Analysis: David Ferrer – Inside Out Forehand

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ANALYSIS David Ferrer Complete Movement Analysis – Inside Out Forehand

This article is the second complete movement analysis following on from the Maria Kirilenko Movement Analysis done previously.  This time I take a look at David Ferrer’s inside out Forehand. Once again I try to consider the tactical

David Ferrer (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

situation/intention in the analysis as this provides some context.

The purpose of these articles is to highlight that the analysis doesn’t stop with single process and must consider all.  In addition the aim is to increase awareness of the body and it’s functions and relate to tactics and vice versa.

Consider the possibility that the effectiveness of a particular tactic may be due to a limitation in the body.

I hope you enjoy!

The Tennis Engineer

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ANALYSIS David Ferrer Complete Movement Analysis – Inside Out Forehand

 

The Tennis Player’s Posture – The Value of Balance

You are probably aware that tennis is a one sided game in terms of dominant hand and you have probably readily accepted that imbalance is prevalent in the tennis player? Have you noticed that the common process is that tennis players are expected to have imbalances as if to say it supports the game they play? I would like to show the downside of imbalance and the value of balance and that actually one does not need to be imbalanced just because you play tennis.

Posture forms an important part of therapeutic processes, something for yogis, Pilates, osteopaths and physiotherapists, right?  Wrong!

Full Article link below

The Tennis Player’s Posture – The Value of Balance

Find your center!

The Tennis Engineer.

Kyle Edmund Vs Jonny O’Mara

Alongside Andy Murray the wonderful opportunity of watching the future of British tennis in the junior boys singles presented itself at Wimbledon yesterday (Wednesday).   Truth be told I was making a beeline for court 14 where Kyle Edmund and Jonny O’Mara were 3 all first set.

Maybe at this point your expecting some kind of sledging as to why these lads are never going to make it and that they will just end up on the scrap heap.  Maybe the media might do that but not here.

U.S. Open Juniors Sunday, Sept. 4, 2011 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The tennis, in my opinion was entertaining and of a high standard.  Kyle strong, very strong off the forehand wing with an incredible amount of racket head speed available.  Coupled with a strong first serve his tactics will be simple and effective. Jonny not as powerful but when in rallies looking like he had the potential to compete and he made a go of it at least.  More that could be said of 3rd seed Zerev who pulled out with a so called shoulder problem at 4-0 down in the third.

The tennis engineer is interested in the human body and the bio-mechanics of tennis and here in lies the reason for this post.   I have been alluring to the idea that the there is some relationship between where joints sit and muscle tensions in the human body which results in imbalances and hence sub optimal output.  Where there is an imbalance the joints and muscles cannot and I really mean cannot, move through an action efficiently and effectively and there is a knock on throughout the whole system.  This may or may not be a cause of future injury but if not an injury risk there is still more possibility in producing better strokes, coping with tougher situations and executing tactics.

So I turned my attention to Jonny as it was clear in his gait there were some quirks.   Not bad at this point until he turned to face his coach who was sat in front of me.  Here is where I saw the tennis players stereotypical shoulder drop on the hitting side.  Not only that as I followed this through the system it was clear that Jonny’s left hip was also hiked higher than his right and often this is coupled with a rotation to the right (right handed).  His gait when he walked away had an obvious flexion to the hitting side also which is characteristic with the previous observations. Not at the expense of Jonny but I was delighted but the question arose in my mind of what can I do about it?

Well, nothing, at the moment.  Immediately after the match I was thinking about talking to the coach but chose against it probably for the best as a few seconds later I was surrounded by Greg Ruesedski, Martin Weston and some other guy who I recognized.  While many asked Greg for photos I called my colleague to tell him the good/bad news about the match I just seen.

So, now hypothetically want can be/needs to be done with Jonny?  Well, in my opinion and according to alot of research Jonny’s posture and joint alignment is only causing him to under perform regardless of the other traits of tennis.  His body is simply not optimal therefore his fantastic ground strokes could be BETTER! not only that he could deal with higher pace and higher levels, he could grow in confidence and he could execute his tactics effectively and more repeatedly.

So step 1 is to re educate, re engineer his body to accept the range of motion and the intended functions of the joints.  Remember, the body wasn’t designed with tennis in mind and therefore we should respect the actual function of the body and restore these defaults.  That is not to say that the tennis posture is the way it  is because it should be because it shouldn’t!

Step 2 then is then to educate the body to function properly within tennis stroke production movements.  Coupling all joint actions to the end result.  This relies on heavy input on the technical model used by the coach/coaches.

Step 3 maintain and improve.

The Tennis Engineer is not a fitness trainer or S&C coach but a tennis coach specialising inhuman  movement and the aim of the approach is to give the best chance to the player to perform at maximum!

Coming soon: The Tennis Players posture article

Please feel free to message me with questions or share this with any parties that may have interest.

I hope this asks some questions and prokes thought.

Best

The Tennis Engineer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Analysis: Maria Kirilenko – Defensive Backhand

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ANALYSIS -> Maria Kirilenko Movement Analysis

With Maria Kirilenko doing so well at the French Open this year it seemed fitting to share this analysis of her in a defensive situation on the backhand.

Maria Kirilenko (Photo credit: Carine06)

As with many tennis players Maria has had a fair share of injuries and even in this image sequence she wears a knee bandage/support.  The question for me is why has her body got to this point?  Of course there will be injuries but optimizing the body to perform the actions that are required can drastically reduce the injury potential whilst maximizing the output.

Only a few minutes ago Maria called the trainer for a lower back issue in the first set of her match with Azarenka.  Commentators also mentioned that yesterday she had a shoulder issue.  Coupling this with a possible knee problem in this analysis the question inflates to whether these are isolated injuries are they in fact interlinked and the injury is just moving around the body as one is addressed?

I believe it is that later and that to truly solve Maria’s issues the body function must be considered as a global entity and that areas of limited movement and/or dysfunctional posture will impact the possibilities at other joints in the system.

This could mean, for example, that poor hip function could lead to a rotator cuff injury as the shoulder works harder to achieve the output than it needs to.

As I have eluded to in past posts all performance process (tech,tact, phys,ment) are linked and influence each other.  Therefore all must be considered in analysis although assumptions maybe made it is closer to the truth if all are considered.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ANALYSIS -> Maria Kirilenko Movement Analysis

In the analysis I include some training exercises related to the areas that have been considered aimed at developing the patterns and enhancing performance.  It must be said that the exercises alone will serve this purpose although it is important to understand , as in the case of Maria Kirilenko, that the function of the body and the adopted postures must not carry limitations and the transmissions of forces are efficient and seamless.  I suggest and recommend that this is addressed prior to implementing any training program.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ANALYSIS -> Maria Kirilenko Movement Analysis

 

I hope you enjoy the analysis and please contact me if you are interested further or have any questions.

Regards,

the Tennis Engineeer

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ANALYSIS -> Maria Kirilenko Movement Analysis

Thought of the Day – Movement Access

I was coaching a young female player of mine and we were working on moving up the court, getting after the ball and exploiting space by playing down the line.  The drill was simple, defend cross and attack line, repeating this on both forehand and backhand side for approximately 20 balls per set.

Another coach and friend of mine observed that when the girl went for the down the line ball her front foot was parallel to the net effectively blocking movement at the hip/pelvis and subsequently making balance after the upper body had rotated through very difficult.

the problem here is that the reason for this is to do with posture and foot function.  She has over pronated feet that are turn into to absorb the force of landing or stepping and hence when putting her front foot down it moves to be a parallel in order to absorb the knee flexion and of course transmit force up through the body from the ground.

The thing for me is that no amount of “coaching” will allow this change to stick but there is a way of bypassing the conscious and fix it with out her even knowing.  This is to give the foot the freedom of movement that it requires and also to educate the body to use it.  Exercises such as the balancing on the offending foot and reaching out with the other leg around a “clock” face gives the foot a 3D experience, in addition some “lunge” type movements encouraging the hip to rotate in a similar manner to the intended stroke forces the foot to take up a new position.

Naturally, the intervention needs repetition and work as with any skill acquisition but there was a instant alteration.  In addition we altered the movement to the ball from a “side step” to more of a “gallop” where the front foot is pointing at the ball and we created a situation where mechanically the position was more desirable.

Homework exercises prescribed and we shall see the effects this coming week!

 

Thought of the Day – Important Feet

well, this is in regards to our two wonderful feet and the server lack of attention to them!

how many coaches referred to “loading up from the legs” or something similar and wondered why it is difficult for some?  Now, of course there are many reasons but consider the foot for a second.  When, you flex the knee what happens to the foot?  when you hop on one foot and flex the knee what happens to the foot?

The foot flattens (or pronates) which is a way of allowing the knee to flex and subsequently load the rest of the body.  Also it loads (or stretches) the muscles required to move the foot out of this position through to full extension at the hip (the foot here has fully supinated).  Isn’t this what we as coaches want for our players when hitting ground-strokes? (or in fact any shot that requires some knee flexing).

For the thought of the day bit consider what would be the output of a players shots if they had difficulty in flattening the foot in the first place or if they had “flat” feet and therefore could not use the supination muscles effectively?

Here in lies the real key to maximum output on stokes!

Enjoy,

Questions just pop me and email!

 

 

Creating a System 3 – Training Load

This post is the third in the series following on from;

Creating a System 1 – Tactical Intentions.

Creating a System 1 – Technical Model.

Having decided the tactical intention and the techniques required in order to achieve the tactic it is time to train, practice, drill whatever you call it.  There are plenty of ways to train for example, match play, conditioned match play, cooperative control drills, fed drills, hand fed drills and there are probably more.   All of these have their merits and reasons and the list is progressive if you move from hand drills through to open match play.

However, the thesis of this post is more to do with how many balls a player hits in practice and there are few issues to deal with before any numbers are put on it.

Firstly, how many balls should a player hit per day, session, drill?  this has been debated before but some figures that I can remember are 150 per session (LTA), 3000+ to acquire skills?  I’ll leave this open but one thing is for sure LOTS of balls need to be hit!

Secondly, the quality practice thing is always bought up, quality of quantity etc.  Well, my view is that there will be a balance within a session/training block. Can we expect a player to be 100% all the time?  I don’t think so, I think we can expect maximum effort but there will be good times and bad times.  So, in order to compensate (a word used in Europe a lot), one must provide LOTS of balls to practice.

Thirdly, consider a 100 ball practice that is hand fed.  Should we expect the player to be able to compete effectively now?  Better probably, but not as if they had hit those 100 balls in match play situation?   Therefore, if the goal is to simply acquire a fine skill then hand feeding could be appropriate, but if the skill needs to transfer into match play (because they are competing at the weekend) live control drills maybe better.  I try and go with an approach of “I am adaptable” since the player may seem to have succeeded in hand fed but struggle in control and as the coach I notice something else that might help and subsequently return to hand fed drills and then go control again.

So, to summarize this section, the number of balls need is LOTS and there needs to be various degrees of progressions and regressions in order to move the player to the ultimate playground of the competition court playing fantastic tennis!

It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t bring Spain into the equation and so here is a picture of the training load for the well know drill “X factor” or as they call it Deep = Short X.   Ok notice, the 60 repetitions  and the frequency of this drill being  DAILY! 

     Sanchez Casal X drill

When I trained there during the week and the on my previous visit I found the loads tough, however, on the course the coach said that the loads are adapted to the individual along with the “area of control” to individualize the training.   In addition to this they also stated that with a weeks training at this load and intensity the adaptions are great within the anaerobic/aerobic systems.

There are some “pre competition” warm up drills with also reach 60 balls by 3 x 20 and a the final drill in the system “defense/attack balance” which is a 6 ball sequence repeated twice for symmetry (12 balls) that is totally repeated for as long as needed.  I managed 3 sets of the 12 balls (36) which was tough but again after a week of it I am sure I would be clearer to focus on outputs.  Not surprising the Spanish players are battlers!

To conclude this post, the volume needs to be pretty high in order to maximize the skill acquisition, muscle memory and required conditioning.  It HAS to be tailored to your players and can be varied by # of balls, rhythm of delivery (pace, height, flight etc) and the area of control.

Now, with the 3 posts so far we lead on to the “NEW” area of the system that is of great interest to me and that is the movement of the body (some term it bio mechanics) but I still want to call it movement just considering the joint actions and the linkage as a fluid system.  This is IMPORTANT because with training becoming more focused and more intense the chance to get hurt increases and the body takes more of a battering not to mention the stresses and strains of the today’s modern game!

With this it is imperative to consider the movement fluidity for these reasons

1. Movement efficiency will reduce injury risk
2. Movement efficiency will create greater output of the strokes (and hence tactical opportunity)
3. Movement efficiency will allow increased ability to manage space and time

Thanks again for reading and check back soon for Creating a System 4 – Physical Model

The Tennis Engineer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creating a System 2 – Technical Model

This post is a continuation of Creating a System 1 – Tactical Intentions.

Having considered the tactical intentions or areas of play or both we must now consider what technical model to use.  The technical model describes the “how” in the “what/why” that is the tactical intention.  It is not enough just to consider the general factors in stroke production as this carries no purpose.  So for every tactical situation there is a technical model to consider.

For example, in considering a defensive situation on the forehand side, with the player positioned mid way over and a few meters behind the baseline what are the requirements of the player?  Are these requirements the same in an offensive situation? I believe that answer is no, and if you agree then there are technical differences.

A friend of mine bought up the scenario of a coach observing a player in a game and making the statement “the player needs more topspin on his forehand”.  Another coach also watching the same game commented “which forehand?”

If we consider this there are times when a player will require and want more topspin and in other situations less topspin and therefore the mechanics of the stroke production differs.  Admittedly, one can argue that there are commonalities in shots but there are also a lot of differences.

Referring back to the defensive situation above the technical model required could be one that involves loading onto the rear leg (80:20 %) and a greater low to high swing path.  Other factors to consider are contact position, rotation of upper body, transfer of weight etc.

Even at this point there are things missing!!!

Possibly most importantly how does a player receive the ball?  what movement and footwork is required?  what is the ball doing (speed, spin, flight), what should the sent ball look like and what effect should it have on the opponent?

From my recent education in Spain, the training is setup to improve the ideal and the technical model is also centered around what would be ideal.    It consists of side steps in a diagonal path to get behind the ball and a recovery into a optimal position expecting the next ball to be an offensive opportunity along with stroke production teaching points.  Personally I like this mentality as why train for anything less than great?

Considering the technical model as a direct result of the tactical intention and taking into account opponent, ball characteristics (received and sent), the complete movement cycle as well as the racket paths and body functions you are now in a position to create drills and exercises to effectively train technique in a tactical context.

Now the foundations of understanding allow for a few other things to happen;

1. Movement efficiency in terms of bio mechanics, body functions  and the linkage
2. Acquiring/Mastering the skills in context requires a  training load (number of balls, rhythm)
3. Progressive development of exercises in challenging are of control (tennis) + load, and range of motion (body function)

The next post will consider some of the Spanish drills in terms of tactical intentions, technical model and training loads + “break out” exercises (progressions/regressions).

thanks for reading,

The Tennis Engineer

Creating a System 1 – Tactical Intentions

Hi, in this blog post I am talking about the necessity of having a system and some ideas on where to start.

The first thing is to consider what a system is and it is defined here;

Noun A set of connected things or parts forming a complex whole, in particular. A set of things working together as parts of a mechanism or an interconnecting network.

Synonyms method – order – scheme – process

The end goal in tennis is winning and we must consider how to go about winning.

UK – London – Wimbledon: Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum – Championship Trophies (Photo credit: wallyg)

This is where tactics originated and they arise in a variety of game situations.  The LTA, for example consider 6 tactical intentions, namely, in no particular order;

1. Finishing
2. Building
3. Trading
4. Staying
5. Neutralizing
6. Turning around

In addition, these tactical intentions are wrapped up in the game situations  of; both back, serving, returning, opponent approaching or at net, player approaching or at net.

By contrast, Spain, or more specifically Academia Sanchez-Casal consider 3 areas of play;

1. Finishing (predominantly at the net)
2. Controlling (attacking the ball to be offensive)
3. Defending (aggressive or dominant defensive with the intention of creating attacking opportunity)

with the ideal of players being “all court players”.

At the start of my process I claimed 4 areas of play which were the Spanish 3 plus trading (or out rallying).   More recently I have ditched the trading as I consider it a “nothing” term and there is no intention to win and suggests the player has no real purpose in attempting to trade.

The Spanish train with an “ideal” in mind.  This says that we should always train for the ideal and therefore if we can hit the best shot possible we should.  This aids in the acquisition of skills and develops a players “area of control”.  The area of control is defined as the boundaries in which a player can move into defensive and to attack and be still executing the ideal.  Over time and with daily training the area of control expands in which the player can now cover a lot of court and be on balance and executing very effectively.  Consider a player who can defend effectively at high tempo and still feel balanced and in control, the opportunities are great.

Bringing the LTA back for a second, they advocate strategies such as playing with consistency, controlling space and time and considering strengths and weakness.  Spain also have this idea but simply suggest that by always hitting into the space with your fantastic shots, your opponent will run and you will not, good times!  Your area of control determines your ability to manage your own space and time and against players of higher level or increased rhythm.

I have heard that coaches think that Spain is all drills and thousands of balls, and they wouldn’t be wrong.  HOWEVER, each of the 11 drills is tactically devised or has a “transfer objective” to aid tactically and forms the basis of the training system.  In addition to this there is a high emphasis on live drills where player work on the “controls” cooperatively together (at high rhythm) and also the part where they compete in variety of conditioned matches.  Here it is evident that the players learn to adapt and understand the geometry of the court.

So, for me, the important part of all this is not that Spain is better than the LTA or vice versa, but more so that there is a clear system with clearly defined ways of training the players within the system that encourages the play that the system wants.  Everyone involved understands and commits.  Simple.

I have not been into creating weird and wonderful drills but to use simple patterns that I can adpat and mould to whatever I need.  The 11 drills of the Spanish system work brilliantly and have infinite breakouts or alterations so are perfect for me. Regardless of what tactical system you adopt or create the point is that there is a system and that your players have something to relate to, believe in and train in.

Just to clarify, the start of the system is one that aids in the winning of tennis matches and that is built on tactical intentions and situations.  There are other components of the system that I will be addressing in future posts such as;

• Technical Model (This refers to each stroke in a given tactical situation)
• Physical Model (This refers the joint actions and kinetic chain involved in the movement cycle)
• Training Loads (number of repetitions, hours on court)

NB: The physical model is not one of building strength but of movement fluidity within the technical model.

I hope you enjoyed this post and that it may help in the devising of your own system or further understanding of the system in your club, country.

Regards,

The Tennis Engineer.

 

 

 

 

Slipping and Sliding

With the clay court season upon us and the count down to the French Open beginning it is interesting to consider how to move on clay.  My view is that we should not encourage sliding on clay even though it is possible.  I have also heard the opposing view also that says sliding is advantageous and an effective way to move on clay.

I am not saying that there will be no sliding at all but my observations have lead me to believe that sliding is for emergencies only and that the time involved in decelerating the slide and re balancing to recover is time lost.

Watching the likes of Nadal and Ferrer on the clay it is evident that there is a preferred movement style consisting of

Rafael Nadal, Master Series Monte Carlo 2007 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

shuffles where balance is continually maintained.  Recently, on my trip to Sanchez-Casal it was confirmed to me that moving in balance is the ideal and the one they will train for and sliding is not taught.

The physical demands of playing on clay are high with not only the style of play attacking the an/aerobic systems but also the stress on the rest of the body.  We use the vibrations generated from the foots impact with the floor to create power/force and the aim of the body is to transfer as much of this as possible, seamlessly through to impact.  The lower frictional force between the surface and the shoe causes a quest for force and in addition challenges balance with the body working harder to manage itself.

Does this increase the tension/compression in the body?  I don’t truly know but I can feel the effects of this environment on various parts of my body when training and it is tough.   This feeling suggests to me that the fluidity of movement and the transfer of forces within the actions are of up most importance in producing effect play but also in staying healthy in training.  Force leakage will be magnified and compensations will occur.

Ensure bodies are balanced and transferring force effectively, prepare the body for this and challenge it to organize itself in the most efficient manner and you will see success on the dirt.