"Around the world, at all ages, boys throw better — a lot better — than girls. Studies of overhand ball throwing across different cultures have found that pre-pubescent girls throw 51 to 69 percent of the distance that boys do, at 51 to 78 percent of the velocity. As they get older, the differences increase; one U.S. study found that girls age 14 to 18 threw only 39 percent as far as boys (an average of about 75 feet vs. about 192 feet)."

Although most tennis people know that girls struggle to throw as well as boys, it is something that needs to be trained at a young age. With practice and the correct technical work, girls can throw very well, but it requires the coach/parent to focus on tennis-specific throwing mechanics rather than just throwing the ball forward. The big problem most people have is that they do not focus on throwing with a high trajectory (i.e. long tossing) while also trying to maintain a positive shoulder-over-shoulder position (think a good tennis serve position at contact). If the athlete throws with these mechanics at a young age, she will develop good throwing mechanics that will translate into a more effective tennis serve and should help her also be able to hit an effective kick serve.  Take read of the article below from the Washington Post that provides some more statistics.

http://tinyurl.com/8k454fy

        As the US Open has started, it is worth reflecting on what it takes for players to achieve success at the highest level. It is important to understand as a coach, trainer, therapist or parent how difficult it is to become the best in the world at anything. Remember that making the US Open main draw means that you are in the top 128 players in the world at the time. This is an outstanding accomplishment. In any profession – lawyer, doctor, plumber, teacher, coach, therapist etc – it is unbelievably difficult to reach the pinnacle. Tennis is a global sport with over 100 countries producing professional players and to rise to the top is very challenging. Many people talk about how difficult it is to make it in today’s game.
        One discussion point that comes about in coaching and training circles is about how best to handle young players who have the dreams of one day stepping on the court at the grand slam tournaments and making a successful living as a professional tennis player. As a coach or influencer this mindset and goal should be 100% embraced and encouraged. At the young age (i.e. before puberty) potential is a beautiful thing. It is too early to tell which players will and will not make it as a professional. Many factors come into play during puberty (height, social factors, training interest, motivation, financial resources etc) and this many times helps to separate players. However, before puberty it is not unreasonable for every player to have the dream and goal of becoming a professional tennis player.
         It should make it very clear that to become successful in the sport of tennis is very, very difficult. The odds are small to make it big in tennis. However, if you are working with young players, especially before puberty, it is too early to tell who is going to make at the highest level so as mentors, coaches, parents or influencers, it is necessary to encourage the dream, make it possible for the young player to believe, while also making it very clear that to be successful at the highest levels it requires a lot more than writing down on a piece of paper that “ I will become no. 1 in the world and win the US Open.” The amount of daily work that needs to be put in, in a daily structured way (i.e. deliberate practice) is what most people do not successfully accomplish. Many people have the dreams and aspirations of the end result, but very few are willing to do the required daily work needed. This, unfortunately, is where the disconnect is in many situations. Setting lofty goals at a young age is a positive, but it must be made clear that to achieve lofty goals, the athlete, and the support team of the athlete, needs to put the work in to achieve these lofty goals. Without the daily work, the goals are unrealistic. It is unfortunate that most players, coaches, trainers and therapist do not realize the intensity of work and the daily engagement needed to truly achieve success. 

Set Expectations High, But Clearly Define What Is Needed to Achieve These High Expectations!

Don't forget to enter our US Open Player Fitness Challenge Contest! Details here.

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the 2012 US Open unable to fully  recover from knee pain since after Wimbledon. This injury has kept him from competing in the Olympics and also any of the US hardcourt tournaments. It is reported to be a different knee problem that has sidelined him in the past, but he has shown that the area around his knees have caused him major problems throughout his career. It is always a major concern when one of the greats of the game cannot play a Grand Slam event. This situation gives us a chance to look at possible causes and cures for his knee problems. Although every individual case is different it is important to make sure that your training for tennis athletes involves limiting the chance of knee related problems. We know that the knee is one of the top 5 most common injury locations for tennis athletes. Listed below are some articles available on the web focused on knee injuries. 
 
Statement from US Open Tournament Director David Brewer on Rafael Nadal’s Withdraw from the 2012 US Open:

"Rafa has informed us that he will not be ready to compete at the US Open this year and has withdrawn from the tournament. We hope to see him back on the court soon and look forward to his return to New York next year.”

Statement from Rafael Nadal:

"I am very sad to announce that I am still not ready to play and
have to withdraw from this year's US Open in NYC. I am sorry since I always
found great crowds and great support, but I have to continue with my recup and
preparation to be ready to play in the right conditions. I want to say hi and
thanks to all the fans, in particular to the New Yorkers. I'll miss you all this
year at the Open!"
 
Knee Injuries In Tennis Players (Pete Sallay)  http://mykneehurts.info/knee/?p=73
 
Injury Prevention:
Knee Injuries (Eric Price) 
http://longislandtennismagazine.com/article1172/injury-prevention-knee-injuries

 Musculoskeletal Injuries in Tennis (Perkins &Davis) 
http://www.med.nyu.edu/pmr/residency/resources/PMR%20clinics%20NA/PMR%20clinics%20NA_sports%20med/MSK%20injuries%20tennis.pdf

In this audio clip recorded at the 2012 NSCA Conference, Dr. Morey Kolber, a physical therapist at Nova Southeastern University, discusses his recommendations and observations  for strengthening tennis players' shoulders. Certain exercises and stretches are also discussed.

The 2012 National Strength & Conditioning Association National Conference and Exhibition was held in Providence, Rhode Island (July 11-14th, 2012). This was the 35th year that the NSCA has been in existence, and the conference was a great event which highlighted the founding of the organization through its growth  to a leading association providing strength and conditioning information to coaches throughout the world. The NSCA started as a group of strength coaches who got together over some drinks to “talk shop.” Over the years it has grown into an important organization in the industry which aims at providing scientific information relevant to testing, training and rehabilitating athletes. This year’s conference had over 1000 people in attendance from a number of countries. The conference combines keynote lectures, research presentations, practical hands-on training sessions, the latest scientific research studies presented in poster and free-communication form as well as an extensive exhibit hall with the latest strength and conditioning equipment on display. Some great information was presented over the four days from all aspects of sport science and strength & conditioning.

Very little information is focused on tennis, but much of the information that was presented can be applied to training tennis athletes and improving speed, strength, power, muscular endurance, aerobic capacity, flexibility and a number of other physical variables. The iTPA was very well represented with a number of certification commissioners and advisory board members presenting lectures, hands-on presentations and serving on different committees. A number of iTPA members were also in attendance, and some great tennis-specific training information was discussed. Over the coming week the iTPA is developing a series of summaries that will provided to the iTPA membership posted in the iTPA Inner Circle  Member Only Website www.itpamembers.org. These summaries are providing the latest information from the conference with specific emphasis on how this information can help train the tennis athlete. Some of the topics discussed include:

• Some basics on periodization
• The importance of micronutrients. Specific information on Magnesium, Zinc, Iron and Vitamin D.
• The role of core stability and some of the latest research
• Compatibility of training programs. What does the research tell us about combining strength/power workouts with endurance focused workouts. How best to structure activities and training
• A coach’s perspective on training the overhead athlete
• How High Intensity Training (HIT) can improve aerobic capacity and is it relevant and important for training athletes
• The growth and development challenges (and opportunities) of developing elite young athletes who plan to go  pro!
• A review of sarcopenia and the older athlete. How resistance training can improve longevity and reverse many effects of ageing.
• Some great practical video exercises from USTA Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Satoshi Ochi
• Interviews with leading physical therapist Morey Kolber on upper extremities issues and prevention.
• Many other topics also added to improve the quality of training and recovery for the tennis athlet

www.itpamembers.org

To access content on the iTPA Inner Circle Member Only Website, sign  up today for either Tennis Performance Trainer (TPT) or Certified Tennis Performance Specialist (CTPS).