Friday, January 6, 2012

3 Types of Muscles Used in Tennis Volley


Though tennis volleys look easy enough for professional players, they require coordinated activation of at least nine muscles and muscle groups. Understanding how these muscles work together will allow you to build necessary strength and develop skill with specific volley movements. The major muscles involved in the tennis volley are in your arms and shoulders, though torso and calf muscles also participate in an expert shot. Talk to your doctor before starting a new exercise program.


The volley is a tennis stroke that hits the ball before it bounces or contacts the ground. Volley activation varies depending on ball speed, height and location. A backhand volley activates muscles differently than a forehand shot, for example. The major muscles involved in a tennis volley are the flexor and extensor carpi radiallis, triceps brachii, deltoids, pectoralis major, gastrocnemius, external obliques and erector spinae, according to a study published in "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise" in 1999.
Forearm Muscles
Muscles involved in the tennis volley in your forearm are the flexor and extensor carpi radiallis, which both help angle the wrist away from your body. Additionally, the flexor carpi radiallis is a powerful wrist flexor, or muscle that helps bend your wrist, and the extensor carpi radiallis primarily straightens, or extends your wrist. These muscles cock the wrist to keep the racket head up and help strengthen your grip when striking fast moving balls. Activity of the flexor and extensor carpi radiallis muscles was greater during forehand volleys versus backhand volleys, according to the study.
Upper Body Muscles
Your triceps brachii is a large muscle running along the back of your upper arm, your deltoids are the fleshy muscles on top of your shoulder joints and your pectoralis major muscles are your large, powerful chest muscles. Your triceps activate more strongly during backhand swings than forehand swings, possibly because forehand swings have assistance from the pectoralis major and the front portion of your deltoid muscles. While the pectoralis major assists the triceps in the forward swing phase, the front-to-middle portion of your deltoid plays a greater role in low forehand volleys.
Supporting Muscles
Your gastrocnemius, or calf muscles, support skilled volleys, as do your external obliques and erector spinae muscles. The external obliques are large, superficial abdominal muscles that play a role in trunk rotation and flexion, and your erector spinae muscles assist back extension and flexion. During a tennis volley, gastrocnemius activation was similar in forehand and backhand volleys, and the external obliques played a roll in shifting body weight in lateral movements. Bilateral activation of the erector spinae muscles decreased with lower ball level, suggesting changes in trunk posture depending on ball height.


 
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