From: Jim McLennan [jimmclennan948@hotmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, July 02, 2002 10:25 PM To: jmargolies@tennisone.com Subject: Fwd: article >From: "Jim McLennan" >Reply-To: mclennan@tennisone.com >To: mclennan@tennisone.com >Subject: article >Date: Tue, 02 Jul 2002 22:12:07 -0700 > > > > >Fundamentals ?? > > I have just returned from an overwhelming visit to Wimbledon. >Players, >agents, coaches, former players, ATP representatives, cell phones, crowds >of >people, dramatic matches, seeded players upset, and all this amidst a game >that has become so fast, so high powered, so based on tremendous racquet >head acceleration that I (and perhaps you) are left to wonder, what is it >we >can learn from these players? What exactly are they doing that we can see, >and or learn from? What are the fundamentals they have mastered? > An overview of the current magazines, as well as some of the latest >books on tennis technique appear to prioritize racquet swinging mechanics >as >the central aspect of the fundamentals. Issues include the grip, the >stance, the path of the racquet, the nature of the follow through. My >question, are there elements that precede or override these mechanical >notions, are there fundamentals that are more basic than swing path and >grip? From a review of two fascinating resources, Batting Basics by John >White, and Vision Dynamics by William Harrison, I am persuaded that before >anything about the swing, the two central skill sets mastered by the >professionals, and the two central skill sets we can all improve are 1. >our >dynamic rotational balance and 2. our visual skills. Connors or Agassi >turn into the ball on balance, on perfect balance. McEnroe or Hewitt track >the ball like a hawk, their vision is centered, focused, and keen. Can you >and I improve in these areas, ABSOLUTELY. > John White compares the baseball (and tennis) batting swing to the >properties of a spinning top, and its (yours) gyroscopic properties. A >spinning top will not wobble when its axis of rotation is perfectly >vertical, and when its axis (or yours) tilts even a little the rotation >becomes slower and the top starts to wobble. If your head and eyes are on >top of this spinning top, this wobble will disrupt your vision. More on >this later. White advises a wide stance, balance where both legs are >equally weighted during the acceleration of the bat (racquet) the swing is >compact so the moment of intertia is reduced, and the swing is driven >essentially by a "dual" leg drive where the hips are the engine. All the >open stance players use this method. Especially Safin, whose posture is >impeccable, and somehow his turn is powerful but equally subtle, this also >sounds like Barry Bonds. > In a practical on court example, when you turn to prepare is your >posture unchanged or are you leaning over? When you begin to swing again >is >your posture erect or are you off balance? As you finish are you on >balance >or again have you tilted? In all cases a well balanced turn allows >greatest >ease of motion,greatest racquet head speed with least effort, and somehow a >fluid swing. Anything less in the way of balance, and you will be off. >Imagine McEnroe's posture, Hewitt's balance on the follow through, Agassi's >posture and poise on his preparatory turn. > Tracking the ball. Interestingly, in the 1970's the Vision Dynamics >training system, endorsed by batting average champion George Brett, was >done >in concert with Tom Stow. Stow cared everything about posture, about the >tilt of the head, about the way the eyes turned to follow the ball with the >ball also centered perfectly in the field of vision. Depth perception is >influenced by the line between the eyes, this stereoscopic perception is >diminished when the eyes are not perfectly level. Further, when off >balance, it is a reflex for the eyes to move to objects that are either >horizontal or vertical to allow one to regain balance. So when off >balance, >at any moment during the swing, it will be harder to follow the ball. >Harrison has specific eye training exercises to enhance your ability to >focus, to track the ball, to pre visualize what you are expecting to see. > Further, on recent Frontiers of Scientific American, a feature on the >Quiet Eye, revealed secrets that professionals know about how to use the >eyes that amateurs have yet to discover. Namely, a focus on technique as >you strike the ball will diminish the quality of your eyesight. That >primary visual focus on the target, whether it be free throw shooting, or >concentration on the golf ball while putting, more often asociates with >success than when the player moves their eyes elsewhere. > So the next time you visit your tennis pro, or you watch a >professional >match, reevaluate your grasp of their balance and their visual skills - for >these are the fundamentals, and no progress can be made on swing mechanics >without these two already in place > >Jay - I hope you can find pictures of players in all parts of the >stroke with perfect posture and with eyes totally centered on the ball > > > > >_________________________________________________________________ >Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com > _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx