Guides · Tennis, padel and pickleball
A short pre-match warm-up for tennis, padel and pickleball
You don't need a mobility or stretching app to get ready to play. A short dynamic warm-up is a practical way to start: easy movement that gradually gets bigger, then a few light shadow swings for the strokes you're about to use. Health and tennis organizations describe this kind of gradual start, and their pages are linked below. ShadowSwing, which we make, is a swing trainer. It is not a stretching app, a mobility app or a warm-up coach, and it doesn't prevent injury or check your form, feet, stance or grip. If your coach or a clinician has given you a routine, use theirs instead of this sample.
What this warm-up is, and what it isn't
This is a short routine for the minutes before you play tennis, padel or pickleball: at home before you leave, in the club hallway, or beside the court. It follows three steps from official pages: raise your heart rate gently, add some dynamic stretches, then rehearse your strokes lightly.
It is not a mobility program, a rehab plan or an injury-prevention protocol. No warm-up guarantees you won't get hurt. If you have a health problem, an injury or other concerns about your health, the NHS suggests getting advice from a healthcare professional first.
Dynamic or static stretching? USTA Player Development describes a dynamic warm-up as stretching with movement. It says static stretching still matters for flexibility, but recommends doing it after play, not right before practice or a match, and cites research that static stretching can reduce the force and power a muscle produces for over an hour. That is their recommendation, not a rule of this page.
Check your space before you swing
There is no room size that works for everyone, so check your own space.
- Sides. Stand where you will warm up, reach out to both sides at full stretch, then turn slowly through a swing. If you touch anything, or anyone, move or swing smaller.
- Above. Before any overhead, such as a serve, a smash or a bandeja, raise your racket at full stretch, or your arm if the racket stays in the bag. If you don't clear the ceiling and the lights, skip overheads.
- Cramped rooms. In a small room or a busy hallway, leave the racket in the bag. Do the on-the-spot moves and keep shadow swings compact, with your phone held like the grip or with nothing in your hand.
- Floor and clutter. Move anything breakable and make sure the floor isn't slippery.
- Pain. The NHS says to stop immediately if you feel any pain or become unwell.
A sample 10-minute warm-up
This is one sample, not an official or universal routine. About 10 minutes is a convenient length for club players. NHS England's sample routine takes at least 6 minutes, and NHS inform suggests around 10 to 15. Go longer if you feel the need, and spend extra time on the first block on a cold day.
| Time | What | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00 to 3:00 | Easy movement: march on the spot, then forward and backward, or jog easily to a line and back | NHS, LTA |
| 3:00 to 6:30 | Dynamic moves: on the spot, or bigger moves if you have room | NHS, LTA, USTA |
| 6:30 to 10:00 | Light shadow swings for your sport, slow at first, then building | LTA, NHS inform |
1. Easy movement (about 3 minutes)
March on the spot for 3 minutes, as in the NHS routine, then march forward and backward. Pump your arms in rhythm with your steps, elbows bent and fists soft. If you have more room, jog easily to a line and back, the way the LTA's shuttles begin, or jog with arm circles that get gradually bigger, from USTA Player Development's list.
2. Dynamic moves (about 3 to 4 minutes)
Keep every move controlled, as USTA Player Development asks.
On the spot or in a small space, from the NHS routine:
- Heel digs: aim for 60 in 60 seconds. Place alternate heels in front, toes pointing up, with a slight bend in the supporting leg.
- Knee lifts: aim for 30 in 30 seconds, bringing each knee up to touch the opposite hand.
- Shoulder rolls: 2 sets of 10, five forward and five backward, while you keep marching.
- Knee bends: 10, feet shoulder-width apart, lowering no more than 10 cm.
In a corridor or beside the court, from the LTA and USTA pages: side steps or a side shuffle with a wide base, high knees, walking butt kicks, walking lunges and lunges with a reach back. The LTA's match-prep page also names cross-overs and squats. Add leg swings (front, back and side, 10 each, from USTA's list) only if you have clear space and can stay in control. Skip anything that needs more room than you have.
3. Light shadow swings (about 3 to 4 minutes)
Finish by rehearsing the strokes you're about to play, without a ball. The LTA suggests warming up your shots, and its X drill has you shadow a volley or a groundstroke. NHS inform lists "light swings in racquet sports" as a sport-specific warm-up. Start slow and small, then let the swings grow. Don't open with a full-speed serve, smash or bandeja.
Already on court with a partner? Move on to LTA-style shuttles and an easy hit. This sample covers the minutes before that.
Shadow swings for your sport
A shadow swing is a stroke without a ball, and some coaches call them shadow strokes. Before a match, keep them light and use the strokes you'll actually play, roughly in this order.
Tennis
Easy forehands and backhands first, then volleys. Shadow serves come last, and only after the ceiling check above. For a cue on each stroke, see shadow swing drills, and for split steps and recovery, tennis footwork drills.
Padel
Easy forehands and backhands, then volleys. Add the bandeja, víbora or smash only if you clear the ceiling at full stretch, and only once the lower strokes feel loose. Shadow padel has the patterns for each shot; before a match, a few relaxed reps of each is enough.
Pickleball
Easy dinks and drops, then volleys and drives, then a few serves. Leave any overhead for last, with the same ceiling check. USA Pickleball's Health & Safety Hub tells players to warm up before play, stretch after the warm-up and cool down afterward. It doesn't give a routine or say which kind of stretching it means, so the first two blocks stay the same. For more shadow reps, see pickleball practice at home.
Where ShadowSwing fits
We make ShadowSwing, so here is what it does and doesn't do. It is a swing trainer: you hold your phone as if it were the grip, with no ball, and it measures the swing only. It can count your swings, show racket-head speed and replay the path of a stroke in 3D for the strokes it supports. It doesn't guide stretches or measure range of motion. It doesn't track your body, feet, stance, grip or contact. It can't tell you whether you warmed up properly, check your form or prevent injury.
ShadowSwing runs on iPhone and Android. Subscribe to ShadowSwing Pro, or start the 7-day free trial on the yearly plan.
Sources
Every movement and time cue here comes from these pages, checked on 10 November 2026.
- NHS: How to warm up before exercising. The on-the-spot moves, the 6-minute minimum and the advice to stop if you feel pain.
- NHS inform: Warm up for exercise. The 10 to 15 minute range and light swings.
- LTA: Three easy warm-up exercises to do before every tennis session. The shuttles and the X drill.
- LTA: How to prepare for your next tennis match. Cross-overs, squats and warming up your shots.
- USTA Player Development: Dynamic Warm-up and Flexibility Training for Tennis. The dynamic exercises and static stretching after play.
- USA Pickleball: Health & Safety Hub. Warming up, stretching and cooling down.
Questions
Is there a tennis or padel mobility or stretching app?
ShadowSwing isn't one, and this page doesn't review them. ShadowSwing, which we make, is a swing trainer that measures the swing of your phone held like the grip. To get ready to play, a short dynamic warm-up plus light shadow swings is a practical start, and the NHS, LTA and USTA pages behind this routine are linked on this page. If you want a dedicated stretching or mobility product, look for one built for that.
What is a good pre-match warm-up for tennis, padel or pickleball?
Here is one sample: about 3 minutes of easy movement such as marching or an easy jog, 3 to 4 minutes of controlled dynamic moves like heel digs, knee lifts, side steps and walking lunges, then 3 to 4 minutes of light shadow swings for your sport, building gradually. It draws on NHS, LTA and USTA pages. There is no single official routine for every player, so follow your coach's or clinician's plan if you have one.
Can I use ShadowSwing to warm up?
Yes, for the shadow-swing part, if you want a swing count, racket-head speed or a 3D replay. It doesn't replace the easy movement or the dynamic moves. It doesn't guide or check stretches, it doesn't see your body, feet, stance or grip, and it can't check your form or prevent injury. Keep the swings light and hold the phone firmly.