Impact of Neuromuscular Training on Youth Male Tennis Players' Performance: A Meta-Analysis

Introduction

Neuromuscular training (NMT) is widely implemented in sports to enhance physical fitness and performance. In the context of tennis, a sport requiring rapid movements, acceleration, and fine motor skills, the effectiveness of NMT has become a focal point for optimizing player performance. This systematic review aims to synthesize the existing literature on the impact of NMT specifically for male youth and young adult tennis players.

Match analysis indicates that tennis players must frequently perform high-intensity actions, including quick changes of direction and powerful strokes. These actions necessitate high levels of agility, explosive power, and coordination, underscoring physical fitness as a critical determinant of performance in competitive matches.

Past reviews on NMT in tennis have faced limitations, including broad classifications of outcomes that do not adequately break down key performance aspects. Additionally, many studies included mixed gender samples or broadly ranged age groups, which skews the findings and their applicability to specific populations. Our review seeks to fill this gap by focusing solely on youth and young adult male players, examining distinct performance metrics such as stroke velocity, serve accuracy, sprint performance, countermovement jump (CMJ), and agility time.

Materials and Methods

2.1 Registration and Reporting Standards

This systematic review and meta-analysis adhere to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines and were registered with PROSPERO (CRD420261337037).

2.2 Search Strategy

A thorough search was conducted across five databases, including PubMed and Cochrane Library, from their inception until January 1, 2026. The search strategy integrated controlled vocabulary and free-text keywords relevant to tennis and NMT modalities like plyometric and resistance training.

2.3 Study Selection and Screening Process

The selection process was systematic and rigorous, with two reviewers independently screening titles and abstracts. Disagreements during the process were resolved through discussion, ensuring only studies that met predefined inclusion criteria advanced for full-text evaluation.

2.4 Eligibility Criteria

2.4.1 Inclusion Criteria

• Participants: Healthy male tennis players, strictly excluding any mixed-gender groups.
• Intervention: Specific NMT modalities, including plyometric and resistance training, aimed at enhancing relevant physical capacities for tennis performance.
• Comparators: Control conditions included usual training or alternative non-NMT approaches.
• Outcomes: At least one relevant physical or tennis-specific performance outcome was required for inclusion.

2.4.2 Exclusion Criteria

Studies involving injured athletes or those that did not concentrate on NMT as the primary intervention were excluded.

Results

Eighteen studies comprising 670 participants were ultimately included in this review. The analysis predominantly favored NMT interventions over control conditions for several outcomes:

• Stroke Velocity (g = 0.95) and CMJ (g = 0.73): Significant improvements were noted for these metrics, indicating positive effects on player performance.
• Sprint Performance (g = -0.58): Short sprint distances (10m) showed beneficial results from NMT training, whereas longer sprints (20m) did not.
• Agility Time (g = -0.89) and Serve Accuracy (g = 0.47): While improvements were observed, the evidence remains weak with varying levels of certainty across outcomes.
• Shot Placement Accuracy (g = -0.41): The intervention did not yield significant improvements.

Discussion

The findings suggest that while NMT may enhance certain performance aspects, the certainty of these outcomes varies significantly, necessitating caution in their application. The lack of consistent findings particularly related to accuracy performance highlights the complexity of the training responses in male tennis players. Further studies are encouraged to explore these dynamics in depth, focusing on specific training modalities and their long-term effectiveness.

Conclusions

This systematic review indicates low-certainty evidence for the effectiveness of NMT on improved stroke velocity and short-distance sprints in youth male tennis players. However, further high-quality, rigorously structured studies are crucial for establishing definitive training recommendations and understanding the nuances of performance outcomes in this demographic.