In Sync: Improve Your Game Using the Kinetic Chain

To take your game up to the next level you need to focus on making solid ball contact. Matches are usually decided more by unforced errors than winners. The smart player plays a high percentage game by gaining good court position and keeping his opponent off-balance. Developing an efficient stroke will give you a big edge in this regard; it will improve your aim, consistency, power, and confidence. If you know you can hit the ball straight to your target, your mind can relax allowing you to play your best regularly.

Improving ball contact with a more efficient stroke is readily achievable by any level player provided he can focus his attention on himself rather than his opponent. Most simple miss-hits can be avoided by simply keeping your head still while swinging (See Tip #16 about "The Quiet Eye" technique). Hitting a more solid ball, however, comes from knowing the proper stroke sequence. Essentially, you develop power from the ground up and this is called the kinetic chain. It is used in all sports (this will help your golf!) and it is the most efficient way your body can hit or throw a ball.

Once you are prepared to hit the ball (say a forehand groundstroke) with your shoulders sideways and your back foot set you then start a chain reaction. 1) Push forward with your legs. 2) Rotate your hips. 3) Rotate your shoulders. 4) Move your hitting arm forward. 5) Move your racquet. As long as you swing in this sequence you can hit a very firm ball with seemingly little effort. Perhaps more importantly is that it keeps your forearm stable so that the racket head moves straight through the ball, eliminating miss-hits and improving aim.

One of the biggest problems players of all levels have is swinging the arm independently of the rest of the body. This is called arming the ball and it is what makes aiming so difficult. To better incorporate the kinetic chain into your game try this simple exercise. Without using a ball, turn sideways to prepare for a forehand groundstroke. Now, rotating your hips then shoulders, bring your racket forward first into the contact position (parallel to the net) and then, bringing your right shoulder under your chin, point your racket to the top of the front wall. When your shoulders stop the racket stops. Next rotate your hips, shoulders, arm and racket back to the starting position. Repeat the entire forwards-backwards motion a number of times until you feel how the body moves the arm and how the arm does not move independently.

The kinetic chain applies to all the tennis strokes and a version of the same exercise can be used to develop the proper feel. Remember that your real swing is best executed at three-quarter speed, not full speed. And if you are having trouble finding your stroking rhythm in a match, don’t hesitate to take a few practice swings between points or games. The pros do this all the time to stay properly in sync.