A lack of upper-body rotation during tennis strokes leads to a significant loss of power and can cause repetitive stress injuries. Not turning the shoulders during serves and ground strokes forces you to rely on your arm for power. This decreases the muscle mass you can use to accelerate your racket and places more stress on your body. A few simple tips can help you get your shoulders in the correct position for effective strokes and shots.
Step 1
Warm up with dynamic stretches before you begin hitting balls. Raise your arms until your elbows are even with your shoulders and your hands are pointing toward each other in front of your chest. Quickly turn to the left and right approximately 10 times, moving just past your point of comfortable range of motion. Practice tennis swings with or without a racket, without hitting balls. Perform the throwing motion with your hitting arm 10 to 12 times.
Step 2
Practice hitting ground strokes by simultaneously pointing the butt of your racket at the ball as soon as your partner hits it to you and turning your torso backward using your core muscles. Do this before you start running to the ball.
Step 3
Finish your backward movement using the shoulder of your non-hitting arm to help push you the final distance. Rotate your shoulders until your opponent can see your back.
Step 4
Place your non-hitting hand on the throat of your racket as you turn backward during forehands as an alternative movement to pointing the butt of your racket at the ball. Point the elbow of your non-hitting hand at the incoming ball to help rotate your torso and shoulders. Release your non-hitting hand from the racket when your racket reaches the shoulder of your hitting arm.
Step 5
Move the racket forward starting with a forward hip and core movement, not a shoulder turn. Turning your shoulders forward to start your swing decreases your use of your lower body and torso. This causes you to rely on your shoulders and arm to generate power. Let your racket bring your shoulders forward, instead of driving the racket forward with your shoulders.
Step 6
Turn backward to begin your serve, starting with a core turn. Finish the backward turn with help from the shoulder of your non-hitting arm, turning your back to your opponent.
Step 7
Open your hips and core to drive the racket forward and upward, pushing your shoulder into the swing.
Tips and Warnings
- Perform core exercises to help turn your torso and shoulders in and out of shots. Include crunches, twists and other ab exercises.
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