Sports Science #2: What to do with all the information and horror stories from the tennis court.

Since my last article, I hope that you have been able to find the right coach or become more educated in Sports Science. Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe are just two of the more famous players who have had to respect sports science and technology to keep up with the speed and pace of the game. Specifically, during Borg's comeback a few years ago, he came back using the same wooden racquet he used for so many years as the number one player in the world, thinking that he would be able to pick-up where he had left off. He was mistaken and soon realized players with lesser strokes were able to generate great ball speed and accuracy. In the end, he started using and endorsing a Head graphite-composite racquet of the 90's. John McEnroe, late in his career, realized that, if he did not respect Sports Science, his game would suffer greatly. I have heard from many well respected coaches that he did not believe in off-court training (conditioning). Rather, he would use his doubles play to practice and become fit. On the other hand, one of the celebrated champions was Ivan Lendl who always trained rigorously off the court to prepare for competition. Today, many serious tennis players have personal trainers and tennis coaches, while others have coaches who are schooled in on-court and off-court training.

After attending many coaches conferences, speaking with other national coaches, and working with high performance players, it is clear to me that Sports Science is the way to go, BUT it is a road that often is taken with disastrous consequences. I hope now to refine and outline some of the dangers in using Sports Science. Just as a doctor prescribes medicines, a coach prescribes skills and techniques that affect the body. Furthermore, if a doctor uses the wrong prescription drug the effects could be fatal. A coach's inappropriate feedback could parallel this mistake.

Many a coach believes that they have the key to teaching, basing this security on years of experience, only to correct themselves many years later. In retrospect, in the words of Boris Breskovar (German national teams coach and coach to Steffi Graf as a junior), the usual reflective response is, "I should have done this instead of that." Recently, Boris, while coaching Anke Huber, said that, "...if the German tennis federation could do it all over again, Steffi would have learned a topspin backhand before turning professional." As an aside, Boris went on to say that, as a child, Steffi loved to run and was always moving on the court. Breskovar recalled the way another top star named Boris Becker, as a young child loved to train only when there was something on the line like a can of soda or playing a game where the losing player does extra laps. Personally, I have seen many coaches attempt to teach a player a professional player's stroke, such as the world class Pete Sampras forehand which has a segmented elbow. These coaches usually end up with disastrous results. They focus on teaching the player how to pull back the elbow to create an added movement. The problem is that they forget, or do not know how, to maintain and utilize the entire body to create speed rather than just a single joint. They often forget about the global picture of creating an entire body linkage for power and speed. The end result is tendonitis, an overuse syndrome.

Parents as full-time coaches:

Let the coaches coach...I have seen an unbelievable amount of national/international juniors who are developing nicely with a coach or staff of coaches, suddenly to be thrown aside by the mom or dad of the player. It happens innocently enough. A mom or dad sits on the sidelines for many years, watching and listening to all the lessons. Eventually, they "sincerely feel" that they know what is best. It is a scenario that is happening around the world from day to day. It is often a very difficult developmental road for the junior, for several reasons: The primary reason is that the newly appointed parent/coach has not received formal training (uncertified) and has little experience in developing a "coaching eye", which would detect a player's technical or tactical shortcomings. The parent (now coach) has had little time making "proper corrections" and "sincere mistakes," and so will likely hinder the development of the player. Also, these parents have not worked with a diverse number of students and experienced the thousands upon thousands of different corrections for each unique player. I have seen many parents of national caliber players become, in the end, the player's personal coaches. The funny side of this is that many years earlier I have said to the same parent, "Let the coaches coach. Trust them. It's their profession after all."

To be solely dependent on the parent/coach is difficult for a player. Being able to separate the tennis work from the home life is a skill unto itself. Let's not kid ourselves. Parents are often too involved, in a negative way, on the court when a coach is teaching. Players put enough pressure on themselves. They do not need to be continuously scolded on missing that 'down the line' at the dinner table. Players need an escape from the tennis scene and parents that support and encourage them when they finish the day's training are the most positive in helping a player. There are, however, some rare exceptions where the father/ mother has been on the court daily and training is successful. Other parents, who are tennis coaches, have an easier time with the proper development of the player, as it is their profession. Regardless, the bottom line is, let the coach coach.

Camps and academies:

With the summer season fast approaching, if you are an avid tennis player or coach or parent of a player, then I am sure that you will be sending players to tennis academies all over the world. The following is some advice on selecting the right academy for your players:

1. Big names don't necessarily mean big results. Be careful. Just because the big names are on the brochure does not mean that they are actually on the court during the summer seasons.

2. Do some calling around to find the best bang for your bucks.

3. Ask if the "big name" coach is on court and for how long each day.

4. Ask who the assistant coaches are and whether they are year round staff or part-time summer staff.

5. Inquire about sleeping accommodations. How many to a room? Is room and/or board included in the package?

6. Ask about supervision. Is there nighttime supervision?

7. What is the immediate environment like? Are the grounds isolated or open for any stranger to walk in?

A little background information on these academies:

• Big name academies often have scouts searching the world for talented tennis players.

• The best prospects are often offered free tennis scholarships and more.

• On the brochures, you will often read student accomplishments, some of which may have occurred before they actually started training at that specific academy.

• Big camps and academies have thousands of tennis players attending their camps each year. From these players, the big coach may pick and choose the best of the best to focus their attentions upon.

As a bit of advice, choose with care and discretion. Speak with as many people as you can, ranging from coaches to players, to governing tennis bodies.

Finally, as in my last article, I would like to discuss for a short while Sports Science and its effects on players. Personally, I believe that the most important time in a players development occurs very early, before the age of 12. By this age, a player should have positive experiences and training in four areas: technical, tactical, physical and psychological. Sports Sciences have advanced the coach's ability to pass onto students extremely advanced techniques, so players are learning skills that would never have been taught in the past. But be aware that these high output results can be very harmful to your player if they are used in an incorrect manner. Proper amounts of high stress body movements can contribute to injuries both mentally and psychologically. A coach needs to be prepared to coach in all areas today if they are to use Sports Science. If a coach is not well rounded, he needs other coaches who will answer the many questions that may arise during training.

With advanced ball striking and movements, there arises more complex tactics which, in turn, creates more psychological demands. The full use of the body when striking a ball is often a thing of beauty. Players are literally throwing their body at a ball and creating unbelievable racquet speeds. Too much of a good thing can be harmful. If this is the case, the body could be injured and, when this happens, the whole process stops. Bottom line is, a coach can push improvement as long as they respect the individual's growth rates and physical maturation process. With the body being used to the maximum, it is only proper that a coach take time to do off-court work in the form of conditioning. People in the past used to play tennis and become fit, but we know today that the opposite is true. We should become fit in order to be prepared to play today's tennis. The bottom line is a "domino effect." Coaches need to be Sports Science prepared. If a coach is chosen who is schooled in older teaching styles, then he or she may hinder or hurt the development of a promising young junior tennis player.

With so many thousands of books and videos to choose from, it is often difficult for a parent or coach to make decisions regarding what information is best for their needs. Generally speaking, high performance tennis material has been the focus of tennis material for kids. Currently, a wide array of such material is available to the public. Developing a tennis player is not like building a kitchen cabinet or fixing a sink. A 'sure fire' formula does not exist for players to go through to become a national and international level player.

When you have chosen material that you think is appropriate, make sure that you research any techniques that you have read or heard about before implementing them on your child or students. I have been witness to younger and older coaches who have read an article or seen a video from another country and immediately implement various techniques or methods without researching its appropriateness for specific clientele. The result is often an injury to the player or time lost in development due to incorrect biomechanical conditioning. The solution is to speak with other coaches or players who have used the technique that you are trying. There is always someone who has come across a specific technique no matter how new it is. Be patient, do your homework and the results you will find with your student will be long-lasting and mechanically safe. The worst action is an unplanned one. Take your time. Be meticulous. Think and act like a surgeon.

Finally, with so much emphasis on high performance tennis, there has been a recent push to properly teach the kids of today the sport. Kids' tennis has only taken off in the last few years. Around the world, governing tennis bodies realize the importance of getting children involved. Kid's grassroots tennis books have only recently been released, when compared to more advanced coaching books. So watch out readers, because in the coming years I predict a tremendous influx of kid's tennis books will hit the market.

Thanks for reading this month's article, till next time...

Best Regards,

Reggie

This column is copyright 1997 by Reggie Vasquez Jr., all rights reserved.

Reggie Vasquez Jr. is one of Canada's leading tennis coaches for juniors. He is actively involved with Tennis Canada's grassroots player development. A frequent and enthusiastic speaker at tennis conferences, he is certified by the U.S.P.T.A., Tennis Canada and the U.S.P.T.R.. For almost 7 years he was a head coach for the Canadian Davis cup Captain's Academy at the Canada's National Tennis Center. He has been a Tennis Canada - National Youth Tennis Center Leader for over 8 years and is presently a head coach of an Elite Tennis Academy. He has experience working with juniors from the absolute beginner to the international caliber tennis player. Reggie is also a published author on junior tennis. His personal web site has additional information on his book, the Kids' Book of Tennis. The Kids' Book of Tennis can be ordered directly at a discount using this link to the Amazon.com online bookstore.

Questions and comments about these columns can be directed to Reggie by electronic mail at reggie@tennisserver.com.