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Have you ever played a real tough match only to wake up the next day with killer stiffness and pain in the sides of your hips? It feels like WORK just to lift your foot off the ground or move it from side to side…

If you’re like me, you have, and it’s not just a pain in the hip… It’s a pain in the rear!

I’ve got good news. Here’s one way to fix the pain and stiffness with a post match stretch – and it also doubles as a pre-match warmup stretch to loosen your hips!

Here’s How to do it:

1. Walk over to the fence and place both hands on the rail

2. Slightly bend both knees

3. Place your right ankle on your left knee

4. Slowly bend your left knee and Lower your hips toward the ground

5. Hold for 8-10 seconds and switch legs

6. Repeat 2-4 times

* For pictures, log on to Tennis Stretch

This stretch really hits your hips and will work out the lactic acid build up during your match.

The next morning, if you’re still stiff, take a hot shower and repeat The stretch *immediately* afterwards.

The hot water from your shower will loosen up your muscles and actually
allow you to get a deeper stretch with less risk of injury.

If you’re super stiff, you may need to repeat this stretch several times throughout the day to help alleviate the tenderness.

Important note: This stretch also doubles as a pre-match stretch to loosen up your hips. Perform 2-3 sets of 8-10 seconds before hitting the courts.

As one of the nation’s most in-demand fitness trainers, Todd Scott is a training advisor to Men’s Fitness and Muscle & Fitness Hers magazines. You can find his articles on news stands today and in nearly every issue of Men’s Fitness or Muscle & Fitness Hers magazines for the past 2 years. A high school champion tennis player-turned-fitness expert finally decided, after a little arm twisting by his tennis clients, to allow public access into his Tennis Specific Fitness Databank to help people just like you develop strength and power to hit stronger shots and win more matches.

Todd’s additional resources IgnitingYourGame.com.