Roger Federer clocking in at 50.76 mph and Andy Roddick at 59.08mph. By analysing the videos below, the racquet head speed of the athletes can be determined. The fastest recorded serves for these two athletes are as follows: Roger Federer recording 135mph and Andy Roddick recording 155mph (Fastest Recorded Tennis Serves, 2014). To produce such a fast serve, Andy needed to increase his Impulse-Momentum Relationship, therefore increase his racquet head speed (Lopez de Subijana & Navarro, 2009).īelow, two professional athletes’ racquet head speed will be analysed: Roger Federer and Andy Roddick. While still a professional tennis player, Andy Roddick had the fastest serve on the tour, reaching up to 155 mph. In order to produce the fastest serve possible, a player must increase their racquet head speed. By using this information, the following assumption can be made to increase the force applied to the ball the player must produce large impulses to create high velocity of the racquet (racquet head speed). To have the greatest change in momentum, an athlete needs to be able to enforce the largest amount of force for the longest possible amount of time (Knudson, 2007). The larger this force that is placed on an object, the greater the change in momentum. To change an object’s momentum a force must be applied. Impulse refers to the amount of force exerted on an object, which is the product of force and time (McGinnis, 2005).īy exerting a force on an object, such as a tennis racquet on a tennis ball, results in a change in the object’s velocity, therefore overcoming inertia (Blazevich, 2012). Momentum refers to the movement of an object, which is the product of mass and velocity. The Impulse-Momentum Relationship refers to the result of a greater impulse producing a greater change in momentum (Blazevich, 2012). ![]() Table 1.To produce a fast tennis serve, to increase the velocity of the tennis ball, an athlete needs to move their body in a way that is both efficient and power producing. Table 1 shows the difference between two Babolat racquets in terms of mass and their favour in relation to power and control. A racquet with a greater mass, generally means more power for the player when they execute strokes(Rutherford, 1999)(Babolat, 2013). Having a heavier racquet will also increase the impulse ( F=ma). This will in turn increase the momentum of the tennis ball and increase the speed of the ball. The greater the acceleration of the racquet during the wind-up stage, the greater the force in which is applied when connecting with the ball. This allows faster movement of the racquet (see kinetic chain). This also means increasing the speed of the torso and arms. Hence, the easiest way to increase the momentum of the tennis ball is to increase the acceleration of the racquet before it makes contact with the ball. Newton’s second law states that: “the acceleration of an object is proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to the mass of the object: Force=mass X acceleration (F=ma)” (Blazevich, 2012). In order to increase the momentum of a tennis ball in a serve (increasing it’s speed and velocity), the impulse force of the racquet needs to be increased. So in order to increase an object’s momentum, we need to increase the impulse. Momentum is the product of mass and velocity (Blazevich, 2012). ![]() Impulse is “the product force, multiplied by the time that a force acts.” (McGinnis, 2005). ![]() ![]() Impulse and Momentum are two key biomechanical factors that are used in the tennis serve.
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