🎾 Acquiring Balance Skills Essential For Tennis¶
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Acquiring Balance Skills Essential For Tennis — tài liệu 7 trang từ thư viện sách tennis.
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Tóm tắt nội dung (trích từ tài liệu gốc): ACQUIRING BALANCE SKILLS ESSENTIAL FOR TENNIS Feisal Hassan, USPTA Master Professional One of the most important things in becoming a good tennis player is to be in the correct position to hit the ball. Not only does your footwork have to be good to be able to get to the ball, but you also have to be balanced once you get there. Therefore, a player needs to learn to master and control his/her body. Research in junior competitive tennis has shown that losing balance while hitting causes 80% of all errors. Usually reasons such as hitting the ball too close or too far away from the body, bad elbo
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ACQUIRING BALANCE SKILLS ESSENTIAL FOR TENNIS
Feisal Hassan, USPTA Master Professional
One of the most important things in becoming a good tennis player is to be in the correct
position to hit the ball. Not only does your footwork have to be good to be able to get to
the ball, but you also have to be balanced once you get there. Therefore, a player needs to
learn to master and control his/her body.
Research in junior competitive tennis has shown that losing balance while hitting causes
80% of all errors. Usually reasons such as hitting the ball too close or too far away from
the body, bad elbow position, too high shoulders, etc. are given; when the real reason is
that all these problems are caused by loss of balance. We tell players to maintain their
balance, easier said than done. As coaches, we have to train some players how to be
balanced. My experience has been such that balance training has either solved the
corrective technique problem or magnified the problem and therefore making it easier to
solve the problem.
Balance training must, from the start, be very carefully incorporated into the technique
learning process. Top players almost never lose balance, and if they do, then they usually
hit the ball like any other amateur player, because they are subject to the same laws of
mechanics as the great mass of amateur players. Of course, the very top players will
manage to save many situations thanks to their artistic ability, but this talent is rare, and is
an exception rather than the rule.
By undertaking a simple balance-training program, a player will know how their head,
upper body and leg positions will improve their balance.
A player doesn't have to be still in order to be balanced. "Dynamic Balance" is when a
player maintains balance on the move. The concept of keeping your body and racquet
under control while you are moving is referred to as dynamic balance. Of course this
will not always be possible, especially when you are pulled wide on a shot. The key is to
keep control of your center of gravity as much as possible while you are playing. The
center of gravity is best described as the point about which your body balances most
perfectly.
During an actual point in a match, your center of gravity may even fall outside of your
body in certain points. Reaching or lunging pulls the body off balance which slows the
next movement and keeps you from producing power on your shots. Keeping the center
of gravity in line with your base of support gives optimum balance and, lowering your
center of gravity, makes you more stable.
The position of the center of gravity is very closely dependent on balance.
There are three main factors involved in maintaining balance:
HEAD POSITION
UPPER BODY POSITION
LEG POSITION
HEAD POSITIONING
The organs of balance are situated in the head (more precisely in the ears). Twenty
percent of the nerve fibers that leave the eye go to those areas of the brain concerned with
balance. Vision and balance are thus connected:
When the body is thrown off balance, the brain demands that the eyes contribute
information to help get the body back under control. The average adult head weighs 12-
15 pounds. When we move our head excessively in order to see, we risk throwing the
whole body out of balance.
UPPER BODY POSITION
The upper body is the heaviest part of the human linking system. As a rule, it accounts
for 43.46% of the total body weight. The head accounts for 6.94%, the arms 4.94% and
the legs 19.86%.
This weight ratio strong implies that any strong inclination of the upper body near the
shifting of the body's center of gravity must lead to instability. Thus, it can be stated that
the head and the upper body form a unit.
LEG POSITION
The legs play a very important role in maintaining body balance. The leg position will be
discussed later in this article.
The goals of this article are to demonstrate a simple on-court balance-training program
that will highlight what I consider to be the key fundamentals of balance; help a player
develop neuromuscular control and improve a player's state of equilibrium; and help a
player know how their head, upper body and leg positions will improve their balance.
Numerous drills that I will share in this article have been acquired from various coaches
and players throughout my coaching career.
BALANCE
For the BEGINNER (1.0-2.5 NTRP) or less coordinated player
To check balance, imagine 2 "Balance Lines" running through your body.
The first runs from TOP OF THE HEAD TO GROUND. Avoid bending at the waist or
leaning over when reaching for the ball. The goal is to get your center of gravity (COG)
to the ball not just your racquet.
The second line runs LEVEL ACROSS THE SHOULDERS. The goal is to keep this line
level and avoid "tipping". Level shoulders help to make a stable racquet path.
This "Barbeque Stick" must be kept straight for maximum balance.
Balance drill for beginners:
Start with a mini-tennis rally. Both players cooperate to get team points. Give the team 1
point for contacting with both "Balance Lines" straight and 1 point for getting it in the
court. This drill can be done against another team too.
Call out when points are achieved ("1 point", "3 points", etc.) When both players reach
20, the drill is over.
Progress to � court, then to baseline to baseline. Next, have one player at the net hitting
volleys and play again.
THE BALANCE TRAINING PROGRAM
The training program involves the following set of exercises broken down into four
levels.
LEVEL 1: HEAD POSITION EXERCISES
LEVEL 2: UPPER BODY POSITION EXERCISES
LEVEL 3: LEG POSITION EXERCISES
LEVEL 4: STROKE-SPECIFIC BALANCE EXERCISES
LEVEL 1: HEAD POSITION EXERCISES
Purpose: to help players identify and feel the head position during strokes.
The best preconditions for good body-stability are an upright and still head position. The
more the head is inclined in a given direction, the more unstable the body position will
be. This means that in as many shots as possible, the head should be kept upright. The
head should remain over the center of gravity and stay relatively still almost all the time.
The more your head is over your center of gravity, the more efficient your visual
tracking, balance, strokes and recovery.
a. General head positioning
The head should remain above center of gravity and stay relatively still at all
times. The more your head is over your center of gravity, the more efficient
your visual tracking, balance, strokes and recovery. If the head gets too far off
the center of gravity as you move to the shot, you will have difficulty hitting in
balance, control and recovery.
� Keep the head still and in front
� When moving or recovering, keep the head above the center of gravity
CUE: HEAD OVER BELLY BUTTON
� Minimize "bobbing" up and down when running
� Minimize moving the head laterally back and forth
b. Head positioning for tennis strokes and drills
a. Hit balls with non-dominant hand on head (to keep head still)
b. For groundstrokes, both players place a folded towel on their head and attempt
to rally. If towel falls off, they lose point.
c. For volleys, put one-hand behind their back, this helps "feel" balance in their
body.
d. For serves and overheads, keep the head up (non-dominant hand kept up until follow-
through
Tip: catch ball with a cone in the non-dominant hand (like an outfielder in baseball).
This helps keep the head up.
e. Play points with a pencil behind the player's ear. If the pencil falls off at anytime
during the point, the opponent wins the point. This helps a player with the pencil
behind the ear, focus on keeping their head still while playing points.
LEVEL 2: UPPER BODY POSITION EXERCISES
Purpose: to help players identify and feel the upper body position.
Care should be taken that, while hitting the ball, the upper body is kept in as upright a
position as possible.
SHOULDERS & HIPS:
� Minimize bending at the waist
� Minimize shoulder tilt on the groundstrokes and volleys
The non-dominant hand plays an important role in balance during stroke production.
Just as a tightrope walker uses his hand to maintain balance, so does a tennis player. The
non-dominant hand helps to facilitate upper body rotation and enhances a good center of
balance by countering the racquet arm.
What I would like to do is to explain the position of the non-dominant hand for the
various strokes.
a. Serve
- Initial tossing position:
� ball is on the finger tips, not palm-for control of toss
� pretend the player is holding an "ice cream cone" for firm wrist
DRILL: Use a polyspot with a ball on it. Toss ball and see how close the ball lands near
the polyspot.
-Release of the ball:
� keep arm up and look over the arm to see opponent's court
� DRILL: Water cup and table- "lift up off the table"
-Follow-through:
� catch finish (tip: transfer racquet to non-dominant hand or knock
a pyramid of balls placed on the ground beside the foot in which the
follow-through will finish).
b. Backhand groundstroke
i. One-hander
- Ready position: cradle racquet with non-dominant hand and this also helps
with the necessary change grip
- backswing: Non-dominant hand takes racquet back and helps with the
preparation phase of the stroke
- Follow-through: The non-dominant moves back toward the back fence
ii. Two-handed backhand groundstroke
The non-dominant hand can be passive in movement or aggressive in
movement.
-Passive: this occurs when the dominant hand is aggressive. This occurs
when the non-dominant hand is on the racquet just going for the ride.
This passive nature of the non-dominant hand is generally used for wide,
low or fast balls
-Aggressive: this occurs when the non-dominant hand is more aggressive
in movement than the dominant hand.
This aggressive nature of the non-dominant hand is used for heavy topspin
and sharp angle shots.
c. Forehand
The non-dominant hand plays a crucial role in achieving upper body balance and freedom
of movement in the forehand.
Players are either The Pretzel or the Dead Arm
The Pretzel: This occurs when the non-dominant hand crosses underneath the dominant
arm, which swings the racquet. In effect, one side of the body fights the other, causing
unnecessary tightness and inhibiting proper extension through the shot.
The Dead Arm: This refers to the non-dominant arm that lies limply by your side during
a forehand, neither getting in the way nor assisting in the follow-through process. The
Dead Arm is not as severe a problem as the Pretzel, but it's still far from optimal use of
the body.
TIP: To promote a more fluid swing, practice swinging with your non-dominant arm
behind your back.
A player will have to play around with the timing of this until it feels comfortable. When
you put the non-dominant hand behind your back, it opens up your shoulder and allows
your body to turn more fully while finishing the stroke. After this, I tell player to use the
non-dominant hand to place their non-dominant hand at the 3 `o' clock position (f or a
right-handed player. The clock is around the player- 12 `o' clock directly in front of them
and 6 `o' clock directly behind them. On the follow-through, I tell the player to finish at
6 `o'clock.
d. Volleys
i. forehand: I tell players to hold a cup of water in their non-dominant hand.
ii. backhand: The non-dominant hand separates/moves back on point of impact.
For fast balls, there should be less separation between the non-dominant hand and
the dominant hand
For slow balls there could be more separation between the hands for added power.
e. Overheads: The non-dominant hand is kept up.
LEVEL 3: LEG POSITION EXERCISES
Purpose: to help players identify and feel the leg position during
This article will touch on:
a. General leg position
b. Hitting stances
a. General leg position
� FEET SHOULD GENERALLY BE SHOULDER WIDTH APART
OR WIDER TO GENERATE A GOOD GROUND FORCE
REACTION
� STANCE SHOULD ALLOW FOR GOOD ROTATION AND
SOME WEIGHT TRANSFER
� A LOW CENTER OF GRAVITY
Coaches talk of the ideal athletic height. In tennis, this is how tall you are while standing
in the ready position. With lowering your hips and bending your knees, a player should
drop their height by ONE FOOT.
So, if you are 6 feet tall, your ideal athletic height should be 5 feet.
Drill: Imagine a chalk line around both feet in the shape of a rectangle. Player's goal is
to keep their belly button over the center of the rectangle during stroke production.
b. Hitting stances
The hitting stance should be a wide stance, knees bent
Which stance should a player use, the sideways or open stance? My belief is
whichever student likes as long as the unit turn is performed (i.e. pivot feet, hips
and shoulders and racquet is taken back in the preparation phase).
Here is a list of the two stances, you pick...
HITTING WITH A SIDEWAYS STANCE
� Recommended for a one �handed backhand
� This method helps to improve footwork and to hit with better control,
HITTING WITH AN OPEN STANCE
� It gives you more time
� Player has to be slightly closer to the ball and move quicker to get
into position for the swing
� Good for one-handed forehand and two-handed backhand
REMEMBER: The higher the POINT OF IMPACT (based on the grip used), the
closer your feet should be to each other.
LEVEL 4: STROKE-SPECIFIC BALANCE EXERCISES
Purpose: to develop a player's neuromuscular control and improve a player's state of
equilibrium for specific strokes.
1. Serves
DRILL: Two-ball collision
Have a ball in each hand. Mimic the serve motion and release both balls to try to
make the two balls hit each other. Great for synchronization of the hands on the serve
DRILL: Eyes-shut and server
Player starts the serve with their eyes shut and throughout the serve motion. The
player's goal is just to hit the ball with the racquet.
2. Return of serve
DRILL: Player has a cap down with the brim covering his or her face. On hearing
The ball being struck on the serve, the player look ups and attempts to return the serve
DRILL: 360-degree turn
As the server tosses the ball getting ready to strike the serve, the player spins around
(360 degrees) and attempts to return the serve.
3. Groundstrokes and Volleys
DRILL: Rapid-fire feed
Balls are fed to the player at a very fast pace with very little time in-between feeds,
player attempts to hit all the balls (whether it is the groundstrokes or the volleys)
DRILL: One-legged volleyer
Volley rally with hopping on one leg.
4. Overheads
DRILL: Cup o' water
Player hits overheads with a cup of water in their non-dominant hand. The player's
goal is avoid spilling water from the cup.
In summary, balance training must, from the start, be very carefully incorporated into the
technique learning process. Top players almost never lose balance, and if they do, then
they usually hit the ball like any other amateur player, because they are subject to the
same laws of mechanics as the great mass of amateur players. Of course, the very top
players will manage to save many situations thanks to their artistic ability, but this talent
is rare, and is an exception rather than the rule.
This article serves as just an example on how to train balance for tennis. Each coach or
player should try to develop a balance-training program to fit the needs of his/her players
so that the player can learn to master and control his/her body.