Lateral Dominance Involving Hand Grip Strength among Soft Tennis Players, Swimmers, and General People

Tennis players frequently use their dominant arm in training and games; hence, the difference between their left and right hand grip strength may be significant. This study aimed to examine lateral dominance in terms of hand grip strength among soft tennis players, swimmers, and general people. The subjects included 65 soft tennis players, 30 competitive swimmers, and 45 regular people, all of whom were male university students. The three groups did not show significant differences in mean age. The hand grip strength of their dominant and nondominant hands was measured twice. The results of the two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) (groups × dominant/nondominant hands) showed a significant interaction. Multiple-comparison tests showed that soft tennis players have stronger dominant-hand grip than swimmers and regular people. In addition, the hand grip strength was higher in the dominant hand than in the nondominant hand in all groups. In addition, the one-way ANOVA showed a significantly larger hand grip strength ratio (dominant hand/nondominant hand) in soft tennis players than in swimmers and regular people. In conclusion, soft tennis players have stronger dominant-hand grip than swimmers and regular people as well as a higher marked lateral dominance.