Active aging & sports: keep playing
How to Prepare Your Shoulders for Recreational Tennis
5-minute read · Published September 17, 2025 · Updated September 17, 2025
Why this happens / What this is
A tennis serve, an overhead and a fast change of direction all ask your shoulder to move quickly and stay steady. The shoulder joint has a wide range of motion. That range is only safe when the muscles around the shoulder blade (scapula) and the rotator cuff can control it.
Many clinicians suggest that when strength or control lags behind the demands of play, the shoulder can feel strained, and preparation aims to close that gap.
This is general preparation information, not a diagnosis. A physiotherapist or doctor is the right person to diagnose an injury.
What the research says
- Resisted exercise that gets a little harder over the weeks probably helps shoulder pain. Unloaded movement alone probably does not [R01].
- There isn't strong research on tennis shoulders specifically; the closest evidence is on rotator cuff pain, general activity guidelines and pickleball injuries.
- The WHO recommends that adults do muscle-strengthening activity at least two days a week. Adults aged 65 and over should also do multicomponent activity that emphasises balance and strength at least three days a week [R07].
- In pickleball injury data, falls were the most common mechanism. Sprains and strains were among the most common types of injury [R32]. Tennis shares some of these demands, but this is pickleball data.
What you can do
Every step here can be done seated if that suits you better.
- Warm up before you play. Start with easy arm circles and gentle reaches, seated or standing. Move at a comfortable pace and build up as your arm warms.
- Build control first. Practise slow, controlled range. A single large, unhurried circle in front of you, done seated or standing, is a good start.
- Add strength twice a week. Use light resistance, pushing back a little harder or going through more range as it gets easy. This matches the WHO guidance above.
- Rehearse the swing slowly. Practise your serve or overhead without a ball, at half speed. Add speed over time, and stop if the shoulder complains.
- Train footwork and balance. Practise a steady stance and short side steps. Falls were the most common injury mechanism in the pickleball data [R32].
- Recover well. Rest after heavy sessions, and notice pain that lasts more than a day or two.
Where ShoulderBack Pro fits — and where it doesn't
This is a reasonable warm-up and control tool. Crosscuts is a diagonal glide from the high shoulder to the opposite hip, listed as designed to work the lats, external obliques and shoulder-blade retractors; since many strokes travel a similar diagonal, it makes a sensible slow drill. Around the World adds one large unhurried circle through range. The other arm supplies the resistance, so push back harder or glide further as you improve, and both can be done seated. It will not build heavy strength and no clinical trials of it exist yet. It is $29 CAD with a 30-day guarantee; see the shop page.
When to see a professional
See a doctor or physiotherapist promptly if you have: pain after a fall or injury with sudden weakness or loss of movement; a shoulder that looks deformed, very swollen or bruised; fever or feeling unwell alongside the pain; chest pain or breathlessness (call emergency services); constant pain that doesn't change with rest or activity; pain that wakes you most nights; numbness, tingling or weakness into the arm or hand; pain in several joints at once; or pain that hasn't improved after a couple of weeks of sensible self-care.
Try this movement
Crosscuts (lats, obliques, scapular retractors) →Frequently asked questions
Should I warm up before tennis?
Yes. Start with easy, moving range such as arm circles and gentle reaches rather than long holds. Build up gradually as your arm warms.
How often should I do shoulder strength work?
WHO guidance suggests muscle-strengthening activity at least two days a week for adults [R07].
Can I do these shoulder steps seated?
Yes. Many steps, including reaches and circles, can be done seated.
What if my shoulder hurts after playing?
Note it and ease off. See a clinician if pain wakes you at night, lasts more than a couple of weeks, or comes with numbness or weakness.
Sources
- WHO (2020). Guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. (University of Sydney summary of WHO 2020). https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2020/11/26/new-global-guidelines-on-physical-activity-and-sedentary-behavio.html
- Naunton J et al. (2020). Effectiveness of progressive and resisted and non-progressive or non-resisted exercise in rotator cuff related shoulder pain: systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs. Clinical Rehabilitation. https://search.pedro.org.au/search-results/record-detail/61404
- ETSU / AOAO 10-year national study (2013-2022, NEISS) on pickleball injuries. https://aoao.org/2025/03/21/rising-orthopedic-injuries-in-pickleball-insights-from-a-10-year-national-study/
