The forearm flexors and grip musculature are also important in the tennis forehand. Again, this is thanks to the half-squat position that keeps the tension in your legs so you can spring into action. The purpose was to increase grip strength and endurance via forearm flexion and extension (Figure 9). Mili's Split method introducing tennis dance, 1st tennis lesson with Miss Serbia Finalist 2015 Make sure to maintain a straight wrist so that the ball travels in an upward motion avoiding the net. It is vital that teaching professionals understand this kinetic chain so that they can better recognize errors or inefficient movement. Concentric and eccentric contractions of the obliques, back extensors and erector spinae cause the trunk to rotate. Evidence from a Nationally Representative Survey. ; eccentric: An isotonic contraction where the muscle lengthens. The legs take the force and add to it by transferring the force to the hips, from the hips force is transferred to the trunk, from the trunk to the arm, and from the arm to the racket. Lie on the ground on your back, spread your arms to the sides in a T position, pushing your palms to the ground. A second form of inefficient stroke production occurs when all of the body parts are used but not employed correctly. Here is what strength training can do for tennis players of all levels and shapes and sizes. Another essential thing to consider is that the motion of the wrist and forearm after impact is actually part of the follow through. Step 10. It is, after all, a fun way to exercise without feeling like youre exercising.

Branislav Grujic is a USPTA Professional 1, tester and USPTA Sports Science Specialist. Professional players and champions of the past utilized the tennis forehand wrist position in a static manner, with the wrist hardly moving throughout the forehand swing. Yes, I am inclined to believe that power mainly comes from the core rotation, as I don't really incorporate my knees (due to injury) and still generate power. Wantagh, NY 11793 Knudson D. Hand forces and impact effectiveness in the tennis forehand. I'd do squats and deadlifts, and work on power cleans. How well these factors are perceived by the coach will dictate how well the players will respond and initiate the movement needed to perform. Finally, biomechanics involves the design and function of equipment. Knudson and Bahamonde (16) reported nonsignificant differences in racket path and speed at impact between open and square stance forehands of tennis teaching professionals. The purpose was to develop rotational core strength in the transverse plane (Figure 8). Vigorous axial hip and upper-trunk rotation allow for energy transfer from the lower extremity to the upper extremity in the square stance forehand. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. His swing style on the forehand featured a western grip and a follow through that ended by wrapping way past his left side so that his right shoulder was pointing toward the net with the racket head behind him. Other players simply keep the non-dominant arm dangling down next to the body from the start to the finish of the forehand. What Women Need to Know. A student is never taught to stop his racket at impact because the ball has already left and any extra motion of his racket is useless, even though in purely physical terms there is truth to this statement. The forehand is the weapon for most tennis players and building a game plan behind a powerful forehand makes winning matches much easier. It is part of the momentum of the swing that takes the racket to the completion of the follow through. Additionally, players could now also commonly afford to hit off the back foot or from wide open stances when rushed and still create shots that were heavy and penetrating. Social relationships and health: a flashpoint for health policy. The serve is the most strenuous stroke in tennis and deserves critical analysis. Tennis also requires a high amount of agility, flexibility, quick reflexes and aerobic and anaerobic conditioning. (a-f). Lower body strength and endurance are important to the badminton player. Show more Roger Federer Forehand: How To Generate Power Like Roger. The right non-dominant arm movement is to either move it parallel to the hitting arm throughout the stroke or to tuck it in a bit in the follow-through. In the upper-body: the muscles of your chest, upper back, shoulders, and arms. Hand and wrist flexion (snap) are the last movements and produce 30% of the total racket speed. 10. Bjorn Borg, who would win five consecutive Wimbledon titles, revolutionized tennis by using a western grip to produce heavy but still fast topspin forehand drives. Also a few exercises that tennis players should do. I guess it depends on the person? You need to smoothing accelerate from load and basically sling the racquet into the ball. The rotations of the upper arm, forearm and hand account for the remaining 80 percent of racket speed. This movement can also be performed using an open stance catching position. Pro players today use the tennis forehand wrist position to accentuate the movement of a "whip." This type of swing is utilized by modern tennis players such as Federer, Nadal, Justine Henin and the majority of the top pro tennis players in the game today. You are new to table tennis or you just want to come back and learn, from the beginning, the correct table tennis techniques. Forward movement of the upper arm is a key feature of forehand mechanics, producing 30% of the racket speed. This study aimed at investigating the relationship between the trunk and upper limb muscle coordination and mass of the tennis racket . In fact, the preferred style of grip and height of the ball at impact used by the player significantly affects the potential contribution of the hand/wrist rotation to racket speed (4). SPECIFIC EXERCISES BASED ON THE FINDINGS IN THE RESEARCH LITERATURE WERE THEN OFFERED. (We hardly ever get any unsubscriptions though, so we must be doing something right!). doi:10.1177/0022146510383501. In order to move well, players need to efficiently coordinate their upper and lower body to enhance movement and footwork. When I was actively on gym, the legs responded by far the best for training. Iino Y and Kojima T. Role of knee flexion and extension for rotating the trunk in a tennis forehand stroke. One-handed backhands have the hitting shoulder in front of the body and rely less on trunk rotation and more on coordinated shoulder and forearm rotations to create the stroke (Figure 2a-f). And that means youll be quicker on your feet both on and off the court. Reid M and Elliott B. may email you for journal alerts and information, but is committed These are the open and neutral stance. This is a great core exercise for every tennis player, as it strengthens the obliques, abs and hip flexors, and at the same time, it stretches the lower back, IT-band and chest. Not only does your core connect your lower body to your upper body, most movements originate in your core. This will make the power from the swing come mostly from the arm instead of the body. Wolters Kluwer Health Training the wrist extensors is particularly important for tennis players using a 1-handed backhand. Therefore, in a way, the coaches are correct to teach such a technique. Place your wrist against the handle. You need to start your forehand swing with it facing somewhat downward in order for it to end up at vertical as it meets the ball. Elite tennis always had these 2 styles of groundstrokes (1), but since that time, there has been a reversal from primarily simultaneous to sequential groundstroke technique. This follow-through, where the racket actually finishes over the head, is an adaptation that many players have implemented, and although the follow-through is initially still toward the target (Figure 1e), the overall pathway of the stroke (Figure 1f) ending up over the shoulder allows the player to impart greater spin on the ball. Figure 1a-c show the preparation phase of the open stance forehand. Modern players often hit aggressive high-speed groundstrokes to overpower their opponent. If the analysis of inefficient movements is followed, it can be of great assistance in locating a problem in stroke production. Nadal generates huge power from the hips. The purpose was to train the athlete to move efficiently to deep balls behind the baseline and to be able to produce greater energy transfer from open stance position that will translate into greater weight transfer, trunk rotation, and more effective stroke production from deep in the court (Figure 4). The athlete will need to move forward and across quickly to catch the MB (loading phase) and then while maintaining dynamic balance produce a forceful hip and trunk rotation to throw the MB. torpantennis Legend Apr 20, 2015 #9 Bendex said: Legs are the most important muscles for tennis in general, but very powerful and controlled forehands can be hit without much leg involvement. The completion of the swing shows a follow-through in the direction of the target until well after contact is made followed by the racket swinging back over the head as a result of the forceful rotational component of the swing. It has highlighted the key movement patterns and muscle activations of the serve and in so doing provided the framework for the exercises recommended for the tennis player. The backhand underspin has an impact point that occurs closer to the front foot and closer to the body. From this position, the athlete slowly rotates through the transverse plane as far as the athlete's flexibility allows. Spend as much time as your practice time allows developing movement. 8. With the right technique you not only win a lot of points, but also save valuable energy in the match. J Epidemiol. The design of the racket (shape and material) has changed dramatically over the past few years. The toss should be positioned in front and slightly to the left of the front foot, and should be impacted at the top of its flight. Medial epicondylitis is also known as golfer's elbow, baseball elbow, suitcase elbow, or forehand tennis elbow. Recent developments in forehand and backhand stroke production have created a needed change in coaching methodology. Eccentric strength both in the upper and in the lower body can assist in maximizing tennis performance as well as to aid in the prevention of injuries (12). Lauer L. United States Tennis Association. While it may seem like a tennis swing comes from the arms, its actually a motion that engages your whole body, she tells Bustle, including the core. NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center. This ground action force is necessary to decelerate the body from one direction and accelerate the body in another direction. It was being revealed that the wrist wasnt at all moving at contact. The next sections will summarize recent research on technique issues specific to each groundstroke that are important to consider when planning conditioning programs. It is in this sense that brushing the tennis ball from low to high via the windshield wiper forehand and pronating the forearm became an integral part of the tennis forehand. In the forehand, two types of stances are used. The most common situations where open stance forehands are applied include wide and deep balls when the player is behind the baseline or requires greater leverage to produce the stroke. It's characterized by pain from the elbow to the wrist on the inside (medial side) of the elbow. Biomechanics of tennis strokes. Particular attention must now be paid to the use of individual segments of the upper arm, forearm and hand. 2019;6:69. doi:10.3389/fcvm.2019.00069, Oja P, Kelly P, Pedisic Z, et al. The modern forehand and even the backhand (particularly the 2-handed backhand) are more often hit from an open stance using sequential coordination of the body. Research focused on police officers' decision-making in ambiguous use-of-force situations has yet to investigate the role that a suspect's biological motion plays in unknown-object identification. Much of the power in the volleys comes from this step. Effect of core training on dynamic balance and agility among Indian junior tennis players. Luckily, these muscles respond quickly to training, unlike legs, which are a b$%# to train. Front-leg extensor torques are larger in the 1-handed backhand than the 2-handed backhand (19). For one, tennis is a great way to get your cardio in, says Ajay Pant, the senior director of racquet sports at Life Time gyms. Forearm drill. This focuses stress on the medial elbow region in the bent-arm sequential coordination in these strokes. 1228Wantagh Avenue Copyright 2023 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. Coach the player to initiate the first movement with the upper body and not the legs. Stand so that the bar will be balanced in the middle of your upper back. The purpose was to train the athlete to move forward and in a balanced fashion transfer energy from the lower extremities (open or square stance) to weight transfer and hip/trunk rotation for more effective stroke production (Figure 5). Two-handed backhand groundstroke-(a-c) illustrates the preparation phase of a 2-handed open stance backhand, while (d-f) illustrates the forward swing. Once you know whether the ball is coming to your forehand or backhand side, turn your body right away in that direction so that your non-hitting shoulder faces the net. An essential ingredient of footwork is to think of the body as a series of small, coiled springs that, when activated, sequentially result in propelling the player in the desired direction. In todays modern tennis forehand that has changed. Mayo Clin Proc. This phase involves the trunk muscle to make the adequate momentum and cancelation. The player's weight transfer from his right leg to his left leg (he is left handed) shows the horizontal linear momentum used to preload the left leg for a stretch-shortening cycle action to initiate the stroke. The old coaching program for the basic table tennis techniques is outdated! How could that be? This change in the coordinated use of the kinetic chain suggests that the loading and injury risk to major segments of the body may have changed in tennis (11). Pinckard K, Baskin KK, Stanford KI. Furthermore, there is peak activity of the gastroc and quadriceps towards the end of this phase. The backswing, commencing with flexion of the lower legs and irrespective of style, is characterized by a loop, which has shown to increase racket speed (as opposed to the straight backswing which provides control), and a large rotation of shoulders and trunk. This concept indicates that the speed of the racket is built by summing up the individual speeds of all participating segments. In: 19. (a-f) Forehand groundstroke-(a-c) illustrates the preparation phase of the open stance forehand, while (d-f) illustrates the forward swing. But why were the videos showing otherwise? In the modern tennis forehand, pro players today are hitting the ball with much more power and topspin than ever before. . It seemed that in order to hit a proper tennis forehand, the wrist had to be firm and stable. Her bylines include "Tennis Life," "Ms. Strength and trained muscles are required for a player in order to achieve a good backhand, forehand, volley or flat stroke. Effects of exercise to improve cardiovascular health. For the forehand specifically, the core and forearms are most important. ; concentric: An isotonic contraction where the muscle shortens. Knudson D and Elliott BC. When moving laterally, lunging to the side or changing direction . Given a modern fh, the key point is that if you are using the muscles in your forearm to create power or spin then you are not swinging correctly. Every tennis racket has a grip (or handle) with 8 different sides. The backswing requires an increased shoulder rotation on the backhand volley as the racket has to move to the opposite side of the body. But he was considered a genius and a natural so his style wasnt widely accepted as something that could be taught to the new generation of players. It is not possible to uniquely track the transfer of mechanical energy in a 3-dimensional movement of the human body, but it is generally accepted that most of the energy or force used to accelerate a tennis racket is transferred to the arm and racket from the larger muscle groups in the legs and trunk (5,15,21). By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Not only will this program target your specific muscle fibers that generate speed, they will also isolate the exact muscles that are crucial for all aspects of the tennis game. Tennis Forehand Tips - Improve the Tennis Forehand Shot, The Tennis Forehand And The Role Of The Wrist, Learn How to Hit a Forehand Like Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, Some quick tips to improve your tennis serve, Keys of the ATP Tennis Forehand Technique - Differentiating World Class Forehand Technique. Muscles used in Tennis Tennis is a sport that places demands on all the major muscle groups of the body. The summation of this kinetic chain adds up to racket velocity and control. If it sounds right and feels right and produces the right result, why say that it is wrong just because something that would otherwise never be seen is really happening? kinetic chain;; tennis-specific training; technique analysis. The exercises denoted in this article are designed to help the coach with on-court and off-court training so that various training sites can be utilized for effectiveness in training. 5. Wrist extension is also a feature of the one-handed backhand of advanced players. Broadly considered, human musclelike the muscles of all vertebratesis often divided into striated muscle (or skeletal muscle), smooth muscle, and cardiac muscle. Playing tennis will help strengthen your legs, but if you are a serious player, consider adding additional leg exercises to your workout routine such as squats, lunges and step-ups. The swing to impact involves the lower limb drive, together with trunk rotation that produces the shoulder rotation and represents 20 percent of the racket speed. These exercises can also be performed with an inexpensive resistance band. Biomechanics, stated simply, can be defined as the study of human motion in its physical entirety. Obesity (Silver Spring). Bernard Tomic had tiny legs when he was beating top 20 players as a teenager. How to Improve as an Outside Hitter in Volleyball. The arms should move in sync on the forehand either like this or . The flexible racket has been shown to dampen the shock better. Both these movements are used during tennis groundstrokes. And it does this without feeling like a workout. Maintain Focus & Concentration During A Match. Unless you are very weak, you are not going to find a bigger FH in the gym. Beth Rifkin has been writing health- and fitness-related articles since 2005. The arm is one of the weaker parts of the body. 2020;113(5):81. There are 3 planes of motion (figure 1) - sagittal, frontal and transverse. The purpose was to develop rotational hip and core strength in movement patterns and planes that are most used during tennis strokes (Figure 7). In the end, the role of the wrist on the tennis forehand was there all the while, but for a long time, it was just attributed to the wrong part of the swing! 2019;18(1):13-20. The follow-through decelerates immediately after impact as the racket resumes its ready position. Mayo Clinic. A final aspect of inefficiency takes place when the kinetic chain is not properly synchronized. The muscles used when playing tennis are: In the lower body: calves, hamstrings, quads, and glutes. One aspect of inefficient movement is when one of the body parts is left out or the kinetic chain is broken. In: 8. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. Kovacs MS, Roetert EP, and Ellenbecker TS. physiological and biomechanical analysis of the tennis serve, forehand and backhand, as well as a 3D Newton-Euler dynamical analysis of the tennis racket motion during these shots. In truth, there had been numerous video analyses done during this period of the new modern tennis forehand. Simply playing. February 5, 2020. Some of the energy stored in this leg is converted to predominantly upward (vertical linear) momentum but also forward (horizontal linear) momentum. In addition, it requires many short sprints and explosive movements, which will develop the fast-twitch muscle fibers necessary for athletic activity, adds ACE-certified personal trainer TJ Mentus. I suppose I don't need to reconcile them. For example: Some players have a hitch in their service motion. From the sports medicine point of view it is important to consider how the racket dampens vibration and reduces shock. One aspect of inefficient movement is when one of the body parts is left out or the kinetic chain is broken. This stroke is often referred to as mostly closed in nature because a player has total control over it. Ir Med J. Using your core in tennis is the core of better control and balance when hitting your shots, Phiri tells Bustle. Ajay Pant, senior director of racquet sports, TJ Mentus, ACE-certified personal trainer, Trainers Reveal How Long You Should Rest Between Sets, How Many Squats Should You Do? Br J Sports Med. The increase in EMG levels in the forearm For example, medial elbow pain is on the rise in tennis players most likely because of the transfer of energy from the legs and trunk in forehands and serves. I understand the theory, but in the real world, the forearm muscles get a hell of a workout in high end tennis. In Figure 1d-f, we can see the forward swing. You must log in or register to reply here. SUMMARY. The one- and two-handed backhand in tennis. According to Pant, youll quickly build up strength in your dominant arm aka the one holding the racquet which is why it helps to supplement your tennis game by strength training in other ways. The muscles involved would include: pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, teres major, subscapularis, and deltoid (anterior fibers). This leg drive utilizes ground reaction forces and is critical for linear to angular momentum transfer and the development of high racket speed. Once the weight is lowered as far as possible, the athlete then flexes and extends the wrist to lift the weight back up to the starting position. 14. 17. If impact is viewed as the most important part of a tennis stroke, and it is accepted that there are several backswings and follow-throughs a player could use, then the next step is to identify the other important attributes of sound stroke production. Join our mailing list to receive tips, analysis, handy guides and more - direct to your inbox. Kawasaki S, Imai S, Inaoka H, Masuda T, Ishida A, Okawa A, and Shinomiya K. The lower lumbar spine moment and the axial rotation motion of a body during one-handed and double-handed backhand stroke in tennis. This article will summarize recent research related to the biomechanics of tennis technique and propose specific conditioning exercises that logically would tend to improve performance and reduce the risk of injury in tennis. 10. We promise to protect your privacy, never to spam you, and you are free to unsubscribe at any time. Concentrate on extending the arm and making contact. Torques about the wrist in 1-handed backhands are greater than direct force loading (14) and can create a rapid stretch of the wrist extensors that is more pronounced in players with a history of tennis elbow (17). Hold your racquet face vertical at the point where you normally meet the ball. Its not every day you think about the forearm muscles, but they come in clutch when playing tennis. Contents 1. This adaptation is partially the result of technology changes in the tennis racket and strings allowing for more power and spin generation resulting in more margins for error on the strokes. Wrap your fingers around your racquet's grip at the butt end. All games of tennis consist of six basic strokes: the serve, forehand groundstroke, backhand groundstroke, forehand volley, backhand volley, and the overhead smash. Mili uses various swing exercises to help players feel the swing and how to amplify it through the body movements. Knudson D and Blackwell J. 2. You may search for similar articles that contain these same keywords or you may 18. The current study uses point-light displays to isolate the suspect's motion and remove potentially biasing information (e.g., skin tone, facial expression, clothing). Tennis volleys require smaller muscle and joint movements than either groundstrokes or serves. Not only does your core connect your lower body to your upper body, most movements originate in your core. The follow through was straight forward in the direction of the ball then wrapping slightly around the front past midpoint but not totally all the way over the shoulder or torso. The athlete places their forearm on a table or bench while grasping a head heavy instrument (a weighted bar and hammer are both good options). During the wind-up for a powerful forehand throw, counter-rotate your shoulders as if you're preparing to swing a baseball bat. Besides improving your flexibility, the racquet-based sport trains an assortment of muscles, too. tennisinstruction.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Federer's In this guide we will go through the individual steps with you to bring your forehand to a new level. Forward swing to impact requires more trunk rotation of the hitting shoulder. Other players started using polyester strings and hit with this style. The athlete grasps the wrist roller device with both hands at shoulder height. Legs are the most important muscles for tennis in general, but very powerful and controlled forehands can be hit without much leg involvement. Keyword Highlighting Vigorous extension of the lower extremity in classic closed stance forehands creates greater axial torques to rotate the pelvis and hips than not using the legs (9). At impact the racket shoulder moves more toward the net than the topspin stroke. E. Paul Roetertis Managing Director of Coaching Education and Sport Science at the United States Tennis Association. This gets all of the big muscle groups connected through the shoulders, back, core and hips in position to fire. This movement primes the body in readiness for an explosive move in any direction. Front Cardiovasc Med. All they do is hold the racket and snap the wrist I think. Upper extremity angular kinematics of the one-handed backhand drive in tennis players with and without tennis elbow. It was during this period when players were first taught to develop a swing that incorporates the tennis forehand wrist position to create a whipping heavy topspin effect. 16. Figure 10a demonstrates a forearm pronation movement, and Figure 10b demonstrates a forearm supination movement. Moving efficiently on a tennis court requires changing direction and speed smoothly and quickly. The involvement of the shoulder and the trunk muscles adds on a significant amount of force. The two-handed backhand is a three-segment sequence (hips and trunk / upper arms and hands) as opposed to the five-segment sequence of one handed backhands (hips, trunk, upper arm, forearm and hand). Updated August 13, 2018. Both these movements are used during tennis groundstrokes. Updated October 2018. The glutes also light up as you swing to return the ball. In order to build up maximum racket head speed at contact, it has to be moving continuously even after contact. This will mimic the movement and muscles used during a short attacking forehand. supplement your tennis game by strength training. To improve your grip strength, squeeze an old, squishy tennis ball. The rotator cuff, the muscles and tendons between the shoulder blade and arm bone, is important for hitting serves and forehands and for decelerating during follow-through. The world's best players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Juan Martin Del Potro and Stan Wawrinka use the forehand as a powerful weapon. The upper back, chest, shoulders, biceps and triceps all come into play during a tennis swing or tennis serve. PURPOSE To broaden our understanding of muscle function during the tennis volley under different ball placement and speed conditions by examining the activity of selected superficial muscles of the stroking arm and shoulder (flexor carpi radialis, extensor carpi radialis, triceps brachii, deltoids, and pectoralis major) and muscles related to Tennis is an intermittent sport in which players entail a mixture of physical components, such as linear sprint and change-of-direction speed, agility, muscle power, and cardiovascular fitness. Roetert, E Paul PhD1; Kovacs, Mark PhD, CSCS1; Knudson, Duane PhD2; Groppel, Jack L PhD3, 1United States Tennis Association, Boca Raton, Florida; 2Department of Health and Human Performance, San Marcos, Texas; and 3Human Performance Institute, Lake Nona, Florida. info@usptennis.com, Login | Advertise | About Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy, Copyright 2021United Sports Publications. I think that they are important but there are certainly other factors that can result in tennis success. Working out from home: How tennis can be played safely amid coronavirus pandemic. I believe it. For a forehand volley, slight external rotation and slight adduction followed by abduction of the shoulder allow the player to complete the stroke. What kind of muscles are used to hit the tennis ball?