Effect of Core Versus Shoulder Strengthening on Tennis Serve Velocity in Young Adult Tennis Players

Effect of Adding of Core Versus Shoulder Strengthening on Tennis Serve Velocity in Young Adult Tennis Players

The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the effect of a 4-week core strengthening program on flat serve velocity and arc of shoulder rotation in amateur young adult tennis players .

Participants will serve the tennis ball four times during the initial and final flat tennis serve assessments. Furthermore, participants will be divided into two groups and given different strengthening programs.

Researchers will compare Group A (shoulder strengthening group) and Group B (core strengthening group) to see if there is any difference between the core and shoulder training programs on the flat serve velocity.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Tennis; Tennis Serve Performance
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Core Strengthening Programs; Other: Shoulder Strengthening Programs

Detailed Description

Design:

This study was designed as a double-blinded, randomized controlled trial to investigate the effect of a 4-week core strengthening program on the flat serve velocity and arc of shoulder rotation in amateur young adult tennis players.

Sample Size:

The sample size was estimated using data from websites that provide information on the Lebanese population, the International Tennis Federation (ITF, 2020), and the Lebanese Tennis Federation (LTF). It is estimated that the age range is 18-25 years. accounts for around 13.84% of the 2,000 tennis players in Lebanon, which equates to 276 players. Of these 276, 64 players (23.19%) were professionals (LTF, 2021), 53 players (25%) were estimated as beginners and the remaining 159 were assumed amateur players. By estimation, 39 players (25%) of the 159 players were excluded as per the exclusion criteria. The population size for the study was determined to be a total of 120 players. Using a scientific sample size calculator software (Qualtrics 2021), the confidence level was set to 90%, and the margin of error was set to 10%. The ideal sample size for this study was calculated and determined to be around 44 ± 10% amateur tennis players. According to this calculation, around 50 amateur tennis players will be recruited for this study.

Participants :

The amateur tennis players will be recruited from multiple tennis academies and online platforms in Beirut, Lebanon through an electronic enrollment form. After collecting all the questionnaires, those that meet the inclusion criteria will be selected, and the participants will be contacted later by email, phone calls, or WhatsApp messages with additional information about the length of the study, the training program, and the number of times per week they expect to be seen.

Players will sign an informed consent sheet provided by the Beirut Arab University (BAU) Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Evaluation:

The initial and final assessments will be performed will be completed in an indoor tennis court to limit the air factor interfering and impacting the serve's velocity after receiving consent from one of the academies and, if necessary, paying rent to use it for 1-2 hours. Following approval, the specific shoulder and core training programs will take place in the BAU gym or at the BAU Physical Therapy Outpatient Clinic under the supervision of the therapists.

Materials

Radar Gun :

Radar will be used to measure the serve speed; it will calculate the time elapsed between the ball's emission and the reception of its reflected echo and the distance traveled by the ball between two points (the ball launch point and a second point) (Tubez et al., 2018). The radar that's held by the assessor will be positioned at least 6 ft behind the player and at a height approximate to the center of the racket head at the point of ball contact.

Resistance Bands Therapy resistance bands will be used for the shoulder and core training resistance exercises (Treiber et al., 1998). For the core exercises, the bands will be placed above the knees, ankles, or around the feet while the participants are performing the exercises in various positions. Additionally, the band will be used for shoulder flexion, abduction, IR, and ER exercises while wrapped around different surfaces.

Statistical Analysis The normal distribution of the data will be checked using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Paired t-tests will be used to compare mean differences between pre-and post-test assessment data for the separate experimental and control groups. One-way ANOVA test will used to compare the pre- and post-assessment means between the groups. The relationship between the independent variables (height, BMI, experience, dominant hand) and dependent variables (pre and post-serve velocity) will be described using Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficients (r). The level of significance for all statistical tests will be set at p < 0.05. All statistical analysis will be conducted through the statistical package for social studies (SPSS).

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 50
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Ahmet M. Elmelhat, PhD; Phone Number: 01112595022; Email: ahmed.elmelhat@cu.edu.lb
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Arwa A Mekkaoui, BSc.; Phone Number: +90 5549681570; Email: arwamekk.pt@gmail.com

Study Locations

• Egypt
  • Giza, Egypt, 2334
    • Recruiting
    • Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences
    • Contact: Ahmed ElMelhat; Phone Number: 01112595022; Email: ahmed.elmelhat@cu.edu.eg

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

(1)Tennis playing experience between 1 to 3 yrs.(2)Trains 2-3 times per week for a minimum of 1-2 hours per day.(3)Trained in flat serve.(4) Right and Left-handed Players.(5) Females and males.(6) Young adults age ranging from 18-25 years.

Exclusion Criteria:

(1)Players who underwent specific shoulder or core strength training in the past year.(2)Players who had a history of UE injury (dislocation, rupture, fracture, surgery ) that prevents them from playing .(3) back or knee pain for at least the past year .(4) Players with Cardiovascular diseases or metabolic disorders. (ex: DM)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Other: Shoulder Group; Each session will begin with a 5-10-minute shoulder dynamic warm-up exercise. The participants then will perform approximately 30 minutes of shoulder exercises using therapy resistance bands. All players will rest for a few seconds between the exercises. The shoulder exercises will include: internal and external rotations with the elbow flexed and band wrapped around an object of appropriate height, shoulder abduction to 90˚ with band placed under feet for fixation, shoulder flexion to 90˚ with band placed under feet for fixation, and seated rowing with band held in hands while being placed around the feet were all performed in a sitting position to avoid activation of core muscles. Lastly, the training session will end with a 5-10-minute cool-down.	Other: Shoulder Strengthening Programs; The program will be carried out for 4 weeks, 2 times a week, for approximately 50 minutes. Each exercise was performed in 3 sets of 15 repetitions.
Other: Core Group; Each session will begin with a 5-10-minute core dynamic warm-up exercise and 20-minute shoulder exercise training. The participants then will perform approximately 10 minutes of core exercises using therapy resistance bands. All players will rest for a few seconds between the exercises. The core exercises will include: bicycle crunches with the band placed around the feet, standing knee tucks with the band placed around the feet (without shoulder rotations and while applying posterior pelvic tilts), flutter kicks with the band placed above the ankles, leg raises with knees flexed and no resistance band, and posterior pelvic tilts from a supine position with hold. Lastly, the training session will end with a 5-10-minute cool-down.	Other: Core Strengthening Programs; The program will be carried out for 4 weeks, 2 times a week, for approximately 50 minutes. Each exercise was performed in 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Serve Ball Speed Analysis	1. The flat serve speed will be measured in miles per hour using the Bushnell Velocity Speed Radar Gun, which measures the speed of the ball up to 90 feet away (10 to 110 mph) within +/- 1 mph accuracy. The therapist will hold the radar at least 6 feet behind the player in the center of the baseline, aligning it with the height approximate to the center of the racket head at the point of ball contact and pointing down the center of the service box (Fernandez-fernandez et al., 2013; Myers et al., 2015).	Baseline (pre- the-4 week training program) , post-the- 4 weeks training program .

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Total Glenohumeral Arc of Rotation	The Total Glenohumeral Arc of Rotation (TGAR) will be measured by a bubble inclinometer .It assesses each range of motion ( internal rotation and external rotation) three times and the average of these measurements is calculated. The TGAR is then determined by adding the average values of internal and external rotations.	Baseline (pre- the-4 week training program) , post-the- 4 weeks training program .

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Cairo University
• Investigators: Study Director: Ahmet M. El Melhat, Phd, Cairo University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Fernandez-Fernandez J, Ellenbecker T, Sanz-Rivas D, Ulbricht A, Ferrautia A. Effects of a 6-week junior tennis conditioning program on service velocity. J Sports Sci Med. 2013 Jun 1;12(2):232-9. eCollection 2013.
• Treiber FA, Lott J, Duncan J, Slavens G, Davis H. Effects of Theraband and lightweight dumbbell training on shoulder rotation torque and serve performance in college tennis players. Am J Sports Med. 1998 Jul-Aug;26(4):510-5. doi: 10.1177/03635465980260040601.
• Myers NL, Sciascia AD, Westgate PM, Kibler WB, Uhl TL. Increasing Ball Velocity in the Overhead Athlete: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. J Strength Cond Res. 2015 Oct;29(10):2964-79. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000931.

Helpful Links

• Lebanese Tennis Federation

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 20, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 15, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 15, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): January 24, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 14, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 9, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: strength; shoulder; tennis; core; serve velocity; radar gun
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Wounds and Injuries; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Muscular Diseases; Tendon Injuries; Tendinopathy; Arm Injuries; Elbow Tendinopathy; Elbow Injuries; Tennis Elbow
• Other Study ID Numbers: Core training on TS velocity

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No