How does poor 1HBH form cause T.E.?

[laff66]

I have a fairly strong 1hbh that I hit with a lot of topspin, and I've developed HORRIBLE tennis elbow in my right elbow. The good thing is those two things have nothing to do with each other, as I'm left-handed - go figure?? I'm not having much luck getting it better, but if this is truly what it feels like then I DO NOT want to get it in my left arm!!!
In reading all these posts about TE, as well as many articles, the 1hbh is always mentioned, but I can't find much on specifically what to avoid. I can see how hitting a "wristy" shot would seriously stress your forearm extensors and cause problems, especially through the contact point, but is there anything else that I need to avoid? I tried to figure out through some pics on the net what kind of grip I use, but couldn't. The best way I can describe it is that its pretty much like my semi-western forehand, only opposite. If I stop the racquet at contact, and the stringbed is perpendicular to the ground, the main knuckle at the base of my index finger is directly on the top of the grip and pointing straight at the sky. What worries me is that when I grip the racquet with my right arm in the same way that I do with my L for a backhand, the elbow pain is so bad I can hardly stand it - and thats just HOLDING it, not swinging it!! It makes me wonder if I'm headed that way with my left??
The only other thing I can think of that makes sense to avoid problems is a relaxed grip, and using the legs, hips, and torso for power rather than the arm alone.
Any advice on what I'm doing wrong or right (with the non-injured L arm) would be greatly appreciated, as this right arm thing is awful.

 

[charliefedererer]

The most common problem for the development of tennis elbow among beginners is a very "wristy" shot where the player over extends the wrist. The one hand backhand of course starts with a flexed wrist with the butt of the racquet pointed at the ball, but as the wrist is extended, it is not brougt past a neutral position. In this video, this emphasis on not overextending the wrist is called "maintaining the L": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNdZtkKPFhA&feature=digest You show good awareness by generating more power with your legs, hips and torso.

In addition to good technique, exercise to strengthen the forearm muscles can help prevent tennis elbow. Exercises include the "Tyler Twist" with a Thereaband Flexbar, and wrist dumbell curls, reverse curls and pronation/supination exercises.

Certainly soft strings and a flexible frame can help prevent tennis elbow.

By the way, how did you get such bad tennis elbow in your right arm?

 

[laff66]

I have no freakin' idea how I got it in the right arm. My best guess is a combination of using an iphone for internet stuff while at work; which is 24hrs at a time, switching to a laptop instead of a desktop and using the trackpad on the laptop instead of a mouse, and playing guitar (I play right handed, so the picking arm is the hurt one. Now everything hurts it: shaking hands, picking up a glass, picking wet clothes up out of the washer, etc. I started doing the exercises today and am going to look into the flexbar.

 

[ProgressoR]

i got mild TE (nearly gone now) during learning the 1hBH, and here i think are the causes (for me)
- stiff racket flex around 67
- fully poly set up
- started off with bad technique, was very wristy and didnt realise till it was too late, even though i was taking lessons
- did a LOT of drills, i would spend a whole hour lesson hitting this shot in drills, and multiple times per week, after about 2-3 weeks is when the pain came

to fix it this is what i did

- changed racket to a flexier one
- never use poly again, use syn now
- changed my stroke so its more sound
- did some exercises, like charFed says above

The pain is only about 5% left now, and i think that is because whatever over-use (or other) damage i did is taking a bit longer to heal as i am 39 and not 18.

Also, i stopped using my right hand for computer mouse work, someone mentioned having your hand curled around a mouse hours per day tightens everything up.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Squeezing too tightly can contribute to TE or GE -- fingers, hand & arm should be relaxed most of the time. If the grip size is too large or too small, this might result in a grip that is not relaxed.

The continental grip is great for hitting slice shots. It can also be employed when hitting flat or with mild topspin. Some sources indicate that this grip can cause TE if it is employed for hitting a lot of heavy topspin BHs. Be sure to use a grip that puts the hand more on top, such as the Eastern BH grip.

Leading too much with the elbow can cause TE. If arm is bent at right angles and a vigorous arm extension (straightening of the arm) is employed to slap at the ball, this can be stressful to the tendons surrounding the elbow. A slower, mild arm extension is fine -- do not lead with the elbow and then snap the forearm forward to straighten the arm.

Be sure to coil the body and drive off the back leg. Altho' there is not as much body rotation on a 1-handed BH as there is for the FH or the 2-hander, there is still some measure of uncoiling prior to the forward swing (or at the start of the forward swing). However the back shoulder does not rotate forward very much at all.
.

 

[BMC9670]

I have no freakin' idea how I got it in the right arm. My best guess is a combination of using an iphone for internet stuff while at work; which is 24hrs at a time, switching to a laptop instead of a desktop and using the trackpad on the laptop instead of a mouse, and playing guitar (I play right handed, so the picking arm is the hurt one. Now everything hurts it: shaking hands, picking up a glass, picking wet clothes up out of the washer, etc. I started doing the exercises today and am going to look into the flexbar.

This is entirely possible - and carpal tunnel can be very similar to TE. I often do detailed graphic work on a computer and have gotten mild cases of CT/TE from using a track pad and mouse for long periods. My tennis training has helped as well as switching to a pen tablet.

 

[LeftSHBH]

Dude, it's the computer/electronics. I work at a desk all day and sitting there for hours doesn't help. Try changing positions and read up on proper sitting posture and mouse/keyboard placement while sitting at your desk. I've had issues where my right shoulder, not so much my elbow, was hurting like a b1tch, because I spent too much time with the right arm leaning on the desk a little too high and didn't let my shoulder rest down into rest position.

 

[Slazenger07]

I got TE from leading too much with my elbow on the backhand, after I crushed a shot, my arm started hurting...the rest is history

 

[rk_sports]

Squeezing too tightly can contribute to TE or GE -- fingers, hand & arm should be relaxed most of the time. If the grip size is too large or too small, this might result in a grip that is not relaxed.

The continental grip is great for hitting slice shots. It can also be employed when hitting flat or with mild topspin. Some sources indicate that this grip can cause TE if it is employed for hitting a lot of heavy topspin BHs. Be sure to use a grip that puts the hand more on top, such as the Eastern BH grip.

Leading too much with the elbow can cause TE. If arm is bent at right angles and a vigorous arm extension (straightening of the arm) is employed to slap at the ball, this can be stressful to the tendons surrounding the elbow. A slower, mild arm extension is fine -- do not lead with the elbow and then snap the forearm forward to straighten the arm.

Be sure to coil the body and drive off the back leg. Altho' there is not as much body rotation on a 1-handed BH as there is for the FH or the 2-hander, there is still some measure of uncoiling prior to the forward swing (or at the start of the forward swing). However the back shoulder does not rotate forward very much at all.
.

Interesting!

I use continental grip and try to hit flat most times except when the ball is low...then I use top spin without changing the grip...Maybe this is one area of concern!

I'm trying to get my mind around that 'Leading too much with the elbow can cause TE' part

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Interesting!

I use continental grip and try to hit flat most times except when the ball is low...then I use top spin without changing the grip...Maybe this is one area of concern!

I'm trying to get my mind around that 'Leading too much with the elbow can cause TE' part

Topspin with a continental grip is probably ok as long as it isn't heavy topspin and is not done frequently. I've heard this from several reputable sources.

Leading too much with the elbow is cited quite often as a possible cause of TE. Bent elbow on the takeback is fine. The arm should straighten in a non-violent manner well before contact. Perhaps the following quote will help:

"... Having a bent elbow as you prepare your backhand stroke does not indicate that you're leading with your elbow. You need only watch most of the pros with great one-handed backhands to be reassured. If your bent elbow juts forward, then you swing your lower arm forward by straightening at the elbow, that's leading with your elbow... "

Tennis.About.com/od/backhandfaq/f/faqbackhand12.htm
.

 

[laff66]

thanks for all the good info. I think I'm gonna be fine on the left arm form. I pretty much have my arm extended but not locked well before contact. I'm currently trying to work on nothing but watching the ball on all strokes right now, and that seems to really be helping my backhand, as I don't feel like I have to squeeze very hard if I hit the center consistently.
I'm a firefighter, so I'm not at a desk much at all, but when I am using a computer/phone/laptop its usually not with the best form, I'll try to look into that. I really think the iphone is a big part of this, as (I hate to admit) I'll lay in the bed during some slow time and mess around with the internet or games or whatever, and I noticed its with my hands bent back in an extension position with my elbows bent. It REALLY hurts my rt elbow to do this.
Thats gonna sound great when I say I got injured at work and then have to explain how it was while lying in bed playing a video game. Perfect.

 

[athiker]

Video of 3 common errors: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GOPyflU9p4

All these things will put extra stress on the elbow.

My 3 are just slightly different:

My 1HBH form breaks down worst when I don't get proper spacing from the ball. If I am too close then my arm never gets straight by contact and I kind of flip the racquet around like a flipper. If I concentrate on good spacing my form comes together nicely.

2nd most common is too late a contact point forcing me to muscle the ball around.

3rd thing for me is not moving my off arm back enough to achieve balanced power on the shot. If I don't throw the off arm back then I tend to finish low instead of high without good follow-through extension.

When I get it right it sure feels great though...all starts with proper setup and spacing for me.

 

[scotus]

Dude, it's the computer/electronics. I work at a desk all day and sitting there for hours doesn't help. Try changing positions and read up on proper sitting posture and mouse/keyboard placement while sitting at your desk. I've had issues where my right shoulder, not so much my elbow, was hurting like a b1tch, because I spent too much time with the right arm leaning on the desk a little too high and didn't let my shoulder rest down into rest position.

You should see a doctor about your elbow AND your shoulder.

I have seen 2 doctors (orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine) and 3 physios. They all concur that the elbow problems are usually an extension of a pre-existing shoulder problem (such as muscle imbalance).

Having said this, the majority of TE sufferers are not tennis players. For example, a friend of mine got a TE on his non-dominant arm recently. Culprit? Mountain-biking.

 

[GetBetterer]

http://www.asbweb.org/conferences/2005/pdf/0179.pdf

There's proof of a bad one-handed backhand leading to tennis elbow. I recommend attempting to emulate certain professionals, while at the same time taking lessons to make it more correct from someone who knows how to hit a one-handed backhand. Most teachers won't know how to hit a one-handed backhand. The Pro's you should emulate are:

Justine Henin (most deadliest one-handed backhand)
Roger Federer (good when he needs them to be)
Don Budge (you can only find VHS of him though, so good luck, but it's worth it)

None of them have had tennis elbow and they all have been on the tour for quite some time.

 

[BevelDevil]

I'm trying to get my mind around that 'Leading too much with the elbow can cause TE' part

I believe this is similar to hitting the ball too late, or similarly, not far enough in front (towards the net).


A few months ago, I was feeding my friend balls using my backhand slice. My elbow started hurting fairly quickly. I realized it was because I was tossing the ball with my left hand (non-dominant) straight up, then hitting the slice with my right, which means my contact point was way over to the left, instead of more out front.

So keep the contact point out front.



Does anyone know if rolling your wrist over the ball contributes to TE? I've seen some pros do this on high balls, and I'm tempted to give it a shot.

 

[Centered]

I tried learning a one-handed backhand recently to supplement my two-hander and, while I have zero issues with a one-handed backhand volley (in fact, my volleying seems more natural with one hand), my elbow didn't like the ground strokes. I was rotating to eastern and not hitting much topspin.

Part of the problem may be lack of musculature in the side of the body one doesn't normally use, as well as possible extra sensitivity in areas like the elbow that aren't used to such impacts. When I was trying to play badminton, for instance, with one hand because of an injury to my right wrist, I noticed elbow pain from weakly hit shots that weren't much different technically from the shots I hit very hard with my right arm. I've also noticed that I get tennis elbow more when I stop doing upper body/arm strength training. Simply having muscle mass likely absorbs some of the ball shock and supports the area, giving it more stability.

This is just speculation.

 

[mikeler]

I tried learning a one-handed backhand recently to supplement my two-hander and, while I have zero issues with a one-handed backhand volley (in fact, my volleying seems more natural with one hand), my elbow didn't like the ground strokes. I was rotating to eastern and not hitting much topspin.

Part of the problem may be lack of musculature in the side of the body one doesn't normally use, as well as possible extra sensitivity in areas like the elbow that aren't used to such impacts. When I was trying to play badminton, for instance, with one hand because of an injury to my right wrist, I noticed elbow pain from weakly hit shots that weren't much different technically from the shots I hit very hard with my right arm. I've also noticed that I get tennis elbow more when I stop doing upper body/arm strength training. Simply having muscle mass likely absorbs some of the ball shock and supports the area, giving it more stability.

This is just speculation.

I've noticed the same thing with my golfers elbow. By keeping the muscles around the joint stronger, I have almost no pain. I tried stopping my Theraband exercises for a few days and the next time out on the court I noticed some minor pain on 2 or 3 serves. So back to the Theraband every night again.

 

[larry10s]

So back to the Theraband every night again.

most resistance exercises should be every other day to give the muscles a chance to recover ive been told

 

[mikeler]

most resistance exercises should be every other day to give the muscles a chance to recover ive been told

If it were weight lifting, this is what I would do. I have very large forearms, so even the strongest theraband flexbar is not hard for me to twist.

 

[athiker]

You should see a doctor about your elbow AND your shoulder.

I have seen 2 doctors (orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine) and 3 physios. They all concur that the elbow problems are usually an extension of a pre-existing shoulder problem (such as muscle imbalance).

Having said this, the majority of TE sufferers are not tennis players. For example, a friend of mine got a TE on his non-dominant arm recently. Culprit? Mountain-biking.

Evidently not all that uncommon! Have you friend check out this site:

http://www.bikejames.com/injury-rehab/elbow-tendonitis-exercises-for-mountain-bikers/