In this first vlog on a particular stroke in tennis I will attempt to analyse the biomechanics of the chain reaction and how to train the body to enhance performance and reduce injury risk.. I will show you how the principles, strategies and techniques of Applied Functional Science contained in the 3DMAPS process form the basis of all upright human movement in a given activity, in this case the one handed backhand in tennis.
It is a thing of beauty, my preferred option and despite earlier reports of it’s demise when Nadal exposed the backhand of Federer, it has survived and while not flourishing again yet, Tsitsipas and twelve others are in the men’s top 100. Not so in women’s tennis with Justine Henin, seven time grand slam champion, the most recent top flight exponent on the WTA tour. Surely, it’s too graceful a shot to disappear from our game:
I am not making a comparison with the two hander as both are shots that different players prefer and there are many equally graceful examples of both on both tours. My objective is to describe the chain reaction biomechanics of the one hander to help player training and coaching, whatever your age and standard. To make that point, this is me at sixty playing a reasonable shot for an older recreational player:
Who is this for.
It’s for you whether you are;
- A player looking for sustainable performance development.
- A coach wanting ‘fitness for function’ in their coaching toolbox .
- Anyone wanting to understand how we move.
The optimum training regime for your function?
The logical answer must be the training regime that mirrors the desired activity more closely and is therefore more likely to lead to performance gain and a reduced risk of injury. A regime that works with the chain reaction design of human movement to train the body in way that simulates the activity you choose, is likely to be the most effective at achieving those two goals. If you know another way that does this, I would be very interested to hear from you?
Introduction to Chain reaction biomechanics: CRB 1. The way we move:
My introduction to the way we move describes the mechanism of the global (whole) movement in a chain reaction but I want us to look more closely at the local motions at the joints and their role in transferring ground reaction force up the chain . I want to show you how training with at least the six mobility chain reactions will stimulate, maintain and expand your range of motion, at the three key locomotor joints in your body. The three big rocks of our locomotor system, the foot/ankle complex, the hip complex and the shoulder complex all act in concert (bottom up and top down) in an integrated chain reaction of those segments in upright function and in all three planes of motion.
The feet load as they meet the ground and transfer ground reaction force up the chain enabling global movements of all types, and in this vlog the one handed backhand.
The foot and ankle complex:
The split step/turn loads the feet and the back leg load propels the lunging right foot forward which loads again as it meets the ground and passes that force up the chain to the hips. Click for vlog on foot/ankle)
I asked a coaching group of six form team players yesterday what the split step was and got a variety of movement observations like ready position, balancing, changing direction but no mention of loading the body for movement.
A summary of the foot/ankle vlog includes these self evident truths.
- Tennis is a game played from the ground up.
- The body loads to deal with the forces of gravity, ground reaction, mass and momentum, in all three planes of motion
- Muscles lengthen to decelerate motion and to load the chain.
- Loading of a joint in the chain is in all three planes of motion.
- It’s flexion, adduction and internal rotation at the joint that loads.
- Turning the back foot out drives the hip to start to turn the torso.
The hip complex:
The hips load in turn from the force coming up the chain, driving the left hip into flexion, adduction and internal rotation to propel the right hip forward, which in turn loads the same way to propel the torso forward.
Hip dysfunction is common today and unsurprising when you consider our more sedentary life styles which start from around five at school and continue throughout our lives. The big muscle structures of the posterior hip are meant to enable powerful movement in all three planes but we spend most of our time sitting on them or worse shortening them for definition in the gym, impairing the ability to load effectively.
- Having fully loaded, the back leg transforms the motion forward
- It turns the hip forward while the shoulders continue backwards.
- This torque creates the acceleration in the forward motion
The shoulder complex:
This camera angle show the huge range of motion required in the upper body to execute the arm swing and suggests that the feet and hips must both contribute to that range in the chain reaction and also support and stabilise the motion.
View it with this 3DMAPS exercise clip which demonstrates a single arm low to high swing and you can begin to see how training in a chain reaction, with some tweaks. that mirror the function of an arm swing , must produce and exceed the range of motion required. A greater end range will allow you to operate safely at mid range :
This front on camera angle might confuse you as Justine is side on but the motion in both clips from a side on camera angle would show their similarity.
After my recent calf strain, which resulted from picking up a drop shop low on the left side line and ripping it (relative term) cross court with a an extended high over the shoulder follow through, has responded to this rehab.
This ability to individualise the 3DMAPS process to suit your current mobility and stability range, your performance targets for the activity you choose or just to move with freedom and joy is what sets 3DMAPS apart from all other training regimes.
Whether you are approaching your prime, like my six form students yesterday or are at any stage in life or ability level you can stimulate, maintain and expand your range of motion with 3DMAPS. Their chain reaction matrices will lead to performance development, reduced injury risk and an unalloyed joy in movement that doesn’t come out of a tube.
Conclusion
I have shown you the role that authentic training has in prehab, performance development and rehab (CRB 4) and how understanding and using the 3DMAPS process as the basis of you regime is the best way to train, as this logic confirms.
Consider this syllogism:
Human movement in upright function is a chain reaction
A one handed backhand is human movement in upright function.
Therefore a one handed backhand is a chain reaction.
The following clips are essential prep for the torso training clip above.
Thanks if you have stayed with me to this point.
Vaughan Ebrahim, LTA accredited Level 4
Gray Institute, CAFS 2013, 3DMAPS 2017, FGS 2023.