Effect of a Four-Week Thrower's Ten Exercise Program on Upper Extremity Dynamic Balance and Strength in Racket Sports...

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a four-week Thrower's Ten exercise program on upper extremity dynamic balance and strength in racket sports players. Methods A prospective single-group pre-post interventional study was conducted on 32 racket sports players (badminton and lawn tennis) aged 18-40 years, recruited through purposive sampling from sports complexes in Vadodara, India. Upper extremity dynamic balance and strength were assessed using the Upper Quarter Y Balance Test (UQYBT) and the Medicine Ball Throw Test (MBTT), respectively, before and after a four-week, three-sessions-per-week Thrower's Ten exercise program delivered under physiotherapist supervision using progressive Theraband resistance (The Hygenic Corporation, Akron, OH, USA). Results UQYBT composite reach (normalized to limb length) improved significantly for the right (106.4 ± 3.8% to 114.1 ± 5.1%; mean difference, 7.69%; 95% CI, 6.83-8.55; p < 0.001) and left upper extremity (105.8 ± 3.2% to 114.8 ± 5.6%; mean difference, 8.98%; 95% CI, 7.42-10.54; p < 0.001; n = 31 owing to one missing baseline value). MBTT distance improved significantly from 23.1 ± 3.1 ft to 24.8 ± 3.4 ft (mean difference, 1.70 ft; 95% CI, 1.40-2.00; p < 0.001). Male participants demonstrated significantly greater post-intervention MBTT scores than female participants (25.73 ± 2.19 ft vs. 19.54 ± 4.05 ft; independent-samples t-test, p < 0.001), while no significant differences were observed by limb dominance, sport type, or training frequency. Conclusions Participants showed significant improvements in upper extremity dynamic balance and strength following the four-week Thrower's Ten exercise program. These findings support the use of structured upper extremity strengthening programs in training routines for racket sport athletes; however, controlled trials are needed to determine whether the observed improvements are attributable to the intervention beyond natural variation or practice effects.