Biomechanical Principles of Tennis Technique: Using Science to Improve Your Strokes

Biomechanical Principles of Tennis Technique: Using Science to Improve Your Strokes
by Duane Knudson

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Book Summary Information

Author: Duane Knudson
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-04-01
ISBN: 0972275940
Number of pages: 128
Publisher: Usrsa

Book Reviews of Biomechanical Principles of Tennis Technique: Using Science to Improve Your Strokes

Book Review: A good general overview
Summary: 4 Stars

I never write reviews but thought I'd add one since the only other one was negative and I quite liked this book. I haven't read any other biomechanics books and can't do a comparative review, but this book is definitely "Biomechanical Principles of Tennis," so I can see how this would be old hat if you've already read someone else's version.

This book is a mix of "general introduction to biomechanics applied to tennis" and "practical tennis stoke technique". It begins by describing some common mechanical principles that apply to all strokes, such as balance and inertia, and explains how these forces work and how they're produced. Then there's a chapter on injury prevention -- how various injuries are caused and how to avoid them. Finally, there are chapters breaking down in detail the biomechanics of the serve, forehand, backhand and volley. Throughout, the author summarizes existing academic research and cites the relevant studies, with charts and photos.

Now, these sections aren't detailed prescriptions for how you "should" hit these strokes, but that's what I liked. This dude isn't a tennis coach, he's an academic kinesiologist. A lot of coaches advocate techniques, but this guy is more agnostic and doesn't advocate so much as describe. In explaining principles like how the legs, trunk, shoulders, arm and wrist coil and then uncoil into a shot, the author separates the fundamentals of technique that are important from motions that aren't, while debunking some of the standard tennis pro wisdom as either wrong or not supported by research (i.e., details of the follow-through motion -- if you're trying to copy Rafa's or perfecting your window-washer, you're probably wasting time).

For instance, the author does a good job of explaining the tradeoffs between hitting the forehand from a square vs. open stance or serving from a feet-together vs. feet-apart -- how they affect preparation, static and active balance, stroke power, accuracy/time racket's in the hitting zone and recovery. In these explanations, he differentiates between players at the pro and rec levels (in terms of power, prep time etc., since academic motion studies are done with at different force levels and speeds), and there are some important distinctions there.

Personally, I gained several insights that I think will help my game and in other ways the book underlined things I've heard from coaches or read in tennis instruction books, which is useful in itself -- underscoring what's important and exposing what you can happily ignore. When you read about what individual muscles are doing, realizations like "Oh, that's why I'm not supposed to squeeze my racket and all that stiff wrist stuff is bollocks" pop to mind. Techniques go in and out of style, but the fundamentals of the human body's mechanics do not.

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Summary of Biomechanical Principles of Tennis Technique: Using Science to Improve Your Strokes

The science of tennis technique is explained in this guide that practically applies the lessons learned from studying the forces and motions of tennis strokes. Through the implementation of six basic biomechanical principles players can make subtle adjustments to their strokes, creating stroke variations that not only improve their game but also reduce their risk of injury. Detailed line drawings; stroke analysis and sequence photos of top touring pros; action photographs and high-speed video images; and an exploration of the benefits of video replay provide players with a variety of useful techniques.

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