Glossary

  • agonist
    1. the muscle that, when contracted, moves the limb in the desired direction.
    2. the flexor-pronator muscles in the topspin forehand and the extensor-supinator muscles in the fopspin backhand
  • angle of attack
    1. the angle between the the direction the racket face is moving and the direction it's face is pointing
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  • antagonist
    1. the muscle that, when contracted, moves the limb away from the desires direction.
    2. the flexor-pronator muscles in the topspin backhand and the extensor-supinator muscles in the topspin forehand
  • analysis paralysis
    1. inability to perform due to cortical interference with the thalmus
  • attack angle
    1. in the serve and overhead, the desired 30 degree tilt of the body along the baseline on contact
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Attack Angle of the Serve: or "tilt-a-whirl".
  • backswing proper
    1. the lock phase of the stroke; the relaxed, gravity driven 'down and back' move following the unit turn and pose.
    2. the second pump in the "Double Pump".
Double Pump Backswing: Even backswings that look continuous comprise three distinct phases, a quick and violent unit turn, a consistent pose unique to the stroke and a relaxed, graceful lock or "backswing proper".
  • bevel
    1. refers to the flat surfaces on the tennis racket numbered 1-8 (#3 is behind racket, #1 on top)
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Grip Bevels:
  • chirping
    1. transferring weight back and forth between the feet for dynamic balance
    2. the sound made by the feet on the court surface
Chirping: Weight constantly bounces from one foot to the other.
  • closed stance
    1. standing with your back facing your opponent
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Stance: Closed (left) vs open (right) stance.
  • cocked
    1. rotated position of the wrist in the direction of the thumb. syn: radial-flexed
      • a cocked wrist is never fully cocked - usually flexed 10% beyond neutral or 60% of entire range of motion
  • complete stroke
    1. a stroke comprising all of the foundational components
    2. a stroke with stored control and spin forces
    3. a complete stroke may be full or short and a full stroke may be complete or incomplete
  • continental grip
    1. aka "universal grip" with index knuckle on bevel #2.
    2. usual grip fro serve, two-handed backhand and volley
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The Continental Grip:
  • counter-kicking
    1. kicking the back foot out behind the front foot to enhance or control shoulder rotation
Counter-kicking - Two-handed Backhand: Counter-kicking pits the weight of the leg against the weight of the body to "create" momentum.
  • counter-rotation
    1. rotating part of the body in one direction to enhance or control shoulder rotation in the opposite direction
Counterrotation: In the block volley, momentum the right arm delivers to the ball comes more from counter-rotation of the left arm then from footwork. There is no time to get the feet in position to steal momentum from the earth. Note how the hands approach each other just before the moment of contact.
  • deep shoulder joint
    1. the joint formed by the scapula and the upper chest wall
    2. the joint you use to shrug
  • differential diagnosis
    1. altenative diagnoses that might explain a given constellations of signs and symptoms
  • dorsiflexed
    1. in dorsiflexion.
  • dorsiflexion
    1. (or dorsiflexed) bending the wrist back - the oposite of palmar flexion or just flexion of the wrist.
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Dorsiflexion of the Wrist: Caption.
  • eastern backhand grip
    1. classic backhand frip with index finger knuckle at bevel #1
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Eastern Backhand Grip:
  • eastern forehand grip
    1. classic forehand grip with first knuckle at bevel #3
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Eastern Forehand Grip:
  • extensor-supinator
    1. the muscular group in the forarm that turns the hand toward the sky and extends the wrist
  • flexor-pronator
    1. the muscular group in the forarm that turns the hand towards the ground and flexes the wrist
  • frankenfeet
    1. staggering and clomping around like a monster
    2. indicates static balance or tired legs
  • full stroke
    1. like the topspin forehand and stroke with a long backswing and follow through
    2. opposit of short stroke
    3. a complete stroke may be full or short and a full stroke may be complete or incomplete
  • modulation
    1. in tennis, the maximum ammount of acceleration applied to the hitting arm
    2. power used to create a wave
  • moment of contact (MOC)
    1. the point in time when the racket and ball meet
  • moment of inertia
    1. the resistance felt trying to rotate a stick with a mass at the end
    2. the longer the stick, the greater the resistance
  • muscling
    1. creating power using brute muscular force instead of balance, leverage and timing
  • neutral stance
    1. feet on a line at right angles to the baseline
    2. aka T-stance, square stance, tennis stance, classic stance
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Neutral Stance on the Forehand:
  • net axis of rotation
    1. the observed orbital path of an object orbiting around two or more axes
    2. in the serve: the orbit of the racket over the top and towards the net post
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Net Axis of Roatation in the Serve : The body rotates around the yellow axis to free up the arm, e.g. get your body out of the way.
  • netstrap
    1. the act of hitting the ball such that at hits the top of the net, often with a sickening "thwap".
    2. the part of the net that the ball hits
  • open stance
    1. standing with your feet on a line parallel to the baseline
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Open Stance:
  • over-modulation
    1. introducing more power into a wave than the medium can handle
    2. in tennis, pulling harder with the shoulders than the forarm and wrist can handle
  • palmar-flexed
    1. or just 'flexed', a direction of bending of the wrist in the direction of the palm.
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Palmar Flexion of the Wrist:
  • pathophysiology
    1. the derangment of a process that leads to a given disorder or disease.
  • pendulum
    1. in the serve when the racket drops out of the trophy pose and swings behind the left shoulder
Serve Load Phase aka the Pendulum: As the force wave hits, the wrist moves up and over and the inertia of the racket flips it behind the wrist putting the shoulder and forearm. into extreme supination.
  • point of contact (POC)
    1. the location in space where racket and ball meet
  • pronation
    1. rotation of part or all of the upper limb that ends with the palm facing the ground
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Forearm Pronation:
  • radial-flexed
    1. in the wrist, rotating the wrist in the direction of the thumb. Opposite of ulnar-flexed and the same as cocked.
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Radial flexed wrist: Radial means towards the radius bone on the thumb side of the forearm.
  • reverse roatation
    1. rotation in a direction that takes the racket away from the ball
    2. the backswing proper
  • semi-open stance
    1. stance that is somewhere between neutral and open
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Semi-open Stance:
  • semi-western grip
    1. the prevalent pro forehand grip with first knuckle at bevel #4
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Semi-western Grip:
  • shadow swing
    1. a useful practice technique of swinging your racket without a ball while feeling and especially listening to the result.
    2. xxxxxxxxxxx
  • shoulder over shoulder technique
    1. the part of the serve where the hitting shoulder starts low and ends high relative to the tossing shoulder.
  • shoulder extension
    1. horizontal rotation of the shoulder in the direction of the spine
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Backward Flexion of the Shoulder: aka Dorsal Flexion or just Extension
  • slingshot effect
    1. additional pace added to the ball after the forward acceleration of the racket stops
    2. the reason for the effectiveness of a trebuchet
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Slingshot Effect of a Trebuchet:
  • slump
    1. an extended period of putrid play with no clear cause
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Smart Targets in Singles:
  • spacetime
    1. a description encompassing the time and place of an event in space e.g. the moment of contact and point of contact of ball and strings represent together a single point in timespace.
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  • supination
    1. rotation of part or all of the upper limb that ends with the palm facing the sky
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Supination:
  • syndrome
    1. a specific disease process with a typical set of signs, symptoms, and treatments
  • tarda
    1. milder, as in 'a tarda form of the disease'
  • timespace
    1. a reminder that locations must be identified in both time and space
    2. example: the moment of contact (time) at the point of contact (space)
  • torque
    1. force applied at some distance from a natural center of rotation
    2. a twisting force as in turning a screwdriver
  • trigger
    1. typically a helpful tennis "tip"
    2. an easily recalled move, position, intention or notion that invokes good stroke mechanics in the brain. ex: "Pull , don't push, into the ball."
  • two-handed backhand grip
    1. a grip comprising a continental grip and a second hand comfortably adjacent to and touching the first
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Two-handed Backhand Grip:
  • ulnar-flexed
    1. in the wrist, rotating the wrist in the direction of the pinky finger . Opposite of radial-flexed.
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Ulnar Flexed
  • yips
    1. random, unusual errors often applied to the serve
    2. synonym: gremlins