Contents 1. The old coaching program for the basic table tennis techniques is outdated! JavaScript is disabled. 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). A players positioning, and how he or she uses the ground is vital to stroke production. Because the rackets had become bigger and lighter with stabilizing and vibration-reducing technologies, hitting heavier topspin became possible without greatly compromising ball speed. But why were the videos showing otherwise? In addition, every time you hit a forehand or backhand, you work your abdominal muscles, especially the obliques, which run down the sides your torso. 10. In order to move well, players need to efficiently coordinate their upper and lower body to enhance movement and footwork. Conclusion. The purpose was to increase grip strength and endurance via forearm flexion and extension (Figure 9). It is best to engage in functional exercises that will strengthen while also keep them loose and flexible. 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. Elliott B, Takahashi K, and Noffal G. The influence of grip position on the upper limb contributions to racket-head speed in the tennis forehand. As the shuttle is struck behind the body the 'thumb' grip (often confusingly referred to as a backhand grip) should not be used. He is also a graduate of the High Performance Training Program. Finally, biomechanics involves the design and function of equipment. Vitamin D for health: a global perspective. Traditional tennis groundstrokes were hit from a square or closed stance with a long flowing stroke using simultaneous coordination of the body. (a-f). Exercise for Your Bone Health. Muscle activation during the tennis volley In general, muscle activity increased with increasing ball speed. 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. 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. That tells us that the left shoulder (for right-handed players) is disconnected from the right shoulder, and therefore they do not rotate together as the forehand is being hit.. I think that they are important but there are certainly other factors that can result in tennis success. Counter-rotating your shoulders should make your hips want to turn with your shoulders. What?? It hones in on the larger muscle groups listed below (including the core and glutes), all thanks to the constant swinging and serving you do as you play. Concentrate on allowing your arm to swing through the service motion loosely and bring it up for contact. Luckily, these muscles respond quickly to training, unlike legs, which are a b$%# to train. The involvement of the shoulder and the trunk muscles adds on a significant amount of force. This position will produce greater weight transfer, trunk rotation, and more effective stroke production on wide balls. I'm sure forearm strength helps with endurance. Modern tactics dictate that the forehand be hit with varying degrees of topspin. Vitamin D and Inflammation: Potential Implications for Severity of COVID-19. The athlete starts on the center service line and the coach/trainer throws the MB about 5 feet to the right of the athlete. Watch his glutes, some huge powerhouses! Tennis Forehand Exercise #1: Squat find the power rack at your gym, put minimal weight on it to start and stand with your feet at shoulder's width apart. Slowly raise the weights to your sides keeping your elbows almost locked out. Even so, as graphite rackets became more mainstream, players started to adapt strokes that were loopier and featured more of a whipping action. This movement can also be performed using an open stance catching position. Long Island Tennis Magazine Biomechanics of tennis strokes. Efficient deceleration: The forgotten factor in tennis-specific training. Effective analysis of this kinetic chain is an essential ingredient in developing technique in stroke production and in determining the possible cause of an injury. Greater upper-trunk rotation has been observed in 2-handed backhands than in 1-handed backhands (19). Kinetic chain contributions to elbow function and dysfunction in sports. I'm pretty sure I can do double Maria Sharapova's best in any exercise. Iino Y and Kojima T. Role of knee flexion and extension for rotating the trunk in a tennis forehand stroke. Then, in the late 90s, a young and charming Brazilian player named Gustavo Kuerten shocked the world by coming out of nowhere and winning the French Open. 1. 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. While moving forward, backward and side to side, your core helps you make quick changes in direction. Harvard Health Publishing. Front-leg extensor torques are larger in the 1-handed backhand than the 2-handed backhand (19). Figure 10a demonstrates a forearm pronation movement, and Figure 10b demonstrates a forearm supination movement. Concentric and eccentric contractions of the obliques, back extensors and erector spinae cause the trunk to rotate. Effect of core training on dynamic balance and agility among Indian junior tennis players. doi:10.1002/oby.20145. National Osteoporosis Foundation. Keep in mind that: the function of the racket is to enhance the function of the player. Situation-specific forehands refer to the need to produce different types of forehands depending on where the player is in the court, the purpose of the shot (tactics), amount of preparation time available, as well as where the opponent is during the same scenario. In Figure 1d-f, we can see the forward swing. This lean into the ball tends to level out the racket path, resulting in a longer, more stable hitting zone. Anyone who has ever hit a tennis ball using modern equipment and techniques will tell you that it feels like the wrist is snapping through the ball or rolling over it at contact. ; eccentric: An isotonic contraction where the muscle lengthens. Despite these differences, skilled players can create similar levels of racket speed at impact in 1- and 2-handed backhands (19). 11. Key Terms. A second form of inefficient stroke production occurs when all of the body parts are used but not employed correctly. Inflammation, which can arise beside repetitive injuries or on its own, often in the joints. Youll feel it when serving, doing forehand or backhand swings, and whenever you make quick movements around the court. The flexible racket has been shown to dampen the shock better. Join our mailing list to receive tips, analysis, handy guides and more - direct to your inbox. And Bjorn Borg in the late '70s made most of his forehand shots using open stance. 16. A lot of junior players were taught to snap the wrist through the ball at contact because that was the way to produce maximum racket head speed. I believe it. For example: When the two handed backhand is hit with no trunk rotation the arms must swing harder, increasing the chance of an error. Whatever the technique adopted, the strength and conditioning professional should work with the tennis coach to customize training programs for the specific techniques used by players. 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). Wrist extension is also a feature of the one-handed backhand of advanced players. Examples are described for forehands (right-handed players), but they should also be performed on the opposing side to mimic movements required for backhand strokes. The arm is one of the weaker parts of the body. If you were doing a backhand swing with your racket in tennis, you would be doing horizontal extension (also called horizontal abduction) and lateral rotation at the shoulder joint. From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person whos on TikTok, even if you arent. 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. In: 8. As you rotate your hand around those bevels, you will end up with your hands in a new position or grip. The backhand backswing is similar to the forehand with the exception of the loop. The pain is caused by damage to the tendons that bend the wrist toward the palm. 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. This will make the power from the swing come mostly from the arm instead of the body. To improve your grip strength, squeeze an old, squishy tennis ball. Its not every day you think about the forearm muscles, but they come in clutch when playing tennis. The game of tennis has changed dramatically in the past 30 years. The way to hit a proper forehand back then was to take the racket back with a relaxed but relatively straight arm and only a slightly laid back wrist. 13. This linked system, or KINETIC CHAIN, works in a very systematic fashion with the legs interacting with the ground. While theres a lot of emphasis on your lower body and core in a game of tennis, your upper body, arms, shoulders, and chest are key components, too, says Frayna. While practicing and playing tennis will strengthen your upper body, conditioning these muscle groups off of the court will help your game. Furthermore, there is peak activity of the gastroc and quadriceps towards the end of this phase. Wrap your fingers around your racquet's grip at the butt end. For a forehand volley, slight external rotation and slight adduction followed by abduction of the shoulder allow the player to complete the stroke. 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 Also a few exercises that tennis players should do. It is part of the momentum of the swing that takes the racket to the completion of the follow through. What kind of muscles are used to hit the tennis ball? The athlete takes 3 to 5 steps from the machine to increase the tension and lowers the body into a quarter squat position. Most players change grips during a match depending on what shot they are hitting. The extensor carpi radialis was more active than the flexor carpi radialis during both forehand and backhand volleys, suggesting the importance of wrist extension/abduction and grip strength. 14. The glutes also light up as you swing to return the ball. Step 11. Following impact in all tennis strokes, the racket and arm retain the vast majority of the kinetic energy from before impact, so the eccentric strength of the musculature active in the follow-through should also be trained. Medicine ball wall open stance groundstroke drill. Knudson and Bahamonde (16) reported nonsignificant differences in racket path and speed at impact between open and square stance forehands of tennis teaching professionals. Other players started using polyester strings and hit with this style. 9. You may search for similar articles that contain these same keywords or you may Harinarayan CV, Holick MF, Prasad UV, Vani PS, HImabindu G. Vitamin D status and sun exposure in India. While this transfer of energy has not been tested in open stance forehands, it is logical that vigorous leg drive also transfers energy to trunk rotation. In the future, numerical simulations will necessarily support similar . This strategy places extra stress on the player's body that strength and conditioning professionals should consider in designing training programs. 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. O ne of the characteristics for the tennis evolution over the past decade is a preferential use of the forehand drive in the construction of the point (15) that appears as a key stroke of the modern game . Your message has been successfully sent to your colleague. One of the keys to his teachings are the swings or, in other words, applying the principle of the pendulum to your groundstrokes. 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). That is almost all shoulder How do the forearms contribute a lot of power? The wrist is also a big part of table tennis and should always be taken care of. Forward rotation of the upper trunk coincides with a lag in the upper extremity resisted by eccentric muscle actions and large peak shoulder horizontal adductor and internal rotation torques (3). 20. Here is what strength training can do for tennis players of all levels and shapes and sizes. Theyre also required to accelerate and catch up to the ball, he says. So just go out and concentrate on smoothness. It is, after all, a fun way to exercise without feeling like youre exercising. Associations of specific types of sports and exercise with all-cause and cardiovascular-disease mortality: a cohort study of 80 306 British adults. Following is a biomechanical look at the four basic strokes: Forehand, backhand, serve and volley, as well as footwork. But what muscles does tennis work? He recommends doing a strength routine that targets the arms, legs, and core, playing other sports, and practicing yoga to ensure your non-dominant side gets attention, too. These things are happening too fast for the eye and the mind to process accurately. Note the hip and trunk rotation in the 2-handed backhand (Figure 3a-f). Lie on the ground on your back, spread your arms to the sides in a T position, pushing your palms to the ground. Moreover, in the upper back . Using your core in tennis is the core of better control and balance when hitting your shots, Phiri tells Bustle. Tilt the face of your racquet down more on your backswing. Iwata M, Yamamoto A, Matsuo S, et al. For the forehand specifically, the core and forearms are most important. Not only does your core connect your lower body to your upper body, most movements originate in your core. Your feet never stop moving when a ball is in play even when your opponent has the ball. I think that he weighed 140 pounds but he's in the top 1,000. Beth Rifkin has been writing health- and fitness-related articles since 2005. February 5, 2020. 2019;18(1):13-20. THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE WAS TO SUMMARIZE RECENT RESEARCH RELATED TO THE BIOMECHANICS OF TENNIS TECHNIQUE IN GROUNDSTROKES AND THEN TO RECOMMEND SPECIFIC STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING EXERCISES THAT WOULD TEND TO IMPROVE TENNIS PERFORMANCE AND PREVENT INJURY. Forward swing to impact consists of trunk rotation initiating racket movement and is responsible for the forward movement of the hitting arm. Particular attention must now be paid to the use of individual segments of the upper arm, forearm and hand. 17. 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. Lastly, an up and out hitting action is a key feature of a mature swing. This phase involves the trunk muscle to make the adequate momentum and cancelation. 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. Two-handed backhands have larger extension torques in the rear leg, which result in larger axial torques to rotate the hips and trunk than 1-handed backhands (2,10,19). 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. Legs are the most important muscles for tennis in general, but very powerful and controlled forehands can be hit without much leg involvement. Aerobic exercise alone results in clinically significant weight loss for men and women: midwest exercise trial 2. It was strenuous on the wrist to try to whip a 14 ounce wooden stick. They did this by whipping the racket steeply upward and way over the head using a very fast action of the shoulder, arm and wrist. The increase in EMG levels in the forearm For the forehand specifically, the core and forearms are most important. This study aimed at investigating the relationship between the trunk and upper limb muscle coordination and mass of the tennis racket . Ir Med J. 2019;6:69. doi:10.3389/fcvm.2019.00069, Oja P, Kelly P, Pedisic Z, et al. 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. Grip 2. The balls that were coming off his racket were fast and heavy like never before. Wolters Kluwer Health The upper trunk tends to counter-rotate about 90 to 100 from parallel to the baseline and about 30 beyond the hip in the transverse plane (22) in preparation for the stroke. Repetitive stress injuries caused by repeated motion of the shoulder, such as in tennis. Therefore the wrist action is an extremely important aspect of service mechanics. Who do you think hits the bigger FH, her or me? 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). Just like pickleball, the classic sport of tennis has been making a comeback. The follow-through decelerates immediately after impact as the racket resumes its ready position. This gets all of the big muscle groups connected through the shoulders, back, core and hips in position to fire. When moving laterally, lunging to the side or changing direction . And it does this without feeling like a workout. The wrist and forearm need to be loose. 2013;21(3):E219-E228. Figure 10a demonstrates a forearm pronation movement, and Figure 10b demonstrates a forearm supination movement. A final aspect of inefficiency takes place when the kinetic chain is not properly synchronized. 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. Legs are the most important muscles for tennis in general, but very powerful and controlled forehands can be hit without much leg involvement. Indeed, when their shots were analyzed through slow motion video, it would seem that the wrist was indeed straightening out at contact and rolling over the ball for topspin or whipping through it for power. your express consent. You must log in or register to reply here. http://www.researchgate.net/publicaination_and_forehand_drive_velocity_in_tennis, http://www.cpaqv.org/cinesiologia/artigos/muscle_coordination_tennis.pdf, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25123001, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25120197, http://www.citeulike.org/user/tboats/author/Stossel:TP. According to Nelo Phiri, a tennis coach at Life Time Westchester, the action of swinging a tennis racquet fires up your ab muscles. Elliott B. Biomechanics of tennis. But what muscles does tennis work? 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). Ariel GB and Braden V. Biomechanical analysis of ballistic vs. tracking movements in tennis skills. Players were still able to position themselves take the ball early and step into the shot. After the racket made contact with the ball, the racket was directed to the opposite arm of the player in a way of swinging. When playing table tennis, muscles such as calf muscles, ankles, hamstrings, lower back, rotator cuffs, deltoids, triceps, and biceps are trained the most, even when the whole body really is active during an intense game. Backhand These are the open and neutral stance. Core Muscles Agility, balance and strength all come from your core your lower back and stomach muscles which is used during every shot and movement during a tennis match. All aspects of your upper body are engaged when swinging in tennis.. Federer's The forearm muscles are most important to grip strength and a stronger grip allows for more power to be exerted in the swing, he explains. 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. Squatting and staying low is often necessary for quick anticipation and explosiveness, says Phiri. 2018;28(1):27-33. doi:10.2188/jea.JE20160166, Teo AR, Choi H, Andrea SB, et al. Forehand Always warm-up: Performing warm-up exercises for wrists can go a long way in preventing injury. Forward swing to impact requires more trunk rotation of the hitting shoulder. Every time you hit a groundstroke, you're primarily working the transverse plane (i.e. This linear motion of the body and racket also encourages more racket force being applied in the intended direction of the shot. Takahashi K, Elliott B, and Noffal G. The role of upper limb segment rotations in the development of spin in the tennis forehand. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. The purpose was to train the athlete to move sideways and to be able to produce greater energy transfer from an open stance position (Figure 6). Forward movement of the upper arm is a key feature of forehand mechanics, producing 30% of the racket speed. Copyright 2022. Bahamonde R and Knudson D. Kinetics of the upper extremity in the open and square stance tennis forehand. Regardless of grip type, backswing or follow-through, impact must be exact for a player to hit a specific shot. He was using a new kind of string made of polyester, instead of the traditional natural gut. Front Cardiovasc Med. Kibler WB. For example: Some players have a hitch in their service motion. With the right technique you not only win a lot of points, but also save valuable energy in the match. These players nonetheless evidently thrived with this instruction. supplement your tennis game by strength training. Six male national representatives performed a tennis forehand stroke in the laboratory. A backhand clear is usually only played when a player is not in a position to play a forehand ('round the head') shot and as such, this is a defensive shot. Highlight selected keywords in the article text. The backswing requires an increased shoulder rotation on the backhand volley as the racket has to move to the opposite side of the body. 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.