Tennis is one of the few sports accessible to wheelchair users; all it requires is a Pride Mobility device, a racket and some friends to get started!
Jeff Townsend, an instructor in Clemson University’s Parks Recreation and Tourism Management department, has spent most of his adult life playing adaptive sport.
Grip Devices
Grip devices are intended to help strengthen the muscles in hands, fingers, and wrists for improved dexterity and gripping performance. Strength training exercises that involve all parts of hand/wrist complex, not just individual muscles, are most effective. Grip trainers come as either simple handheld devices with adjustable resistance settings or digital ones connected with apps for customized training – the latter typically costing more.
Gripping is one of the few activities in which all hand muscles must contract with increased intensity than any single group, which makes developing grip strength essential to playing tennis or any other sports requiring manual coordination and control. A good grip serves not only to monitor overall health and condition of hand muscles but is also a precondition for other skills like piano playing, typing, guitar playing or carpentry.
Gripping devices can assist with improving performance in sports that utilize hands and fingers, such as football. Regular use is recommended in order to reap its full benefits.
The easiest and simplest gripping device features an adjustable knob with which users can set resistance levels according to personal preference. Available in several sizes and suitable for attaching various objects securely, it even has its own strap for extra security.
Early grippers were made from wood handles that were extremely easy for able-bodied users to close, and were frequently featured in bodybuilding and weightlifting magazines as an efficient means of training forearms. Modern versions have plastic handles designed to make closing more challenging; some manufacturers even promote training to achieve a grip strength of 300 pounds or greater, and there are contests dedicated to measuring gripping power.
Rice buckets or tennis balls provide an affordable way to strengthen hand and finger muscles at home, though mastery takes time with practice. There are also adaptive racquet holders and gripping gloves that can provide additional support on racquets.
Arm Prosthetics
If you have lost an arm below the elbow, a prosthetic arm equipped with a grip device can make participation in sports easier and daily tasks easier, including pouring a glass of water, tying your shoelaces or driving. Prosthetic specialists can assist in selecting an arm/wrist device which best matches your lifestyle and activity level.
Prosthetic arms that use body-powered harness systems to control hook or hand devices are typically easy to learn to use. A simple shoulder shrug opens or closes them; since your original muscles that controlled your hand are no longer present, retraining will likely be required in order for these tasks to function efficiently.
Prosthetic hands with motors may require more complex operation, but can provide greater speed and control than manual-driven models. The motor opens and closes fingers through electrical signals sent from electrodes implanted below your amputation site to arm muscles via electrical signals sent back through them; you must contract these muscles in order to use your hand effectively – it may take time before you realize when you are reaching desired results.
Brain-controlled bionic hands may still be in development, but scientists are actively working on designing ways for patients to safely receive signals instructing their prosthesis to move. Last month, researchers at the University of Michigan unveiled a system using electrodes in your upper arm to capture movement signals and send them via electromagnetic pulses to a robotic hand that mimics wrist and thumb movement speed before relaying these back into pressure sensors press against your thumb or palm for relay.
There is a wide selection of wrist devices, including flexible sockets that enable natural rotation of devices. When connecting terminal devices or prehensors to your wrists, there are various methods such as adjustable friction or rapid disconnect wrists which allow for quick connection/disconnection times.
Wheelchairs
Tennis can be an exhilarating and rewarding sport for wheelchair users. From casual 30-minute matches in your neighborhood to competitive matches that last hours long, tennis provides wheelchair users an avenue for self-expression and independence. Wheelchairs are essential equipment when it comes to tennis; special wheelchairs may help players reach shots more easily or move around the court faster.
As soon as a player begins taking tennis seriously, however, a special sports chair becomes essential. These chairs feature cambered wheels for increased stability and maneuverability while remaining lightweight to reduce components such as armrests or push handles that could hinder their game experience.
Wheelchairs can be tailored to each player’s individual requirements, from seat dimensions and height, seating angle and footplates to leg rests, front caster outriggers, controls and adjustments for backrests and seats. Many mobility equipment retailers provide these customization options online.
Tennis players often require additional adaptive equipment and supplies beyond specialized wheelchairs for optimal play, including grip aids like athletic tape or an Ace bandage wrap for those lacking sufficient hand strength to hold onto their racquet, orthopedic racquet holders with “grasping gloves”, arm prostheses which allow users to grab onto rackets, as well as tennis-specific grip devices that connect directly with arm prosthetics or use hooks on front casters of wheelchairs for support.
Other adaptive equipment and aids for tennis include a bucket in the seat to allow strong pushing, as well as coded push rims that provide more power. Wheelchair-specific clothing may help players feel more at home on the court; accessories like ice packs, hats, visors, sunglasses and sunscreen may help manage body heat better; adaptive hydration systems may also come in handy for individuals who cannot swallow fluids quickly enough during play; for those blind or visually impaired this equipment could include adaptive tennis balls and beeper tennis kits.
Accessories
Adaptive tennis participants often face conditions or impairments that limit their balance, mobility, coordination and athleticism. Although this can be daunting for some athletes, with proper instruction and equipment adaptive tennis can overcome its challenges. Wheelchairs, special grip devices and court modifications all exist as adaptive equipment that enable all participants to participate.
Non-wheelchair adaptations of tennis include using tactile components for people with visual or auditory impairments, shortening of courts and larger tennis balls that are easier to hit. Some non-wheelchair athletes use tennis racquets with reduced compression that allow the ball to bounce twice before returning it, making the game more accessible for people who struggle moving quickly enough to reach it.
Athletes who do not use wheelchairs also enjoy playing adaptive tennis, which involves standing up and competing against athletes with different disabilities or abilities. Athletes in this game could have various conditions such as multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, traumatic brain injury, hemiplegia and arthritis which affect them physically or psychologically.
USTA provides access to adaptive standing tennis programs throughout the United States, connecting people to these opportunities. To discover how you can become involved, visit USTA’s website and connect with a sectional adaptive tennis contact in your area here.
USTA also provides on-court programming for adaptive tennis and provides various curricula for instructors and other racquet sports professionals. Furthermore, their on-line database contains details of various adaptive tennis programs by location and disability served; educators, volunteers, coaches of adaptive tennis can participate in an on-court workshop where they are shown how to implement various on-court modification tools.