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It was a real honor for the iTPA to be heavily involved in this Tennis Medicine & Injury Prevention Conference held in Atlanta, Georgia Dec 15th & 16th, 2012 hosted at Life University. The quality of speakers was outstanding. The great educators, researchers, clinicians, coaches, trainers and tennis performance specialists who presented are the leaders in the tennis industry. The information presented was the latest tennis-specific information on aspects of medical conditioning and the prevention of injuries in tennis athletes from juniors to senior players. The depth and breadth of the speakers experiences was very impressive and the feedback from the attendees was very positive. Below is a summary list of speakers that presented at the event followed by a brief outline from the opening session:
Speakers:
Elizabeth Chaffin, PT, DPT, MS, ATC - USTA Medical Coordinator
Brian Hainline, MD - Chief Medical Officer, United States Tennis Association Chair and will be the new Chief Medical Officer for the NCAA starting in 2013. He is also a member of the iTPA Certification Commission.
Neeru Jayanthi MD - USPTA, Vice President, STMS. Dr. Jayanthi is also the Director of Loyola Tennis Medicine and Primary Care Medicine Program at Loyola School of Medicine in Maywood, IL. Dr. Jayanthi is also a member of the iTPA Certification Commission.
W. Ben Kibler, MD - Dr. W. Ben Kibler is the Medical Director for Lexington Clinic Sports Medicine Center and Shoulder Center of Kentucky of the Lexington Clinic in Lexington, KY. He is the team physician and orthopedist for the Lexington Legends; class A minor league team in the Houston Astros Organization. He also is team physician for numerous colleges and high schools in the Lexington area. Currently, Dr. Kibler serves on the Sports Science Committee of the U.S. Tennis Association, as a consultant for the Women’s Tennis Association, and is a founding member of the Society of Tennis Medicine and Science. Dr. Kibler is a Fellow and former Vice President for the American College of Sports Medicine. Dr. Kibler has presented and written prolifically on all areas of sports medicine. He specializes in the upper extremity, shoulder pathology, scapula, and biomechanics of tennis. Dr. Kibler is a member of the iTPA Certification Commission
Mark Kovacs, PhD, FACSM, CTPS, CSCS is the Executive Director of the International Tennis Performance Association (iTPA) and is a tennis researcher, certified strength and conditioning specialist and certified tennis professional. He was a former tennis All-American and NCAA champion.
Page Love, MS, RD, CSSD, LD, CSCS, ACSM - Registered Dietitian and Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. ACSM Certified Health and Fitness Instructor, President and Founder of Nutrifit, Sport, Therapy, Inc. Page is a member of the iTPA Certification Commission.
Satoshi Ochi, CSCS, CTPS - Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the United States Tennis Association (USTA). He is based at USTA National Training Center Headquarters in Boca Raton, FL. Satoshi oversees and manages Strength and Conditioning programs for the USTA Player Development program. Prior to joining the USTA, Satoshi was the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Creighton University where he was also an instructor for the Exercises Science Department. Satoshi, from Shizuoka, Japan, received his M.A. in Exercise Science from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Satoshi also received his B.A. in Exercise Science at Creighton University and played tennis for the BlueJays while attending the university. Satoshi is a member of the iTPA Advisory Board.
Marc Safran, MD - Past President STMS, Orthopaedic Consultant WTA. Dr. Safran is also the Associate Chief of Sports Medicine and Fellowship Director of Sports Medicine, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Safran specializes in Sports Medicine and arthroscopic and ligament reconstructive surgery on the shoulder, elbow, hip and knee. He is a diplomat at the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and member of such prestigious societies such as: The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, the ACL Study Group, the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Society, the Paradicus Society, the Multicenter of Arthroscopic Hip Surgery Outcomes Research Network, the Multicenter Orthopaedic Outcomes Network, and the Society of Tennis Medicine and Science in addition to the American College of Sports Medicine. Dr. Safran is a member of the iTPA Certification Commission.
Oliver Stephens,PTR Master of Tennis-Performance, PTR Clinician & Tester (currently studying for the TPT exam)
Kathleen Stroia MS, PT, ATC - Vice President, Sport Sciences & Medicine and Player Development WTA Tour, Inc. Kathleen is a member of the iTPA Certification Commission.
Walter C. Taylor, III, MD - Program Director for Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Department of Education Services, Jacksonville, Florida and Medical Advisor - WTA Tour, Florida
Joseph S. Wilkes, MD - Dr. Joseph S. Wilkes has been providing Orthopaedic care to his patients for over 20 years. He is a general Orthopaedic surgeon with fellowship training in sports medicine, and surgery of the hand. Dr. Wilkes’ practice encompasses total orthopaedic care including upper and lower extremity and joint replacement. He specializes in complex disorders of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand, including arthroscopy repair reconstruction.
The conference hosts Drs. Neeru Jayanthi, MD (STMS Vice-President and Director, Tennis Medicine Program at Loyola University) and Mark Kovacs, PhD, CTPS (iTPA) opened the conference talking about the importance of balancing improving performance with reducing tennis injuries. One important takeaway from this presentation was for the different specialists (physical therapists, athletic trainers, medical doctors, certified tennis performance specialists etc) to continue to look at each athlete as a total person and focus on finding the cause of the problems rather than just focusing on symptom. Focus training and analysis from the core region out and the lower body up. It is important to understand why you choose certain exercises at certain time with each athlete. One important concept was that exercises are not typically good or bad. The problem is exercises that are applied at the wrong time in a periodized program, to the wrong type of athlete, at the wrong age and stage of development or for the wrong goals. These were a couple of simple concepts that sometimes you may forget when working with your tennis athletes.
The iTPA Inner Circle (www.itpamembers.org) will be bringing an in-depth summary of the major presentations over the next two weeks including some video footage from the on-court sessions. The iTPA Inner Circle is available to all iTPA members. Register for TPT or CTPS today and you will gain access to the Inner Circle. Happy holidays!
Speakers:
Elizabeth Chaffin, PT, DPT, MS, ATC - USTA Medical Coordinator
Brian Hainline, MD - Chief Medical Officer, United States Tennis Association Chair and will be the new Chief Medical Officer for the NCAA starting in 2013. He is also a member of the iTPA Certification Commission.
Neeru Jayanthi MD - USPTA, Vice President, STMS. Dr. Jayanthi is also the Director of Loyola Tennis Medicine and Primary Care Medicine Program at Loyola School of Medicine in Maywood, IL. Dr. Jayanthi is also a member of the iTPA Certification Commission.
W. Ben Kibler, MD - Dr. W. Ben Kibler is the Medical Director for Lexington Clinic Sports Medicine Center and Shoulder Center of Kentucky of the Lexington Clinic in Lexington, KY. He is the team physician and orthopedist for the Lexington Legends; class A minor league team in the Houston Astros Organization. He also is team physician for numerous colleges and high schools in the Lexington area. Currently, Dr. Kibler serves on the Sports Science Committee of the U.S. Tennis Association, as a consultant for the Women’s Tennis Association, and is a founding member of the Society of Tennis Medicine and Science. Dr. Kibler is a Fellow and former Vice President for the American College of Sports Medicine. Dr. Kibler has presented and written prolifically on all areas of sports medicine. He specializes in the upper extremity, shoulder pathology, scapula, and biomechanics of tennis. Dr. Kibler is a member of the iTPA Certification Commission
Mark Kovacs, PhD, FACSM, CTPS, CSCS is the Executive Director of the International Tennis Performance Association (iTPA) and is a tennis researcher, certified strength and conditioning specialist and certified tennis professional. He was a former tennis All-American and NCAA champion.
Page Love, MS, RD, CSSD, LD, CSCS, ACSM - Registered Dietitian and Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. ACSM Certified Health and Fitness Instructor, President and Founder of Nutrifit, Sport, Therapy, Inc. Page is a member of the iTPA Certification Commission.
Satoshi Ochi, CSCS, CTPS - Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the United States Tennis Association (USTA). He is based at USTA National Training Center Headquarters in Boca Raton, FL. Satoshi oversees and manages Strength and Conditioning programs for the USTA Player Development program. Prior to joining the USTA, Satoshi was the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Creighton University where he was also an instructor for the Exercises Science Department. Satoshi, from Shizuoka, Japan, received his M.A. in Exercise Science from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Satoshi also received his B.A. in Exercise Science at Creighton University and played tennis for the BlueJays while attending the university. Satoshi is a member of the iTPA Advisory Board.
Marc Safran, MD - Past President STMS, Orthopaedic Consultant WTA. Dr. Safran is also the Associate Chief of Sports Medicine and Fellowship Director of Sports Medicine, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Safran specializes in Sports Medicine and arthroscopic and ligament reconstructive surgery on the shoulder, elbow, hip and knee. He is a diplomat at the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and member of such prestigious societies such as: The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, the ACL Study Group, the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Society, the Paradicus Society, the Multicenter of Arthroscopic Hip Surgery Outcomes Research Network, the Multicenter Orthopaedic Outcomes Network, and the Society of Tennis Medicine and Science in addition to the American College of Sports Medicine. Dr. Safran is a member of the iTPA Certification Commission.
Oliver Stephens,PTR Master of Tennis-Performance, PTR Clinician & Tester (currently studying for the TPT exam)
Kathleen Stroia MS, PT, ATC - Vice President, Sport Sciences & Medicine and Player Development WTA Tour, Inc. Kathleen is a member of the iTPA Certification Commission.
Walter C. Taylor, III, MD - Program Director for Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Department of Education Services, Jacksonville, Florida and Medical Advisor - WTA Tour, Florida
Joseph S. Wilkes, MD - Dr. Joseph S. Wilkes has been providing Orthopaedic care to his patients for over 20 years. He is a general Orthopaedic surgeon with fellowship training in sports medicine, and surgery of the hand. Dr. Wilkes’ practice encompasses total orthopaedic care including upper and lower extremity and joint replacement. He specializes in complex disorders of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand, including arthroscopy repair reconstruction.
The conference hosts Drs. Neeru Jayanthi, MD (STMS Vice-President and Director, Tennis Medicine Program at Loyola University) and Mark Kovacs, PhD, CTPS (iTPA) opened the conference talking about the importance of balancing improving performance with reducing tennis injuries. One important takeaway from this presentation was for the different specialists (physical therapists, athletic trainers, medical doctors, certified tennis performance specialists etc) to continue to look at each athlete as a total person and focus on finding the cause of the problems rather than just focusing on symptom. Focus training and analysis from the core region out and the lower body up. It is important to understand why you choose certain exercises at certain time with each athlete. One important concept was that exercises are not typically good or bad. The problem is exercises that are applied at the wrong time in a periodized program, to the wrong type of athlete, at the wrong age and stage of development or for the wrong goals. These were a couple of simple concepts that sometimes you may forget when working with your tennis athletes.
The iTPA Inner Circle (www.itpamembers.org) will be bringing an in-depth summary of the major presentations over the next two weeks including some video footage from the on-court sessions. The iTPA Inner Circle is available to all iTPA members. Register for TPT or CTPS today and you will gain access to the Inner Circle. Happy holidays!
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Tennis is one of the few sports that require the players to transition through different surfaces on a regular basis. Although there are dozens of different surfaces around the world, for sake of discussion there are three major groups of surfaces that players typically compete on: hard-courts, clay-courts and grass-courts. These different court surfaces result in different movement requirements due to the speed, cushioning and friction of the court. The eminent University of Pennsylvania Physicist and tennis sport scientist Dr. Howard Brody found that the horizontal frictional force greatly effects ball speed and is a determining factor in court speed (Brody, 1995). There can be as much as a 15% difference in ball speed after the bounce, depending on the court surface. Typically a clay-court is slower than a hard-court. This reduction in ball speed allows athletes more time to reach the ball, therefore lengthening the duration of points played on clay-courts. A computerized notational analysis of 252 professional singles matches found that rallies on clay courts at the professional level were significantly longer than any other surface (O’Donoghue et al 2001). In a study looking at the percentage of baseline rallies at the four Grand Slams found:
• French Open (claycourt) 51%
• Australian Open (hardcourt) 46%
• US Open (hardcourt) 35%
• Wimbledon (grass) 19%
Another interesting difference between surfaces is that on hardcourts professional players are under increased time-pressure 45% of time, compared with only 29% on clay-courts (Pieper et al 2007). Therefore, court surfaces do play a role in the movement requirements of tennis athletes and training needs to be adapted based on these differences.
These studies just highlight the need for different focused training based on the type of surface that the athlete will be training and competes. It is important to take into consideration the surface and the workloads that are involved in the different surfaces when focusing on tennis-specific movement training.
References:
Weber, K., S. Pieper, et al. (2007). "Characteristics and significance of running speed at the Australian Open 2006 for training and injury prevention." Medicine and Science in Tennis 12(1): 14-17.
• French Open (claycourt) 51%
• Australian Open (hardcourt) 46%
• US Open (hardcourt) 35%
• Wimbledon (grass) 19%
Another interesting difference between surfaces is that on hardcourts professional players are under increased time-pressure 45% of time, compared with only 29% on clay-courts (Pieper et al 2007). Therefore, court surfaces do play a role in the movement requirements of tennis athletes and training needs to be adapted based on these differences.
These studies just highlight the need for different focused training based on the type of surface that the athlete will be training and competes. It is important to take into consideration the surface and the workloads that are involved in the different surfaces when focusing on tennis-specific movement training.
References:
Weber, K., S. Pieper, et al. (2007). "Characteristics and significance of running speed at the Australian Open 2006 for training and injury prevention." Medicine and Science in Tennis 12(1): 14-17.
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iTPA's Executive Director Dr. Mark Kovacs was interviewed on today's ParentingAces radio show and discussed fitness and injury prevention for the junior tennis player. You can listen to the hour-long recorded version at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ur10s/2012/11/19/parenting-aces
Thanks ParentingAces for the opportunity, and the great discussion on fitness for the junior tennis player. If anyone has any more questions feel free to post them!
Thanks ParentingAces for the opportunity, and the great discussion on fitness for the junior tennis player. If anyone has any more questions feel free to post them!
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Are You Training The Most Efficient Way For Tennis Specific Movement?
Tennis movement is highly situation specific and is performed in a reactive environment. This irregularity of movement requires both general movement training, but more importantly tennis-specific movement training. The need to continually respond to situations requires a fine understanding of the athlete’s game style, strategy, movement strengths and weakness. Movement for tennis is both simple and complex.
In competitive tennis, the average point length is less than 10 seconds with the recovery between points usually between 20-25 seconds. Tennis players make an average of four directional changes per point, but any given point can range from a single movement to more than 20 directional changes during a long rally. Also, it is important to remember that most movements occur in seven yards or less. Most tennis players can cover 2-3 feet more moving to the forehand side compared to the backhand side. Understanding some of these basics are very important for the coach, but just as beneficial for the individual player at any level of the game.
The majority of tennis movements are in a lateral direction. In a study of professional players’ movement, it was found that more than 70% of movements were side-to-side with less than 20% of movements in forward linear direction and less than 8% of movements in a backward linear direction (Weber et al, 2007). This is an important statistic, because the development of lateral acceleration and deceleration in the distances described above are the major determining factors in great tennis movement. It is known that linear acceleration, linear maximum velocity and agility are all separate and distinct biomotor skills that need to be trained separately, as training one biomotor skill will not directly impact the improvement of the other. Therefore, preferred training recommendations for tennis should be to focus to focus training time between 60-80% on lateral and multi-direction movements, 10-30% on linear movements.
References:
Weber, K., S. Pieper, et al. (2007). "Characteristics and significance of running speed at the Australian Open 2006 for training and injury prevention." Medicine and Science in Tennis 12(1): 14-17.
Tennis movement is highly situation specific and is performed in a reactive environment. This irregularity of movement requires both general movement training, but more importantly tennis-specific movement training. The need to continually respond to situations requires a fine understanding of the athlete’s game style, strategy, movement strengths and weakness. Movement for tennis is both simple and complex.
In competitive tennis, the average point length is less than 10 seconds with the recovery between points usually between 20-25 seconds. Tennis players make an average of four directional changes per point, but any given point can range from a single movement to more than 20 directional changes during a long rally. Also, it is important to remember that most movements occur in seven yards or less. Most tennis players can cover 2-3 feet more moving to the forehand side compared to the backhand side. Understanding some of these basics are very important for the coach, but just as beneficial for the individual player at any level of the game.
The majority of tennis movements are in a lateral direction. In a study of professional players’ movement, it was found that more than 70% of movements were side-to-side with less than 20% of movements in forward linear direction and less than 8% of movements in a backward linear direction (Weber et al, 2007). This is an important statistic, because the development of lateral acceleration and deceleration in the distances described above are the major determining factors in great tennis movement. It is known that linear acceleration, linear maximum velocity and agility are all separate and distinct biomotor skills that need to be trained separately, as training one biomotor skill will not directly impact the improvement of the other. Therefore, preferred training recommendations for tennis should be to focus to focus training time between 60-80% on lateral and multi-direction movements, 10-30% on linear movements.
References:
Weber, K., S. Pieper, et al. (2007). "Characteristics and significance of running speed at the Australian Open 2006 for training and injury prevention." Medicine and Science in Tennis 12(1): 14-17.
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The warm-up period before tennis practice or competition is very important for a number of reasons. For many people they think of this time period as a time to warm the muscles and prepare the mind for the tennis that is about to happen. However, this time-period can be utilized in a more opportune way if a structured dynamic warm-up is applied. A dynamic warm-up, if performed appropriately, will increase core body and muscle temperature, increase heart rate, improve functional/dynamic range of motion, improve balance, coordination, strength and stability. It is important to realize that for many tennis-players this may be a large part of the “physical” training that they perform. If the dynamic warm-up is structured appropriately it can certainly improve the athlete in multiple ways while also preparing the body for the upcoming tennis play. Research has consistently shown that a well-performed dynamic warm-up is more beneficial for the athlete than traditional static stretching before physical activity (i.e. tennis). Compared to static stretching, dynamic stretching movements improves strength, speed, power performance in subsequent physical activities.
A great resource that is available highlighting dozens of dynamic stretching exercises is available here (Dynamic Stretching: The Revolutionary New Warm Up Method).
Also, the iTPA CTPS educational program has an extensive section highlighting the science behind the dynamic warm-up period as well as dozens of exercises with coaching cues and descriptions.
Video on Dynamic Stretching:
A great resource that is available highlighting dozens of dynamic stretching exercises is available here (Dynamic Stretching: The Revolutionary New Warm Up Method).
Also, the iTPA CTPS educational program has an extensive section highlighting the science behind the dynamic warm-up period as well as dozens of exercises with coaching cues and descriptions.
Video on Dynamic Stretching:
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Todd Martin: Newest iTPA Advisory Board Member. Bio:
Todd retired from the Tour following his participation in the 2004 U.S. Open, his fifteenth consecutive U.S. Open. He was a two-time Grand Slam finalist (1999 US Open and 1994 Australian Open) as well as four-time Grand Slam semifinalist, in addition to holding eight career singles titles and five doubles titles. Career High ATP World #4 ranking and member of US Davis Cup Team (1994-2002), including Champion Team (1995).
Following his retirement, Todd coached ATP Tour professionals Novak Djokovic and Mardy Fish as well as continuing to assist in the development of several top Tour and junior players. He is Managing Partner of Todd Martin Tennis.
Visit http://toddmartintennis.com/ for more information. Welcome Todd!
Todd retired from the Tour following his participation in the 2004 U.S. Open, his fifteenth consecutive U.S. Open. He was a two-time Grand Slam finalist (1999 US Open and 1994 Australian Open) as well as four-time Grand Slam semifinalist, in addition to holding eight career singles titles and five doubles titles. Career High ATP World #4 ranking and member of US Davis Cup Team (1994-2002), including Champion Team (1995).
Following his retirement, Todd coached ATP Tour professionals Novak Djokovic and Mardy Fish as well as continuing to assist in the development of several top Tour and junior players. He is Managing Partner of Todd Martin Tennis.
Visit http://toddmartintennis.com/ for more information. Welcome Todd!
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Congratulations to Andy Murray for becoming the 2012 US Open Champion. His mission of winning a Grand Slam title has taken many years and lots of success, interspersed with many heartbreaking failures. It is a very important lesson for everyone involved in tennis and life. Things rarely come easily. It is very unique that you succeed at a major goal on the first attempt. It usually takes many mistakes, losses, frustration and heartbreak before achieving anything worthwhile. Andy kept working hard and trying to improve certain aspects that he needed to work on to take the final step in achieving his dream of becoming a Grand Slam champion.
Although Ivan Lendl has received a large amount of credit for Andy Murray’s victory, it is important for everyone to realize that although Ivan brought a very important piece to the puzzle, his involvement was only one aspect to the success. Andy has a very structured support team of fitness and health professionals who have been with him for more than five years. This consistency is very important for an athlete to have individuals who know the athlete very well and provides a consistent presence. The iTPA wants to congratulate the physical training team:
Jez Green – Physical Conditioning Coach
Matt Little – Strength & Conditioning Coach
Andy Ireland – Physiotherapist
All three individuals are true professionals that have dedicated a large amount of time, expertise and effort to helping Andy achieve the dream of becoming a Grand Slam champion. The consistency that they provide is very important and unfortunately this consistency is not seen enough at the junior, collegiate or professional level. It should be a red flag to parents, coaches and players when a physical conditioning coach does not last very long with a player. Many reasons may exist for a short relationship, but if a physical conditioning coach works with many players for only short periods of time, this should be a concern when evaluating the right trainer (or coach) for the athlete. Consistency is very important for long term success, and the best results are seen with a consistent team. Be wary of physical conditioning coaches who do not show long track records with players. It is similar to any professional who cannot (for multiple reasons) work with the same athlete for extended periods (i.e. greater than one year). If the trainer’s relationships are short with many different athletes, it suggests that the coach may lack the ability, interest, connectivity, long term focus or skills to take athletes through a progressive plan to reach large goals. When evaluating individuals to be part of the athlete’s team, it is important to think about the bigger picture and have a long term focus plan.
Although Ivan Lendl has received a large amount of credit for Andy Murray’s victory, it is important for everyone to realize that although Ivan brought a very important piece to the puzzle, his involvement was only one aspect to the success. Andy has a very structured support team of fitness and health professionals who have been with him for more than five years. This consistency is very important for an athlete to have individuals who know the athlete very well and provides a consistent presence. The iTPA wants to congratulate the physical training team:
Jez Green – Physical Conditioning Coach
Matt Little – Strength & Conditioning Coach
Andy Ireland – Physiotherapist
All three individuals are true professionals that have dedicated a large amount of time, expertise and effort to helping Andy achieve the dream of becoming a Grand Slam champion. The consistency that they provide is very important and unfortunately this consistency is not seen enough at the junior, collegiate or professional level. It should be a red flag to parents, coaches and players when a physical conditioning coach does not last very long with a player. Many reasons may exist for a short relationship, but if a physical conditioning coach works with many players for only short periods of time, this should be a concern when evaluating the right trainer (or coach) for the athlete. Consistency is very important for long term success, and the best results are seen with a consistent team. Be wary of physical conditioning coaches who do not show long track records with players. It is similar to any professional who cannot (for multiple reasons) work with the same athlete for extended periods (i.e. greater than one year). If the trainer’s relationships are short with many different athletes, it suggests that the coach may lack the ability, interest, connectivity, long term focus or skills to take athletes through a progressive plan to reach large goals. When evaluating individuals to be part of the athlete’s team, it is important to think about the bigger picture and have a long term focus plan.
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"Around the world, at all ages, boys throw better — a lot better — than girls. Studies of overhand ball throwing across different cultures have found that pre-pubescent girls throw 51 to 69 percent of the distance that boys do, at 51 to 78 percent of the velocity. As they get older, the differences increase; one U.S. study found that girls age 14 to 18 threw only 39 percent as far as boys (an average of about 75 feet vs. about 192 feet)."
Although most tennis people know that girls struggle to throw as well as boys, it is something that needs to be trained at a young age. With practice and the correct technical work, girls can throw very well, but it requires the coach/parent to focus on tennis-specific throwing mechanics rather than just throwing the ball forward. The big problem most people have is that they do not focus on throwing with a high trajectory (i.e. long tossing) while also trying to maintain a positive shoulder-over-shoulder position (think a good tennis serve position at contact). If the athlete throws with these mechanics at a young age, she will develop good throwing mechanics that will translate into a more effective tennis serve and should help her also be able to hit an effective kick serve. Take read of the article below from the Washington Post that provides some more statistics.
http://tinyurl.com/8k454fy
Although most tennis people know that girls struggle to throw as well as boys, it is something that needs to be trained at a young age. With practice and the correct technical work, girls can throw very well, but it requires the coach/parent to focus on tennis-specific throwing mechanics rather than just throwing the ball forward. The big problem most people have is that they do not focus on throwing with a high trajectory (i.e. long tossing) while also trying to maintain a positive shoulder-over-shoulder position (think a good tennis serve position at contact). If the athlete throws with these mechanics at a young age, she will develop good throwing mechanics that will translate into a more effective tennis serve and should help her also be able to hit an effective kick serve. Take read of the article below from the Washington Post that provides some more statistics.
http://tinyurl.com/8k454fy
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As the US Open has started, it is worth reflecting on what it takes for players to achieve success at the highest level. It is important to understand as a coach, trainer, therapist or parent how difficult it is to become the best in the world at anything. Remember that making the US Open main draw means that you are in the top 128 players in the world at the time. This is an outstanding accomplishment. In any profession – lawyer, doctor, plumber, teacher, coach, therapist etc – it is unbelievably difficult to reach the pinnacle. Tennis is a global sport with over 100 countries producing professional players and to rise to the top is very challenging. Many people talk about how difficult it is to make it in today’s game.
One discussion point that comes about in coaching and training circles is about how best to handle young players who have the dreams of one day stepping on the court at the grand slam tournaments and making a successful living as a professional tennis player. As a coach or influencer this mindset and goal should be 100% embraced and encouraged. At the young age (i.e. before puberty) potential is a beautiful thing. It is too early to tell which players will and will not make it as a professional. Many factors come into play during puberty (height, social factors, training interest, motivation, financial resources etc) and this many times helps to separate players. However, before puberty it is not unreasonable for every player to have the dream and goal of becoming a professional tennis player.
It should make it very clear that to become successful in the sport of tennis is very, very difficult. The odds are small to make it big in tennis. However, if you are working with young players, especially before puberty, it is too early to tell who is going to make at the highest level so as mentors, coaches, parents or influencers, it is necessary to encourage the dream, make it possible for the young player to believe, while also making it very clear that to be successful at the highest levels it requires a lot more than writing down on a piece of paper that “ I will become no. 1 in the world and win the US Open.” The amount of daily work that needs to be put in, in a daily structured way (i.e. deliberate practice) is what most people do not successfully accomplish. Many people have the dreams and aspirations of the end result, but very few are willing to do the required daily work needed. This, unfortunately, is where the disconnect is in many situations. Setting lofty goals at a young age is a positive, but it must be made clear that to achieve lofty goals, the athlete, and the support team of the athlete, needs to put the work in to achieve these lofty goals. Without the daily work, the goals are unrealistic. It is unfortunate that most players, coaches, trainers and therapist do not realize the intensity of work and the daily engagement needed to truly achieve success.
Set Expectations High, But Clearly Define What Is Needed to Achieve These High Expectations!
Don't forget to enter our US Open Player Fitness Challenge Contest! Details here.
One discussion point that comes about in coaching and training circles is about how best to handle young players who have the dreams of one day stepping on the court at the grand slam tournaments and making a successful living as a professional tennis player. As a coach or influencer this mindset and goal should be 100% embraced and encouraged. At the young age (i.e. before puberty) potential is a beautiful thing. It is too early to tell which players will and will not make it as a professional. Many factors come into play during puberty (height, social factors, training interest, motivation, financial resources etc) and this many times helps to separate players. However, before puberty it is not unreasonable for every player to have the dream and goal of becoming a professional tennis player.
It should make it very clear that to become successful in the sport of tennis is very, very difficult. The odds are small to make it big in tennis. However, if you are working with young players, especially before puberty, it is too early to tell who is going to make at the highest level so as mentors, coaches, parents or influencers, it is necessary to encourage the dream, make it possible for the young player to believe, while also making it very clear that to be successful at the highest levels it requires a lot more than writing down on a piece of paper that “ I will become no. 1 in the world and win the US Open.” The amount of daily work that needs to be put in, in a daily structured way (i.e. deliberate practice) is what most people do not successfully accomplish. Many people have the dreams and aspirations of the end result, but very few are willing to do the required daily work needed. This, unfortunately, is where the disconnect is in many situations. Setting lofty goals at a young age is a positive, but it must be made clear that to achieve lofty goals, the athlete, and the support team of the athlete, needs to put the work in to achieve these lofty goals. Without the daily work, the goals are unrealistic. It is unfortunate that most players, coaches, trainers and therapist do not realize the intensity of work and the daily engagement needed to truly achieve success.
Set Expectations High, But Clearly Define What Is Needed to Achieve These High Expectations!
Don't forget to enter our US Open Player Fitness Challenge Contest! Details here.
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Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the 2012 US Open unable to fully recover from knee pain since after Wimbledon. This injury has kept him from competing in the Olympics and also any of the US hardcourt tournaments. It is reported to be a different knee problem that has sidelined him in the past, but he has shown that the area around his knees have caused him major problems throughout his career. It is always a major concern when one of the greats of the game cannot play a Grand Slam event. This situation gives us a chance to look at possible causes and cures for his knee problems. Although every individual case is different it is important to make sure that your training for tennis athletes involves limiting the chance of knee related problems. We know that the knee is one of the top 5 most common injury locations for tennis athletes. Listed below are some articles available on the web focused on knee injuries.
Statement from US Open Tournament Director David Brewer on Rafael Nadal’s Withdraw from the 2012 US Open:
"Rafa has informed us that he will not be ready to compete at the US Open this year and has withdrawn from the tournament. We hope to see him back on the court soon and look forward to his return to New York next year.”
Statement from Rafael Nadal:
"I am very sad to announce that I am still not ready to play and
have to withdraw from this year's US Open in NYC. I am sorry since I always
found great crowds and great support, but I have to continue with my recup and
preparation to be ready to play in the right conditions. I want to say hi and
thanks to all the fans, in particular to the New Yorkers. I'll miss you all this
year at the Open!"
Knee Injuries In Tennis Players (Pete Sallay) http://mykneehurts.info/knee/?p=73
Injury Prevention:
Knee Injuries (Eric Price)
http://longislandtennismagazine.com/article1172/injury-prevention-knee-injuries
Musculoskeletal Injuries in Tennis (Perkins &Davis)
http://www.med.nyu.edu/pmr/residency/resources/PMR%20clinics%20NA/PMR%20clinics%20NA_sports%20med/MSK%20injuries%20tennis.pdf
Statement from US Open Tournament Director David Brewer on Rafael Nadal’s Withdraw from the 2012 US Open:
"Rafa has informed us that he will not be ready to compete at the US Open this year and has withdrawn from the tournament. We hope to see him back on the court soon and look forward to his return to New York next year.”
Statement from Rafael Nadal:
"I am very sad to announce that I am still not ready to play and
have to withdraw from this year's US Open in NYC. I am sorry since I always
found great crowds and great support, but I have to continue with my recup and
preparation to be ready to play in the right conditions. I want to say hi and
thanks to all the fans, in particular to the New Yorkers. I'll miss you all this
year at the Open!"
Knee Injuries In Tennis Players (Pete Sallay) http://mykneehurts.info/knee/?p=73
Injury Prevention:
Knee Injuries (Eric Price)
http://longislandtennismagazine.com/article1172/injury-prevention-knee-injuries
Musculoskeletal Injuries in Tennis (Perkins &Davis)
http://www.med.nyu.edu/pmr/residency/resources/PMR%20clinics%20NA/PMR%20clinics%20NA_sports%20med/MSK%20injuries%20tennis.pdf
