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Before you start hitting tennis balls, you need to get your muscles warm and your joints loose enough to move freely. One excellent routine to include in your pre-hitting warmup is this Figure 8 Loosening Exercise. It warms and loosens your entire hitting arm and shoulder. It also helps to loosen your torso and, to a lesser extent, your hips and legs.
Hold the racquet with a Continental grip.
Keep the racquet in constant motion through roughly ten repetitions. You'll develop a flow and rhythm. Start very slowly and gently, then gradually increase the speed of the motions, with only the first upward swing in each Figure 8 reaching enough speed to make a swishing sound through the air.
If you're over 30, you'll probably feel your shoulder getting much looser between the first Figure 8 and the tenth. If you're younger, you might not feel the effects right away, but your arm and shoulder will thank you in the long run.
