Patterns of ultraviolet radiation exposure and skin cancer risk: the E3N-SunExp study. 3. Tennis volleys require smaller muscle and joint movements than either groundstrokes or serves. From this position, the athlete slowly rotates through the transverse plane as far as the athlete's flexibility allows. Assuming we're talking about a modern fh, I will respectfully disagree with this post. In the forehand, backhand, and serve, the abs contract and flex to generate power. (a) Pronation (palm down). Stand so that the bar will be balanced in the middle of your upper back. 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. 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. Most importantly, a split step must occur just as the opponent is starting the forward swing. Position 3. Well-coordinated sequential rotations up the kinetic chain through the trunk and upper extremity take advantage of the stretch-shortening cycle of muscle actions. 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). Again, the 2-fold approach of this article was to help practitioners realize the types of training that will (a) improve performance by creating more force within muscle groups, improve coordination between various body parts involved in each stroke, and develop overall power in the athlete's stroke production and (b) develop strength in the various body parts and across joints that would protect the athlete from injury. This piece will give you five basic tips to improve your forehand . 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. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Temple University. What is it? This is probably most evident in groundstroke technique and strategy. Look at the players at a open level tournament after their match, and see their bulging forearms, with veins popping out everywhere. The muscle that is contracting is called the agonist and the muscle that is relaxing or lengthening is called the antagonist. The world's best players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Juan Martin Del Potro and Stan Wawrinka use the forehand as a powerful weapon. 10. The forehand can be an aggressive and powerful attack shot that is used to return an opponent's shot and, when executed correctly, will manoeuvre an opponent around the court or win a point.. Copyright 2023 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. The forehand specifically relies on the pectorals, deltoids and biceps to provide much of the upper body and arm activity in a tennis stroke, with the forearm and wrist "following along for the ride" after the hips open and generate internal shoulder rotation. Additionally, when working on movement there should be a coordinated effort between the legs and the upper body. Following is a biomechanical look at the four basic strokes: Forehand, backhand, serve and volley, as well as footwork. The rotations of the upper arm, forearm and hand account for the remaining 80 percent of racket speed. 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). 2018;28(1):27-33. doi:10.2188/jea.JE20160166, Teo AR, Choi H, Andrea SB, et al. 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. 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). Other players simply keep the non-dominant arm dangling down next to the body from the start to the finish of the forehand. Who do you think hits the bigger FH, her or me? For example: When hitting the serve the legs may not be utilized completely, resulting in the hips and trunk working harder to create arm and racket speed. 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. Again, this is thanks to the half-squat position that keeps the tension in your legs so you can spring into action. 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. Some error has occurred while processing your request. This ground action force is necessary to decelerate the body from one direction and accelerate the body in another direction. Other players started using polyester strings and hit with this style. The design of the racket (shape and material) has changed dramatically over the past few years. For a forehand volley, slight external rotation and slight adduction followed by abduction of the shoulder allow the player to complete the stroke. Calories burned in 30 minutes for people of three different weights. Mayo Clinic. info@usptennis.com, Login | Advertise | About Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy, Copyright 2021United Sports Publications. I guess it depends on the person? Repetitive stress injuries caused by repeated motion of the shoulder, such as in tennis. Finally, there is a demonstration of how the legs, hips, and torso should move in synchrony as well as instruction on how to develop coordination so the athlete can utilize the kinetic chain more effectively. During the wind-up for a powerful forehand throw, counter-rotate your shoulders as if you're preparing to swing a baseball bat. Tennis demands movement in all of these planes - and at times, multiple planes simultaneously. 7 of 8. 4. Figure 10a demonstrates a forearm pronation movement, and Figure 10b demonstrates a forearm supination movement. Research indicates that the segmental contributions are influenced by grip type and ball level. The follow-through is across the line of the body and a recovery step brings the player into the ready position. Cable rotation (in the transverse plane) drill. 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. This linked system, or KINETIC CHAIN, works in a very systematic fashion with the legs interacting with the ground. Her bylines include "Tennis Life," "Ms. There are three major causes of shoulder pain: Direct damage (trauma) to some part of the shoulder bone, muscle, or other tissue. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Using the upper body to lean forward toward the action just before the legs add their contribution is also the same way that players move to ground strokes. I'm sure forearm strength helps with endurance. you're rotating). limb during tennis. Even so, as graphite rackets became more mainstream, players started to adapt strokes that were loopier and featured more of a whipping action. Turn Your Shoulders Early. Additionally, the power for your serve, forehand and backhand originates in the legs and travels up through your body to your racket. Forward swing to impact requires more trunk rotation of the hitting shoulder. Knudson D and Elliott BC. Highlight selected keywords in the article text. Power can come from pushing off the ground, but can also come from other sources. And it does this without feeling like a workout. The role of the wrist was non-existent at impact. To improve your grip strength, squeeze an old, squishy tennis ball. All games of tennis consist of six basic strokes: the serve, forehand groundstroke, backhand groundstroke, forehand volley, backhand volley, and the overhead smash. Bashir SF, Nuhmani S, Dhall R, Muaidi QI. While it is believed that optimal use of the kinetic chain will maximize performance and reduce the risk of injury (6,11), the transfer of force and energy to the small segments and tissues of the upper extremity do place them under great stress. 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. supplement your tennis game by strength training. 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. It's one of the keys to the whole modern fh. following information explains the steps and muscles used to create this serve. This study aimed at investigating the relationship between the trunk and upper limb muscle coordination and mass of the tennis racket . This involves having control over the racket head and swinging the racket with optimal speed. Join our mailing list to receive tips, analysis, handy guides and more - direct to your inbox. Suite 203 Beth Rifkin has been writing health- and fitness-related articles since 2005. 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. One aspect of inefficient movement is when one of the body parts is left out or the kinetic chain is broken. The forehand tennis stroke is made with the dominant hand. This resulted in unprecedented spin and pace. Updated October 2018. Modern tactics dictate that the forehand be hit with varying degrees of topspin. I'd like to see any evidence that bears on how Titin is triggered for the SSC. When we observe the modern tennis forehand in slow motion video, it is apparent that the forehand wrist position has changed drastically than what was being utilized in the traditional forehand of the past. Aerobic exercise alone results in clinically significant weight loss for men and women: midwest exercise trial 2. Modern players often hit aggressive high-speed groundstrokes to overpower their opponent. I understand the theory, but in the real world, the forearm muscles get a hell of a workout in high end tennis. The arm is one of the weaker parts of the body. I'm pretty sure I can do double Maria Sharapova's best in any exercise. At impact the racket shoulder moves more toward the net than the topspin stroke. Moving efficiently on a tennis court requires changing direction and speed smoothly and quickly. Shoulder and arm just mostly transfer that energy forward into the racquet and the ball. Let me clarify how I understand rotations on a modern FH: The way I use the term "core rotation," I include not only the abdominal and torso region but also the hip joints. The main kinetic chain motions that create racket speed in the forehand are trunk rotation, horizontal shoulder adduction, and internal rotation (4). At the competitive levels a great deal of cardiovascular conditioning and muscular endurance are needed. 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. 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. (a-f). A strong core keeps you balanced and stable so that you can focus on hitting the ball. While practicing and playing tennis will strengthen your upper body, conditioning these muscle groups off of the court will help your game. No stretching, no icing, no light weights, no ball squeezing, no work with a flexible bar, no pulleys. Therefore, in a way, the coaches are correct to teach such a technique. 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). From this loading position (Figure 7 demonstrates an open stance loading position), the athlete forcefully rotates the hip and upper body to release the MB as hard as possible against the wall. According to Nelo Phiri, a tennis coach at Life Time Westchester, the action of swinging a tennis racquet fires up your ab muscles. All things being equal, the kinetic chain is virtually the same for both types of backhands and should be observed as such. The athlete will need to move back and across quickly to catch the MB (loading phase) and then while maintaining dynamic balance produce a forceful hip turn and throw that will mimic the muscle contractions and movements required for a deep defensive forehand stroke (for a right-hander). Effect of core training on dynamic balance and agility among Indian junior tennis players. ; eccentric: An isotonic contraction where the muscle lengthens. Obesity (Silver Spring). These exercises can also be performed with an inexpensive resistance band. This phase involves the trunk muscle to make the adequate momentum and cancelation. The open stance in forehand is not new as this was used in men's tennis championships. Concentrate on relaxing. This gets all of the big muscle groups connected through the shoulders, back, core and hips in position to fire. Perform two to three sets of 10 reps with each exercise and work both arms. Each one of these sides is called a bevel, and they are numbered from 1 to 8 for easier identification. This position will produce greater weight transfer, trunk rotation, and more effective stroke production on wide balls. Your feet never stop moving when a ball is in play even when your opponent has the ball. 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 . The wrist is also a big part of table tennis and should always be taken care of. Strength & Conditioning Journal31(4):41-49, August 2009. Besides improving your flexibility, the racquet-based sport trains an assortment of muscles, too. Dynamic stretching has sustained effects on range of motion and passive stiffness of the hamstring muscles. This means that subsequent body parts must work harder. 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. Forehand Swing: Anterior deltoid, pectorals, shoulder internal rotators, elbow flexors (biceps), serratus anterior Muscles Used In The One-Handed Backhand Volley And Drive: Push-Off: Soleus, gastrocnemius, quadriceps, gluteals If we want to fire the muscles as fast as possible, we need to first stretch the muscles and as soon as they're stretched 17. During a tennis match, all the major muscle groups are used and the energy exertion required during play can burn over 200 calories in 30 minutes, depending on your height and weight. 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? 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. Inclusion of these key training exercises in a tennis player's . TennisInstruction.com. kinetic chain;; tennis-specific training; technique analysis. For example, MB drills are offered to help the athlete, not only move and get in position properly but also to execute the form of the stroke in the proper pattern. I think that they are important but there are certainly other factors that can result in tennis success. In: 2. 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. Takahashi K, Elliott B, and Noffal G. The role of upper limb segment rotations in the development of spin in the tennis forehand. Practical exercises have been offered that will emulate the stroke coordination to improve the efficiency of stroke production as well as exercises that will improve the athlete's ability to decelerate specific body parts to assist in recovery after the execution of the specific stroke.