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How Important Is Biomechanics? As Important As Eating And Sleeping!
How Important Is Biomechanics? Well, if you want to play for fun, for excellence or for the rest of
your life then you could say it is quite important! I was attending a
Tennis Canada national selection tournament in order to watch several of my
students compete. One of my top players, whom we will call "Matt" (for
privacy concerns), just happened to draw an ex-student of mine (whom we will call "Glen") who last year
was also a top player in my academy. If you
have read my articles in the past then you may recall the story of this boy
Glen, who was forced by his mother to leave my program and private tuteledge
to search for another coach.
After working with Glen, (within
6-7 months) I was able to help improve his ranking from a lesser known
average player to the #2 ranked player in Canada. Why did he leave? Glen's mother was so disappointed that he lost early
in an outdoor nationals. A few months after leaving my coaching umbrella,
both boys, Matt and Glen, played in a tournament. Matt (my present student)
won the match in three sets but two interesting things happened. Firstly,
Matt asked Glen what it was like to have me cheering on him and not Glen. Glen replied that he was pretending
when he heard me clap that I was still coaching him, and that made me feel sad. Secondly,
I noticed while watching the match that Glen's biomechanics seemed to be
not as sharp as I had remembered and they seemed to constantly break down.
I heard a short time after that match that Glen's father had arranged lessons
for his son with an additional two different coaches, giving him two
personal coaches along with an assistant private coach for consultation. Sounded more like an entourage Agassi style!
Matt and Glen next met up at the recent national selection tournament. Matt (my
student) just happended to draw Glen (ex-student) again, this time in the
second round of this very important tournament. The match was over in
exactly one hour, the score, 6-1, 6-1. Who won the match? The boy with the
better mechanics was the victor. Which one, you ask? Well, Matt won again!
In fact, Matt won the entire singles tournament, and then went on to win the
doubles tournament!
Why Are Biomechanics Important?
Effectiveness
By having proper biomechanical linkages a player will be able to perform
an action with continual repetitive accuracy. If a player has a poor
biomechanical foundation, under duress the player may be unable to execute
shots that are needed during times of perceived stress or pressures.
Tactical Diversity
If a player has a solid biomechanical foundation there is a whole realm of
tactics and strategies that can be implemented. A player that has a limited
ability of automated biomechanics will find that he or she may not be able
to perform different tactics when competing against various gamestyles.
Prevent Injury
If you want to play for a long time then by having proper biomechanics
your joints will be able to create speed without stressing one particular
joint. Tennis elbow is one of the most common injuries in tennis. How many
sports have a injury that is nicknamed after the sport? If you want to
avoid tennis elbow then it is highly recommended to seek the advice of a
qualified coach.
Common Signs That You May Have A Poor Biomechanical Area:
- Single Joint Pains
When playing, if you feel pain in a specific joint then you may have a
problem with a particular stroke area.
- Recurring Pains
If you continuously feel sharp pains each time you play, it is time for a
tennis lesson from the right coach.
- Excessive Heat In Particular Joint
A physical sign that your body part is being stressed is "heat." If a
particular body part is inflammed it will fill considerably warmer than the same opposite joint.
- Lack Of Speed And Power
Without proper biomechanics, you will find it more difficult to create speed
when hitting strokes. Without joint speed, a player will find it very
hard to create powerful shots.
Short-Term Solutions:
- Ice
You can use ice to reduce the
inflammation of the tendons and muscle bodies. I recommend icing as soon as
your tennis match or session is over for fifteen minutes at a time.
- Rest
If the pain of the joint is chronic then you may need to take time off from
the game, say 3-4 days. The body can restore itself if given time and rest.
- String Tension
By dropping your tennis sting tension a few pounds the strings may aid in
producing more power for your shots. This allows you to not rely completely on your
racquet speed at contact. By lowering your string tension, the sweet spot of
the frame will increase dramatically thus creating power and also reducing
vibration
- Racquet Change
Stiff racquets are often the cause of tennis problems. When a ball is hit
off center, away from the sweet spot, vibration may occur. The vibrations
shock wave then immediately travels directly into your arm or body part. By
choosing a more flexible racquet that is not too stiff, the vibration will
not be as great there will be less shock. Some racquets may be too light, or too
heavy and these characteristices may also be the root of injury.
Preventative Solution
- Strength Training
I am a stong believer in strength training as a tool for preventing arm
injuries. Using a strength program that is catered specifically to your
body will turn out the best results.
Recommended Solution
- There is only one solution to proper biomechanics: find a qualified
knowledgeable coach!
Well that's it for this month...
Take care,
Reggie
Thank you once again for reading my article! I hope you enjoyed my thoughts
and encourage you to drop me a line at reggie@tennisserver.com even to say simply, "hello." A special
hello to David Dinkins (past mayor of New York), it was a pleasure meeting
you at the U.S.T.A. conference! Thank you to Dennis Van der Meer of the
U.S.P.T.R. for asking me to represent the organization. Also hello to those
coaches at the conference who greeted me as a result of tennisserver! A
special request: I have been very fortunate to have kind letters sent to me
from South Africa, but wondered if there are any other coaches or parents
who read my articles each month from other parts of Africa. Please drop me a line... thanks!
Leading Edge Archive
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This column is copyright 1999 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.
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