Having dedicated so much time to learning and playing tennis, I’m fortunate to have attracted many tennis players through the doors of my practice. These players range from social and tournament players, to current and ex-touring professionals. Most players are looking to improve their game, but my observations of their efforts to improve leave a little more to be desired.
If you’re looking to improve, the first thing you might think of is
getting out on court more. The more balls you hit, the more grooved your
shots will be and consistency and wins will flow from there. This is an
absolute sure-fire way of getting better. For the average Joe this is
an adequate approach but for higher level club and tournament players, I
would suggest more.
It’s not uncommon to hear of upcoming tennis players, junior and
senior, hitting on court up to six times per week. These players
undoubtedly start hitting the ball very clean. What the majority of them
don’t realise however is the metamorphosis their bodies undergo. They
slowly turn themselves into an injury prone ticking time bomb. When it
comes to practicing tennis, repetition is the mother of skill. You will
practice cross-court forehands and backhands, serves and volleys for
hours on end. These repetitive processes inevitably give rise to
repetitive strain injuries. Take your pick: wrist; elbow; shoulder or
ankle; knee and hip.
Tennis is also an asymmetrical sport – one side of your body is
always subject to stressors that your other side isn’t. Limiting your
tennis improvement to hitting only will subject you to a perpetually
imbalanced body, akin to driving a car that has never had a wheel
alignment. You should get serviced regularly otherwise your wheels will
undoubtedly wear sooner than they should.
Of all the players I’ve treated over the years, in addition to court
time, very few of them incorporate a resistance, cardio and dietary
program into their training regime. Whilst scheduling these components
in the average working week may seem daunting or unachievable, remember
that you can tailor these components to suit your time constraints,
standard of play, and goals.
The basic suggestion here is that players can improve their game by
working on their physical health. Reinforce your body with ‘muscular
armour’ through weights training, quicken your feet with interval and
sprint work, and nourish your body at the right times with clean and
efficient fuel.
We’ve all said it before, “I wish I knew then, what I knew now!” If you think you’ve fallen into the trap of constant hitting, developing an injury and neglecting your health, speak to Tom from The Physicaltherapy Centre. As both a chiropractor and tennis addict, he is always eager to help aspiring players with their injuries and training regimes.
The Physicaltherapy Centre offers a Tennis Injury & Performance Assessment. If you’d like to take advantage of this offer call 02 9922 6116 or email getbetter@tpcentre.com.au. Health Fund rebates are available on site.
A picture of me trying to save face in my somewhat convincing loss in
the first round of qualifying at the 2012 Burundi (Africa) F1 Futures
Tournament:) Oh how I love this game!!!
*DISCLAIMER: This discussion does not provide medical advice. The
information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and
other material contained in this discussion are for informational
purposes only. The purpose of this discussion is to promote broad
consumer understanding and knowledge of various health topics. It is not
intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis
or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other
qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding
a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health
care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay
in seeking it because of something you have read in this blog.
