Vol. 4, No. 2 / 2002 The USTA TM Newsletter for Tennis Coaches High-Performance Are Tennis Players Eccentric? by E. Paul Roetert, Ph.D. and Todd S. Ellenbecker, PT No, this is not a sport psychology article. ranking in her age group. She has steadily Although some tennis players may be a little improved each year she’s been playing and different, this article will focus more on the enjoys competing. However, she’d like to put a Understanding how physical aspects of the sport. Specifically, we’ll little more pace on the ball or as her coach take a look at how different muscle groups says, “hit a heavier ball.” When asked what he function during various tennis strokes. meant by hitting a heavier ball, he explained and when different In tennis, muscles need to perform in a that he wanted Samantha to hit the ball with variety of ways. Muscular endurance is impor- more pace and depth on a consistent basis. If tant because of the repetitive nature of the you were Samantha’s coach, how could you muscles are used during sport. However, muscular power also is impor- help her in achieving that goal? tant because of the strength and speed needed Well, from a coaching perspective you can for explosive movements in getting to the ball certainly improve her technique. The article tennis strokes can and hitting each shot. In addition, there are and sequence pictures on pages 5 through 8 two types of muscle actions that occur when describe some key principles in producing hitting tennis strokes: “concentric” and more forceful strokes. In addition, you can help us become better “eccentric” (there’s that “eccentric” term you improve Samantha’s strength and power by saw in the title). In a concentric action, the training the appropriate muscle groups. The muscle fibers contract and shorten; in an exercises on page 10 are excellent for players tennis coaches. eccentric action, the muscle fibers lengthen. wanting to hit more explosive shots. Understanding how and when different mus- But before we work on technique or start cles are used during tennis strokes can help us performing strength and power exercises, we with a variety of direction changes. Research become better tennis coaches. should understand some basic anatomy and shows us that although tennis may be largely Let’s take a look at Samantha. Samantha is movement patterns that occur during tennis one-sided in terms of building the upper body, a fine player. She’s actually achieved a national strokes. The human body is made up of some 600 the strength and power demands for the lower muscles, and the beauty of the sport of tennis is body are quite similar for both left and right that many of these muscles are used when play- sides. One important consideration for tennis ing. That’s why tennis gives us such a great players is the balance of strength between the workout. The key is to utilize these muscles as quadriceps and hamstrings. This is termed the In This Issue effectively and efficiently as possible to produce “quadriceps/hamstring ratio.” Players should be the most coordinated movement patterns. sure to strengthen both the quadriceps and ham- USA Tennis High Performance string muscles since performing resistance train- Coaching Program Update 2 Lower Body ing with only one group may lead to imbalances. Because players are hitting the ball harder An example of how the quadriceps muscle Angular Momentum and Core Strength 5 than they ever have before, speed has become works can be demonstrated in the split step. tremendously important in the game. Players When players land in the split step, the quadri- may have to cover several miles during a match, ceps muscle works eccentrically to decelerate Ask the Expert 10 and most of that is made up of short sprints continued on page 4 USA Tennis High Performance Coaching Program Update ur continued goal of the High-Performance Coaching Newsletter is to provide articles and information that are rele- Ovant, practical and on the cutting edge of tennis for all coaches throughout the United States. In this issue, we stay true to this goal by providing the latest on the modern game and the link between world-class technique, core body strength and physical conditioning. You will notice this theme in the feature article by Paul Roetert, Ph.D., the sequence feature by Nick Saviano and the sport science article by Noel Gressner. COACH We hope you enjoy this unique theme approach to the newsletter, and we look forward to your comments, which can be sent to us at [email protected]. Sincerely, Nick Saviano Paul Lubbers, Ph.D. Director, USA Tennis Coaching Education Administrator, USA Tennis Coaching Education DEAR USA Tennis High Performance Coaching Program Update The USA Tennis Coaching Education Department continues to accept applications for the USA Tennis High Performance Coaching Program for 2002 and 2003. The program is intended specifically for the high-performance coach who is working with players who are striving for excellence in competitive tennis (i.e., sectional junior players to collegiate and young professionals). See page 12 for dates, locations and application deadlines. Applications for the 2002 and 2003 program dates are available by contacting 305-365-USTA or e-mailing us at [email protected]. We encourage all interested coaches to apply as soon as possible. USA Tennis High Performance Coaching Program Attendance The following list of coaches attended the January 2-8, 2002, USA Tennis High Performance Coaching Program in Key Biscayne, Florida, and successfully completed all three phases of the program. Congratulations coaches!! Jorge Andrew Ashley Hobson Darren Richer Columbia, SC Stone Mountain, GA Upland, CA Dave Brown Tom Kelly Roberto Saad Pembroke Pines, FL Ormond Beach, FL Miami, FL Michael Burge Kathy Kolankiewicz Robby Salum Bonita Springs, FL Albuquerque, NM Sarasota, FL Michael Center Brett Kurtz Daniel Spatz Austin, TX Coconut Creek, FL Miami, FL Bill Clark Jo Ann Kurz Keith Swindoll Cooper City, FL Boise, ID Tuscaloosa, AL Gregory Contro Holger Nickel Christine Tharp Lake Bluff, Ill Idaho Falls, ID Cherryville, NC Doug Eng Ken Obermeier Scott Tharp Medford, MA Orlando, FL Cherryville, NC Gabriel Ferrer Claire Pollard Joni Van Ryck De Groot Sarasota, FL Evanston, IL Miami, FL 2 Vol. 4, No. 2 / 2002 USA Tennis High-Performance Update USTA Professional Circuits: Progression to the Pro Level by Paul Annacone he pathway to the top of the world’s tennis stage has long been a topic for debate. We have a particular challenge in T the United States to find a way to serve our players’ needs to help them get their foot in the door. Our professional circuit programs address that issue. The concept is to open the door to the professional tour, and from there, the players have to work their way to the next level, which would be the main ATP and WTA Tour events. This has been a work in progress, and the staff has done a terrific job in raising the number of opportunities and awareness of these level events. From January to June, an American player won every men’s challenger event in the U.S. This is a wonderful testimony to the impact these events are having. Although there a few different ways to reach the elite levels of professional tennis, by setting in place a structure with a mul- titude of opportunities for our aspiring players to earn ATP and WTA points, we have created a smoother transition. Instead of our young players flying all over the globe to compete for pre- cious ranking points, we now have 100 events at the initial pro- fessional levels that allow American players an opportunity to open that door to the top. Ashley Harkelroad (left), the 2002 Junior French Open finalist, possesses an ITF junior ranking of No. 16 in the world and a WTA ranking of No. 227. The other pathways to the top of the game are: Brian Vahaly, the 2001 NCAA runner-up, has improved his ATP singles ranking from No. 403 to No. 118 in 2002. 1. Jump from ITF junior status directly into the elite profes- sional level (this is done through wild cards and management through. This is a direct contradiction to one of the intents of company help). the rule. Now our young girls are trying other means to increase 2. Progress through Federation help, which is a part of the cir- the number of competitive opportunities and reach the next cuit impact, satellites, wild cards and training opportunities. level. This is done primarily by ITF junior events (due to the fact 3. The BIG BANG theory. The unique player that has a huge that we have a limited national schedule and the global compe- breakthrough at a major professional event. tition is an asset to help players acclimate to professional life). Unfortunately, we do not have a plethora of those events in Recently, I was asked, “How many events is the correct total North America. number to have for our players?” My response was, “I can’t tell This forces our young players to travel more and adds to the you.” stress of the transition. Whereas if the age eligibility rule was Our goal is to help set up a system to offer the opportunity for modified, they could stay here in the U.S. and pursue their break- our players to progress through the initial stages of professional through in our circuit events unencumbered. Circuit events also development in an economical and efficient way. That is being do not provide the same amount of stress as WTA Tour events.