Physiology Of The Muscles In Tennis

Tennis requires that you use almost all of the muscles of your body from your feet to your shoulders. In addition to muscular strength, you'll need two different types of power as well as speed, flexibility and endurance. Understanding how your muscles work during tennis strokes and matches will help you train yourself for maximum results.

Power

It takes roughly 4,000 watts of power to create a world-class tennis stroke, according to former German Tennis Federation chief coach, Richard Schonborn. You can produce roughly 100 to 150 watts of power per kilogram of body weight, which means your larger muscles generate most of the power in your tennis shots. Tennis players use explosive power when they move their muscles quickly in one direction, such as taking the first step to a short ball. You use reactive power when you bend down and push up, such as during a groundstroke, serve or overhead.

Contractions

When you take your racket back, you lengthen the muscles in your arm, creating eccentric muscle contractions. When you bring the racket forward, you shorten the muscles, creating concentric contractions. This is similar to stretching and releasing a rubber band. You create energy through eccentric muscle contractions and release it through concentric muscle contractions.

Muscle Fibers

You play tennis in short bursts at high speed using high intensity. This requires you to use more fast-twitch, or phasic, muscle fibers, than slow-twitch, or tonic fibers. Phasic muscles don't use oxygen, and because tennis points are so short, you create less lactic acid than during aerobic exercise. Lactic acid will accumulate during a tennis match and can contribute to cramping, so taking more time between points and frequent breaks during workouts will help prevent this.

Energy

Your muscles contain a chemical called adenosine triphosphate that transports chemical energy within cells to help move your muscles. After several muscle contractions, you deplete your store of ATP via metabolism and must create more. To create more, you burn glycogen, and this process creates lactic acid. Taking more time between points not only helps your bloodstream remove lactic acid from muscles, but also lets you replenish some ATP to start the next point.

Motions

Women and men use their muscles differently during tennis strokes. Women tend to move their hips backward during groundstrokes and serves, while men move their hips forward, according to Dr. Ben Kibler of the Lexington Clinic Sports Medicine Center. The movement men use is more efficient and creates more power.