Dear friends,
while lockdown measures still apply, the duration of social distancing might be as big of a challenge to our psyche as is the fear of infection itself. We live in a country (Greece) which has coped with this pandemic more efficient than the majority of countries throughout the world and we should be thankful of that. We need to pantiently keep this discipline and act responsibly while focusing on the light which seems to appear at the end of the tunnel. In other words keep a cool head and don’t panic.
A similar amount of patience, focus and discipline is needed in tennis too. It is a sport where every other second we are tested on our efficiency concerning body and mind and it is only up to us if we can deliver the desired results. Between same leveled players those that keep a cool head during a match will be more successful.
Today we are going to talk about the term cool head literaly, where cool is calm, in the process of a single shot p.ex. the forehand.
While our eyes are fixated on the ball which means our head is steady, the rest of the body is moving, bending and twisting with various intensities. In order to execute a better shot our head should maintain a calm position and not follow the intensity of the rest of the body. I usually use in the teaching method the term “shoulder for shoulder” with the students.
This is a very simple reminder of the above mentioned theory and you can try practicing this at home. It is very simple:
1) Stand in the middle of the room and lift your arms at shoulder level 180 degrees apart.
2) Turn your head 45 degrees to a direction left or right and keep it there
3) If you turned your head to the left, bring your right arm forward to build 90 degrees fom your left arm.
4) Now start twisting your torso while keeping the head in the same position and the arms on shoulder level and 90 degrees apart.
If you do it correct you will feel that with every turn your shoulders are touching your chin alternating.
This is the “shoulder for shoulder” term.
Now take your racket and start swing some imaginary forehands while using this theory with the shoulders.
Do not stop the motion until you feel both shoulders touching your chin. For the right handers this means the left shoulder at backswing and the right shoulder at follow through.
Remember to be relaxed and not stiff.
Congratulations your forehand just got better, because you kept a “cool” head!
Best regards,
Christos
KTG Team
