In most any professional tennis match, injuries to the players are not uncommon. To have a high-level seed drop out in the quarters, semis or even in the finals is fairly common. According to some tennis professionals, such injuries are inevitable. They blame it on the game.
For example, “It is an explosive game the way it is being played. The body is going to take only so much punishment. All current players are going to be very rich and have very short careers”. But it does not have to be this way.
This statement appears to be true only if one considers the present scene. But it is also important to understand that the training that many of these players do has little to do with prevention of injury or enhancing performance. Most of the exercises and training programs are for conditioning and maintaining fitness which are only indirectly related to playing.
When they begin training in a more specific manner and use specialized strength exercises that are specific to the strokes that they execute we will see fewer injuries and enhanced performance. However, this concept of specialized training in which stroke technique is combined with the strength or explosiveness, has not permeated tennis training. When it does, we will begin to see positive changes. Until then, the status quo will prevail.
It is easy to blame how a player executes a particular skill for an injury. But there is little if any information in regard to how the skill should be executed to keep it safe and effective. There is very little if any information on what specialized strength exercises players can do to prevent service or ground stroke injuries.
In other words, technique is not being analyzed nor are the players physical abilities being analyzed. If they were analyzed through sound biomechanical analyses, steps could be taken and specialized strength and explosive exercises could be developed to duplicate what occurs in the player’s stroke. Yet, we do not see this; instead we see more lame excuses on how the game or stroke is destroying the player.
When will tennis move into the 21st century with science to improve player performance and prevent injury at the same time?
For more information on tennis training see the Explosive Tennis CD.