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Friday. 29 March 2024
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Limit injuries with good stroke technique

This is an excerpt from Playing Tennis After 50 by Ron and Kathy Woods.



Tennis Technique and the Body


Watch a competent senior player on the court. Typically, he will use sound technique that minimizes the shock to his body. Grips, swings, and court movement will be efficient and measured and seemingly require little effort.

(The following four) scenarios are typical issues for tennis players. The good news is that they can be avoided by developing and practicing sound body mechanics through proper tennis technique. A certified, experienced teaching professional can help you prevent these types of problems. Seek counsel and periodically spend time improving your skills under the watchful eye of a trusted coach. It will be well worth your while to make the investment in order to prevent body aches and pains caused by poor or flawed tennis technique.

Female players will likely take these suggestions to heart and schedule time with a trusted coach. Male players, well that’s another story. Many male tennis players consider themselves to be at least somewhat athletic and are self-taught players for the most part. They pick up ideas from each other, watch professional players, and develop their own style of play. When they have time to play tennis, they want to play and compete rather than take a lesson.

The problem with this approach is that technique errors become magnified over time as the body ages. Players become more susceptible to injury and require longer recovery time. Guys, just swallow your pride and schedule some time with a coach. We promise you that you’ll love learning to play better and you’ll forestall most overuse injuries.

When you do consult a coach, make sure you have an idea what your trouble spots are. If you are not sure, explain that you would like your coach to evaluate your overall game and then together make a plan for technique adjustments.





Example 1

Let's look at a common example of how tennis technique affects the body. A common problem for many players is the grip on the backhand side. If your hand is in front of the racket (figure 11.1a) rather than on top and behind, your arm and shoulder will absorb the shock of the ball hitting your racket. You would be much better off changing to a grip that puts your hand, arm, and shoulder behind the racket at the point of contact with the ball (figure 11.1b), thereby eliminating the shock. It is simply a matter of using the laws of physics to support the racket and ball impact in the proper position. Another possibility is to convert to a two-handed backhand, using the nonracket hand for support behind the racket.









Example 2

Here is another example from the serve. Many players face the net or open their body too soon during the serve (figure 11.2a). The result is that most of the power is supplied by the arm and shoulder rather than from the legs upward followed by a rotation of the large muscles of the hips, trunk, and upper body. Eventually, the arm will become fatigued, and overuse will put inordinate strain on the serving arm or on the rotator cuff muscles of the shoulder area. If you keep using that same serve, an overuse injury will be the likely result, possibly leading to surgery. Keep your shoulders sideways until the racket has actually moved into the hitting area of the serve, and let your body naturally follow the racket (figure 11.2b).









Example 3

On the forehand side, a late contact point and failure to use the upper-body rotation to supply power puts tremendous stress on the racket arm (figure 11.3a). At the point of impact, your racket hand and arm should be even with your front foot, using a square stance. There is about a 45-degree angle between the shoulder of your racket arm and the contact point, which provides leverage against the oncoming ball. A late contact point, which might be anywhere from your belt buckle to your back, puts your arm in a weak position. Trying to use your arm to muscle the shot rather than rotating your shoulders and hips into the shot magnifies the stress on your arm. The solution for a late contact point is to prepare earlier, begin your forward swing a bit earlier, and aim for contact in line with your front foot. As your racket moves forward, allow your hips and upper body to rotate naturally to follow your racket and generate racket speed (figure 11.3b).






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