Because your lower body does the exhausting task of moving you from one shot to the next, it is easy to experience “leg lapse”during execution. A leg lapse causes the upper body to compensate for the loss of leverage resulting in a stroke that is off balance. It means your body has an inefficient base … More Movement: Leg Lapse and Beating the Ball to the Bounce
“If an athlete can picture in advance each movement of an event exactly as it should be, in a relaxed meditative state, the greater will be the chances that he or she will carry out those movements during the actual performance” – Jerry Lynch Visualization is an active form of meditation in which you relax … More Achieving Optimal Performance: Visualization
The surface you’re playing on and how that affects your decision making is another important aspect of court awareness is . This week we’ll look at clay courts. Clay courts grip the ball so that it bounces up slowly, which favors a steady baseline style. Topspin is more effective than backspin or flat balls on … More The Second Foundation: Court Awareness and Clay Courts
This post follows up on last Monday’s post as it is critical for players and coaches to understand the roles of the hips and shoulders. The hips and shoulders are literally the central gears of the swing system. Your swinging movement begins with the muscles of the trunk. As they rotate the generated force works … More 3rd Fundamental: Angular and Linear Momentum
“The mind of a perfect man is like a mirror. It grasps nothing. It expects nothing. It reflects, but does not hold. Therefore the perfect man can act without effort” – Chuang Tzu Most of us truly believe that if we try hard enough, our efforts will be rewarded. Players and coaches push to the … More Achieving Optimal Performance: Relaxation – 4th in a Series
The two most significant sources of power are hip and shoulder rotation (Angular Momentum) and weight transfer (Linear Momentum). These power sources are important fundamentals. Any stroke can be placed in to one of three categories. These categories are based on the stroke’s most significant source of power. Swinging strokes (ground strokes, serves, swing volleys) … More The Third Fundamental: Angular and Linear Momentum
Positive Thinking “The mind is like a fertile garden, it will grow anything you wish to plant, beautiful flowers or weeds. Do not allow negative thoughts to enter your mind, for they are the weeds that strangle confidence”. – Bruce Lee Negative thinking creates mental and physical resistances that greatly hinder your performance, on and … More Achieving Optimal Performance: Positive Thinking – 3rd in a Series
Today’s post continues the conversation on balance and includes a demonstration video of a drill you can work on at home.
Balance is the key fundamental. It is possible for you to compensate for certain inadequacies when you hit a ball. For example, timing can compensate for lack of speed. Stamina may compensate for lack of strength. Nothing however can compensate for a lack of balance. Being off balance slows your reaction time and impinges … More Technical: Balance – the Key Fundamental
Rhythm & Flow Tennis 