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Body Mechanics Part II: Balance

Doug King

In the first part of this series on Body Mechanics, "Getting the Body into the Shot," we looked at the body from a purely anatomical perspective to see how it is designed to naturally produce a stroking action that is consistent with the basic nature of the contact between the ball and the racquet (spring) and the demands imposed by the rules of the game (roll). We saw that the body is designed to produce power from the legs and hips, while the upper body converts that ground force power into more fluid energy onto the ball. We saw that the legs and hips are strong and stable and work with the ground to produce explosive power while the upper body and the hands, being further from the ground and supported by a single axis (the spine) that is made of independent vertebrae (flexible) is much more supple and flowing.

In this installment of Body Mechanics we will see that there is also a similar way in how the body works in two separate modes of orientation or balance. We will see that our conventional definitions of balance are extremely limited and that in fact, our efforts to maintain balance may be responsible for some of the most debilitating effects in the game.

Balance

Almost all pros will agree that balance is a critical aspect of the stroking process, perhaps the most critical aspect. It is the basis of coordination, of good focus and good movement. It allows us to watch the ball and control our bodies. But at the same time our traditional view of balance may be the thing that locks us into states of rigidity and alignments of instability.

Balance is almost always seen as a state of equilibrium that keeps things steady. Its fundamental orientation is with the ground and gravity. If the body is kept relatively upright (vertical) and evenly distributed over a substantial base (horizontal) then we are said to be in good balance. Coaches are forever testing a player’s balance by pushing a student to see if they are stable and solid. If the player can resist the coach’s push then the player is in “good balance.”

Linear Balance

But that is only one form of balance. It is what I call “Linear Balance” or “Static Balance.” It is a balance that allows the body to stay solid in order to resist external force. It is based upon a horizontal and vertical grid that is formed by the ground and gravity. As we move through our daily lives we learn to see our world based upon this vertical and horizontal grid. This grid establishes our reference by which we judge things. That building is tall, that car is far away, that boat is moving fast, that ball is moving slowly – all of these judgments are base upon this three dimensional grid of horizontal and vertical lines.

It also gives us our sense of strength and therefore, security. I am strong because I cannot be tipped over. That tree is weak because it is leaning and about to fall. Our sense of security is based upon this feeling of orientation (I can see where things are and therefore I have a sense of where I am) and strength (I can resist pressure and therefore I am strong).

Kinetic Balance

But when I need to be dynamically engaged with something, when I need to exchange energy with an object, this Linear Balance is actually extremely limited. Static Balance is designed to resist the effects of external force in the way a concrete wall will stop an oncoming ball. But when it comes to adding force to that ball or to change the rebound of the ball, the wall is unable to interact dynamically. This is when there must be another form of balance – what I call “Kinetic Balance.” It is Kinetic Balance that allows the body to move more freely, to adapt, to change, and to dynamically interact with another force; a ball, for example.

Kinetic Balance is achieved by losing orientation to the ground. It is produced by shifting off the axis of the normal grid that we use to define Linear Balance. We must actually get out of Linear Balance in order to become more fluid and more dynamic.

An easy way to think of this principle is to imagine a wine barrel (something we are familiar with here in the Napa Valley) or a filled garbage can. When that can or barrel is filled and sitting by itself it is extremely well balanced. It can resist external pressure and if you push it, depending upon its weight, it may not budge. In order to move it you must tilt it off of its axis of normal balance so it can roll. Once it starts rolling it produces its own energy. It becomes dynamic and it can influence other objects that it comes into contact with in a very dynamic way.

In exactly the same way our bodies must lose their normal sense of balance, the Linear Balance that we so often rely on to judge our external world, the balance that we use to define our feelings of strength, stability, and security. We must “dis-orient” and “de-align” from the ground, from the horizontal and vertical grid that we traditionally use to establish and maintain our balance.

Getting “Lined Up”

So much of tennis is based upon horizontal and vertical lines. The court is made of a horizontal and vertical zigzagging grid. The net forms another grid on the same order, as do the fences, and the ground and the horizon. We plan our shots and judge the ball on a similar grid. We align our body and our swings on the same grid. We call this getting “lined up.” How often do we hear coaches telling students to “get lined up!" We teach people to hold the racquet in grips that help them keep everything oriented on this grid and help them to stay lined up. We tell them to hold their bodies in such a way so they stay aligned to this grid and can maintain awareness of this grid.

But this is the grid that holds you steady and keeps you from becoming fluid and dynamic. Getting “lined up” and staying “lined up” does not encourage the body to flow. It forces the body to stay static so that the only thing that can move is the arm and racquet. This whole traditional concept of balance and getting lined up is based upon the premise that the body should not be involved in the stroking of the ball, that power is solely in racquet speed, and the body should remain stable and solid while the arm swings the racquet. It is not only based on this premise, but staying in balance and lined up will leave you no other alternative other than an arm swing.