The Addition of Core Muscle Training on Tennis Serve Speed in Tennis Players
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18-35
SponsorCairo University
About this 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.
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
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
Disqualifiers
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)
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
Shoulder Strengthening Program+ Sham core Treatment
Other interventionDelivered 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.
Shoulder Strengthening Program+ Core Strengthening Program
Other interventionDelivered 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
Treatment groups
120 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groupsGroup A: Shoulder+ sham coreActive comparator 1 intervention
Group B: shoulder strengthening exercises+ core strengtheningExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Flat serve ball speed
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).
Time frame
measured at baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 12).Secondary outcomes
1
Serve accuracy
* 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).
Time frame
measured at baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 12).2
Total glenohumeral arc of rotation (TGAR)
● 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.
Time frame
measured at baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 12).3
Shoulder rotational strength
● 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.
Time frame
measured at baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 12).4
Core strength/endurance
● McGill core endurance battery: trunk flexor endurance test (seconds), bilateral side-bridge/plank endurance test (seconds).
Time frame
measured at baseline (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 12).Sponsors and contacts
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Source ClinicalTrials.gov