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

24 de julio de 2026 actualizado por: Ahmed ElMelhat, Cairo University

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

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.

Descripción general del estudio

Estado

Reclutamiento

Condiciones

Intervención / Tratamiento

Descripción detallada

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.

Tipo de estudio

Intervencionista

Inscripción (Estimado)

120

Fase

  • No aplica

Contactos y Ubicaciones

Esta sección proporciona los datos de contacto de quienes realizan el estudio e información sobre dónde se lleva a cabo este estudio.

Estudio Contacto

  • Nombre: Ahmad El Melhat, PhD
  • Número de teléfono: +20 111 259 5022
  • Correo electrónico: a.melhat@bau.edu.lb

Ubicaciones de estudio

    • Beirut
      • Beirut, Beirut, Líbano, 1100
        • Reclutamiento
        • Beirut Arab University
        • Contacto:
          • Ahmad El Melhat, PhD
          • Número de teléfono: +20 111 259 5022
          • Correo electrónico: a.melhat@bau.edu.lb
    • Giza
      • Beirut, Giza, Líbano, 2356
        • Reclutamiento
        • BAU activities
        • Contacto:
        • Contacto:
          • Ahmed ELMelhat, PhD

Criterios de participación

Los investigadores buscan personas que se ajusten a una determinada descripción, denominada criterio de elegibilidad. Algunos ejemplos de estos criterios son el estado de salud general de una persona o tratamientos previos.

Criterio de elegibilidad

Edades elegibles para estudiar

  • Adulto

Acepta Voluntarios Saludables

Sí

Descripción

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

Plan de estudios

Esta sección proporciona detalles del plan de estudio, incluido cómo está diseñado el estudio y qué mide el estudio.

¿Cómo está diseñado el estudio?

Detalles de diseño

  • Propósito principal: Otro
  • Asignación: Aleatorizado
  • Modelo Intervencionista: Asignación paralela
  • Enmascaramiento: Único

Armas e Intervenciones

Grupo de participantes/brazo
Intervención / Tratamiento
Comparador activo: Shoulder+ sham core
Shoulder strengthening + sham/placebo core exercises (non-loading trunk mobility).

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 tolerated resistance/repetitions

Sham :Low-intensity, non-progressive trunk mobility exercises with minimal loading (e.g., seated trunk rotations without resistance, cat-camel stretches), matched for session time and attention to control for non-specific training effects, without targeting core strength/endurance adaptation.

Experimental: shoulder strengthening exercises+ core strengthening
Participants in EG performed the same shoulder strengthening exercises as in CG, coupled with a physical therapy 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

¿Qué mide el estudio?

Medidas de resultado primarias

Medida de resultado
Medida Descripción
Periodo de tiempo
Flat serve ball speed
Periodo de tiempo: measured at baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 12).
Flat serve ball speed (km/h or mph), measured via radar gun (e.g., Stalker Pro II) or equivalent validated device, averaged across the best 5 of 10 flat serves hit into the deuce-side service box, measured at baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 12).
measured at baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 12).

Medidas de resultado secundarias

Medida de resultado
Medida Descripción
Periodo de tiempo
Serve accuracy
Periodo de tiempo: measured at baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 12).
  • Target-based scoring system: standardized service box divided into scoring zones (e.g., 5 concentric/quadrant zones worth 1-5 points); participant hits 10 flat serves aimed at a designated target zone (e.g., wide serve to deuce court corner); accuracy score = mean points across 10 serves.
  • Recorded simultaneously with ball speed trials (speed-accuracy trade-off examined as an exploratory outcome).
measured at baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 12).
Total glenohumeral arc of rotation (TGAR)
Periodo de tiempo: measured at baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 12).
● Passive internal rotation (IR) + external rotation (ER) range of motion measured via goniometry (or inclinometer) with scapula stabilized, participant supine, shoulder abducted to 90°, elbow flexed to 90°. TGAR = IR + ER (degrees). Measured bilaterally.
measured at baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 12).
Shoulder rotational strength
Periodo de tiempo: measured at baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 12).
● Peak IR and ER isometric or isokinetic torque (Nm), measured via hand-held dynamometer (standardized stabilization protocol) or isokinetic dynamometer (60°/sec and 180°/sec) if available, at 0° abduction. ER/IR strength ratio calculated. Measured bilaterally.
measured at baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 12).
Core strength/endurance
Periodo de tiempo: measured at baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 12).
● McGill core endurance battery: trunk flexor endurance test (seconds), bilateral side-bridge/plank endurance test (seconds).
measured at baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 12).

Colaboradores e Investigadores

Aquí es donde encontrará personas y organizaciones involucradas en este estudio.

Patrocinador

Fechas de registro del estudio

Estas fechas rastrean el progreso del registro del estudio y los envíos de resultados resumidos a ClinicalTrials.gov. Los registros del estudio y los resultados informados son revisados ​​por la Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina (NLM) para asegurarse de que cumplan con los estándares de control de calidad específicos antes de publicarlos en el sitio web público.

Fechas importantes del estudio

Inicio del estudio (Actual)

15 de junio de 2026

Finalización primaria (Estimado)

15 de septiembre de 2026

Finalización del estudio (Estimado)

20 de septiembre de 2026

Fechas de registro del estudio

Enviado por primera vez

21 de julio de 2026

Primero enviado que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad

24 de julio de 2026

Publicado por primera vez (Actual)

29 de julio de 2026

Actualizaciones de registros de estudio

Última actualización publicada (Actual)

29 de julio de 2026

Última actualización enviada que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad

24 de julio de 2026

Última verificación

1 de julio de 2026

Más información

Términos relacionados con este estudio

Otros números de identificación del estudio

  • Core Vs shoulder in tennis

Plan de datos de participantes individuales (IPD)

¿Planea compartir datos de participantes individuales (IPD)?

NO

Información sobre medicamentos y dispositivos, documentos del estudio

Estudia un producto farmacéutico regulado por la FDA de EE. UU.

No

Estudia un producto de dispositivo regulado por la FDA de EE. UU.

No

Esta información se obtuvo directamente del sitio web clinicaltrials.gov sin cambios. Si tiene alguna solicitud para cambiar, eliminar o actualizar los detalles de su estudio, comuníquese con register@clinicaltrials.gov. Tan pronto como se implemente un cambio en clinicaltrials.gov, también se actualizará automáticamente en nuestro sitio web. .