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I want to develop the sensitivity of my hands/arms particularly for tennis. I feel this is essential to get more controlled spins.

How can I develop sensitity of hands/arms?

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Specificity of Exercise:

If you want to get more controlled spins in tennis, practice hitting lots of tennis balls with topspin and backspin.

  • Work on accuracy of your spins using different targets and depths.
  • Use a ball machine or have someone consistently feed you tennis balls until you have the mechanics of the stroke mastered.
  • Then add spin shots into your game.

When your goal is acquiring a certain skill, training with specificity of exercise will get you closer to your goal faster than doing different types of unrelated exercise. Repetition will give you the sensitivity of touch that you need.

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  • Why accuracy first before spin? So training spins can be a mistake if you are not accurate enough?
    – hhh
    Commented Jun 17, 2014 at 9:48
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    Sorry I don't fully understand your question. I suggested you work on the accuracy of your spins to help improve your "touch" to recognize what is "too much" or "too little" to achieve the spin you want, with the depth and placement that you want. I suggested this as a drill because you learn a skill and touch with repetition. I suggested that having acquired the skill with drills that you put that skill, namely spins, into action in a game where it counts. If you do not have control over your spins your shots may be too long or too short. Did that answer your question?
    – BackInShapeBuddy
    Commented Jun 17, 2014 at 10:05
  • I see now, thanks for clarification +1.
    – hhh
    Commented Jun 17, 2014 at 19:56
  • @hhh, I edited my answer to help make it clearer. Thanks
    – BackInShapeBuddy
    Commented Jun 19, 2014 at 16:59
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Swimmers develop sensitivity in their hands so they can hold water more effectively, by using the feel of water pressure to determine the pitch of their hand. Three tips I have seen are:

  • press the fingertips of one hand hard against the fingertips of the other
  • press your fingertips against the pool deck while resting
  • rub your hands together or on the pool deck.

Doing these activities just before your serve could make you more aware of sensations in your fingers so you can better learn from them.

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  • Interesting things to try +1
    – hhh
    Commented Jun 17, 2014 at 9:51
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Sensitivity has different factors all of which I am not even aware of. I have listed some below. In circus, you may have seen glass ball performing such as here which definitely requires good focus and hand manouvering, perhaps useful for tennis player.

Warming up also the small muscles handling the small weights

  • Gym training with small weights such as 1kg and 2kg.

  • Better relaxation such as cold paths.

  • Playing with smaller balls and balls of different weights

Better hand-eye-coordination

  • recommended tennis-specific drills here

  • eye-coordination also essential in other sports such as football here (Pro player expert in keeping eyes on the ball and then every-now-and-then checks surroundings)

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