Perspectives and practices of accredited tennis coaches when developing stroke technique

The purpose of this study was to understand current international tennis coaching standards related to the development of specific grip positions in tennis and to explore tennis coaches’ opinions on using physically constraining training tools for effective skill development. Accredited tennis coaches (n = 237) from 33 countries completed an anonymous online survey about their perspectives on the importance of grip positions for effective stroke development, and opinions on using physically constraining training tools for skill development. In the early stages of a player’s technical development, training grip positions was ranked as the second most important aspect of foundational technique. This preliminary research indicates that while it is important for tennis players to develop a variety of grip techniques, the most commonly used are the Semi-Western (forehand), the combination of Continental/Eastern forehand (double-handed backhand), and Continental for the serve. It also demonstrated that 65.2 ± 23.7% of coaches would utilise a physically constraining tool to assist in developing tennis-specific skills. Using this information can guide future evidence-based biomechanical investigations to assess the effects of acute and longitudinal biomechanics of using physically constraining tools for tennis-specific skills.