In a previous article, you might remember that I wrote about how essential adequate recovery was after a match or training session and how it directly influenced your performance the next time you stepped onto the court. With regards recovery and cooling down, I have witnessed on many an occasion a player putting in the hard work on the court only to rush through their post stretch like they were late for the train. I like to remind my athletes that their next performance will only be as good as their recovery from the last. Within my system of athlete performance enhancement, I will have a player perform three things after a training session or match. Firstly a series of self massage exercises on a foam roller to decrease muscle tension and increase flexibility. Secondly they perform a routine of active Isolated Stretches which we will focus on in this article and thirdly they take their post nutrition shake to optimize immune and muscular recovery.

In today’s world of athlete performance enhancement there are so many different opinions on how an athlete should stretch pre and post exercise. It is common to see tennis players of all levels performing a series of static stretches before stepping onto the court (and afterwards as well), only to miss the understanding that they will not be static when playing, but moving. So, in simple terms it makes sense to me to move while you stretch before playing.

You might stretch, but is the right type for what tennis demands?
For years, this prolonged static stretching technique was the way to go. However, static stretching over a prolonged period actually decreases the blood flow within the tissue creating localized ischemia and lactic acid buildup. This can potentially cause irritation or injury of local muscular, lymphatic, as well as neural tissues, similar to the effects and consequences of trauma and overuse syndromes.

In this article I would like to focus on the post exercise stretching routine I use with the players I work with: Active Isolated stretching (AIS). The AIS method of muscle lengthening and fascial release is a stretching technique that provides effective, dynamic and facilitated stretching of the major muscle groups used in tennis. More importantly it provides functional and physiological restoration of superficial and deep fascial planes. By the use of a band or rope hooked around your foot, it assists the player with their stretches.

Active Isolated-Stretching (AIS) focuses on working one muscle at a time. By actively contracting muscles opposite of the targeted muscle, Active Isolated-Stretching (AIS) automatically relaxes specific muscle in preparation of its stretch. As a form of natural healing therapy, Active Isolated-Stretching (AIS) allows the body to function more naturally and efficiently, and improves range of motion.

AIS is performed actively, where you move your muscles back and forth instead of holding them in one position. It involves the principle of Reciprocal Inhibition, which simply means you contract (shorten) the muscle opposite the muscle you want to stretch. As you contract one muscle, its opposite has to relax, due to this reflex. By taking advantage of this reflex, you get a greater stretch than you would otherwise. Lastly, you isolate muscles by moving them in several positions as opposed to forward and back. Every movement that the legs and hips go through - front to back, side to side, and rotation, there is an opposite muscle or group of muscles to perform the opposite movement. Personally when I first started using AIS, I did the stretches daily for two weeks. My flexibility increased drastically. I was amazed! In all honesty stretching was not always my favorite thing to do, but with this technique I was able to see results and that motivates me the to do more. World class sprinters like Marion Jones have been seen using this technique and I have introduced this technique of stretching to club level to world class athletes in sports such as squash, tennis and golf. 

1. X-over leg (Abductor). Start position: Lying in supine position (on back) with band wrapped around foot. Procedure: keeping toes pointed to the sky, actively lift leg across body as far as possible and then give gentle assistance with rope until stretch is felt. Hold 2 seconds, relax and repeat 10 times. You should feel it: hamstring, lower back and hip.	2. Side open leg (Adductor). Start position. Lying in supine position (on back) with band wrapped around foot. Procedure: keeping toes pointed to the sky, actively lift leg to side as far as possible and then give gentle assistance with rope until stretch is felt. Hold 2 seconds, relax and repeat 10 times. You should feel it: stretching the inside of the thigh.
3. Quad/hip flexor. Start position: kneeling with one knee on a mat or towel in the lunge position with band wrapped around back foot and holding the band over the shoulder. Procedure: Actively pull foot towards your glute/back with band until stretch is felt. Hold 2 seconds, relax and repeat 10 times. You should feel it: stretching the hip flexor and quadricep.	4. Hamstring Start position: lying in supine position (on back) with band wrapped around foot Procedure: keeping the knee slightly bent, actively lift leg upwards to the sky as far as possible and then give gentle assistance with rope until stretch is felt. Hold 2 seconds, relax and repeat 10 times. You should feel it: lower to middle of Hamstring.
5. Lower back/hip flexor. Start position: lying in the prone position (face down) with band around left foot. Procedure: slowly lift the left thigh from the ground and roll over to the right side of the body, with the upper body/shoulders staying on the ground. Repeat 10 times per set. You should feel it: stretch in the lower back and hip flexor (top of quadricep).
	6. Hip crossovers. Start position: lying in supine position (on back) with arms stretched out to the side and knees bended (feet flat). Procedure: let knees fall together to the left side and then to the right side. Repeat 10 per side. You should feel it: stretch in the torso.

6 benefits of AIS to the player
1. AIS helps with the prevention of injuries
2. Increases flexibility and mobility
3. Better care of tendons and ligaments, reducing the risk of muscle strain and tear.
4. Improves oxygenation of the myofacial structures promoting growth and repair.
5. Increases blood circulation and stimulates lymph drainage, which helps eliminate wastes.
6. Speeds up the recovery process enabling the player to intensify their training with less joint and muscular pain.

The System 6 stretch band is available for purchase from Allistair. You can e-mail him at: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

About the author
Sports performance specialist Allistair McCaw is founder of Performance Tennis and creator of the System 6 Sports Performance program. Allistair has worked with top WTA players such as Jelena Dokic, Nathalie Dechy, Michaella Krajicek and Dinara Safina. He has integrated his system of training into tennis and squash academies in the US and Europe and has also trained the world numbers one and two squash players Nicol David (world champion) and Natalie Grinham.