what muscles are used in a tennis forehand

Wantagh, NY 11793 National Osteoporosis Foundation. This is the second definition of the word grip in tennis. The purpose was to increase grip strength and endurance via forearm flexion and extension (Figure 9). 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. Players were taught to use the windshield wiper forehand with the wrist brushing the ball at contact and they were getting results. One way to remember which muscle is the agonist - it's the one. And whats even better is you dont have to be a pro like Serena Williams to give it a try. 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). How to reconcile this with other posts claiming that the power comes from pushing off the ground? For example: When the two handed backhand is hit with no trunk rotation the arms must swing harder, increasing the chance of an error. Additionally, when working on movement there should be a coordinated effort between the legs and the upper body. 9. 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. It is, after all, a fun way to exercise without feeling like youre exercising. The wrist is also a big part of table tennis and should always be taken care of. Using your core in tennis is the core of better control and balance when hitting your shots, Phiri tells Bustle. In the modern tennis forehand, pro players today are hitting the ball with much more power and topspin than ever before. 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). Additionally, the power for your serve, forehand and backhand originates in the legs and travels up through your body to your racket. Generally, this grip is used by players when they are playing in a tennis court that produces low ball bounce such as grass court. Assuming we're talking about a modern fh, I will respectfully disagree with this post. The athlete starts on the center service line and the coach/trainer throws the MB about 5 feet to the right of the athlete. What about buggy-whip (nadal) forehands? Reid M and Elliott B. Wrist extension is also a feature of the one-handed backhand of advanced players. How could that be? Show more Roger Federer Forehand: How To Generate Power Like Roger. A typical sign of poor forehand shoulder rotation is the disengaged non-dominant arm, which tends to dangle down alongside the body. You must log in or register to reply here. Copyright 2022. 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. Knudson D and Bahamonde R. Trunk and racket kinematics at impact in the open and square stance tennis forehand. Especially while playing tennis are many kinds of muscles. 2019;18(1):13-20. Modern forehand technique (typically utilizing grips ranging between eastern and western grips) clearly involves sequential coordination that takes advantage of stretch-shortening cycle muscle actions. The open stance in forehand is not new as this was used in men's tennis championships. J Sports Sci Med. Modern players often hit aggressive high-speed groundstrokes to overpower their opponent. 12. The forehand is the weapon for most tennis players and building a game plan behind a powerful forehand makes winning matches much easier. Cable rotation (in the transverse plane) drill. The 6 basic "strokes" are the fundamental movements a player performs to hit a tennis ball. This means that subsequent body parts must work harder. Coaches felt that these new forehand stroking styles were just a continuation of the evolution of the stroke from the 80s. The muscles used when playing tennis are: In the lower body: calves, hamstrings, quads, and glutes. 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. Strength & Conditioning Journal31(4):41-49, August 2009. Conclusion. 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. 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? 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The backhand underspin has an impact point that occurs closer to the front foot and closer to the body. It's all about technique. 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. A final aspect of inefficiency takes place when the kinetic chain is not properly synchronized. With hard hitting such a huge part of the modern game, having a base of strength . Knudson and Bahamonde (16) reported nonsignificant differences in racket path and speed at impact between open and square stance forehands of tennis teaching professionals. One aspect of inefficient movement is when one of the body parts is left out or the kinetic chain is broken. Pinckard K, Baskin KK, Stanford KI. Particular attention must now be paid to the use of individual segments of the upper arm, forearm and hand. I guess it depends on the person? This leg drive utilizes ground reaction forces and is critical for linear to angular momentum transfer and the development of high racket speed. Grip 2. Suite 203 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. Experienced law . Please try after some time. 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). Following is a biomechanical look at the four basic strokes: Forehand, backhand, serve and volley, as well as footwork. He is also a graduate of the High Performance Training Program. It seemed that in order to hit a proper tennis forehand, the wrist had to be firm and stable. Once again, it looked as if there was a precisely timed snap of the wrist for this kind of tennis forehand. The athlete starts on the center service line and the coach/trainer throws the MB about 3 to 5 feet in front and to the athlete's right. At impact the racket shoulder moves more toward the net than the topspin stroke. In the upper-body: the muscles of your chest, upper back, shoulders, and arms. 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. Backhand sidespin serve. Every time you hit a groundstroke, you're primarily working the transverse plane (i.e. So wrapping this up, your contention is that the muscles in the forearm are a significant source of power on a modern fh. 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. 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. 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. Now some people talk about "core rotation", how that is important and how that can be used even without legs. 18. The serve is the most strenuous stroke in tennis and deserves critical analysis. Concentrate on extending the arm and making contact. 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. The quads aka the muscles on the fronts of your thighs get in on the action, too. The Differences Between Tennis & Badminton. 17. 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. The tennis forehand was now a shot dictated by snappy wrist action. No stretching, no icing, no light weights, no ball squeezing, no work with a flexible bar, no pulleys. Look at the players at a open level tournament after their match, and see their bulging forearms, with veins popping out everywhere. And that means youll be quicker on your feet both on and off the court. Footwork Each one of these sides is called a bevel, and they are numbered from 1 to 8 for easier identification. Simply playing. What is it? The forearm is mostly just helping set the racquet angle. All things being equal, the kinetic chain is virtually the same for both types of backhands and should be observed as such. Watch his glutes, some huge powerhouses! 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 As always, the best treatment is prevention. 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. These things are happening too fast for the eye and the mind to process accurately. 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. 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. Keep a loose wrist so when you make contact it meets it dead on. Every tennis racket has a grip (or handle) with 8 different sides. These studies utilized even more precise slow motion captures and biomechanical correlations. Well-coordinated sequential rotations up the kinetic chain through the trunk and upper extremity take advantage of the stretch-shortening cycle of muscle actions. 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. 5. Muscle activation during the tennis volley In general, muscle activity increased with increasing ball speed. Forward swing to impact consists of trunk rotation initiating racket movement and is responsible for the forward movement of the hitting arm. Beth Rifkin has been writing health- and fitness-related articles since 2005. 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. 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. Like the forehand, racket speed at impact is derived from a sequencing of trunk and shoulder rotation as well as arm and hand extension. 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. Harinarayan CV, Holick MF, Prasad UV, Vani PS, HImabindu G. Vitamin D status and sun exposure in India. Updated October 2018. Forehand pendulum serve. Updated April 30, 2020. 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. Squatting and staying low is often necessary for quick anticipation and explosiveness, says Phiri. 2015;63(10):2014-22. doi:10.1111/jgs.13667, Umberson D, Montez JK. Knudson D. Hand forces and impact effectiveness in the tennis forehand. One aspect of inefficient movement is when one of the body parts is left out or the kinetic chain is broken. 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 . Preparation 4. For example: When the two handed backhand is hit with no trunk rotation the arms must swing harder, increasing the chance of an error. 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. Mili uses various swing exercises to help players feel the swing and how to amplify it through the body movements. This position will produce greater weight transfer, trunk rotation, and more effective stroke production on wide balls. Legs add a great deal to the FH, but to call them the most influential muscle group to the FH isn't correct. 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. SUMMARY. In truth, there had been numerous video analyses done during this period of the new modern tennis forehand. But what muscles does tennis work? You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Tennis also requires a high amount of agility, flexibility, quick reflexes and aerobic and anaerobic conditioning. 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. The muscle that is contracting is called the agonist and the muscle that is relaxing or lengthening is called the antagonist. Jack Groppelis co-founder of the Human Performance Institute. All they do is hold the racket and snap the wrist I think. In the future, numerical simulations will necessarily support similar . This is one of the toughest shots to play in badminton. Harvard Health Publishing. 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. to maintaining your privacy and will not share your personal information without Your racquet face naturally opens up (tilts upward) as you swing forward. This piece will give you five basic tips to improve your forehand . This strategy places extra stress on the player's body that strength and conditioning professionals should consider in designing training programs. .

Branislav Grujic is a USPTA Professional 1, tester and USPTA Sports Science Specialist. It was being revealed that the wrist wasnt at all moving at contact. 8. The program conditions for speed the muscles used in all of the following: One handed forehand; Two handed forehand; One handed backhand; Two handed backhand; Tennis . Luckily, these muscles respond quickly to training, unlike legs, which are a b$%# to train. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. 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. Improve Strength. The world's best players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Juan Martin Del Potro and Stan Wawrinka use the forehand as a powerful weapon. Forehand doi:10.1002/oby.20145. 16. During the forward movement of the racket, the left or right foot steps toward the ball. 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. 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. Both these movements are used during tennis groundstrokes. If you want to jumpstart your forehand and play like the PROS, check out my 70+ page Tennis Ebook that will immediately show you how you can take your forehand to the next level. In general, there are 2 styles of coordination in 2-handed backhands. We promise to protect your privacy, never to spam you, and you are free to unsubscribe at any time. What Women Need to Know. Make sure to maintain a straight wrist so that the ball travels in an upward motion avoiding the net. 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. How well these factors are perceived by the coach will dictate how well the players will respond and initiate the movement needed to perform. Biomechanics of tennis strokes. 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). This means that subsequent body parts must work harder. 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. If we get into the details of the movement, tennis is a complex sport that is made up of intricate movements. Slowly raise the weights to your sides keeping your elbows almost locked out. 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. Legs are the most important muscles for tennis in general, but very powerful and controlled forehands can be hit without much leg involvement. 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. This movement sequence will mimic the movement and muscles used in a wide forehand. Vigorous axial hip and upper-trunk rotation allow for energy transfer from the lower extremity to the upper extremity in the square stance forehand. Another tennis grip which can be used in a forehand shot is the continental forehand grip. Balls hit off these forehands were faster and more heavily spun than ever before. Inclusion of these key training exercises in a tennis player's . 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. For more information, please refer to our Privacy Policy. The role of the wrist was non-existent at impact. More on how tennis works your body, below. 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. This will mimic the movement and muscles used during a short attacking forehand. Some of the energy stored in this leg is converted to predominantly upward (vertical linear) momentum but also forward (horizontal linear) momentum. This linked system, or KINETIC CHAIN, works in a very systematic fashion with the legs interacting with the ground. Lie on the ground on your back, spread your arms to the sides in a T position, pushing your palms to the ground. ; eccentric: An isotonic contraction where the muscle lengthens. A second form of inefficient stroke production occurs when all of the body parts are used but not employed correctly. Furthermore, there is peak activity of the gastroc and quadriceps towards the end of this phase. I think that he weighed 140 pounds but he's in the top 1,000. Moreover, in the upper back . 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). Natural gut provided power, control and feel but it broke easily as players started to swing harder and harder. 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. Nadal generates huge power from the hips. 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. There may be times when the execution of a serve is altered based on the environment - wind, sun, a noisy crowd. During the wind-up for a powerful forehand throw, counter-rotate your shoulders as if you're preparing to swing a baseball bat. Spend as much time as your practice time allows developing movement. 4. People think that 90% of the swing comes from hips/legs/core, but the arm is still swinging fast. 2013;88(7):720-755. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2013.05.011. It is anticipated that coaches will be able to provide a safer yet more productive and effective strength training regimen for their athletes. Your message has been successfully sent to your colleague. 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). 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). When the shoulders are connected well - meaning there is a certain firmness across . Kibler WB. Fitness," "Triathlon Magazine," "Inside Tennis" and others. Besides improving your flexibility, the racquet-based sport trains an assortment of muscles, too. . The game of tennis has changed dramatically in the past 30 years. info@usptennis.com, Login | Advertise | About Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy, Copyright 2021United Sports Publications. (We hardly ever get any unsubscriptions though, so we must be doing something right!). limb during tennis. 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. Tennis is a sport that allows you to enjoy yourself while improving your physical fitness. Kovacs MS, Roetert EP, and Ellenbecker TS. Other players simply keep the non-dominant arm dangling down next to the body from the start to the finish of the forehand. 9. 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. Always warm-up: Performing warm-up exercises for wrists can go a long way in preventing injury. I think that they are important but there are certainly other factors that can result in tennis success. Effects of exercise to improve cardiovascular health. Vitamin D for health: a global perspective. Figure 1a-c show the preparation phase of the open stance forehand. 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. I'm sure forearm strength helps with endurance. I suppose I don't need to reconcile them. From the sports medicine point of view it is important to consider how the racket dampens vibration and reduces shock. TennisInstruction.com. Its not every day you think about the forearm muscles, but they come in clutch when playing tennis. 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. Tennis had become such a fast sport that the human eye, and indeed the brain, couldnt keep up. 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. It is important to examine how the equipment protects the players during performance. Hand and wrist flexion (snap) are the last movements and produce 30% of the total racket speed. 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. The purpose was to develop rotational hip and core strength in movement patterns and planes that are most used during tennis strokes (Figure 7).

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