Grip the bar with your hands slightly more wide than your shoulders. The main kinetic chain motions that create racket speed in the forehand are trunk rotation, horizontal shoulder adduction, and internal rotation (4). Another essential thing to consider is that the motion of the wrist and forearm after impact is actually part of the follow through. Most players change grips during a match depending on what shot they are hitting. 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? Even so, as graphite rackets became more mainstream, players started to adapt strokes that were loopier and featured more of a whipping action. Shoulder and arm just mostly transfer that energy forward into the racquet and the ball. V. 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). Get new journal Tables of Contents sent right to your email inbox, Biomechanics of the Tennis Groundstrokes: Implications for Strength Training, Articles in PubMed by E Paul Roetert, PhD, Articles in Google Scholar by E Paul Roetert, PhD, Other articles in this journal by E Paul Roetert, PhD, Biomechanics of the Tennis Serve: Implications for Strength Training, Preseason Strength and Conditioning for Collegiate Tennis Players, A Performance Evaluation of the Tennis Serve: Implications for Strength, Speed, Power, and Flexibility Training, Energy System-Specific Training for Tennis, Efficient Deceleration: The Forgotten Factor in Tennis-Specific Training, Privacy Policy (Updated December 15, 2022), National Strength and Conditioning Association. The purpose of this article was to help coaches recognize the unique aspects of tennis groundstrokes, with specific implication for how they can train their athletes. 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. Elliott B. Biomechanics of tennis. Your racquet face naturally opens up (tilts upward) as you swing forward. Jack Groppelis co-founder of the Human Performance Institute. A strong swing requires good upper body strength . It was strenuous on the wrist to try to whip a 14 ounce wooden stick. This strategy places extra stress on the player's body that strength and conditioning professionals should consider in designing training programs. Kibler WB. These are the open and neutral stance. National Osteoporosis Foundation. For example: Some players have a hitch in their service motion. Balls hit off these forehands were faster and more heavily spun than ever before. 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). Bernard Tomic had tiny legs when he was beating top 20 players as a teenager. The forearm is mostly just helping set the racquet angle. The forehand tennis stroke is made with the dominant hand. 2010;51(Suppl):S54-S66. 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. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. Like the forehand, racket speed at impact is derived from a sequencing of trunk and shoulder rotation as well as arm and hand extension. As the ball approached, the player swung at it maintaining this position of the arm and wrist but firming up the grip at impact and hitting through the ball. 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. In the upper-body: the muscles of your chest, upper back, shoulders, and arms. Copyright 2023 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. It's characterized by pain from the elbow to the wrist on the inside (medial side) of the elbow. As you do this, start to move your racket back and use your non-hitting arm as a counterbalance. Data is temporarily unavailable. Your message has been successfully sent to your colleague. This movement sequence will mimic the movement and muscles used in a wide forehand. That is almost all shoulder How do the forearms contribute a lot of power? Position 3. Wolken D. USA Today. . 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). You need to smoothing accelerate from load and basically sling the racquet into the ball. Working out from home: How tennis can be played safely amid coronavirus pandemic. 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). Dermatoendocrinol. We promise to protect your privacy, never to spam you, and you are free to unsubscribe at any time. 2015;63(10):2014-22. doi:10.1111/jgs.13667, Umberson D, Montez JK. 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.. Not only does your core connect your lower body to your upper body, most movements originate in your core. 11. 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. The EMG activity of the subjects' anterior deltoid muscle and the forearm extensor muscle group was recorded with the subjects using racket grip sizes of 4 1/4, 4 1/2, 4 3/4 inches. In the core: abs, obliques, erector spinae, and latissimus dorsi. Place your palm barely behind the handle of the racket. If we get into the details of the movement, tennis is a complex sport that is made up of intricate movements. The smooth acceleration and the slinging (or whipping) action is where all the power and spin comes from. A key thing to keep in mind, especially if youre playing tennis on a regular basis, is that tennis naturally uses one side of the body more than the other. Legs are the most important muscles for tennis in general, but very powerful and controlled forehands can be hit without much leg involvement. People think that 90% of the swing comes from hips/legs/core, but the arm is still swinging fast. 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). I understand the theory, but in the real world, the forearm muscles get a hell of a workout in high end tennis. 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. . Please try again soon. 2013;5(1):130-41. doi:10.4161/derm.23873, Savoye I, Olsen CM, Whiteman DC, et al. The latissimus dorsi, anterior deltoid, subscapularis, biceps and pectoralis major all contract concentrically during the acceleration phase to bring the racket to the ball for contact. Additionally, when working on movement there should be a coordinated effort between the legs and the upper body. Concentrate on allowing your arm to swing through the service motion loosely and bring it up for contact. The athlete grasps the handle of a cable pulley machine at the height of the waist. To make the most of your tennis game, Mentus recommends playing for a half-hour at least twice a week. Calories burned in 30 minutes for people of three different weights. Some of the energy stored in this leg is converted to predominantly upward (vertical linear) momentum but also forward (horizontal linear) momentum. Footwork, or movement, is another important biomechanical attribute. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. These exercises can also be performed with an inexpensive resistance band. The muscles responsible for this part of the tennis serve are the lateral rotators of the spine and their names are the Multifidus, Rotatores Spinae and External Abdominal Oblique muscles. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Muscles used in Badminton. 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. This concept indicates that the speed of the racket is built by summing up the individual speeds of all participating segments. Bashir SF, Nuhmani S, Dhall R, Muaidi QI. This is probably most evident in groundstroke technique and strategy. It does not matter how great the stroke is if the player is not in the right place at the right time. There are differences in the use of the legs, trunk, and upper extremity between the 1- and 2-handed backhands. Effect of core training on dynamic balance and agility among Indian junior tennis players. 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. 2019;18(1):13-20. Updated April 30, 2020. Wrap your fingers around your racquet's grip at the butt end. This means that subsequent body parts must work harder. You may search for similar articles that contain these same keywords or you may Coordination of body weight transfer is discussed as well. 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. This linear motion of the body and racket also encourages more racket force being applied in the intended direction of the shot. 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. The athlete will need to move laterally (utilizing either the shuffle or the crossover step) to catch the MB (loading phase) and then while maintaining dynamic balance produce a forceful hip and trunk rotation to throw the MB. Vitamin D for health: a global perspective. 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. Lie on the ground on your back, spread your arms to the sides in a T position, pushing your palms to the ground. As the shuttle is struck behind the body the 'thumb' grip (often confusingly referred to as a backhand grip) should not be used. Search for Similar Articles The quads aka the muscles on the fronts of your thighs get in on the action, too. Step 9. Results The experimental group's stability increased significantly, from 1.78 0.67 to 2.25 1.34 before training, and backstroke strength increased significantly, from 6.21 to 10.21; total . Therefore, in a way, the coaches are correct to teach such a technique. The rotation of upper arm, forearm, and hand, account for the remaining 75% of racket speed at impact. There is no perfect way to stroke the ball, but there is one time when the stroke must be perfect -IMPACT. This is strong retrospective evidence that training of the wrist extensors and grip may be useful to reduce the risk of the common overuse injury of the lateral epicondyle. Watch his glutes, some huge powerhouses! This phase involves the trunk muscle to make the adequate momentum and cancelation. Federer's The follow-through decelerates immediately after impact as the racket resumes its ready position. Players were still able to position themselves take the ball early and step into the shot. Kovacs MS, Roetert EP, and Ellenbecker TS. Biomechanics, stated simply, can be defined as the study of human motion in its physical entirety. The Modern Forehand Domination Ebook is guaranteed to improve your tennis technique, and increase power, topspin and accuracy of your tennis forehand! limb during tennis. . Forward swing to impact requires more trunk rotation of the hitting shoulder. Work these muscles on and off the court and youll have Wimbledon-level tennis abilities in no time. The internal rotators of the shoulder (pec major, lats, subscap) and the trunk muscles are the primary movers in this phase. United Sports Publications, Ltd. According to Mentus, these muscles are essential for gripping the racquet and striking the ball, making them a crucial component of an effective tennis swing. 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. The upper back, chest, shoulders, biceps and triceps all come into play during a tennis swing or tennis serve. Iino Y and Kojima T. Torque acting on the pelvis about its superior-inferior axis through the hip joints during a tennis forehand stroke. All they do is hold the racket and snap the wrist I think. (a-f) One-handed backhand groundstroke-(a-c) illustrates the preparation phase of a 1-handed closed stance backhand, while (d-f) illustrates the forward swing. The muscle that is contracting is called the agonist and the muscle that is relaxing or lengthening is called the antagonist. But that's not always the case. Knudson D and Blackwell J. 7 of 8. 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. This is the second definition of the word grip in tennis. Greater upper-trunk rotation has been observed in 2-handed backhands than in 1-handed backhands (19). Every time you hit a groundstroke, you're primarily working the transverse plane (i.e. 9. You must log in or register to reply here. 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. Squatting and staying low is often necessary for quick anticipation and explosiveness, says Phiri. The forearm flexors and grip musculature are also important in the tennis forehand. The backhand backswing is similar to the forehand with the exception of the loop. One aspect of inefficient movement is when one of the body parts is left out or the kinetic chain is broken. The main ones being: The core muscles, including the rectus abdominus and transverse abdominus, which are the abdominal muscles, and both internal and external oblique muscles. The design of the racket (shape and material) has changed dramatically over the past few years. The Kinetic Chain in Tennis: Each one of these sides is called a bevel, and they are numbered from 1 to 8 for easier identification. Simply playing. Theyre also required to accelerate and catch up to the ball, he says. These players nonetheless evidently thrived with this instruction. The world's best players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Juan Martin Del Potro and Stan Wawrinka use the forehand as a powerful weapon. It was being revealed that the wrist wasnt at all moving at contact. Figure 10a demonstrates a forearm pronation movement, and Figure 10b demonstrates a forearm supination movement. Instead, the wrist stayed in the exact same laid back position at impact and beyond. The game of tennis has changed dramatically in the past 30 years. The muscles involved would include: pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, teres major, subscapularis, and deltoid (anterior fibers). Nadal generates huge power from the hips. supplement your tennis game by strength training. And it does this without feeling like a workout. The old coaching program for the basic table tennis techniques is outdated! This will make the power from the swing come mostly from the arm instead of the body. Br J Sports Med. 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. Your feet never stop moving when a ball is in play even when your opponent has the ball. 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. Fast forward to the late 70s and early 80s when wood started giving way to graphite and the majority of courts started changing from slick grass to higher bouncing asphalt and slow clay, players began adapting by moving to stronger eastern and semi-western grips. 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. 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. Concentrate on relaxing. This stroke is often referred to as mostly closed in nature because a player has total control over it. As stated by Roetert and Reid (20), there are 2 things to remember related to these forehand stances: (a) open stances are often situation specific and (b) both stances use linear and angular momentum to power the stroke. Pinckard K, Baskin KK, Stanford KI. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. It is anticipated that coaches will be able to provide a safer yet more productive and effective strength training regimen for their athletes. 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. 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. Hit the back of the ball if you want to lift it to get the forehand high loop. These studies utilized even more precise slow motion captures and biomechanical correlations. 8. A similar kinetic chain of body segments accompanies the remaining strokes. This involves having control over the racket head and swinging the racket with optimal speed. The athlete flexes and extends the wrist to lower the weight. The arms should move in sync on the forehand either like this or . January 1, 2017. Spend as much time as your practice time allows developing movement. This is one of the toughest shots to play in badminton. It is vital that teaching professionals understand this kinetic chain so that they can better recognize errors or inefficient movement. The stiffer the racket, the more shock will be sent to the arm. Muscles used in Tennis Tennis is a sport that places demands on all the major muscle groups of the body. Invest into finding the right gear: Everything about your racketthe string . 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. 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. This article has summarized key biomechanical variables inherent in an elite-level tennis serve. Due to the swinging of the racket, tennis is often thought of as an upper-body sport, but your leg muscles, including your glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings and calves, are doing most of the work out on the court. This ground action force is necessary to decelerate the body from one direction and accelerate the body in another direction. 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. Keep a loose wrist so when you make contact it meets it dead on. The involvement of the shoulder and the trunk muscles adds on a significant amount of force. The three most commonly used conventional grips are: the Continental (or "Chopper"), the Eastern and the Semi-Western.