The Addition of Core Muscle Training on Tennis Serve Speed in Tennis Players

Official title

The Effect of Adding Core Muscle Training With Shoulder Strengthening in Tennis Players: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Overview

Compared with shoulder-only training and with continued tennis training alone, will the addition of core strengthening to shoulder training produce significantly greater improvements in flat serve ball speed in healthy tennis players? Secondary Hypothesis: * Combined core + shoulder training will produce greater improvement in serve accuracy than shoulder-only training or tennis training alone. * Combined core + shoulder training will produce greater improvement in TGAR than shoulder-only training or tennis training alone. * Combined core + shoulder training will produce greater improvement in core strength/endurance and shoulder rotational strength than the comparator groups.

Detailed description

The kinetic chain model suggests that core musculature plays a crucial role in transferring energy from the lower body to the upper extremity during the tennis serve. However, evidence on the relationship between core strength and tennis serve (TS) ball speed and passive total glenohumeral arc of rotation (TGAR) remains inconsistent, warranting further investigation.

It is hypothesized that the addition of core muscle exercises to the training program would yield greater improvements in terms of tennis serve ball speed and TGAR when compared to a control group performing only shoulder exercises in tennis players.

Tennis players with at least 1-3 years of weekly tennis training will be included and allocated randomly into the control group (CG) and experimental group (EG). CG participants will perform shoulder exercises and sham core exercises. EG participants will receive the same training as CG in addition to performing core exercises. Both groups will participate in a 12-week intervention (2 sessions per week, 50 minutes per session). Pre- and postintervention assessments will include TS ball speed analysis and TGAR, respectively.

Interventions

• Other Shoulder Strengthening Program+ Sham core Treatment
  Delivered 2×/week for 10 weeks under supervision of a licensed physical therapist or certified strength and conditioning specialist. Progressive resistance program including: * External/internal rotation strengthening (resistance band, cable, or dumbbell) at 0° and 90° abduction * Scapular stabilization exercises (rows, Y-T-W raises, serratus punch) * Posterior shoulder stretching (sleeper stretch, cross-body stretch) for the TGAR component * Progressive overload every 2 weeks based on tolerate
• Other Shoulder Strengthening Program+ Core Strengthening Program
  Delivered 2×/week for 10 weeks, same sessions as the shoulder program (combined \~50-60 minute sessions), progressive core program including: * Anti-rotation exercises (Pallof press) * Rotational power exercises (medicine ball rotational throws, cable woodchoppers) * Anterior/lateral/posterior chain stability (plank variations, side plank, bird-dog) * Progressive overload via increased resistance, hold time, or instability surface every 2 weeks

Primary outcome measures

• Flat serve ball speed [Time frame: measured at baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 12).]

Secondary outcome measures (4)

• Serve accuracy [Time frame: measured at baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 12).]
• Total glenohumeral arc of rotation (TGAR) [Time frame: measured at baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 12).]
• Shoulder rotational strength [Time frame: measured at baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 12).]
• Core strength/endurance [Time frame: measured at baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 12).]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy adults aged 18-35 years
• Recreational to competitive non-professional tennis players (currently playing ≥2 sessions/week for ≥1 year; NTRP 3.0-5.0 or equivalent ITN; no professional ranking or tour-level competition history)
• Right- or left-hand dominant (serve arm recorded)
• Able to perform a full flat serve without pain
• Willing to maintain current tennis training routine and refrain from starting other new strength/conditioning programs during the study

Exclusion criteria

• Current or history of shoulder pain/injury in the past 6 months (e.g., rotator cuff pathology, labral injury, impingement)
• Low back pain or lumbar spine pathology in the past 6 months
• Prior shoulder or spine surgery
• Systemic conditions affecting neuromuscular function (e.g., uncontrolled diabetes, neurological disorders)
• Pregnancy
• Current participation in a structured core or shoulder strengthening program

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: Yes

Study design

Allocation

Randomized

Model

Parallel assignment

Masking

Single blind

Primary purpose

Other

Study locations

Lebanon · 2 centers

• Beirut Arab University — Beirut
• BAU activities — Beirut

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07733869 · Core Vs shoulder in tennis

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗