise #6: Push-Up – Side Bend
Starting from a seated side position, press up into a lateral support with the top arm extended overhead in a long arc. Emphasize axial elongation and controlled shoulder support as the side body lifts and bends.
*Pro Tip: Engage hip extensors, abductors, and adductors for the stability. Initiate with scapular stability.
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