Good Morning,
this will be brief and hopefully thought provoking to those that are interested in how the body actually works and how we use it to play tennis.
I have been looking at a lot of videos with a fellow geek and have this thought for all to consider..
Do tennis players, including the very top ones use the body to its full potential as it was intended?
My feeling is that the answer is a big fat, resounding NOOO!
More to come on this,
The Tennis Engineer!
This thought of the day is to do with time, the past, the present and the future. It occurred to me (and a friend), that in the time it took Nadal, Federer, Murray etc to become the players they are today it involved a substantial journey in time. During which the game evolved dramatically and continues to do so.
Now, considering your young players, maybe mini tennis maybe 13/14 years old and ask the question where will the game be when they reach the mid twenties?
Should we necessarily be modelling our tennis teaching and learning on the current game or hypothesizing, and analysing what the game will be, might be like in 10 years time.
The UK have always been critised for being 10 years behind the other countries and I know that the culture of the UK in sport is not so forward thinking and relies on what we have always done.
Will the game advance? yes of course!
Should we be looking at what Nadal, Djokovic etc do poorly and work with our young players on these facets?
Does the key lie in thinking beyond what is currently possible?
Well, we have some ideas of where the game may go and what will be required of next generation tennis players but I would also like to hear your predictions?
best,
The Tennis Engineer,
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!
Recently I read a post that mentioned bio-mechanics as the “unit turn,” “grips” and “ball tracking.” This is NOT bio-mechanics. The definition (Wikipedia) is;
Bio-mechanics is the study of the structure and function of biological systems such as humans, animals, plants, organs and cells by means of the methods of mechanics.
The word bio-mechanics developed during the early 1970s, describing the application of engineering mechanics to biological and medical systems.
I consider it the methods in which we, as tennis players, maximize the functions of the bodies joints in a fluid and seamless sequence in order to produce efficient force. It relies on functional joint actions, in effective range of motion that are sequential in what we consider the tennis strokes. Each joint has its role to play and should be capable within the integrated system.
The movements required are a function of the tactical intention and the required technical model. Therefore the “bio-mechanics” of tennis have a tactical, technical, physical and mental component.
The Tennis Engineer.
Today’s thought is one of what the Tennis Engineer specialises in (along with the team of movement therapists/specialists) and that is diagnosing force leaks and re distributing tensions within the body during the execution of tennis tactics.
If there are imbalances within the body there will be compensations. This puts the body into a state of coping rather than free flowing. The results are that the body may become over stressed and injuries caused or that in the linkage of joint actions within the complete movement cycle, (in a given tactic including movement to the ball, the hit and the recover) forces are leaked and the output sub optimum.
Should we allow this?
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.
The table I am sat is wobbly and to say the least annoying. I look around for an obvious solution to the problem presented. I find an old magazine, newspaper or bear mat and I fold the object to a suitable size and place it under the affecting leg. The table ceases to wobble (for now) and my issue is solved. Until of course the object deteriorates or the dog chews it or it is removed for some reason and the table reverts back to its old self of wobbliness. the table has no way of adapting to this situation as it has no mind but it does rock to its so called or perceived centre. It is just when the table is called upon to be functional the problem presents itself. The degree of the problem is also a question in that the problem has to become suitably bad before anything is done about it.
The human body can be likened to this situation where there is a compensation or an inhibition but the body can adapt to function (or perceive to function) until one day it decides no. The body adapts to what the requirements are but the degree at which it can perform the requirements are dependant on how the body currently functions. If it functions optimally (or as close to as possible) the outcome is arguably good in the required function. At least it gives the person the best possible chance.
We could simply replace the table with a new one that doesn’t wobble but in the case of the body this isn’t a solution (apart from in obvious situations and I am not referring to enhanced aesthetics).
In my work as a tennis coach I have been presented with a child who is struggling to serve due to techniques I have instructed previously. Not that these techniques are wrong but since I have been with Anatomy In Motion (www.anatomyinmotion.co.uk) I have recognised that there is no wonder the serve is struggling. I have looked at segments of the chain where there are problems and low and behold a foot issue presented itself where the player struggled to absorb weight into the foot when performing the serve and had to constantly reposition the foot to accommodate the action. This led to mishaps up the chain and hence affected the outcome of the serve. Attention to improving the foot function allowed a smoother transition of weight into and up through the serve.
In this case there was no wedge to place under the wobbly table but to educate the body to function optimally (or closer to optimum) to improve the serve.
There are other situations where I have seen children essentially being prescribed wedges to stop their table wobbling. What happens when the wedge is moved? the table wobbles again. This is the same for the child with a wobble stopping wedge. Once it is removed the body reverts back.
As a sports coach I am starting believe in a relationship between body and requirement and that the body is our primary tool. We need allow time to focus on allowing the body to function optimally if it is not and this will help players in their development.
The question is do we as coaches need to skill up our knowledge in body function, posture, gait etc or do we outsource this to another professional? I have chosen to delve into this subject as it fascinates me. For me this is a definite requirement of the modern day athlete but who is responsible for it?
The Tennis Engineer 