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

 

Practice and a bit more.

practice is something that everyone agrees is what makes people in choosen skills, fields.  Sometimes it can be termed hard work.  You are what you practice, you are what you eat, you do what you do.  these phrases carry the same kind of message that what you repeat is what you become and this paradigm appears all over.

what does a maths test examine?  whether a person can answer questions (they don’t change all that much year to year) so one simply must practice enough to become proficient at the posed questions.  Does this mean that now you can use mathematics in the work place?  only if it is similar enough to what you have practiced and that what you have practiced can be transferred to this “new” problem.  if you want an A at GCSE maths you must practice, bottom line.  

the issues are people don’t want to practice or don’t make the time to practice (or don’t have the time) there personal requirement.  I was lucky at GCSE maths as for whatever reason I didn’t need many reps to get it but I know people who did, my wife for example, she practiced her butt off to obtain the grade.  

another example is French, or any language for that matter.  I passed French and I most certainly didn’t learn any I just rep’d what I needed to pass the exam.  learnt it like a parrot and boom..done..but I don’t rep french anymore and so lost 99% of it.  Spanish I rep at reading and writing..no listening and limited speaking (in my own head) and you know what..im pretty good at reading and writing and suck at the rest. why?  no reps!  

Now, there is (im sure, I think i use some) learning methods and teaching methods that almost bypass the need for so many reps and reach the same result.  I have heard it term Accelerated Development before in the tennis world.  I think the UK tennis education has done a great job in this as this is what we need to do in the UK due to lower numbers and a multitude of opportunities for young people.  We need to get the success fast so that kids stick at the game..but there is still a requirement for reps and practice.

the amount of practice and reps is partially individual and also goal orientated.  for example if you want to play for the senior county cup team you need to be a certain level (county dependent, weaker for my county) and this requires a certain amount of work.  If you want to go to the USA for college then you must reach a certain level and this also requires a certain amount of work.  If you want to make the top 100 then this requires a certain amount of work.  If you want to play for a laugh with your mates once a year then once a year is all you need.

there is no substitute for practice.

finally, the LTA rating system. it seems flawed at times, but it also dosn’t. the issues are to do with the amount of matches played by players, when they play them (mini tennis, u12, u18 etc) and the huge imbalance created by choices of these factors.  I will also throw into the mix the reps required to reach a level (individually).  to try to illustrate..take a u12 8.1 who has just started competing but is accelerating drastically..they enter a grade 4 locally and get a 6.2 in the first round.  The 6.2 has played a lot (obviously) and probably has reped alot but how much better is a u12 6.2 than this particular 8.2..could be not much.  does the result matter..reality no, actually probably to everyone..8.2 if wins is over the moon and may want to play more..6.2 may say, oh well a respect the situation and continue to get better or may give up as this is not in the script.  Many scenarios..but consider it from a reps point of view.  If the 8.2 just carrys on not doing much and dosn’t practice they will fall later on..if the 6.2 carrys on they will reach a higher level?  what it takes is continued practice to get better and better..it took me many years to reach the dizzy heights of a 3.1 (now 3.2) and what do I need to go higher..practice (at the right level but practice).

I am sure there is more on this paradigm that is practice but my laptop is about to die..thoughts are most welcome on this..

the tennis engineer! 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thought of the Day : Posture

Todays thought comes in 2 parts as is related to posture. Tennis players adopt a unique posture due to the demands of the game. This brings about questions

1. is this posture correct for tennis or is there are more optimal posture (like the natural position of joint)

2. can it changed to bring about better function, performance and injury prevention?

the tennis engineer

Thought of the Day: Do tennis players use the beautiful body as it was intended?

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!

Thought of the Day: Coaching the past for an evolving game – logical?

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,

 

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 : Should Win

we hear the expression ” I should of won” all the time particularly following a loss against lower rated/ranked player or percieved weaker opposition.

the problem here is the unbalance of respect to your opponenet and the game and therefore sets you up to under perform.

its the word “should” as if you have the right to win wothout earning it. 

you “should” never win a match you are only presented with the opportunity/possibility of winning.

those that lose to players who “hack” or hit at a slower rythum/tempo have just as much right to play as you and you will perform better as soon as you respect their approach and work a solution. 

if only I had thought of this when I was younger

the tennis engineer.

Thought of the Day : balance, the greatest requirement.

effective tactics lies in effective technique which is arguably only effective if appropriate movment has taken place and the player is balanced.

regardless of everything else does the key lie in balance both for performance and development?

the tennis engineer.