Athletic Posture

Working with tennis training equipment: The 'Training Partner'

Wayne Dumpleton Head Fitness Trainer Gosling Tennis UK

PLAYER - tired of constantly rising up on you feet losing balance and hitting off centered shots?

COACH - tired of constantly shouting at your players to keep their centre of gravity low - and their knees bent when they should be really concentrating on where they are going to put the ball?

Good athletic posture is the foundation of good tennis technique!

World class tennis players have to maintain superb dynamic balance whilst executing their shots. Here Wayne Arthurs shows great athletic ability to control his body under the most extreme pressure.

Balance

One factor that is too often forgotten in tennis is that if the body’s centre of gravity falls outside the foot base, then it is much harder to stay balanced on a shot. Often on a wide shot, players will try to compensate by bending the back and leaning towards the ball. Not only is this a less balanced position, but it also prevents rotation around
the torso, which is key to generating centrifugal force into the ball (the force that is generated from the spinning motion). Leaning from the back to reach the wide ball also puts great strain on the back. The
spine can lift loads ten times greater if it is in the correct position, but if it is has to generate force in the wrong position, strain is placed on the vertebrae which are individual hinge joints all
the way down the back. If damage is done to the vertebrae then the player will need months to recover and also probably need very expensive treatment.

"Good athletic posture is the key foundation of good tennis technique as well as providing the ideal platform for speed and agility. 'The Training Partner' (above) is an excellent device for developing kinesthetic awareness of the correct posture with players of all ages."

How will the Training Partner help to develop these qualities?The Training Partner will allow development of balance firstly because it will encourage the correct alignment of the body. It will force the player to keep the shoulders, knees and toes in line and it will also prevent the body’s centre of gravity from traveling outside the line of the feet. The neoprene padded belt around the torso and the neoprene ankle cuffs are comfortable to wear and the elastics secured behind the body hold the player in the correct line. The great thing about the
Training Partner is that it can be used on very young players from about the age of about 9 upwards. The elastics have just the right tension to allow the player to drive up from their base if they need
too. The imposed alignment of the player by the Training Partner also forces them to use the correct muscle firing sequence when moving or driving upwards. The player will have to first generate force from the
legs (predominantly the thighs) and then through the glutes (bottom muscles) and finally through the torso. Although the player should not always be in the squat position on court, aspiring players do not use
the legs enough in recovering from shots, setting for shots or playing the shots and if used regularly, the Training Partner will encourage the player to use their greatest asset on court in terms of balance and power generation.

WAYNE DUMPLETON
HEAD FITNESS TRAINER GOSLING TENNIS (UK)

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COMMENTS FROM SOME USERS

The moment you connect up the Training Partner it corrects the problem immediately! the only bit of kit you’ll carry in your kit bag that will be used time and time again!
Simon Jones (LTA National Coach)

It made me get down a lot easier. When I took it off I automatically got into a lower position. I can see that it would be of great benefit to use in practice.

It was most helpful on the forehand, which I tend to hit open stance off one leg. It really helped me to use my knees to get down to the ball to generate spin. When I took it off it seemed really easy to
spring up to the ball.

I do not bend my knees a lot when I play and this definitely made a difference. It also made me take smaller steps because the rubber tube did not allow me to lunge at the ball.

The Value of the Training Partner

The Training Partner allows the tennis player to develop two major assets for their game – a balanced base and the ability to develop the correct muscles for efficient power generation into the shot. Without balance there is no consistency of strike and without development of the correct muscle groups there is greater risk of injury.

Amateur or Professional you can’t get by without the
'TRAINING PARTNER'
www.overspeeduk.com