The Age Of The Dominate Athlete

It’s been 20 years since the U.S. had had a skiing champion of the skill level of Bode Miller. In fact his “Championship Season” has eclipsed every season by every skier since Alberto Tomba burst on the scene during the Rome Olympics in 1984. But, even he was not dominate in so many events as Miller has been this season. So dominate is Miller’s performance (five World event wins in as many weeks) that it has catapulted him into a new league of exclusive athletes.

It is an unusual time in competitive sport as all the major sports seem dominated by one player who has put together an unexpected skein of victories. In golf it is for sure Tiger Woods, whose recent run up of 8 PGA wins still seems to precede what may yet be his top level of performance which, like Miller’s, we have probably not even seen yet. And at the same time on the LPGA Tour we now have Lorena Ochoa whose abilities promise many years of dominant play.

In tennis the dominate player has been Roger Federer who has led men’s tennis in a way that Pete Sampras did throughout the 90’s. All sports have their heroes, but rarely do we see such unusual talent in so many sports at the same time. All of this makes for great enjoyment and anticipation for sports enthusiasts. Expectations are always high anytime these excellent athletes perform. And that may be a problem in the long-term. When their time is passed, will there be a replacement of equal or better ability, or will their sports decline because the expectations cannot be met?

How to stay fit for tennis

Staying fit for tennis more often means avoiding injury than it does adding to your exercise regimen before you play. Generally, tennis is exercise in itself. So, for recreational tennis players a lot of non-tennis regimens are not necessary,

According to Dr. Scott Butch of the American Chiropractic Association, The combination of both high and low exertion experienced during tennis provides tremendous health benefits. In addition to helping to reduce your risk of heart attacks, playing tennis can also tone the muscles of your upper and lower body, burn calories, and improve your balance, hand-eye coordination and agility.

However, tennis can be a demanding, injury-inducing sport. You throw your elbows and shoulders into serves and strokes. You stop and go constantly, and most recreational players pound their legs on hard surfaces instead of clay or grass. In order to help prevent injury, Dr. Bautch says it is critical to warm-up before practicing or playing. Mimic the moves that you will make while playing, but do them more slowly and deliberately. Perform these moves through a full range of motion, he says.

You should also spend a few minutes rotating each of your legs, shoulders, hands and elbows in a slow, circular motion. Finally, move forward and back, then left and right, across your end of the tennis court, simulating the movements you would make when actually playing.

Tennis also brings with it some common injuries such as tennis elbow, shoulder pain and back pain. According to Robert Leach, MD, Editor Emeritus of the American Journal of Sports Medicine, “tennis elbow” is the degeneration, not inflammation of the wrist extensor tendons where they attach at the elbow, and can be avoided by using correct mechanics when you hit the ball, especially on your backhand. Make sure you hit the ball in front of you, Leach says.

Serving is largely responsible for shoulder pain; an easier service motion is less likely to cause shoulder problems. Tennis players often experience low back pain. According to Dr. Leach, it's not usually serious. Though disc injuries are possible, muscle-related back injury is more common in tennis. Dr. Leach advises working on your back flexibility and building strong abdominal muscles.