The Five Constants of Tennis
After 45 years of teaching our great game, I have concluded there are five constants in tennis that will always be there. If you can embrace and coach these five areas, your players can play tennis at an optimal level. There really are no exceptions.
1. Fundamentals. Proper grips, swing paths, footwork, power distribution and mental conditioning all make up the essential fundamentals of tennis. Fundamentals never go away. Find your strongest area of these choices and build your players around them.
2. Positioning. Positioning is a con man’s definition of footwork. The left foot and the right foot must work together. 70% of tennis movement is lateral movement. Don’t stand there trying to think. Use cones, ladders, ant hills or rocks and glass pieces to mark your lateral movement drills and patterns. Work on this passionately. It will pay huge dividends down the road. Remember, tennis is a game of keep away. “Hit it where they ain’t.”
3. Tracking and Spacing. Being able to recognize when and how a ball has left your opponent’s racquet will be your lifeline to success. I have seen so many players simply wait too long to react and move. This failure is inescapable. Tracking and spacing is a player’s way to predict the future. A well struck and thought-out shot can produce a predictable return if executed correctly. Refer back to Number 2(Positioning) if you’re still confused.
4. Fitness. None of the above-mentioned items can be achieved without proper conditioning. Tennis has literally become survival of the fittest. Everything you do on a tennis court relies on your fitness. Your players will never be fast enough or quick enough. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, if asked, would all say they could be faster or quicker if they could be. Clearly understand acceleration and deceleration. Your players have to be good at both. Don’t forget balance, range of motion, flexibility and overall body strength. Get in the gym.
5. Mental and Emotional. A player with a million-dollar arm and a ten-cent head is destined for failure. Spend time with your players explaining this to them. How to lose, how to win, how to shape points, how to recognize player weaknesses and take advantage of them, how to learn from each mistake and success. Tennis is probably the most situational sport of all. No single shot and ball position will ever be the same. You will win the lottery twice in the same week before you will never get two balls in the same place and the same position. It simply will not happen. Ever. So don’t count on it. Learn like a WOPR(War Operation Plan Response computer seen in the movie War Games) Computer! A tennis player’s brain is in a constant state of learning. This too, never goes away.
6. Bonus: The Order of Power A tennis player’s power comes from three areas in a specific order. You can’t mix these up. They are like spark plugs. They will only work one way. Number One: The most power comes from the legs. Number Two: Second comes the core and the player’s ability to rotate from here. Number Three: And a distant third, the racquet. Change the order in any way and the stroke(s) simply fail.It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
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