Updated October 2026 · 11-minute read · by Yegor Nadvornyy, founder of Brainrich Kids
Tennis looks like an arm sport. A child stands at the baseline, swings a racket and hits the ball, and most of the practice time goes into that swing. The research on junior players tells a different story. In a two-year study of junior players, three out of four injuries were in the legs or the trunk, and the power behind a serve starts in the legs and trunk before it ever reaches the racket. This guide covers what tennis asks of a young body, what studies of junior players found, and a 10-minute routine that works the parts of the game a racket doesn't.
The quick answer: a serve and a groundstroke start in the legs, turn through the hips and core, and finish in the shoulder, forearm and hand. Tennis also asks for quick first steps, wide lunges and sudden stops. In a two-year study of junior players aged 12 to 18, about half of all injuries were in the legs, and more than six hours of tennis a week was a risk factor for back pain. Tennis also builds one side of the body more than the other. At home, the useful work is grip on both hands, shoulder blade control, core, legs and balance: about ten minutes on most days on bars, a ladder and a mat, with no extra serving. An adult stays in the room and a mat goes under every bar.
Jump to: What tennis asks · The research on junior players · One side and both sides · 10-minute routine · Around lessons and tournaments · Equipment · FAQ
What tennis asks of a young body
Watch a serve in slow motion and the arm is the last thing to move. The knees bend, the legs push up, the hips and trunk turn, and only then does the shoulder whip the racket through. Groundstrokes follow the same order, with the back foot pushing and the hips turning before the hands. Between shots, a player splits, sprints a few steps, lunges wide, stops and pushes back to the middle, hundreds of times a match.
Dr. W. Ben Kibler, a sports medicine physician in Kentucky, described this as a kinetic chain: the legs and trunk create the energy, and the shoulder passes it to the racket. In a 1995 review he wrote that conditioning the shoulder for tennis should include force from the big leg and trunk muscles, shoulder blade control, and exercises where the hand stays fixed against a surface, like a plank.
Anatomy art adapted from OpenStax, Anatomy and Physiology, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Changes: cropped, recolored and relabeled by Brainrich Kids.
| What tennis asks | Where you see it | What the home gym practices |
|---|---|---|
| Grip and forearms | Holding the racket steady at contact, a two-handed backhand | Hangs with different grips, monkey bar traverses |
| Shoulder blade control | A steady base under the arm on every serve and overhead | Active hangs: shoulders pulled down, away from the ears |
| Core and rotation control | Passing the turn from hips to shoulders, the arched back of a serve | Hanging knee raises to each side, planks and side planks |
| Legs | The knee bend of the serve, wide lunges, pushing back to the middle | Side lunges and squats holding the ladder, ladder climbing |
| Quick feet and landings | The split step, the first step to the ball, landing after a serve | Small hops and soft landings on the mat |
| Balance | Hitting on the run, stopping on one leg and changing direction | One-leg stands holding a rung, then letting go |
What the research on junior tennis players found
A handful of studies on junior players are worth knowing.
Most injuries were in the legs and back. Nina Hjelm and colleagues at the Karolinska Institute followed 55 players aged 12 to 18 from a Swedish tennis club, all playing more than twice a week, for two years. Thirty-nine of them had 100 injuries between them. Ankle sprains, low back pain and knee injuries were the most common, and 43% of injuries kept a player off the court for more than four weeks. About half of all injuries (51%) were in the legs, 24% in the arms and 24% in the trunk.
More tennis went with more injuries. In the same players, those who got hurt played more singles matches per week and more hours per year. Playing more than six hours a week was a risk factor for back pain, and a previous injury of any kind was a risk factor for the next one.
The chain matters for the arm. Martin and colleagues in France filmed the serves of expert players with motion capture and followed them for two seasons. Players whose serve passed energy smoothly from the trunk to the arm hit the ball faster with less load on the shoulder and elbow. Players who reported arm overuse injuries over those two seasons showed a less efficient flow and more energy absorbed at the shoulder and elbow.
One more finding is useful to know. In 39 elite players, Kibler and colleagues found that the racket shoulder slowly lost inward rotation as players got older and played more years of tournaments. That's a measurement for an athletic trainer or physical therapist to take, not something to test at home.
And there's encouraging research too. Fernandez-Fernandez and colleagues randomly split 30 nationally ranked 13-year-old boys into two groups. One group added three supervised sessions a week of core, elastic band and medicine ball work for six weeks. Their serves got faster with no loss of accuracy, while the other group's didn't change. Those sessions ran about an hour, three times a week, so this isn't proof that ten minutes on bars will speed up a serve. It does show that strength and core work belong in a young player's week.
What this means for parents
Stroke technique and serving volume belong to the coach, so don't add serves at home. Keep an eye on total hours across lessons, clinics and matches. Back pain or a sore shoulder or elbow means a break and a call to the pediatrician if it doesn't fade. The home gym fits around all of that because it works what the racket doesn't: legs, balance, core, shoulder blade control and grip on both hands. None of it is a claim that home training prevents tennis injuries.
One side and both sides
Tennis is a one-sided sport, and in some ways that's good news. Bone and muscle respond to use, and the racket arm gets a lot of it.
Sanchis-Moysi and colleagues in Spain measured 24 boys who played tennis, with an average age of 10.6. In boys training five days a week, the playing arm had about 13% more lean mass and 22% more bone mineral than the other arm. In boys training two days a week the gaps were about 8% and 12%. The more hours of tennis, the bigger the difference. A Finnish study of 105 national-level female players found the extra bone in the playing arm was about twice as large in players who started by the time of their first period as in those who started later.
That's a normal response to the sport, not a problem to fix. But it does mean the racket arm gets most of the work while the other side of the body gets far less. On monkey bars and a hanging bar, both hands carry the body, and a traverse makes the left and right arms take turns. Movement scientists call that bilateral coordination, the two sides of the body working together on different jobs. We're not claiming the bars even out a tennis player's arms. They give the other side, and both sides together, something to do every day.
On the bars, both hands share the work.
For more on the two halves of the brain and body working as a team, and why "left-brained" and "right-brained" kids are a myth, see how monkey bars support every sport.
Tennis conditioning at home: a 10-minute routine
This routine runs on a home climbing gym or wall bars with a mat. Use it on most days without a match, and never on top of a long practice when the child is already tired.
| Station | Ages about 5 to 7 | Ages about 8 to 11 | Ages 12 and up | What it practices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ladder climb 1 min |
Up a few rungs and down, slowly | To the top and down, 2 times | Same, without knees on the rungs | Warm-up, left and right taking turns |
|
Grip hangs 1.5 min |
"Monkey hang," 5 to 10 seconds, 2 or 3 times | Overhand and underhand, 10 to 20 seconds each | Up to 30 seconds each, plus 5 active hangs: shoulders down, hold 3 seconds | Grip on both hands, shoulder blade control |
|
Traverse 1.5 min |
A few rungs, a parent's hands close | Across and back, leading with each hand | Across and back, then skip a rung | Both sides, rhythm |
|
Core 2 min |
2 or 3 hanging "cannonball" tucks, a plank on the mat | 5 knee raises, side plank 15 seconds each side | Knee raises to the left and right, 4 each, side plank 30 seconds each side | Rotation control, the turn of the serve |
|
Legs and feet 2 min |
"Frog squats" holding a rung, 5 bunny hops on the mat | 5 side lunges each way holding the ladder, 8 quick split-step hops with soft landings | Side lunges with a pause, 6 each way, 10 split-step hops, then hop and stick on one leg | Wide balls, the split step, landings |
|
Balance 2 min |
"Flamingo" holding a rung, 10 seconds each leg | 20 seconds each leg, one hand off the rung | 30 seconds each leg, hands free, then a slow one-leg mini squat | Stopping and hitting on one leg |
One-leg balance holding a pole, while the others climb.
Safety rules for tennis conditioning at home
- An adult in the same room, every time, and a thick mat under the bars and the hopping area.
- No extra serving or overhead swings at home. Stroke work and serving volume belong to the coach.
- Racket shoulder or elbow sore? Skip the hangs and traverses that day and stick to legs and balance. Pain that doesn't fade means a call to the pediatrician.
- Back pain is a reason to rest and check with the pediatrician, not to push through the core station.
- Stop each set while the form is still clean. No training to failure, no added weights.
- One child on a bar at a time, and no rackets near the gym.
Around lessons, matches and tournaments
Most sports have an off-season. Tennis often doesn't: when the outdoor courts close, the indoor season starts. That makes variety more important, not less. During heavy weeks the gym should feel like play, built around the tennis schedule.
| Day type | On the gym |
|---|---|
| Lesson or clinic day | Free play only, if they want it |
| Day off from tennis | The full 10-minute routine |
| Match or tournament day | Nothing planned |
| Day after a long match or tournament | Balance and easy ladder climbing only. No hops, no hangs if the arm is tired |
| Break between sessions | The routine on most days, plus climbing, swinging and other sports |
In a study of 1,190 young athletes, Dr. Neeru Jayanthi and colleagues found that kids who played more hours of organized sport per week than their age in years had about twice the odds of a serious overuse injury, and specializing in one sport carried a risk of its own. The AAP's 2016 report on sports specialization makes the same case for variety. A 10-year-old with eight hours of lessons and three hours of matches a week is already past that line, and the home gym shouldn't add to it on those weeks. Climbing and hanging are about as different from hitting a tennis ball as movement gets, which is the point.
We love long afternoons on the court, and none of this replaces a coach. The gym is for the rainy days, the dark winter evenings and the days the racket arm needs a break.
Equipment for tennis conditioning at home
For the routine above you need a bar to hang from, monkey bars to traverse, a ladder to hold for lunges and balance, and a thick mat. The Spider V3 has the monkey bars built in, plus pull-up bars, rings, a rope and a net. The Spider Max V3 adds a second span, which helps when siblings or doubles partners come over. Both are steel, rated for 220 lb and tension-mounted between floor and ceiling with no drilling. More than 10,000 families have a Brainrich gym at home, and occupational and physical therapists in our owner community recommend them.
Strokes on the court. Strength at home.
For rainy days, winter evenings and the days between matches. Steel, no drilling, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Questions? Reach out to us.
Frequently asked questions
What are good tennis exercises for kids at home? Work that doesn't add serving: grip hangs on both hands, monkey bar traverses, hanging knee raises and side planks for the core, side lunges holding a ladder, small split-step hops on a mat, and one-leg balance. About ten minutes on days without a match is plenty. Stroke technique stays with the coach.
Can kids do tennis workouts at home without a court? Yes, for everything except the strokes. In a two-year study of junior players, about half of injuries were in the legs, and the serve draws its power from the legs and trunk. Legs, balance, core, shoulder blade control and grip can all be practiced at home on bars, a ladder and a mat.
Why do young tennis players get back pain? In a study of 55 junior players aged 12 to 18, low back pain was one of the most common problems, and playing more than six hours of tennis a week was a risk factor for it. Back pain in a child is a reason to rest and see the pediatrician, and to look at total weekly hours across lessons, clinics and matches.
Should young tennis players train their non-dominant arm? The playing arm of a young tennis player builds more bone and muscle than the other arm, and that's a normal response to the sport. You don't need to fix it. Monkey bars and hangs simply give both arms a job, which tennis doesn't. Strength work for a specific imbalance is a question for a physical therapist.
Is strength training safe for young tennis players? The American Academy of Pediatrics says strength training is appropriate for kids who are ready for organized sports, with good technique, low loads and qualified supervision. A randomized study of 13-year-old players found that six weeks of supervised core, elastic band and medicine ball work raised serve speed. Body-weight work on bars, a ladder and a mat fits within that. Skip maximal lifts and training to failure.
📚 Keep reading in the Decision Guide
How Monkey Bars Support Every Sport · At-Home Strength for Young Athletes · Baseball and Softball Conditioning for Kids · Swimming Dryland Exercises for Kids · Soccer Conditioning for Kids at Home · Gymnastics at Home · Controlled Risky Play · How Climbing Supports Every Sport · Basketball Conditioning for Kids at Home
About the author
Yegor Nadvornyy is the founder of Brainrich Kids and a dad. More than 10,000 families have a Brainrich gym at home. Every study in this article was checked against the original paper, and results are reported as the researchers found them.
Sources
Kibler, W.B. (1995). Biomechanical Analysis of the Shoulder During Tennis Activities. Clinics in Sports Medicine, 14(1). · Hjelm, N., Werner, S., Renstrom, P. (2010). Injury Profile in Junior Tennis Players: A Prospective Two Year Study. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy, 18(6). · Hjelm, N., Werner, S., Renstrom, P. (2012). Injury Risk Factors in Junior Tennis Players: A Prospective 2-Year Study. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 22(1). · Martin, C., Bideau, B., Bideau, N. et al. (2014). Energy Flow Analysis During the Tennis Serve: Comparison Between Injured and Noninjured Tennis Players. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 42(11). · Kibler, W.B., Chandler, T.J., Livingston, B.P., Roetert, E.P. (1996). Shoulder Range of Motion in Elite Tennis Players: Effect of Age and Years of Tournament Play. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 24(3). · Fernandez-Fernandez, J., Ellenbecker, T., Sanz-Rivas, D. et al. (2013). Effects of a 6-Week Junior Tennis Conditioning Program on Service Velocity. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 12(2). · Sanchis-Moysi, J., Dorado, C., Olmedillas, H. et al. (2010). Bone and Lean Mass Inter-Arm Asymmetries in Young Male Tennis Players Depend on Training Frequency. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 110(1). · Kannus, P., Haapasalo, H., Sankelo, M. et al. (1995). Effect of Starting Age of Physical Activity on Bone Mass in the Dominant Arm of Tennis and Squash Players. Annals of Internal Medicine, 123(1). · Jayanthi, N., LaBella, C.R., Fischer, D. et al. (2015). Sports-Specialized Intensive Training and the Risk of Injury in Young Athletes: A Clinical Case-Control Study. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 43(4). · Brenner, J.S., AAP Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness (2016). Sports Specialization and Intensive Training in Young Athletes. Pediatrics, 138(3). · Stricker, P.R., Faigenbaum, A.D., McCambridge, T.M. et al. (2020). Resistance Training for Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics, 145(6). · OpenStax (2016). Anterior and Posterior Views of Muscles, Anatomy and Physiology, Rice University, CC BY 4.0 (muscle chart, adapted).
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