Too often a tennis player’s centre of gravity is overlooked and not accounted for when developing the overall technical foundations of their game. Irrespective where we look junior to more advanced players have an unbalanced C.O.G that results in a poor frame and the player needing to use their upper body to ‘muscle the ball’ — sound familiar? There’s a reason why a player’s lower body is so fundamental and that their upper works in tandem. If this relationship is not built for an ‘even’ exchange, not only do injuries run rife…
…but a player’s playing days will rarely see that 10 year lifespan.
It is a rather alarming trend when players are conditioned to hit the ball without being mindful of the C.O.G. You see, a player’s C.O.G is interchanged with their balance and their ability to maintain a level of dynamic balance. If this is a struggle then you’re a red flag to deal with head on. By being able to interwork our C.O.G into our technical foundations, we’re equipping our body to work in sync — from our level of control to using our whole body to achieve our desired outcome.
More often than not developing players are encouraged to hit the ball and work on their power opposed to where this ball should whilst accommodating the players C.O.G. This is an area that is often overlooked but equally integral for preventing long-term injuries along with more fast churning ones i.e. elbow to shoulder. By being more conscious of how the body works and when we use our functional movement patterns to our advantage, the good news is that not only are we preparing for The Long Game, but setting ourselves up towards that Top 10 ranking.
To listen to this week’s episode simply head to Beyond Top 10 Tennis and jump on in!