Tennis NOS™

The Tennis NOS™ Trainers

The Tennis NOS™ (Neuromuscular Over Speed) Trainers are functional training aids to improve the swing.  The devices allow explosive movement patterns similar to those used on a tennis court. The unique handle designs reinforce movements required to execute today’s high-speed game. Their use stimulates racket acceleration in a very natural way while integrating whole-body coordination. Accelerating properly with NOS™ Trainers feel smooth and effortless making them excellent tools for self-directed practice and discovery learning. They provide an excellent way to practice anywhere, improving skills without a practice partner.

The NOS™ devices were designed based on the concept of ‘dynamic correspondence’, first introduced by Professor Yuri Verskoshansky in 1993. The term refers to the training program’s ability to directly affect the athletes sporting performance by providing specialized exercises. The criteria for those exercises require the exercise to duplicate the same neuromuscular pathway, develop strength over the same range of motion and duplicate the same muscular contraction as seen as a competitive skill. Movements with NOS™ device activities are specific and goal-directed. They offer a direct opportunity for the transfer of movement enhancements gained to skill performance on the court

The Tennis NOS™ Trainers devices provide a tool to rapidly warm up strokes for practice or matches. The NOS™ trainers are used after a normal pre-session warm-up and help raise the level of focus and intensity for practice or play. Using the NOS™ trainers start with slow and controlled swings to become accustomed to the feel of the device, with increasing intensity until 8 – 10 swings are made at full speed. The NOS™ devices allow the use of personal stroke movements to encourage confidence that swing timing is appropriate. NOS™ Trainers are portable and easily fit into a racket bag.

The versatile NOS™ Trainer handles can be used with universal SpeedChain® attachments to increase resistance and create tennis-specific strength tools. The Universal SpeedChain® attachments are available in four resistance levels: Strong, X-Strong, Ultra, and PRO. The Universal SpeedChain® attachments can be used on any of the 3 handles – Original, Pronator, and Acemaker by using the quick connector chains.

Pronator NOS™

The Pronator NOS™ is an outstanding tool for enhancing arm movement and timing. The device promotes good pronation on serves, overhead, and forehand strokes. The shape of the Pronator handle encourages forearm pronation training for proper acceleration through the impact zone. It offers a practical method to improve stroke coordination and improve the efficiency of the stroke. The tool offers a means to create high-speed topspin serves and groundstrokes.

This practical device emulates the tennis stroke, stimulating coordination to improve the efficiency of stroke production with the continental grip. It promotes coming up on edge to the ball and squaring the racquet through impact by “wrist snap” resulting from the forearm and hand rotating from supination to pronation (palm of the hand up to down position) just before contact.

The tool is a valuable training answer to the so-called “waiter’s serve” or “pancake serve” that results from lack of pronation and hitting the ball straight using wrist extension to wrist flexion (hammering a nail) motion. Swinging the uniquely shaped handle of the device promotes pronation naturally and is an ideal instrument for players that have difficulty achieving this powerful pronation movement through conscious effort. The Pronator NOS™ promotes movements that are natural and effortless, making it ideal for working on timing and a perfect self-directed learning tool.

With the Pronator NOS™ there is no requirement for a partner or a court. It can be used indoors or out. It is a great tool for shadow swings to improve the stroke with new neural pathways and myelinate them through repetition to keep the swing sharp. The device makes it possible to do functional exercises working for multiple muscle groups at the same time.

The Tennis Pronator NOS™ is almost as long as a normal racket when fully extended (approximately 26.5″). It is heavier than a normal racket (approximately 14.1oz to 17.6oz) and is designed to be used as an overload exercise tool. The device is end weighted and the weight variation is accomplished by two removable chain weights (1.75oz). The beveled grip is made of rubber, the shaft of aluminum, the chains of zinc-coated steel, and the end-weight a brightly colored ball-shaped sphere.

Acemaker NOS™

The SpeedChains® Acemaker NOS™ is a training aid to improve the movement patterns of the tennis serve and increase serve speeds. It offers a means to develop increased lag while improving the swing and impact position. Swinging the Acemaker NOS™ develops balance, tempo, and rhythm. It is a tremendous tool for preparing the body to make powerful serves with an efficient sequence that has excellent carry-over skills to the court based on the concept of dynamic correspondence.

The Acemaker NOS™ was created to increase speed and maximize power using the Dynamic Systems Theory. It provides a balance of over-speed and specificity training through practicing maximal effort swings to stimulate the neurological system. The Acemaker NOS™ offers opportunities for self-organization while promoting differential learning to improve tennis serves unique to the players’ style.

The Acemaker NOS™ provides a means for increased racket speed based on laws of physics – centripetal force and pendulum effect. The design of the Acemaker NOS™ adds a chain and weight to the end of a shaft forming an additional pendulum in the swing. As the swing progresses, the weight of the added pendulum rotates around the end of the shaft extending the swing radius and increasing racket velocity. To accommodate a swing with enhanced velocity the recruitment of more efficient motor units to perform the swing is required resulting in enhanced neurological pathways. Repeated swings myelinate the pathways ingraining them as a permanent movement pattern. Continued use of the device reinforces the neural adaptation discouraging regression to the slower movement pattern.

Using the Acemaker NOS™ encourages a well-executed swing that causes the pendulums to function sequentially in synchronized movement and not chaotically. As the rhythm and tempo of pendulums are executed in sequence the swing becomes effortless. It provides an excellent tool for discovery learning to generate racket speed in a continuous athletic motion that is controlled and well-sequenced with ball impact.

The Acemaker NOS™ is an ideal device for implicit learning. It provides a means to find the proper wrist release point to maximize racket speed at impact resulting in high velocity serve speeds. It is an excellent tool to practice the sequencing skills with the repetitions necessary to create and myelinate the neural pathways necessary to engrain a high velocity serve movement pattern.

The device is constructed with an aluminum shaft and a rubber beveled grip. The shaft connects to a 10″ light twist chain attached to a ball serving as an end weight. The Acenaker NOS™ is lighter than most rackets with the capacity for adding two 48 gram chain weights (included). The device has a length of 11″ at rest and extends to 19″ when swung due to centrifugal force extending the chain and end-weight. At full length, it is longer than most rackets, but not too long to impede serves or inhibit training due to the physics of centripetal forces. The physical properties of this device provide a means for focused training to deliver the racket more quickly to the ball and produce increased serve speeds.

Each session with the Acemaker NOS™ should be short, starting with low-intensity swings with each swing having increased speed until the maximum effort is reached. After achieving maximum effort swings with the NOS™, swings should be blended with swings of a regular racket to ensure carryover. The Acemaker NOS™ should only be used after the normal pre-activity warm-up is complete but never when the player is fatigued.