pilates & tennis · pdf filealexandra prigent for the pilates foundation pilates &...

Alexandra Prigent for the Pilates Foundation PILATES & TENNIS PERFORMANCE

November 2012 1

PILATES & TENNIS PERFORMANCE How Pilates can enhance the forehand, backhand,

serves and overheads in tennis game.

This information is the property of Alexandra Prigent-Labeis for PILATES EXCELLENCE and should

not be copied or otherwise used without express written permission from the author.

This document is copyright protected.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................................ 2 1. BIOMECHANICS OF TENNIS & USE OF KINETIC CHAIN ............................................................... 2

A) INTRODUCTION TO THE KINETIC CHAIN CONCEPT .................................................................................................... 2 B) TENNIS BIOMECHANICS AND PERFORMANCE ............................................................................................................... 3 C) RISKS OF A WEAK KINETIC CHAIN IN TENNIS ................................................................................................................ 4

2. FOREHAND AND BACKHAND GROUNDSTROKES ............................................................................. 4 A) KINETIC CHAIN ....................................................................................................................................................................... 4 B) APPLIED PILATES .................................................................................................................................................................... 7

3. SERVES AND OVERHEADS ............................................................................................................................ 8 A) KINETIC CHAIN ....................................................................................................................................................................... 8 B) APPLIED PILATES .................................................................................................................................................................... 9

CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................................................... 11 APPENDIX .................................................................................................................................................................. 12

A) ROGER FEDERER: PILATES IN REAL .............................................................................................................................. 12 B) REFERENCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................................................... 13


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INTRODUCTION

Good tennis coaches can teach you to improve your technique. Proper technique, however, can be

obtained only if you can produce all necessary movements throughout the range of motion required for

optimal positioning and stroke execution. Tennis requires strength, power, endurance and speed but

mobility, flexibility, control and balance are equally important. Each of these components should be

considered when designing a conditioning programme for tennis players. Tennis is a lifelong sport and

the challenge both for amateur and elite professional players is to enhance performance while remaining

injury free over the years. Avoiding injuries is all the more difficult as tennis is a sided sport and without

a proper physical conditioning programme working muscles both concentrically and eccentrically, players

can easily develop strong muscular imbalances.

This essay presents how the Pilates method can be integrated to a dedicated conditioning programme

for tennis players to improve performance and reduce risks of injuries. To do so we start by studying the

biomechanics of tennis and the kinetic chain theory. We categorise tennis strokes in two groups that

share similar muscular work and challenges: (1) the forehand and backhand, (2) the serve and overhead.

In each of these categories, we first describe the specific kinetic chain that allows the proper force to

be transferred to the racket and the ball during stroke. This allows us to highlight the key associated

muscular and skeletal challenges for the body and suggest examples of Pilates recruitment, strength and

mobility exercises from the classical and modern matwork repertoire targeting each consideration of

tennis performance.

1. BIOMECHANICS OF TENNIS & USE OF KINETIC CHAIN

a) INTRODUCTION TO THE KINETIC CHAIN CONCEPT

All body segments are linked to the rest of the body, meaning what happens in one part of the body

impacts the forces and loads experienced by the rest of the body because joints, muscles and fascia

provide trails to transfer energy throughout the body. This principle has been called the kinetic chain,

where actions in one part of the body are transferred through a linked system to other segments.

Optimal use of the kinetic chains in tennis requires less muscle activation, less load on the body

structures, and less energy expenditure to achieve the desired result.


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A kinetic chain can be decomposed as a succession of momentum (or energy) transferred along the

chain from one segment to the other through static points. In mechanics, the principle of momentum

conservation (or energy conservation), famously illustrated by Newton’s cradle1, implied two simple

crucial facts for biomechanics studies:

1. If resistance is reduced to nothing, then momentum remains constant and there is no loss of

energy. Joint mobility (e.g. shoulders, hips) and fibre flexibility (e.g. hamstrings, trapezius) are

therefore crucial to allow the energy to travel through the body without any power loss.

2. If a momentum meets a static point, it is instantaneously transferred to this static point that then

gets in motion. Stability of certain parts of the body (e.g. pelvis, shoulder girdle) allows the

energy to be transferred efficiently from one segment to the next.

b) TENNIS BIOMECHANICS AND PERFORMANCE

The optimal coordination of kinetic chains in high speed movement activities like tennis uses

coordinated sequential movements of body segments to build force from the ground through the hips

and trunk to the shoulder and into the arm, hand and racquet. The United States Tennis Association

(USTA) finds that “approximately 50% of the energy needed to hit a forehand is generated from the legs

and trunk and transferred through the kinetic chain to the racket”2 (Kibler et al, 2004:11). For maximal

power when the racket hits the ball, players must be able to:

-‐ Generate energy to initiate the chain: pushing against the floor makes the floor push against the

player3 and the energy is transferred up through the legs,

1 Named after Sir Isaac Newton, the Newton’s cradle is a device that demonstrates conservation of momentum and energy via a series of swinging spheres. When one on the end is lifted and released, the resulting force travels through the line and pushes the last one upward. 2 Tennis technique and injury prevention, USTA Sport science committee, Aug 2004 3 Newton’s third law states that for every action there is an equal opposite reaction

Figure 1: Illustration of a 2-sphere Newton’s cradle. The moving blue sphere shocks the static red sphere and transfers all its energy to it so that the blue sphere becomes static and the red gets in motion


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-‐ Maintain energy constant through each segment of the chain whether the energy is transferred

through a linear (along the spine from lumbar to upper thoracic during serve) or angular movement

(rotating the arm up and around the shoulder socket),

-‐ Transfer the energy effectively through stable connection points: e.g. stable hips will allow energy

to be passed on from the legs to the upper trunk, and

-‐ Add energy at each level of the chain to increase the total momentum: the arm is active when

rotating around the shoulder socket and increases the velocity of the chain to maximise speed when

hitting the ball.

c) RISKS OF A WEAK KINETIC CHAIN IN TENNIS

When the characteristics of the chain are not present, or the sequential timing incorrect, the transfer

of energy in the kinetic chain is said to be “broken”. In a broken kinetic chain the energy that is

normally generated and accumulated by many segments is altered or even not transferred at all to the

next segment, hence other body parts must compensate to create the same performance. The USTA

states that “if the trunk does not rotate to provide force to the shoulder, it requires a 34% increase in the shoulder velocity

to achieve the same ball velocity”1 (Kibler et al, 2004:12).

2. FOREHAND AND BACKHAND GROUNDSTROKES

a) KINETIC CHAIN

The open-stance forehand (the most commonly used in today’s game – see figure 2) can be

decomposed into the backswing or preparation phase, the forward swing where the racket hits the ball

and the follow-through that directs the ball and decelerate the arm.

During a backswing (figure 2), the player loads some energy pushing into the floor. Rotation

of the hips and of the trunk allows the body to load additional energy into the kinetic chain. Abduction

and external rotation of the arm and extension of the wrist build the last layer of energy and the body is

in maximum external rotation.

1 Tennis technique and injury prevention, USTA Sport science committee, Aug 2004


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To initiate the forward swing (figure 3), the player extends his legs pushing into the floor to

release the loaded energy and transfer it up through a linear momentum. The hips then release their

rotation, followed by the trunk, adding angular momentum onto the kinetic chain. Throughout the

trunk rotation phase, the extended arm maintains the same angle in relation to the trunk. When rotation

stops, the arm is released in full extension and rotates around the shoulder girdle. When the racket

finally hits the ball, most of the accumulated energy is sent into the racket and the ball - the wrist acting

as a directional system to place the ball on the court with precision.

Figure 3: Roger Federer during the acceleration phase of an open-stance forehand showing a long aligned spine, trunk rotation with a stable levelled pelvis, a right arm and wrist in full extension with the shoulder down and well stabilised in order to use the momentum accumulated during the loading phase. Source (left): Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images North America. August 19, 2010, Cincinnati, Ohio. Source (right): n.d., [online} http://readplatform.com/federer-as-a-religious-experience/

The follow-through is a deceleration phase that contracts muscles eccentrically to absorb the

energy that has not gone into the ball and remains into the body kinetic chain.

Figure 2: Carlos Moya in preparation for an open-stance forehand showing trunk rotation, arm and wrist extended and shoulder in external rotation to load energy and prepare for the forward swing of the acceleration phase. Source: n.d. [online] at http://kb-tennis.com/khamps-corner/carlos-moya-open-stance-forehand/


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The kinetic chain of the backhand groundstroke (figure 4) is similar to that of a forehand

although it generally requires less trunk rotation (although two-handed and open-stance backhands

require more than single-handed or close-stance backhands) and more rotational work of the shoulder

(in particular in one-handed backhands).

Figure 4: Closed-stance backhand by Roger Federer decomposed into the loading phase (1-4), the acceleration phase (5-8) and the deceleration or follow-through (9-12). Source: n.d. [online] http://news.tennis365.net/lesson/img/pro_gif/federer_backhand_01_0407.gif


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b) APPLIED PILATES

Power in backhand and forehand groundstrokes is transferred up the body mainly through

rotation of the hip, trunk, shoulder and wrist. Therefore a targeted Pilates programme should focus

specifically on recruitment and strength of the deep and superficial muscles responsible for

stabilising pivot points (pelvis and shoulders) and accelerating rotation velocity (spine, arm and

wrist). Exercises must be performed with attention to control in particular during isometric and

eccentric contractions as they support preparation and acceleration phases and restore balance in a

typically one-sided game.

Joint mobility is equally important to allow energy transfer from the hip through the spine

and shoulder.

The table below provides examples of recruitment (GREEN), strength (BLUE) and mobility

(PINK) exercises to target each segment of the optimal kinetic chain.

KEY OBJECTIVES & EMPHASIS SUGGESTED PILATES EXERCISES

Hip mobility and stability focusing on

gluteal recruitment and strength to transfer

energy from the legs into hip rotation

- LONG LUNGE HIP

EXTENSION1

- AB PREP 1

- CLAMS

- DOUBLE LEG KICK

- SWIMMING

Pelvic stability focusing on transversus

abdominis and internal oblique to provide an

anchor point for the trunk rotation

- PELVIC STABILITY

- SINGLE LEG CIRCLES

- LUMBAR STABILISER2

Centre and alignment focusing on deep

stabilising trunk muscles to provide a stable

axis for rotation

- AB PREP 2 (in neutral)

- DEAD BUGS

- 4 POINT GLIDING3

- 4 POINT SUPERMAN

Trunk rotation combining concentric and

eccentric work of internal and external oblique

and transversospinalis to assist acceleration and

deceleration phases

- OBLIQUE PREP

- RIBBON4

- HIP ROLL

- SAW

- CRISS CROSS

- SIDE BEND & TWIST

- CORKSCREW

1 Front knee bent, back knee extended, squeezing the glut of the extended leg to open the hip 2 Ab Prep 1 knee pick-up open and close maintaining the pelvis level 3 Shift body weight forward and backward maintaining the spine in neutral 4 In semi-supine, circling parallel arms behind the head, curl into Oblique Prep and bring the arms across keeping the shoulder blades off the floor. Change direction.


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Thoracic extension and spinal rotation

focusing on erector spinae and spinal mobility

- OPEN BOOK

- DIAMOND PRESS

- SPINE TWIST

- FLYING FISH1

- SWAN DIVE

Shoulder girdle stability focusing on the

serratus anterior and rotator cuffs

- DUM WAITER2

- 4 POINT GLIDING

- 4 POINT SUPERMAN

- THREAD THE NEEDLE

- LEG PULL

- LEG PULL FRONT

Shoulder mobility releasing the pectoralis

major and upper trapezius

- PUPPET ARMS (standing and in semi-supine)

- ARM CIRCLES (standing and in semi-supine)

Wrist mobility and strength3 - WRIST CIRCLES

- LEG PULL FRONT

- WRIST PRONATION &

SUPINATION4

3. SERVES AND OVERHEADS

a) KINETIC CHAIN

The serve and the overhead have very similar kinetic chains (in particular when overhead is

performed with feet on the ground) and can be simply decomposed into the loading phase, the

acceleration phase and the follow-through (figure 5). The general direction of these strokes is vertical

although rotation accompanies the energy transfer from the ground to the racket.

The loading phase is initiated by knee flexion, hip extension, trunk counter-rotation, upper

back extension, external rotation of the back shoulder (up to 170 degrees during the arm-cocking phase),

1 Thoracic extension in prone with arms extended along the body 2 Elbows bent squeezed against the sides of the ribcage, open and close the arms keeping shoulder blades down and connected. 3 Weights may be used to strengthen the muscles of the forearm and wrist further. Positioning, timing and shoulder stability remain key to avoid tennis elbow pathology and increase precision. 4 Elbows bent, hands forward, rotating palms up and down keeping elbows against the sides of the ribcage


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lateral flexion of the front arm and wrist extension in order to load as much energy as possible. The

player presses into the floor to load energy in his legs.

The explosive acceleration phase is a sudden vertical linear release of this loaded energy from

the legs to the hips, the lower, middle and upper back, then into the shoulder, arm and ultimately the

wrist. As the momentum is transferred vertically up the body, the upper back releases its hyperextension

Figure 5: Roger Federer serve decomposed at Wimbledon final in 2009 showing the loading phase with upper back extension without loading the lumbar spine, then full extension of the arm maintaining the shoulder down and follow-through in rotated flexion. Source: Julian Finney/Getty Images Europe. July 5, 2009

and the hips and trunk rotate to accelerate the movement. The entire body reaches a maximum length

so that the racket hit the ball as high as possible and with a maximum velocity. The pronated flexion of

the wrist creates the desired spine to the ball.

The follow-through decelerates the movement in trunk and arm flexion contracting muscles

eccentrically to absorb the energy that has not gone into the ball and remains into the body kinetic chain.

b) APPLIED PILATES

Power in serves and overheads is loaded, released and transferred vertically up the body through

sequential extension and flexion of the hips, back, shoulder and arm – with some component of rotation.

Therefore a targeted Pilates programme should focus specifically on recruitment and strength of the

deep and superficial muscles supporting a safe spinal extension and flexion and stabilising the

shoulder girdle for optimal arm flexion and extension.


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Attention to inter-vertebral mobility and control of sequential spinal movements will also

contribute greatly to a smooth energy transfer along the spine.

The table below provides examples of recruitment (GREEN), strength (BLUE) and mobility (PINK)

exercises to target each segment of the optimal kinetic chain.


Lower limbs muscular strength focusing on

quadriceps, hamstring, gluts and gastrocnemius

- SINGLE LEG KICK

- CLAMS

- BALANCE EXERCISES

IN STANDING1

- SQUATS & LUNGES

- SHOULDER BRIDGE

- PELVIC PRESS

Hip Extension and Hamstring flexibility to

allow extension during the loading phase and

optimal energy transfer from the legs

- TRIANGLE LUNGE &

HINGE FORWARD2

- LONG LUNGE HIP

EXTENSION

- DOWN FACING DOG

- PASSIVE HAMSTRING

STRETCH (in semi-supine)

Abdominal recruitment and strength both

in trunk extension and flexion to avoid lumbar

compression during the loading and

acceleration phases

- AB PREP 2 (in neutral)

- DEAD BUGS

- ROLL LIKE A BALL

- SPINE STRETCH

- SINGLE LEG STRETCH

- HUNDREDS

- TEASER

Sequential spinal mobility both in flexion

and extension to enhance energy transfer along

the spine

- ROLL DOWN

- AB PREP 1

- ROLL OVER

- CAT & DOG STRETCH

- SPINE STRETCH

- DRINKING LION

Lumbar decompression and Thoracic

extension focusing on erector spinae

recruitment and strength

- CAT & DOG STRETCH

- DIAMOND PRESS

- FLYING FISH

- JACK KNIFE

- SWAN DIVE

- LEG PULL

Shoulder girdle stability targeting the rotator

cuffs to support external rotation with

abduction (loading phase) and internal rotation

with adduction (acceleration phase)

- DUM WAITER

- 4 POINT GLIDING

- 4 POINT SUPERMAN

- THREAD THE NEEDLE

- DRINKING LION

- LEG PULL

- SIDE BEND & TWIST

1 For example Rise on toes feet parallel, Stand on one leg bend and extend 2 Both legs straight in parallel, hips facing forward, hinging trunk forward with a straight back to stretch the front hamstrings.


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Spiral and lateral myofascial lines1 length to

reach maximum height at ball impact

- SPINE STRETCH

- ROUND THE WORLD

- SIDE STRETCH

STANDING2

- SAW

- TENSOR FASCIA LATAE

STRETCH3

CONCLUSION

Incorporating Pilates exercises in Tennis conditioning programmes may significantly improve

game performance both in terms of power and precision and reduce risks of injuries. Although different

groundstrokes use different kinetic chains, Pilates fundamentals equally apply to all of them and benefit

tennis physical preparation in many ways. Recruiting deep stabilising muscles reduces the muscular work

required from superficial muscles to generate power and allow optimal conservation and transfer of

energy from the feet up to the racket. Working muscles in eccentric contraction prepares the player for

preparation and deceleration phases hence restoring balance in often one-sided bodies. Enhancing joint

mobility - in particular intervertebral mobility - creates a smooth pathway along the spine for linear or

angular momentum avoiding tension points to develop as they absorb the energy that cannot be

transferred further. Finally focus on length protects from joint compression, one of the major risks

associated with emergency runs and loading/extension phases in groundstrokes.

1 Myofascial lines are defined by Tom Myers in Anatomy Trains, 2009. Tension and limited mobility or flexibility may result from tight fascia and not only from tight muscles. 2 One arm up, side bend keeping the lift from the waste 3 In supine, one leg extended along the floor, one leg extended to the ceiling, bring the top leg across the midline of the body maintaining both hip on the floor. Flex the top foot.


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APPENDIX

a) ROGER FEDERER: PILATES IN REAL

That Roger Federer among all top tennis players illustrates most of this essay should come as no

surprise. Put aside his bewildering tennis records, what strikes most tennis fans when watching him play

is certainly how effortless his game seems and how balanced, lean and almost normal his body looks – all

the more so when compared to Rafael Nadal who shows a quite bulky muscular structure. He is able to

master almost perfectly the kinetic chain as we have described it combining recruitment of deep

stabilising muscles, smooth transfer of energy through a mobile spine and a great range of rotation and

extension. His forehand is certainly the best example of that with an anchored shoulder that allows the

arm to rotate around it freely without “holding” the arm into an angle, letting the spinal rotation carry

the power to the end of the racket.

Although it is always challenging to use individual pictures to describe and analyse the game of a

player, Figure 6 is meant to shade some light on Federer’ impressive ability to optimise the forehand

kinetic chain when some other great champions like Andy Murray may find it challenging despite their

astonishing records.

Figure 6: Andy Murray’s right shoulder and right hip drop down and his right arm is not in line with his shoulder: it actually creates a big angle with the shoulder line. Roger Federer creates an impressive line from his left shoulder to his wrist and both hips are maintained at the same level. Source: Tennis.topbuzz.com, Andy Murray at Roger’s Cup final (2010), Roger Federer: see Figure 3 (right)

In my opinion there is little doubt that Roger Federer’s physical conditioning programme

includes exercises focusing on recruitment of deep stabilising muscles as well as mobility in order to be

able to stabilise his trunk and shoulder so well while letting the trunk and arm rotation happen with little

resistance. Although I have not found any direction testimonial in sport literature from him, Roger

Federer is regularly cited among athletes that are said to practice Pilates and to me he is the best

illustration of what “Pilates in real life” can produce.


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b) REFERENCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY

Isacowitz R., Clippinger K. (2011) Pilates Anatomy, Human Kinetics

Ivancevic T., Jovanovic B., Jovanovic S., Djukic M., Djukic N., Lukman A., (20011) Paradigm Shift for

Future Tennis: The Art of Tennis Physiology, Biomechanics and Psychology. Springer

Roetert E.P., Kovacks M.S., (2011) Tennis Anatomy. Human Kinetics

USTA Sport Science Committee: Kibler W.B., Brody H., Knudson D., Stroia K. (2004) Tennis technique

and injury prevention, [online] Available at

assets.usta.com/assets/1/USTA_Import/USTA/.../doc_437_550.pdf [accessed Oct 4th 2012]

Zatsiorsky V. (2000) Biomechanics in Sport: Performance Enhancement and Injury Prevention in Sport. Blackwell

publishing

Myers T. (2009), Anatomy Trains: Myofascial meridians for manual and movement therapists, 2nd Edition.

Churchill Livingstone

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