Tennis elbow is a common and painful condition that affects of the outer portion of the elbow at a group of muscles are called the wrist extensors. These muscles are responsible for making a firm grip, as well as straightening the wrist and fingers. The wrist extensors originate at a portion of the elbow called…
Comic book geeks the world over all remember that famous quote from Spiderman, where Uncle Ben warns a troubled Peter Parker that "With great power… comes great responsibility". Had he been a strength and conditioning coach, however, Spidey’s uncle likely would have said something more like "With great power… comes an underlying need for strength…
If everyone could put down their rackets and hold their breath for a second, you might be able to hear your body talking to you. How do you feel after playing a tennis match? The next morning, do you always have stiffness in your groin or hips? Do you have some soreness in your shoulder…
Anyone who has played tennis for a little while comes to realization that the difference between a good player and a great player is often his or her serve. A strong first serve can make up for a lot of mistakes and can win you a lot of games. Of course, having a strong first…
Shoulder pain is one of the more common injuries in tennis players, affecting both young and old alike. The general reason is fairly simple: By design, the shoulder is not meant to perform such forceful, and often overhead, movements. Include the tremendous amounts of repetition inherent in the game, and you have all the key…
Clearly, junior tennis players (and most recreational adult players) are exposed to just as much high-level mental and physical stress as touring pros – perhaps even more so due to a lack of proper conditioning. Poor range of motion, weak physical structure and inexperience are just a few problems that make it difficult (at best)…
Three important visual skills that can be easily enhanced for tennis players are eye movement accuracy, dynamic visual acuity and eye-hand coordination. The following are a few exercises that I send home with my tennis-playing patients to help them keep these skills as sharp as possible. Skill #1: Eye movement accuracy Eye tracking in tennis…
Tennis players have lots to think about when designing a training program. In addition to developing aerobic and anaerobic fitness, they also have to work to strengthen key joints like the ankles, knees, wrists, elbows and shoulders. Small wonder that many players forget to perform enough core work. However, the core muscles do so much…
Through my years as a tennis professional, I have found a bounty of benefits in pairing a student's private lessons and group work with tennis specific physical training. After what we've seen over the last decade in professional tennis, its effectiveness should come as no surprise. Anyone who watched this year's French Open listened while…
Only in America … Only in the United States of America could a poor African-American man born in New Orleans in 1901 rise to blow rhythmic sounds called jazz, entertaining stars, royalty, presidents and a Pope. Louis Armstrong’s unique style of playing earned him the nickname “Satchmo.” In the late 1970s, Satchmo moved to a…