Question about grunting...

[gzhpcu]

I always exhale and grunt the moment of impact on the serve. (not loud as Sharapova or Seles, mind you, just a dull "uuuhhh...") I remember having read an article once that doing this helps you serve a little bit faster. Any thoughts?

I also do the same when I am hitting particularly hard groundstrokes in a match, more because I have the feeling it is giving me a good sense of timing.

[dgels]

Fyi

FYI - Jim Loehr has an article on breathing in the Mental Game section I just read.

Curious on any elaborations from JY, though, too.

[gzhpcu]

Yes. According to the article, I am not really a grunter. More of an "ah...". Maybe, it helps you be more relaxed, thereby contributing to more speed on the serve?

[johnyandell]

I've heard Mac and Jimmy Connors grunt up close and personal. Other players no. Sometimes when I play I grunt, sometimes not. For me it just seems natural depending. I think Jim's article probably says it all. You want a free exhalation at contact. Grunting is ok for that so long as the breath isn't restricted.

[gzhpcu]

Yes, but the question is: does it actually help you serve faster?

[johnyandell]

There's certainly no way to answer that that I know of.

[vmiller]

Yes, but the question is: does it actually help you serve faster?

In a weightlifting publication, one author wrote that grunting has a negative effect during a lift because it consumes energy which results in less that can be directed toward technique and power. Who knows how that opinion was derived, but it's from a respectable publication. It also doesn't directly apply to tennis, but it's food for thought.

If it's late in a match and I feel like I have to muster up some energy, grunts will sometimes come out on there own. Other than that, I can't see any logical reason to intentionally grunt. If I remember correctly, the article that dgel is referencing states that grunting is not the optimal way to exhale and that the exhalation should be more relaxed and natural.

Edit - An excerpt on grunting from the Jim Loehr article

"Note that exhaling at contact is not necessarily the same thing as grunting. Many competitive players tend to grunt on contact. The grunt is actually unnecessary and, in fact, can contribute to breath constriction.

Players who grunt often make a short, high pitched sound which actually produces reduced, rather than expanded exhalation.

If you are a grunter, start paying special attention to your breathing. Make sure that you are exhaling fully."