Tennis Skills and Amino Acid Functions
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Tennis Skills and Amino Acid Functions
Tennis requires the sprinting power to catch up with the ball at full speed and uninterrupted physical strength even under the hot sun. It is also important to take care of your elbows, which are damaged by the impact of the ball. During the tournament season, daily recovery is also important.
Here we will explain the abilities required of tennis players and introduce the functions of the amino acids that support them.
To prevent tennis elbow, care must be taken at the early stage of discomfort
Tennis elbow can lead to long-term absence once it is injured, so if you feel even the slightest discomfort, it is recommended that you take measures. Before practice, you should stretch and massage your forearm, and also take measures to improve your nutritional intake.
Six specific amino acids support the joints by improving pain, stiffness, and discomfort in the knee joints.
Intermittent endurance to win rallies
Tennis is not a sport where you run at a constant pace like a marathon, but a sport where you repeatedly sprint at full speed for a few to several tens of seconds to score one point. The endurance required for this type of sport is called "intermittent endurance." The key to intermittent endurance is how quickly you metabolize the waste products produced by sprinting at full speed.
"Aspartic acid" can speed up the metabolism of this waste product and increase intermittent endurance.
Nutrition is the key to recovering muscle fatigue the next day
Before an important match, you want to be in the best condition, completely recovered from the fatigue of practice. To achieve this, rest and nutrition are important. In particular, protein and amino acids are necessary to recover muscles broken down during daily practice.
In particular, essential amino acids that contain a lot of leucine are effective in muscle recovery.
Exercising in the hot sun weakens the intestinal barrier function, leading to general fatigue.
Many tennis matches are played outdoors under the blazing sun. If you stay on the court for a long time, your body's internal temperature rises. If your body temperature rises to around 38.6-39.0°C, your stomach will be damaged. Damage to the stomach (especially the small intestine and large intestine) can lead to fatigue throughout the body.
The amino acids "cystine" and "glutamine" help prevent inflammation throughout the body by maintaining the intestinal barrier function.
A conversation between the national tennis team physical coach and a certified sports nutritionist
We interviewed Hirokazu Matsuda, who has experience as the physical coach of the national tennis team, coaching top athletes and accompanying them on tours, and Akiko Kamiki, a certified sports nutritionist who works in the outpatient clinic for female athletes.
![[Special Discussion] Tennis Part 1: Tennis requires explosive power and endurance, so good conditioning is essential](https://sports-science.ajinomoto.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/interview09_main01.jpg)
Summary
| Qualities required for tennis players | Functions of Amino Acids |
|---|---|
| Tennis elbow can interfere with your daily life, so it is important to seek care as soon as you start to feel discomfort. | Six specific amino acids are effective in relieving knee pain, stiffness, and discomfort. |
| The repeated full-speed sprints involved in a rally require intermittent endurance. | "Aspartic acid" can increase intermittent endurance. |
| If your body temperature rises too much after exercising in the hot sun for a long period of time, your intestines will be damaged, leading to fatigue throughout the body. | "Cystine" and "glutamine" prevent inflammation throughout the body by maintaining the intestinal barrier function. |
| When hard games or practice sessions continue for consecutive days, muscles are not able to fully recover. | The essential amino acid "leucine," which is rich in the compound, helps speed up muscle recovery the next day. |
We have released a checklist to help you check your condition and the second part of the interview article exclusively for members! Please make use of them.
![[Special Discussion] Tennis Part 2: The important thing about nutrition is to be full of energy before the match](https://sports-science.ajinomoto.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/interview09_main02.jpg)