Your
body is the most important piece of equipment you will ever own.
Your
body is the most important piece of equipment you will ever own.
Musculoskeletal
Demands
Tennis, racquetball, and squash players must be able to react quickly and explosively to serve or return the ball and place it with precision. They
also need to be able to repeat these motions many times with little rest between efforts throughout the match.
Maximal strength, power, muscle endurance, and neuromuscular control in all planes of motion are needed to perform well and avoid injury throughout
the season. Limiting
factors for most athletes are reactive power and power endurance. Since power is largely dependent upon strength, maximal
strength, power, and muscle endurance should be the focus of your training program. Cardiovascular conditioning should address
all of the energy systems; alactic anaerobic, lactic anaerobic, and aerobic. You are only as strong as your weakest link!
Common Muscle Imbalances
Although every individual is different, there are common muscle imbalances seen in racquet sports players.
Muscles that are commonly tight and
need to be stretched include: hip flexors, quads, pectorals and anterior
shoulder girdle, gastoc/soleus, wrist flexors, and lats. Muscles that are commonly weak and need to be
strengthened include: trunk stabilizers such as spinal erectors and
abdominals, posterior shoulder girdle and scapular stabilizers, rotator cuff, glutes, hamstrings, wrist extensors, and hip abductors and adductors.
Because the racquet arm is used more than the non-dominant arm, muscle imbalances can occur between right vs left sides of the
upper body and trunk.
Imbalances may need to be addressed not only to improve
performance, but to prevent injury.
Training Components
Components of a properly designed racquet sports program include flexibility, core stability,
maximal strength, plyometrics, musculoskeletal endurance, balance and agility, and cardiovascular fitness.
It is preferable to do most training in a standing position and in all planes of motion.
Common Racquet Sports Injuries
Many common racquet sports injuries occur because of overuse injuries to the shoulder, elbow, or wrist of the dominant arm.
Ankle inversion sprains are the most common injury in sports, especially when trying to decelerate rapidly during lateral
movement.
Poor posture or muscle imbalances that force an athlete to rely on compensatory
movement patterns repetitively throughout the game can lead to overuse injuries, particularly to the rotator cuff or elbow.
Most common injuries are sprains and strains of the ankle, knee, wrist, elbow, and rotator cuff.
Option 1.The most effective
option is to work one on
one with a professional Strength and Conditioning Coach to ensure that
you are doing the most efficient exercises correctly. You will first
have an assessment
to determine your current cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, and
muscle strengths and weaknesses prior to beginning a training program.
K's Body Shop will then utilize that information to design a customized
program that determines appropriate exercises and intensities so that
you can maximize your performance and minimize the chance for
injury. Since there are no contracts, you can work with your trainer as
often or as little as you please.
Contact
K's Body Shop to schedule your appointment or get more
information.
Option 2. If you have a group of racquet sports players in the Twin Cities area who are interested in having a professional Strength and Conditioning Coach oversee your small group strength training workouts, contact K's Body Shop. This is a great option for training partners to contain costs while still getting some professional instruction. Prices vary depending on number of athletes and location of sessions.
Option 3. The least expensive option is to follow a pre-designed strength and conditioning program. These programs are "as is" and do not include additional coaching. Customers simply pay for the program of their choice via PayPal and it will be delivered as 8 different PDF files via email, typically within 24 hours (usually faster) of purchase. PDF readers can be downloaded for free from www.adobe.com. All programs include pictures and/or descriptions of each exercise; such as dynamic warm-up, strength training exercises, stretching exercises, cardiovascular conditioning, and cool down. See sample to get a general idea of the format.
We currently offer one level of strength and conditioning program for racquet sports players. These programs are available for purchase here or in the Program Catalog. Each program includes 5 different workouts: 2 day off-season rotation, 2 day pre-season rotation, and 1 in-season workout. Also included is a dynamic warm up, self myofascial release, and flexibility exercises. Implements used include free weights, stability ball, medicine ball, cables or tubing, balance board, and biofoam roll. Athletes who will benefit the most from this option are injury free, self motivated, and already have basic weight training experience.
Please review our terms of service before purchasing a pre-designed program.
|
Training Program |
Program Information |
Target Population |
Price |
Purchase |
|
Strength Training for Racquet Sports |
Off
Season Workout A: 11 exercises
|
Tennis, racquetball, handball, or squash players with some basic strength training experience. |
$19.97 |
Call today and get started on a fitness program designed just for you!
