HEALTH & FITNESS
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Resistance strokes with racket: Trains core strength in the movement pattern of each stroke. Grab both handles of the resistance band and add your racquet to your grip in your hands. Set up your stance in the various formations of your strokes. As you practice your different strokes, allow the band to add resistance behind the stroke; focus and keep form as you allow the core to work with resistance in each movement pattern. Experiment with different speeds and angles of resistance.
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Power game
Try these exercises to build core strength and improve speed and agility on the tennis court
By Keoni Subiono
Special to the Star-Bulletin
Whitney Pedone of Hawaii Kai has always been an athlete. So, her fitness routine has got to be fun and somewhat competitive.
Tennis is the game she loves the most; therefore, her entire fitness regimen revolves around that sport. In fact, she plays nearly every day and cross-trains heavily with running and functional weight training.
"I love working out outdoors and I love the game," says Pedone, 39. "It's quick, it's fun and it can get pretty intense sometimes.
"I really enjoy the camaraderie of the sport. You make a lot of good friends who always bring a lot of good food to the after-parties!".
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Medicine ball side twist: Trains the core with an added element of balance. From a seated position, keep your feet and knees together. Hold a medicine ball over the stomach and lean back enough to feel the core engaged. Lift your feet and rotate your shoulders to one side as you touch the ball to the ground. Quickly rotate your shoulders, bringing the ball over to the other side to touch the ground. Touch 15 times on each side to complete one set.
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You won't hear too many iron plates or dumbbells clanking around when you step into the weight room with Pedone. She doesn't train old school. She's more interested in sports specific functional training that adds power to her backhand or velocity to her serve. She'll also get up at the crack of dawn a few days a week and give her husband a run for his money on the streets of East Oahu.
"Cross-training makes me a better athlete all around," Pedone said. "I have more stamina, better agility and balance, and my core is much stronger now than it's ever been, so I'd like to think I have more heat on my shots, but you'll have to ask my opponents about that."
Some tools for Pedone's functional training regimen are the BOSU, a dome-shaped balance trainer; a nine-pound medicine ball and a set of resistance bands.
Tennis is a game of core strength, the stronger your torso the more power you can add to the ball upon contact. A strong core will complement your lateral movement across the court, as well as help you pull off a shot when you're off balance or on one foot. Try some of Pedone's exercises to step up your game.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Wood chopper: Trains power and rotation in the core. Grab both handles of the resistance band and get into your basic athletic position. Extend the arms like you're a lumberjack getting ready chop down a tree. Move far enough from the post to create enough resistance in the band. Rotate from the core explosively and "strike the tree with your ax." Return to the starting position, slowly maintaining control and form. Keep the chest up, knees bent and elbows at a constant angle. Chop 10-15 times, then repeat on the other side.
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CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Bosu ground strokes: Trains core and leg strength, coordination and balance in the movement pattern of each stroke. Practice standing and squatting on the BOSU before attempting any strokes. When you're ready, grab your racquet, stand on the BOSU in your basic athletic stance and practice all of your strokes, maintaining balance and form. When you feel like you've got the hang of it, have your partner hit balls to you or have a machine do it.
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CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Diagonal squat and chop: Trains core, leg strength and explosion. Set up in a basic athletic stance, medicine ball in hand. Squat with your hips back, chest up, eyes straight ahead. Lower the upper body as you rotate the shoulders, dropping the medicine ball toward the left foot with one arm on each side of the left knee. Quickly push out of the squat position as you "chop" the arms diagonally across the body and over the right shoulder. Lower slowly back to the "squat and chop" position. Do 10-15 reps. Repeat on the opposite side.
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