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The following exercise is surprisingly simple and yet extremely efficient. It doesn't take much time and no equipment is needed.
You can do it anywhere and anytime. It will strengthen, activate, and balance the shoulder joint and upper back muscles that are involved with the shoulders' ball-and-socket proper function.
Perform the exercise regularly, even if you don't have any problems yet. Keeping your shoulders functional and balanced will prevent future injuries.
Elbow Touches
Stand by the wall, with your feet parallel and hip-apart and your ankles, knees, hips and shoulders aligned over each other.
Keep your heels, glutes, upper back, and head touching the wall. Curl your fingers into your palm and put the knuckles on your temples with thumbs pointing down, and push your elbows back until they touch the wall.
From this starting position, slowly bring your elbows forward until they touch in front of your chest, while keeping your knuckles on your temples. The knuckles will want to move around. Make sure that they stay in place after each repetition.
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Repeat one more time: the knuckles want to move around and find some more comfortable position. Force them back to where they are supposed to be. Keep your head touching the wall at all times.
Perform 50 repetitions of the exercise. It can be difficult in the beginning, but it will get easier as your shoulder joints get more functional.
Don't hurry with the movement. Breathe deeply while focusing on the quality and correct form for each repetition. Keep in mind that you are rebalancing your shoulders and teaching them to function properly.
When you keep your shoulders healthy and functional, you will strike your shots with greater power. Additionally, functional shoulders reduce the risk of injury and you will be able to train harder without any interruptions and thus improve your tennis game at steady pace.
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