AVOIDING INJURY
“Tennis players are fun to work with and are they ever predictable!” Claims innovative sports therapist, Pete Egosque.
“Serious tennis is very unforgiving toward dysfunctional bodies. Dysfunctional tennis players, by definition, are unbalanced. They are always hitting off the back leg; the weight transfer, instead of going from right hip to left hip, is torquing wildly through the upper torso with every forehand stroke… Today’s high tech racquets are so sophisticated that you can get spin and pace without being anatomically functional.
”You also get hurt. And the reason for this is found in a simple law of physics—for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction which is supposed to be happening in the equal and opposite other half of the body that is running amok.” ……. Pete Egoscue, founder of the Egoscue Method and physical/sports therapy clinics throughout the world
While coaching tennis these past twelve years here in Fairfield I‘ve encountered more injured arms, shoulders, hips, and knees then I encountered in my first fifty years in the game. Just days before the 2014 state high school tournament, a year when Maharishi School won the triple crown, three of our top players suffered injuries leaving our season in serious doubt.
Everyone would like to play like the pros and coaches encourage their students to copy the pros. As a coach, I’m guilty of it too! Although Djokovic and Nadal embody cutting edge technique, are they the best models for us?
John Yandell, the founder of Tennis One, a leading tennis website, cautions recreational players about copying the pros. John has coached at every level of the game and employs super high speed videography to research ATP/WTA players.
Yandell says, “When Rafa, and Djoker hit forehands, two things they do don’t apply to the rec player. 1) Their contact point is higher on a large % of shots causing them to be in the air as they swing. 2) Because they’re in the air so often, the body rotation is far greater than a player with both feet on the ground, which is generally the case at the club level.”
5 Keys to avoid injury:
1) learn sound technique
2) favor ball control over power
3) stretch before and after playing
4) listen to your body; it may be telling you to take a day or two off
5) enjoy watching the pros on TV but understand that their fitness and athleticism allow them to do things we mortals may not be able to do.
Avoiding Injury
