Abstract

 
 
 This article discusses balance, one of the six coordination skills the International Tennis Federation (ITF) mentions in its book Strength and Conditioning for Tennis. First, this capacity is discussed, together with the importance of its development in tennis at an early age. Then, two types of balance fundamentals are described, and some examples, and some research carried out on balance in young tennis players are included. Finally, different balance exercises which can be used with beginner players are presented.
 
 
Highlights
Balance has been defined differently by different authors
The USTA (2016) considers that balance is the capacity of a player to control his/ her balance or stability
In order to better understand the importance of balance in tennis, it is necessary to make a brief description of the sport, and to know its biomechanical demands
Summary
Balance has been defined differently by different authors. for (Meinel & Schnabel, 2004), balance is the capacity of keeping the desired position of the body, either in a static position or in movement, always keeping a centre of gravity, a support base and an inertia movement. In order to work effectively in different backgrounds and tasks, it is basic to have the capacity to keep controlled body positions during static (fixed) and dynamic (in movement) activities Kids Sense Child Development,( 2016). If children aged 10 and under can perform body movements appropriately, and in a controlled way during the execution of the different tasks that sport activity demands, they will be able to reduce the energy they use, and they will be minimizing fatigue. While researching on the effect of balance training on young players, research by Malliou et al (2010) concluded that fatigue generated by tennis practice during a long time has a negative effect on balance, so they suggest including a specific balance training programme during the tennis training sessions For these authors, it is key that players keep their balance capacity during a long time, especially in long matches
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