The Myths of Tennis Movement (Part II)
A two-part guide to better tennis mobility
Every year, players returning home from college tell me that they were "tested" in a two or three mile run for their teams. They were told, "Since you run several miles in a match, let's test this on the track." A three-mile run is a poor assessment for tennis, performance. In the past, I've called this "Dodgeball" logic (taken from the movie “Dodgeball” where it is noted, "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.")
The average run in tennis is just seven feet. It's multi-directional, with an explosive start and precise stop. It's about power, endurance, agility and coordination. It has little in common with a longer, slower and straight ahead run.
While court movement is one of the most important areas in the sport of tennis, mythology and misconceptions as described above can limit performance.
We can start to take action by recognizing that great movement is not a talent, it's the result of learning superior neuromotor control and function. Sure, some people have better body types and possess a stronger athletic background in movement development, but it's never too late for any athlete to improve and develop.
Tennis movements can be broken down into components of quickness, power, agility, speed and efficiency. In today's lightning-fast game, these qualities are a requirement for achievement.
Myths #9 through #15
►Myth #9: You perform tennis movements on both feet.
Reality: Tennis is mostly about single leg function.
You make most movements in tennis with most or all of your weight on one of your legs, not both. Learn to jump and land on a single leg, forward and back, and side to side to move and play better. If you have never heard the acronym: RDL (Romanian Dead Lift), I suggest you learn it, live it and love it. You need strength, power, flexibility and mobility for tennis and single leg functional exercises are a great tool to develop these abilities.
►Myth #10: Crunches and sit ups will help you move.
Reality: Learn to rotate by learning to resist rotation.
Your core muscles are stabilizers, not movers. Movement is about a stable core. Great movement maintains wanted force and resists unwanted force to move only those body parts you wish to move.
Your core connects your upper body to your lower body. A weak core does not transmit force and power from the ground will not help you move if it does not find its way to your racket. Most of the force you create in tennis is rotational and a strong core stabilizes so that your upper and lower body work together to transfer power to the hit. Lumbar stability reduces low back injury risk and a stable pelvis will improve rapid directional changes. Work on stabilization of your core to play better.
►Myth #11: Try your hardest to move your fastest.
Reality: Demonstrate movement adequacy … it's all about efficiency of effort.
If your car is stuck in the snow, too much power will just spin your wheels.
Efficiency or economy of movement will speed your reaction time and be less taxing on your power endurance systems. Too much effort and tension will inhibit performance and wear you out. Try to be very aware of your body so that you move with just the perfect amount of muscular tension (kinesthetic awareness). Don't try your hardest, try your best. No wasted movement.
►Myth #12: Get your chin up on your serve.
Reality: Great movement requires great posture.
Poor posture results in weak power transfer, neural compensation, inefficient and slow movements with injury risk. Good posture will keep you strong, mobile and resistant to injury.
I cringe when I hear the common instruction “Keep your chin up on your serve" for example. It's a cue that leads to poor posture. An over-elevated chin will unload your body mass and shift your hips forward putting your lower back in a very vulnerable position. You don't believe me? Lift your chin when you perform a dead lift. See you at the orthopedist! Keep your chin neutral and still. Raise your body using your shins, knees and hips.
►Myth #13: Movement practice makes perfect movements.
Reality: Proper practice makes perfect movements.
The most common footwork and movement mistakes result from poor practice habits. For example, do you serve great in practice from a basket, but not in a game? Consider that most player's practice serves from a basket of balls, without recovery footwork after each serve. Recovery steps after serving requires both practice and reinforcement. Stop standing around after serving and practice readiness for the next shot.
►Myth #14: Court coverage limitations limit you.
Reality: Movement is all about the right attitude. Never, ever, ever give up. Limitations change.
The best players in the world believe they can get to every ball. They are often wrong every match. Lesser players acknowledge that they are often unable to get to the ball, so they give up. They are always right.
Great players understand that it's better to fail at succeeding than to succeed at failing.
►Myth #15: Jumping rope is a great way to train for tennis.
Reality: Jumping rope is neurologically counter to tennis movements.
This myth has caused controversy in the past because so many people believe it's the “Holy Grail of Tennis Training Methods.” I agree it's a hard workout and I know many great players (mostly past generation players) who swear by jumping rope, but let's face it, they also believed in salt pills, no water during workouts and copper bracelets. Jumping rope might be better than sitting on the couch and eating potato chips, but it's not a "best practice" because it neurologically counters tennis movements. Jumping rope is outdated training and risky for younger players who risk shin injuries from the pounding.
You can jump rope with linear acceleration movements, using your forefoot, but tennis is more about full-foot, full-force starting and stopping lateral movements. Lateral hops or a shuffle with a few small hurdles is vastly superior, and safer, to jumping rope for tennis movement.
If you want to mover better, start by training smarter.
