Different Body Types (Top Heavy)

The different body types of a person can clue you in to how the person plays. Professionally the body types are pretty similar. There are very subtle differences. In the world of regular people playing tennis however, you will encounter MANY different types that range from extremely top heavy to extremely bottom heavy. These difference DO effect the play. We will start off with top heavy and work our way to bottom heavy.

TOP HEAVY

Jo Winfried Tsonga, Andre Agassi

Top heavy players are, of course, players that are more built up top than at the bottom. Big shoulders, wide chest, maybe a belly, strong upper legs and small lower legs. As people get older, they get more muscles. Thus, they become slower and more inflexible but stronger. It happens to many players.

The key weakness of top heavy players is balance. Biomechanically speaking, a top heavy person has a higher center of gravity. Having more weight up top makes it easier for the body to fall. This puts more strain on the lower joints. So top heavy people need to work on their legs in the weight room to make sure they can support the top part of the body. OR you can lose weight in the top. If you can do both without losing too much muscle that would be ideal.

The key strength of top heavies is strength. Being naturally strong will allow you to hit a harder ball longer and give you the opportunity to be aggressive even when you are off balance. Thus giving your opponent something to thing about when they have you running.

Groundstrokes

In groundstrokes, top heavies should look to be the aggressor in rallies. If you are the strongest on the court in singles and the game is long, being the aggressor can help wear the other person down. If the opponent is playing above his/her game level to keep up with you, it will surely show by the middle of the second set.

Serve

Top heavy players can muscle the ball in. But the trick is to learn how to lean into the shot. If you have a fast serve, leaning into the ball can turn it into a bomb that knocks rackets out of someone's hands. Jumping into the serve is ok but when you are big up top your legs can wear out over the course of time. So save the big knee bend for the big points.

Serena Williams changes her knee bend based on the situation.

Volleys

Assuming that the top heavy person doesn't have clumsy footwork they should be very good at volleys. Strong wrists, stable body and small bursts of leg speed really give these people an advantage. The ELASTICITY it takes to snap back from a STRETCH VOLLEY(.com) is where a top heavy person loses ground. Depending on how top heavy the person is, they might have problems getting back in the court.

Footwork

With small calfs (lower legs), Matches with long rallies can wear out a top heavy person. The ability to hit the shots is there. The ability to MOVE to the shot might not be. The split step gets PUNISHED. And with it goes the movement you need to jump toward the ball early. Fortunately you might still have enough strength to hit the ball with topspin and buy yourself some time so your footwork doesn't have to be GREAT.

The top heavy player is a physical specimen that should look to be aggressive about 70 - 80% of the time. Look to wear down with strength. You have it so you might as well use it.