It’s never too late to come back to tennis, plus what NOT to put on your feet!
by Ruth Jarvis
SELT Team
Park tennis is an essential element of the British summer, when fair-weather players dust down their rackets and emerge into the long, lazy days of sunshine. If that’s you, we’d like to encourage you and the family to stick around a bit longer. September is a good time to set new habits – it’s basically the new January, except the weather is better. Children are ready to return to a routine, and it makes sense to integrate a regular tennis class alongside their new school timetable. It’s a chance for parents to review their own schedules, too, and plan in some time for themselves and their wellbeing.
It’s true that the weather is less reliable in autumn, but in fact daytime temperatures in London in September and October average an athletically optimal 15°-20°C and rain falls on less than one in every three days, usually only in short showers. The air quality is higher, UV and pollen levels lower and heat exhaustion less of an issue, and if we do have to cancel a coaching session, you’ll get a credit for booking another time. Plus the courts at Ladywell, Hilly Fields, Chinbrook Meadows and Catford Wanderers (see here) all have floodlights, so our programmes and your play (for a small extra charge) can continue until 9pm.
We’re into the last days of summer, and it’s time to pack away the beach kit and get back into a healthy routine. National Fitness Day and World Heart Day both fall in September (24 and 29 respectively) so this is a good time to remind ourselves that tennis is an exceptionally healthy sport by all metrics (fun included – good for mental health!), as yet another research paper has recently shown.
It’s common for people to take a playing break during life stages when work and family commitments dominate. But it’s never too late to come back, and that’s what growing numbers of players are doing. In 2024 the US Tennis Association reported a nine per cent increase in people returning to the game after a gap of a year or more.
If you would like to be among them, or if you’ve been coming to cardio and would like to upgrade to full play, come along to one of our sessions. There’s a place for everyone, and if you’re not sure where to start or what your level is, drop us an email and we’ll advise. Then just book a class here, pull on a T-shirt and some trackies and come along. We’ll give you a friendly welcome and even lend you a racket if yours is lost to the attic.
Lisa de Liema is a clinical massage therapist and cardio tennis regular with SELT. Following on from her advice on tennis elbow, here she demos two key stretches to help treat and prevent this common condition. It’s good practice to incorporate them into your warm up and cool down, and if you’re experiencing symptoms you should do them three times daily, or more often if you can. Hold each stretch for 15-20 seconds and then repeat for the other arm.
🎾 Find out more about Lisa and book a session at lisadeliema.com. She practises at RESET at Peckham Levels, and is offering a 10% discount to all tennis players at SELT. Use the code TENNIS10.
Forearm flexors
1 Straighten your arm in front of you with your hand held up
2 Use the other hand to gently pull the backs of your fingers towards you, and hold
Forearm extensors
3 Hold your arm straight in front of you and point the fingers down towards the floor
4 With the other hand, pull the dorsal (back) of your hand towards you, and hold
🎾 September is your last chance this summer to try out the global trend of beach tennis at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, all gear provided. It’s a cross between tennis, badminton and beach volleyball, and a great low-impact workout thanks to the cushiony sand.
🎾 In her new book, The Stronger Sex, Starre Vartan sets out a convincing argument that in certain sports – ultra running, long-distance swimming and climbing – women are starting to outpace men. According to Vartan, experts are finally waking up to what women’s bodies are capable of: they have the biological advantage in endurance, adaptability, resilience, recovery and pain tolerance. Find out more here.
🎾 Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy recently announced that at least £400 million will be invested in grassroots sport facilities ‘that promote health, wellbeing and community cohesion’. 👋Hello, Lisa, over here!!
SELT’s Head Coach Chris Howard shares his three top tips for delivering the perfect backhand slice. Contact Chris here to book a private class.
Question: what do tennis and running have in common? Answer: not very much – so why would you wear the same shoes for both? Our coaches always get a bit nervous when they see an inappropriate trainer on court, because the wrong footwear is an injury risk.
Running entails a repetitive, regular, linear heel-to-to action, whereas tennis movement is variable, reactive and multidirectional. You are frequently on the balls of your feet, pivoting and changing direction in an instant, often from side to side. Playing tennis in running shoes is ill-advised because they lack the necessary lateral support and multi-directional grip, increasing the risk of ankle sprains and slips. Tennis shoes are designed for stability and sharp changes in direction, featuring a durable outsole with specific tread patterns for court grip and a supportive upper. Make sure you purchase from a reliable sports brand, and choose a style made for the surface you play on (hard-court for Lewisham’s parks). There’s no need to buy at the very top end, where lightweight materials can mean a shorter life.
Hard-court shoes should also be fine for pickleball, though if you play a lot you could splash out on a dedicated pair with a harder, more durable tread optimised for pickleball’s quick, multidirectional stops and starts, a wider fit, better lateral support to keep you lower to the ground and enhanced cushioning to handle the abrupt, movements required by the smaller court.
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