OT - Tennis Players' Arms

Have you ever seen a blacksmith? The arm they swing the hammer with is build like an oak tree. The arm they do the precise work is an order of magnitude smaller.

What is the point of lifting weights to work out the off arm? Just looks? A strong off arm isn't needed, so why do it?

I think most of those shots are from bad angles, but I'm not surprised that there's a difference. These people probably practice tennis for hours every day. When you're playing 5+ hours a day, one arm is going to be bigger than the other, because you're not lifting weights for anywhere near that long.

This shouldn't surprise you if you've ever played tennis. Here's a better Serena example

The interesting thing about Nadal is that he is actually a righty, but his uncle and coach forced him to start playing lefty as a kid. He does everything righty except his a tennis ball. Watch him throw his wristbands into the stand--the throws them with his right arm. I think he's pretty ripped on both sides.

I played tennis in college and am currently a college tennis coach. My dominant arm is much stronger than the other, which makes sense I think. I think that's true for most tennis players.

Too much exercise on one side:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otPL8KwKQmw

I'm pretty sure tennis players weight train both arms - the pics may be a bit deceiving.

Any 5.0+ players out there looking to hit in la or dc? I spend time in both.

... all that's missing from this post is the volleyball scene from Top Gun.