Several exercise training methodologies have been studied for their effects on performance in overhead sports such as baseball and tenis. Multiple studies have demonstrated that lower body closed kinetic chain (CKC) exercises produce greater improvements in performance compared to open kinetic chain (OKC) training. However, evidence comparing the effects of upper body OKC and CKC training on performance is limited. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of an upper body CKC resistance training program to an OKC resistance training program on maximal serve velocity (MSV), average serve velocity (ASV), seated 1-arm medicine all shot put distance (MBT), 3 repetition maximum (RM) bench press strength (BP), push-up repetitions (PU), and modified pull-up repetitions (MPU) in competitive junior tennis players. Sixteen subjects performed a total body resistance training program 3 times per week for 8 weeks. The results of this study showed that both OKC and CKC training produced improvements in both ASV and MSV but there was no significant difference between groups for either ASV or MSV. However, there was a difference between groups in both dominant and non-dominant MBT with the CKC training group producing significantly greater improvements. Both groups showed improvements in BP, PU and MPU with no significant differences between training groups. These results suggest that both OKC and CKC upper body training can be used to improve upper body strength ad serve velocity in competitive junior tennis players.
