Tennis: Use Your Racket Cover for Strength Development

Tennis: Use Your Racket Cover for Strength Development

Dick Moss, Editor, PE Update.com

If you could purchase the ideal strength training devices for your tennis team or physical education tennis unit, would they have the following attributes:

  • Inexpensive,
  • Something everyone can use simultaneously and on the court,
  • Sport-specific in its ability to develop strength?

If your answer is “yes,” then you already have such devices in your PE storage room - your tennis racket
covers!

It sounds almost too easy, but performing strokes with the cover on your racket provides a surprising amount of resistance because of the extra weight and wind resistance.

How to Use
To use tennis racket covers to improve tennis strength, perform typical tennis swings slowly, using good stroke mechanics. And, as your strength increases, increase the resistance by inserting tennis balls into the cover.

It's a good idea to also perform some strokes as if you were hitting the ball in an off-balance position. The
muscles used in off-balance shots are often the ones that first become fatigued so are most susceptible to injury.

References
1. Vic Braden, “Strength Training Will Help Your Game.” Sports Fitness, May 1986.
2. Paul Roetert, Todd Ellenbecker, US Tennis Assn., Complete Conditioning for Tennis, Human Kinetics, 2007. www.humankinetics.com


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