Keys to Training and Injury Prevention

August 1, 2017 | By Andrea Retolaza

For the last few years, I have had the pleasure of working as the injury prevention coach of professional Spanish tennis player Lara Arruabarrena, currently ranked No. 64 on the WTA circuit.

In a sport like tennis, being a talented player is not enough to make it to the top. Dedication, perseverance, and hard work are all key components that define players like Lara, and are crucial to their success.

Lara is a very fast athlete, however, she does not stand out for her muscle mass power. Thus, I developed a conical pulley program with the goal of gaining explosiveness, stabilizing the joints and preventing injures. With the conical pulley, I achieved great results targeting different aspects of Lara’s performance. She gained responsive resistance doing exercises across the force-velocity spectrum. Then, by true stretch-shortening cycle exercises, she increased the strength of her muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

With this strengthening she compensated her muscles, and gained a bigger range of motion in her joints.The conical pulley is an amazing tool that I recommend everyone try. The forces executed are determined by the effort of the user which makes it a great training tool for those doing rehab as well as for those who want to gain power without compromising velocity.

Every professional athlete wants to compete and win titles. However, without the right preparation and care, the human body would never sustain the strenuous exercise that professional athletes put them through. 


Andrea Retolaza
Tennis Pro at Christopher Morley Tennis

Andrea is a world recognized tennis coach specialized in biomechanics and injury prevention. She is the coach of top national juniors (Rachel Arbitman), and WTA players (Daniela Hantuchova, Arantxa Parra). Andrea is the Junior Director, and she also works for the Wake Forest women's tennis program. She can be reached at aandrade@cmttennis.com. 
 

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