Effect of competiton oer the maximal dynamic strength in the elite tennis player. Case study

The main purpose of this study was to analyse the effects of tennis competition on the maximal dynamic strength in a high level (in this moment top 100, WTA ranking) female tennis player of 15 years old. Furthermore, we present the improvements on maximal dynamic strength after 12 weeks of weight-lifting strength training and we compare it with the maximal dynamic strength during a competitive phase of the season. Tennis is a sport that demands explosive strength in a large number of repetitive movements. Power refers to the ability of the neuromuscular system to produce the greatest possible impulse in a given time period. In tennis, the time period depends on the resistance or the load against which the tennis player has to work (the racket, the velocity of the ball and the body weight) and the distribution of the movement acceleration. Some studies using electromyography have reported that the strength generation in tennis strokes depends on the neuromuscular activation in the initial phases of the arm acceleration in every stroke, despite that tennis strokes are not ballistic movements. A possibility to improve and keep a high maximal dynamic strength is via a well designed strength training program during the whole season. Different strength tests give specific information about the fitness level of the tennis player and also shows where and when modify the training program. In this present “care study”, we measured maximal dynamic strength in the muscles that have a relevant participation in tennis strokes, using the strength tests that have a high specificity for tennis strokes, according to the specialized bibliography.