Tension and Exertion during points. Are they ever our friends?

[HunterST]

Most people have heard to stay relaxed and loose on groundstrokes and serves. Moreover, we know that being too tight and tense is bad and results in short, choppy strokes.

But is tension from exertion ALWAYS bad? Personally, I feel relaxed during neutral rallies but feel some tension when I go for a big bomb on the serve or try to really attack a groundstroke. I don't feel like I could go quite a as big staying completely loose and relaxed. I could obviously be wrong, though.

What do you think? Should tennis players be taught to strive for near complete relaxation at all times during play, or will some natural tension and exertion arise?

 

[Hmgraphite1]

Most people have heard to stay relaxed and loose on groundstrokes and serves. Moreover, we know that being too tight and tense is bad and results in short, choppy strokes.

But is tension from exertion ALWAYS bad? Personally, I feel relaxed during neutral rallies but feel some tension when I go for a big bomb on the serve or try to really attack a groundstroke. I don't feel like I could go quite a as big staying completely loose and relaxed. I could obviously be wrong, though.

What do you think? Should tennis players be taught to strive for near complete relaxation at all times during play, or will some natural tension and exertion arise?

It's a good question and I don't have the answer, but when I go 95% on a serve vs 100% the ball seems to go faster on the 95% serve. It's probably because the hit is off center on the 100%.
When you accelerate smoothly you get to the max in a controlled way, when you tighten up to accelerate quicker your usually trying to compensate for being late.

 

[FiReFTW]

The more relaxed the better, on almost every single stroke, you get the whip, the spin, the smoothness and like @Hmgraphite1 said, when you feel like ur swinging 100% your actually swinging so hard that you feel tension and muscling it, which makes you hit off center alot and really put too much effort, the really powerfull stroke should feel explosive in your body but very smooth and loose in ur arm and swing, so it won't feel 100% but the ball will fly like a rocket.

The only times you want to tighten up the grip are some volleys, and mostly defensive shots from the baseline or when your late on contact or something like that.

 

[kramer woodie]

Using tense tight muscles trying to hit with power, restricts the kinetic chain from functioning properly, also reduces power and leads to unforced errors. The kinetic chain becomes blocked and the power produced from the kinetic chain (from the ground up through the larger muscle groups)
to the wimpy arm cause the stroke to be armed only.

Stay loose and fluid for the ultimate racquet head speed. Enough said!

Aloha

 

[Dan Huben]

You’ve seen the visa rom the tennis clinics with the future pros punishing the drop feeds in place. Among other things they’re learning to hit hard. Hitting hard is not a natural progression of a stroke. A matter if accelerating smoothly longer arcs etc. in my opinion you can’t hit hard unless you program the shot. The ball goes off the racquet better when you hit it closer to your normal ball.

Tension is good in competition until it’s not. I don’t relate tension to only going for big strokes. FGear of losing or fear of winning.


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