Within-Session Sequence of the Tennis Serve Training in Youth Elite Players

• Main Authors: Jaime Fernandez-Fernandez, Manuel Moya-Ramon, Francisco Javier Santos-Rosa, Petrus Gantois, Fábio Yuzo Nakamura, David Sanz-Rivas, Urs Granacher
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-12-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: athletes; athletic performance; fatigue; fitness; shoulder strength; range of motion
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/1/244

The influence of muscular fatigue on tennis serve performance within regular training sessions is unclear. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the within-session sequence of the tennis serve in youth tennis. Twenty-five young male (14.9 ± 0.9 years) and female (14.5 ± 0.9 years) players participated in this within-subject crossover study, and they were randomly but sex-matched assigned to different training sequences (serve exercise before tennis training (BTS) or after tennis training (ATS)). Pre- and post-tests included serve velocity performance and accuracy, shoulder strength, and range-of-motion (ROM) performance (internal/external rotation). Results showed that after one week of serve training conducted following the ATS sequence, significant decreases were found in serve performance (e.g., speed and accuracy), with standardized differences ranging from <i>d</i> = 0.29 to 1.13, as well as the shoulder function (strength [<i>d</i> = 0.20 to 1.0] and ROM [<i>d</i> = 0.17 to 0.31]) in both female and male players, compared to the BTS sequence. Based on the present findings, it appears more effective to implement serve training before the regular tennis training in youth players. If applied after training, excessive levels of fatigue may cause shoulder imbalances that could be related to an increased injury risk.