This video on footwork and movement would not be complete without a section on what I like to call movement guides. The principle here is that, in our daily lives, when you think about it, we are very often guided by lines, lanes, corridors; whether they be in banks, supermarkets, or just driving on a multi-lane road. We are used to being guided by lines. Let's listen in to an introduction to this topic.
Let's now begin with the section that I feel is perhaps the most creative of them all, and that has to do with using lines on the court or boundaries to guide movement. I will start with a very short story.
I was in Munich speaking at a conference in 1999 I believe, or 2000 in January, 500 coaches. We pulled out some top rank juniors out of the audience. The number one 14-year-old in Germany was one of the players. We had her poaching, doing doubles and poaching, and we all know the problem is what? They run this way to poach to cut off the receiver's shot rather than angling in.
So she does that poach, where she cuts across rather than angles in to get a better angle on the ball, catch it higher above the net and so forth, and she was the number one 14-year-old in the country; and Germany has produced some pretty good tennis players. So I asked her how many times her coaches have told her to close in at the net?
So we took her as an example. She started playing when she was 8 and had lessons or workouts out an average of 3 times a week, 40 weeks a year, and they averaged an hour-and-a-half. She said per session maybe she was told to do that on average 5 times. We multiplied 5 times an hour-and-a-half, times 3 times a week, times 40 week, times 7 years, and we came out with over 5,000 times she had heard the instruction to close in at the net when volleying, yet she is not doing it automatically. Now that shows to me the weakness and limitations of verbal instructions.
I need four volunteers, because I will show you what we did and it fixed her instantaneously.
Before showing you what we did to fix that high level 14-year-old German player, let me emphasize that the principles of using movement guides work equally well for all levels of play, from beginning through advanced. Using physical guides communicates to players beyond words. It gives them a feel and visual of exactly what they need to do. It is very powerful. Don't underestimate it.
Now let's listen in again and watch our participant intentionally demonstrating what it looks like when a doubles player incorrectly poaches by running parallel to the net.
Just wait a little bit and run right to me Nigel. Here we go, stay back. Alright, now did you see what happened? Nigel ran straight across. This is exactly what happened in Germany with that top 14-year-old.
We all know that running parallel to the net instead of closing into get a better angle is generally a losing maneuver. Let's take a look now at a very simple way to correct this mistake. We are using a flat rope in this example, but you can also use throw down rubber lines or anything else that will physically guide the player's movement.
Now, whatever you use to create a moment guys my point is use something.
All you have to do is move to the ball but don't step across the line. Wait, and that's it. Alright, that is exactly it, because she had a guide.
So we are going to give you about 12 different drills now, using something. Now whether you put down rubber lines or you use chalk on a hard court, or whatever you want, use something. This works without talking, and that's the point.
If you are a player, this section will undoubtedly be interesting and helpful. If you are a coach, the ideas in this section can actually save your voice and extend your career.
Too many coaches by the time they are teaching 20, 30 years have a major problem with their health. What is it, they lose their voices, they get voice strain, because they are telling players like Mija exactly that. They are saying, come on Mija, close in. Now, can you imagine telling her that 5,000 times, and not having any success. I wouldn't want to do it.
The next drill shows how movement guides can solve another common problem, namely to help players who back up and let the ball drop. In this example you will see the guides force me to move in and take that ball earlier therefore putting more pressure on my opponent. We simply place a rope a few feet behind the baseline to force the players to get the feel for taking that ball earlier.
Here we go, taking the ball early, early, early, and that's that exercise.
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