Improving Your Tennis Game

The Age Of The Dominate Athlete

2008-05-24T12:09:00.000-04:00

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

2008-05-23T22:32:00.000-04:00

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.

For The Good Of The Game?

2008-02-11T23:41:00.000-05:00

In our first post of the year and at the start of the tennis season we reported on rumblings that the rankings and appearance schedules were uncertain. We pointed out the less than timely arrival of Serena Williams at the Wegman. Then two days after that post, bam!--the International Tennis Federation (ITF) banned former #1 ranked player Martina Hingis for testing positive for cocaine use at Wimbledon last year--an event she won at age 16.

Then Roger Federer and Justine Henin were ranked #1 going into the Australia Open. They were both eliminated early in surprise upsets, leaving the door open for new talent. Plus, there was an early exit by defending champ Serena Williams. As if all this wasn't contrary to conventional wisdom, the men's finish of the Australia Open was as dramatic as it could be.

There is no doubt that there is a lot of talent out there this season, and equally clear no rankings or play is predictable at this point as we pointed out. But, wait a minute, in all the action we just described, what is this about the 2-year ban on Hingis? Looking at this subject from what is happening in other sports, this action seemed deserved, definitive and swift. But, was it for the good of the game?

When you have a proven champion who falls of the track, is punishment the best measure of enforcement? Do our champions not deserve our help? We are not condoning Hingis' addictions in any way. We just think that the USTA should have a process that includes giving a champion the help she needs to get back to a normal life.

This is not a matter one-upmanship among major sports organizations, i.e. the ITF is more effective than MLB or the NFL at establishing and enforcing drug and doping rules. It's about the human toll that drugs are exacting on our athletes and what we should do to help them recover, especially those who have brought millions of dollars to the sport throught their play and popularity.

So, let's be human and temper the dismissal with a mandatory recovery program. At least the effort to appear loyal would make the organization seem more human, and preserve some of the good will that fans of the sport felt toward the transgressors like Hingis. It will be better for the game, and the players.

We wish Martina well and hope someone gives her the help she needs.

2008 Season Starts With Question Marks

2007-12-31T00:03:00.000-05:00

Only two days into the new season, people are already asking, "Where's Serena?" She was a no show, again, at the Hopman Cup in Adelaide on Saturday. Meghann Shaughnessy filled in for her to help the U.S. win its first round. Latest word is Serena is on her way to Adelaide.

The point is that it seems there are a lot of questions about how this season is going to go and how fluid the rankings are likely to be as top players show varying degrees of commitment to, and physical performance in, the early tournaments.

Most of the action will be overseas and not receive much press in the U.S. during the first month of the season. Therefore, we are likely to be unaware of the uncertainty that major players are placing on the expectations of tournament organizers and sponsors with their casual attitude toward appearances. This is a growing problem for the sport, we think, because such uncertainty affects spectator interest and attendance.

This is someting we plan to watch and monitor, so stay posted.