BENEFITS OF USING A MINI-TENNIS-NET OUTDOORS

The lockdown makes it almost impossible for players without good connections (or a private court), to practice the usual way. Thus we can stay creative and keep our practice going in different ways. It is currently almost impossible to get a Mini-Tennis-Net online, because of the huge request, but for those who own one, it is a great way to practice even on shorter distance. Use it for example in front of your garage, in your yard, on an uneven lawn or on an abandoned parking slot.

Here is what is totally different, but you benefit from:

• you train your anticipation triple times, because of missing lines or windscreens

• your focus on the ball needs much more concentration to hold it up because of missing information for your brain to calculate speed and distances

• when playing for example only volleys in the yard or garden, on uneven ground, you strengthen your tendons and muscles of your feet and legs

• the most challenging way is to play without any visual support: without net, lines or a background, where the ball is seen clearly

• if you do so daily, it will be so easy for you to track the ball again under “normal circumstances”

The following text is from Wiki to explain to you the importance of estimating and calculating the right distances, speed or time.

The ability to estimate is one of the most important neuropsychological functions, because many daily activities depend on the ability to estimate speed, distance or time.  The ability to estimate can be understood as a mental process that enables us to anticipate or work out an answer when there is no other solution.

The ability to estimate enables us to predict the future position of an object based on speed, distance and time.  The brain calculates the information received by the eyes and determines what will happen.  It decides how it can react quickly if necessary.

We use our powers of estimation in mental perception processes. Once the brain has decided which environmental information needs to be processed, it evaluates and estimates distances, speeds and so on.

In order to process the information precisely and make an accurate estimation, past experience must be taken into account as a reference for possible events in this specific situation. By using actual experienced situations, it is possible to better estimate what will happen.

This ability is considered as one of the "micro-strategies" used in the learning process, therefore it is important from a cognitive point of view.

Estimating distance: This is the ability to estimate the future position of an object based on the current distance.

This ability enables us to carry out everyday activities without colliding with people or things. Estimating speed: This is the ability to predict the future position of an object based on its speed. This ability enables us to move without encountering obstacles and causing accidents.

Estimation of movement: This is the ability to predict the movement of an object.

Estimating time: This is the ability to estimate the time between two events.

…. so now is the time to work on estimating better the distance, speed and time. A great way to do so, is doing exercises taken from NEURO-ATHLETIC TRAINING. Here the three most important systems, to gain high quality information for the brain, when trained:

• Visual system

• Vestibular system

• Proprioceptive system

More of that in our next blog!

Stay healthy in those exiting times.

All the best, COACH DIMI

WHY A CRISIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR PERSONAL GROWTH

What we are currently experiencing with the Corona crisis is a completely new situation. Only a few weeks ago people in the world were in their working rhythms compared to now and it was all about production, sales and consumption as always. The world economy has done what it has been doing since the end of World War II, trying to keep growing. No matter how hard it is now for small entrepreneurs, the middle class or big car manufacturers, the crisis has brought everything to a halt. 

Also for tennis players, tennis coaches and the whole tennis world the wheels have come to a halt. Apart from the financial worries, which will be enormous, we have lost a large piece of freedom. We are in a lockdown and can no longer get out and go wherever we want. Gyms, tennis clubs, public sports facilities, everything is closed. 

But let us pause for a moment. Who were we in this time before Corona? Have we reflected enough or have we just reeled off programs? The daily training, going shopping, traveling from A to B, hectic at airports, hectic on roads and motorways, hectic at tournament facilities, eating fast to have energy for the next training session. 

And suddenly: “WE HAVE ALL TIME IN THE WORLD.” Every day is now a Sunday. We are torn out of the same routines and procedures and have so much time for ourselves. Some people can't handle it. But it is a chance to make fine adjustments or major changes to oneself, to accept and use this new situation. 

Self-reflection is needed now and further personal growth.

I will throw some points into the room:

• Do I have to buy something every week to be happy?

• Do I have to work my body excessively every day, or can I train much more cleverly?

• Do I train for my ego so that I look good, or do I do it primarily to get ahead?

• Should I spend more time with myself to achieve my goals?

• Do I go out into nature enough and do I create enough opportunities to recharge my batteries?

• Is there a working model in the future, which doesn't keep me in a hamster wheel, but allows me to live my life with more time for myself and my family?

• Do I need all this luxury at all?

This time of deceleration can be a new direction for the future.

We can literally wake up now and start all over again. 

We can now rethink our relationships with our parents, children and partners. A player now has the opportunity to think more deeply about the coach or team-player relationship. Just as well as what the team or coach can improve. The pressure of chasing points is not there at the moment. So now you can pay more attention to the stroke technique for example. Especially this is often, even if necessary, not addressed enough due to the difficulty to transfer it into the match. Training plans can now be methodically implemented 100%, because the adjustments due to long matches or exhaustion are no longer necessary. 

Especially for players beyond the top 100 (Most of Top 100 have a court somewhere to practice) and at national or regional level, good home workouts must now take effect. Now that there is no travel stress and the player is not living out of his suitcase, the nice feeling of being at home can give the players a lot of motivation and energy. 

But this new situation also holds dangers:

Competitive sport is a daily attack on the immune system. Athletes and coaches must be aware that after a strenuous session for about 30 minutes the immune system has a security gap and the body is vulnerable to viruses. 

Also the hygiene regulations such as how often to wash hands, a safe distance (sport for two for example) and to stay at home if possible must now be implemented as well as possible.

However, an immune system and lungs can only be strong if they are challenged daily and receive qualitative oxygen. 

Short walks of at least 20 minutes are perfect to supply brain and body with enough oxygen and to keep the immune defence high.

Use the time at home to play a lot of strokes in front of the mirror. Play against a wall, a mattress or a trampolin outside in your yard. Visualize moves and important points daily for 1/2 hour.

Recite positive affirmations like "this is a challenge I can handle", "this will make me stronger" or “I can grow better, when facing difficulties”. 

This will increase your positive vibrations. 

These are important right now, because if you are watching too much news, you will only hear negative headlines and that may frighten you. Fear makes your creativity and vibration drop. So reduce news and media and take care of your mind and body now. 

Create a vision board and some rituals to structure your day. Training sessions are as important as quality time.

You will rise strongly from this crisis. 

Stay healthy and see you soon.

These are exciting times!

“Respect all, fear none!” Coach Dimi

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FOREHAND TECHNIQUE UNDER BIOMECHANICAL ASPECTS FROM KID TO ADOLESCENT TO PRO

The biomechanics of the forehand has changed drastically on the men's professional tour in the last few years. Also on the women's tour the biomechanics of the forehand has changed towards more compact strokes. On the one hand this has to do with the fact that the athletics as well as the material have developed towards higher performance. The ball is hit faster and has more spin, so that the ball bounces more aggressively towards the player. Also more extreme angle play is possible. But the last point refers more to men's tennis. 

What effects does this development have on training with children and young people?

The nature of our body or our arms with the appropriate joint clearance naturally allows a wide range of our arms. The closer we are to the body with our arms and rotate with the upper body, the movements of the upper and lower arms also go in this direction. The separation of both arms is also possible during an upper body rotation with a wide span. As a result, many children naturally prefer long and loopy movements to allow a long acceleration path from the racket to the ball, in order to play the not yet so fast balls at high speed. Since at this age the kinematic chains are not yet optimally used, although the young players would already be able to use them, the acceleration energy must be generated by the long and loopy movement alone. At a young age, the contact point timing in front of the body still works relatively well because the balls do not yet bounce towards you as quickly, but at the latest by the age of 15, players with growing bodies and better levers are able to generate faster ballistics and also more aggressive bounce. Here, the contact points at return and baseline rally are often too late due to long backswing movements.

In the next three videos we see three different forehand techniques with different biomechanics and effects on the ballistics of the shots.

Racket still at backswing when ball hits ground

Early upper body rotation and crossing the body (racket) after late contact

Video 1 and 2 show a young U10 player.

We see that the backswing movement starts excellently with a unit-turn and both hands remain on the racket. Please observe the ballistics of the ball. Where is the racket at the moment the ball bounces off the ground? The player has the racket far above his head and lets the racket swing slightly behind the shoulder axis. The tip of the racket will then point slightly behind the body to the left. The resulting question is: Can the racket hit the ball well in advance of the body? The answer is NO. The point of impact is inevitably close to the body and because of the late point of impact it is not the upper arm that can come forward first, but the forearm that bends too early and the swing out movement goes to the inside of the body much too early (crossing the body too early). As a result, an optimal ball flight curve cannot take place and the bounce on the opponent's side is not aggressive enough. The opponent can hit the ball in the comfort zone.With a late contact point, extreme angles are not possible either. What can still be mastered without great difficulties in children's tennis is becoming more and more of a challenge in youth tennis. 

Racket dropping already on bounce of ball

Let's now look at video 3 and 4.

Here we see a team player in the upper regional men's area. Since the men's team is played with aggressive spin and high athleticism, this player with a wide backstroke movement would have only little chances for a good contact point and aggressive ballistics, so that the opponent could get problems with his comfort zone at contact point. Again, pay attention to the position of the racket at the moment the ball hits the ground. The racket has already passed the backswing movement and is on its way to the point of impact. You can clearly see that the racket  does not make a pure C-shape backswing, but rather changes into an I-shape dropping directly after the unit turn. This means that the tip of the racket will NOT point backwards until the racket head has reached the "lag drive" position. This allows the ball to be hit further forward, diagonally in front of the body. The upper arm clearly moves forward and up first, before the forearm bends and the racket moves over the horizontal wrist-snap in a wiping motion from right to left in a wide arc. This ensures that the strings of the racket are longer parallel to the net at the point of impact and the impact on the ball surface is more intense. The result is a better ballistic of the ball with more spin and depth. 

Upper arm goes up and forearm bends after

In video 5 and 6 we see a perfect, compact stroke movement of the forehand with almost stretched arm diagonally in front of the body at the contact point. The player drops the racquet immediately after the unit turn. The tip of the racket points towards the observer. This kind of movement towards the lag drive is the I-FORM. The player is the Canadian Felix-Auger Alliasisme, Top 20 player on the ATP Tour.

Here the key points for a modern forehand biomechanics:

• compact unit turn (shoulders, arms, hands and racket are one unit) while the player has recognized the direction of the ball

• the unit turn is a fluent move without stop of the racket and the left hand staying as long as possible on the throat of the racket

• the player places himself in good balance into a semi-open stance or open stance when time is limited

• the loading phase is finished with the right leg bending and pushing into the ground (angle of upper leg and lower leg approximately 45 degrees)

• while the elbow is still away from the body and the racket head drops in an I-Form directly into the lag drive position

• the left arm starts to leave the position parallel to net or baseline

• the right leg starts to stretch until leg and hips build one line

• the racket accelerates from inside of body to diagonal away from body

• the shoulder axis (chest) is pointing to direction right net-post on contact with ball

• the upper arm goes up almost onto shoulder level while the head is still fixed onto contact point

• the strings stay as long as possible vertical and facing the target

• slightly before upper arm reaches the shoulder height the forearm starts to bend and the racket tip is accelerated with tremendous velocity in a shape of a bow from right to the left until the racket tip shows to the ground (next to left shoulder) and the right elbow into target direction.

• the shoulder and hip rotation has now reached the final rotation position pointing now to the left net post.
  

• the weight transfer from right to left leg is almost finished with the left foot landing and intercepting the body weight

• the body is put fast and efficient back into balance

In the last three videos you can see Roger Federer in practice executing two different forehands with different net clearance and depth of the ball. Watch precisely onto the racket swing path and position of the upper arm and forearm when he swings through the contact point. As longer the racket head swings away from the body, diagonal towards the contact point, as higher is the net clearance, spin and depth of the shot.

So much for now! Stay healthy, work out hard at home or outside, if allowed and keep hoping that we can return soon onto our loved courts around the globe.

“Respect all, fear none.” COACH DIMI

HOW TO PRACTICE DISTANCE TO THE BALL IN KIDS TENNIS

Placing oneself to the right distance to the ball is a huge challenge for young kids. It requires good eye-hand, eye-foot coordination, and smooth ball tracking. Information like in what time will the ball arrive, where will the ball bounce and how high will it bounce have to be noticed in fractions of time and the brain must calculate the right moves to place the body into a well-balanced position with a proper distance to the ball. What is this proper distance? It depends on the different body height and the length of the arms on one side but also on the biomechanics of a groundstroke on the other side. The modern forehand, for example, requires an elbow away from the body on the unit turn and a directly following racket drop into „lag drive“ so the wrist can travel from the inside to the outside facing the ball with the end of the grip. You can see that position in the following picture.

Lag drive

The racket head itself accelerates towards the ball (from the near body to diagonal far from the body) so the optimum contact point is about 45 degrees in front of the body with a nearly stretched arm (depending on grip). It is important to understand that the upper arm stretches first on the way diagonal forward and then the forearm follows (that requires an elbow away from the body). Too many players have the elbow too near to the body what is the result of a too extreme grip or a late contact because of a too-long backswing. Then the opposite happens. The forearm bends too early and the racquet head swings from away from the body to near body and finally crossing the body too early. The result is less spin, less depth, and less precision. 

Here is how you can practice the right distance to the ball with young kids:

Plastic wheel with cone

Position of cone when having the right distance

Contact point position

Place a cone onto a plastic gymnastic wheel. You can use tape to fix it. Your student has to hold the wheel on hip height with both hands near the hips so the cone is right in front of the player when standing in the ready position facing the net. Now the coach is feeding balls onto the forehand and into the backhand. The player has to run towards the estimated ground contact point while doing the unit turn with the wheel fixed with the hands-on hip height. With a good working eye-hand and body coordination, the player places himself exactly into the right position to catch the ball in the right distance diagonal in front of him. We did this today with running into the forehand corner and with navigating oneself into the well-balanced position of a forehand inside outshot. Try it out, it is quite hard to manage.

You should alternate the exercise with the cone by letting the player shadow the strokes with the right position on the contact point and also with feeding balls. When doing so you will see that the distance calculation of the brain gets better and better. Also, implement rallies after a block of feeding.

That‘s it for this time. All the best Coach Dimi

HOW TO TEACH THE ANGLE PLAY TO KIDS

Teaching angle play is crucial for a successful game plan. A great way to teach young kids this skill is to teach them the clock. If they haven’t done it yet, it is additionally addressing their cognitive skills. For imagining better the angles they should imagine a clock on the tennis court like in the following picture.

On the level of the T-Line, the digit 9 of the clock should be imagined on the deuce side and the digit 3 of the clock on the ad side of the court. These are extreme angles you should not start with. Start with the kids the angle play to direction 10 and 11 o’clock on the deuce side and to direction 1 and 2 o’clock on the ad side.

I always try to implement some motivational exercises with using the kid’s favorite super hero to master the different exercises. Here in Jelena’s case it is Lady Bug.

For the first exercise, I place the Ladybug balloon on the angle position at 11 o’clock. Jelena now has to throw the basketball into that direction, timing the movement precisely to be able to play the basketball into that angle. When changing the position of Ladybug, she has to adapt to a different angle. Every time she manages to throw the basketball to the right angle she wins points. The same can be done by throwing the ball to the inside out directions onto 1 and 2 o’clock.

The progression challenges Jelena now to do so too with the racket and feeding balls so she has to target the right angle with the forehand crosscourt and later on playing the forehand inside out. Challenge your kids with a combination of executing movement patterns and cognitive skills. For example, the player has to call the clock (the direction of the ball) before hitting it.

Try these great exercises out to bring the angle play from early ages into your player’s repertoire.

All the best COACH DIMI

THE “DEAD ANGLE” OR THE “ACHILLES VERSE” OF A PLAYER

Being able to send your opponent running wide and short because of an extreme angle play is an important skill in modern tennis. On the WTA Tour, it is mostly used as a variation from the baseline, it is part of many game plans on the ATP Tour. Roger Federer uses the short chipped slice returns from the ad-side but also from the deuce side to make his opponents deal with a low contact point. Also in the rally, the short angle ball with backspin or topspin is often used to bring variety to the game. One-handed backhand players have good soft hands playing the slice and can use these skills to bring their opponent out of rhythm. Stan Wawrinka, for example, can open up the court with a tremendous short angle one-handed backhand. But also the weapon of most of the players, the forehand, is used to put the opponent under the immense pressure of space. The forehand inside out short angle is played often to let the player run wide into the backhand corner.

The shots into that area are more used as a setup shot. Its purpose is to wound the opponent and kill him with the following shots. Sometimes it is also just a way to bring the opponent out of rhythm or to force him to play shorter. 

The “dead angle” is used for different purposes:

• To open up the court and to attack the open court

• To open up the court and to let the opponent think that the next shot goes into open court, but playing the shot against the running direction.

• To play a winner when having a great angle from a wide position between single and doubles line at the baseline.

• Often in WTA with two-handed backhand playing a winner shot or penetrating shot from the middle of the court into the short angle cross-court (On ATP players go directly around and search the forehand).

• For a variation of contact point height with a backspin shot as a return

• For a variation of contact point height and running ways during the rally.

• Played as a volley low and short with angle

• As a drop shot when standing inside the court in the backhand corner and following to close the angle

• The winner from the transition area

• Very short and wide placed kick serve from the ad side

Here are four examples from a premier WTA Event (Dubai) from the first round (M. Sakkari vs A. Sabalenka). 

In the first video, Maria Sakkari is playing a fantastic short angle from the middle court with the forehand inside-out forcing Aryna Sabalenka to get short. Sakkari finishes the point with a backhand down the line winner into open court.

In the second video A., Sabalenka is using the short angle into backhand from the middle of the court. She realizes the surprise effect, takes advantage of the momentum and follows directly up the court for the angle bisector.

The third video is an example of how to answer with a better angle when being pushed wide into the backhand corner. Here Sakkari is forced to run wide into her backhand but answers with a great counter shot angle into Sabalenka‘s backhand side. Sabalenka unable to get into a well-balanced position is getting too short and gives Sakkari the opportunity to finish the point with a forehand placed down the line against the running direction.

The last example shows now Sabalenka taking advantage of a wide ball played into her backhand. She gets in time to the ball and answers with a short angle backhand forcing Sakkari to hit a defensive backhand slice. Here also because not moving diagonally to the ball. Sabalenka approaches and forces Sakkari to miss with the forehand.

It is good to see that angle play on the WTA tour is being used more and more. Train your players to use the dead angle with patterns of play in your daily practice.

All the best COACH DIMI

NEURO-ATHLETIC-TRAINING FOR TENNIS

Tennis players need to develop awareness, focus and fast decision making. They must have all these three skills well developed. Further on the “speed of action”, the “speed of execution” and a “high level of alertness” are necessary to develop the frontal brain lobe and the executive-cognitive functions which take place in that area of the brain.

The player must be able to take the right decision in fractions of time (for example returning a serve with the optimal movement solution and tactical intention). Before the decision is taken many processes take place in the frontal brain. The higher the quality of the information, the brain gets, the higher will be the quality of the decision making. There are three important information systems for the brain.

• The Visual system

• The Vestibular system

• The Proprioceptive system

Highest percentage of information is visual.

With your Visual System you should be able to:

• See clear and sharp

• Be able to control your eye movements into every direction

• Be able to see the depth relation to an object (moving object) precisely

• Be able to have a good peripheral vision

Detecting the position of the body in space.

The Vestibular system works on both sides of the body. The left ear (left organ of equilibrium) is responsible for the left side of the body to gather all necessary info to keep it in balance. The same also applies to the right ear (right organ of equilibrium). It is responsible for the right side of the body. The training of this area gives important info about the spatial orientation. The system gives information about controlling the movement in space. It also stabilizes the eye movement and the coordination and fine movement of the moves.

Detecting the position of the joints and muscle tension intensity.

The Proprioceptive system detects the positions of the joints, the grade of the intensity of muscle tension and provides a permanent updated three-dimensional picture of the body posture for the brain. Poor information leads to shutting down the performance because of possible danger (imbalance). The better the quality of the information, the less the brain will turn down the performance. Our brain always acts like to protect the body. When the input of the three systems is poor, the brain is alert and restricts the possibilities for the body.

The brain and body permanently scan inside and outside of body.

The following exercises are raising the quality of information for the brain and support it to calculate faster to be able to make the best decision movement solution wise.

In the first video, we warm up the Visual system to be ready to train the different eye muscle movements in order to be ready to track fast and sharp a moving object like it is the tennis ball in our sport. Here the different movements are saccades (horizontal/vertical/diagonal), pursuits (smooth eye movement following a track or an object) with additional work out, with implementing the vestibular system and convergence (also with additional work out). Important is also the accommodation training for the eyes to differing between objects which are far away or nearer. Every exercise starts easy and gets more difficult with additional rhythm task or step patterns. At the end of the video, the player works also with visual cues to improve decision making.

In the second video, the player is working on the strengthening of his neck muscles to be able to super fine-tune the upper cervical spine to support the visual system. A laser is great to use for those exercises. The range of the movement should be adapted with different sizes of charts. The training of peripheral perception is another big element to support the visual system. Here the player keeps the focus onto the fixed ball in front of him (letter on the ball must be seen sharp) and has to react as soon as he detects the laser to the left or to the right. There is no limit in progressing the exercise with additional tasks like step patterns or swings. At the end of the video, there are some great exercises to work on the overhead orientation. Many players are limited in their footwork when having to look up in the sky to track the ball. This is due to not enough quality input through the vestibular and proprioceptive system. The exercises here train both systems to support the visual system in the best way to be able to handle overhead balls (smashes) better.

THIS KIND OF PRACTICE IS, IN MY OPINION, MORE IMPORTANT THAN PRACTICING ATHLETIC AND TENNIS SPECIFIC ATHLETIC SKILLS BECAUSE IT GIVES A SO MUCH HIGHER SUPPORT FOR THE BRAIN TO HAVE BETTER COORDINATION AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS (ON 1H OF ATHLETIC OR TENNIS SPECIFIC ATHLETIC TRAINING THERE SHOULD BE AT LEAST 1H OF NEURO-ATHLETIC TRAINING IMPLEMENTED (HIGH-PERFORMANCE TENNIS).

Thank you for your precious time. All the best COACH DIMI

MEDITATION FOR HIGHER MENTAL POWER

As you have read in philosophy (if not be sure to click philosophy in menu and have a look ). As a human being we travel a lot and often spend too much time in artificial electro-magnetic fields. These kind of fields (antennas of phone companies/high voltage circuits/ all kind of machines that are run by electricity/ cellular phone etc.) can make us act in a hectic manner. This leads us to being stressed which takes us away from our inner center.The inner center is the powerhouse that keeps us going. It is crucial to have a “power house” full of energy and calm to be positive in society. It is also important to spend at least one hour a day in natural electro-magnetic fields like parks, woods, lakes, mountains or the sea-side. We forget to get advantage from the core elements like water, fire, soil and wind.

A nice environment to relax and meditate.

Today I want you to focus on the core element of fire.

There is no greater way to describe fire like it is done in DJ TIESTO’S masterpiece

“THE ELEMENTS OF LIVE.”

„Fire is the element that comes from the south.
Fire is the sun that heats the earth, warms our hearts and homes.
Fire as energy; light and heat.
The blaze that ignites that vital, inner force that we all need for soul survival.
Fire is the energy that enables our spiritual growth.
Fire is the inner passion that inspires us to seek and to find love in everyone.
When you let fire consume your being, your soul becomes one with the universe.
“

Fire has an unbelievable attraction to many of us. It is the beauty of it, but the same time the respect of it. We all have an inner fire that burns for something. That fire has to be nourished but should not be over used, because of the danger to burn out. Let me show you two meditations you can do, to bring back the power to your inner fire using the power of the core element itself.

MEDITATION ONE: “THE CABIN OF REFUELING”

In the first pic above you can see a very nice fire place in the mountains with all wooden furniture, it is snowing outside, and as you can see there is also a big screen with the AO Open playing.

I want you to close your eyes and to start imagining the fire place. The cozy atmosphere it gives to the room. You sit right in front of it, on a big, super-comfortable couch and you can hear the fire crackling. Just give yourself the time to get into this mood.

If you have problems with it you can also use a video on you tube with giving you the original sound of it (vid down).

With the sound “on” you can immediately sink into that atmosphere. You will notice after short time that your thoughts calm down and your mind starts to be quiet, only enjoying that nature sound. That is the time that you start “recharging”. Try to maintain that status for about 5-10 minutes. If you want you can use the breathing techniques from BLOG NO.2 of January 2nd. You will see how easy it is to relax and to let go of everything.

If you did so NOW try to get back to the imagination of you sitting in that room in front of the fire place. Now slowly change your focus upwards to the screen. You see the stadium of the AO Open. Start to imagine seeing yourself playing a match on that court. Keep the crackling of the fire, surrounding your ears and try to become as sharp as possible with seeing yourself flying over the court with sound technique, highest economy of moves and efficient tactics. Best way is to imagine first 0-4 shot/points and to go higher when being able to keep a clear picture for longer time. What you are doing right now is practicing your brain and your neuronal pathways to be ready to do so in reality too. This meditation should always start with a isolated core element visualization, before going into a combined meditation of refueling over the core element and practicing visualization of match patterns for example for your tennis development. You can juggle any time with the parameters of your meditation and visualization. You can imagine a more “minimalistic” furniture and environment, or seeing yourself on the practice court from another perspective. Let your fantasy work that out.

RELAXATION AND QUALITY OF VISUALIZATION METER

Use that pic above to manifest your status quo on relaxation and quality of visualization. You can print it out and laminate it so you can use it every time you meditate. Take a wooden figure from a old table game to represent yourself in the circles of intensity.

MEDITATION TWO: “THE CANDLE MEDITATION”

The candle meditation is perfect to calm down and get rid of negative stress. It is perfect to do in the hotel room when on tour. Place yourself about 20-30 cm in front of a candle and light it up. Observe from the beginning how the wick fires up and the flame becomes bigger until it reaches it‘s full capacity. Watch the flame flicking and notice the blue part of it, nearer to the wick. Do so for a couple of minutes until you start to feel relaxed and are ready to start the meditation. Start breathing in the 4-4-4 rhythm (four seconds in-four seconds hold-four seconds out). If you have thoughts just let them pass your mind. As more relaxed you become you will be able to clear your mind from questions. Just breath and be there in the moment, observing this miracle of nature. Feel and enjoy it‘s warm light. Do this meditation as long as you like.You should feel totally relaxed and refreshed to bring the meditation to an end. You can do a shortened flame meditation almost everywhere with a lighter. 

Try both meditations out and benefit from the core element „fire“.

All the best COACH DIMI

KIDS TENNIS AND MODERN BIOMECHANICS

Are kids able to copy the biomechanics of modern tennis? Is it a problem body and focus wise? What about many repetitions of a movement in young age? Let me give you my view on it.

Nothing speaks against the copying elements of the pro`s strokes, if bio-mechanical principles are respected. With the right material (proper racket size, proper balls, proper number of repetition) even in very young age it is no problem. The most important aspect when training with young kids between 5 and ten years is the danger of too early specialization. Jelena (5/on the pic above) is practicing two hours tennis a week but additionally goes one time to athletics and one time to ballet. It is important that kids have also days where they can only play and can stay kids. The fun is of highest priority. If it feels for them like a “must do”, fun can disappear very fast. Let the kids do as many as possible different movement solutions from different sports so a wide range of coordination skills can develop. It is also important that they get the chance to decide on their own when playing and that they have to deal with conflicts. Playing (not in the sense of doing sports) is important to develop the “executive functions” of the frontal brain lobe.

Learning the different techniques of tennis should not be only on the basis of “try and error”. It is normal that kids start hitting with huge loops on back swing, braking the plane (crossing the shoulder axis) because they think it is the best way to give the ball speed. And it is definitely the most natural way to hit the ball. But “natural” does not mean it is suitable for the geometry, ball physics and biomechanics needed to play “modern tennis” on a tennis court. Despite of this, non optimal strokes are difficult to correct later on when having done thousands of repetitions that way. Let us take an example on the “modern forehand” in tennis. What are the requirements that make a great biomechanics of a pro`s shot possible?

• A compact back swing (unit turn) with no early separation of both hands

• The elbow having a at least 45 degrees angle from the body and having enough free space between upper body and elbow

• A drop of the racket with not going the long way breaking the plane (crossing shoulder axis)

• A proper “lag drive position ( with maximum extension of the wrist)

• a contact point diagonally in front of the body with an almost stretched arm (depending on grip eastern/semi western/western)

• A long phase of the racket strings facing the net for a maximum spin impact on the ball (depending on shot selection and intention)

• a not to early rotation of the shoulder axis

• A dynamic whip of the racket which starts during contact and ends with the racket tip showing to the ground on the left side of the body. The elbow facing the target.

• a sound kinetic chain release

These are a lot of points that have to go together and if neglected can lead to limited technique. Do not forget that technique is a LIMITATION FACTOR in tennis.

For me the player must be able to produce all kind of ball trajectories (flat, spin, heavy spin) to be able to not let the opponent play too many balls in row in his comfort zone.

In the picture above you can see a great example of four different back swings but all of them having the requirements needed for a proper use of ball physics, biomechanics due to individual body measurements and intention in relation to target (court geometry).

None of them has the elbow very near to the body so enough racket acceleration swing way is guaranteed, maintaining a compact back swing. Here we get to a first crucial point of sound biomechanics on the forehand. If the elbow is not away from the body on the back swing, it keeps staying near or on the body and it is natural that the arm keeps bend on contact with the ball, with the result that the arm will cross the body far too early. That means that the ball gets less spin, less curved trajectory and no depth.

Common examples that result in poor biomechanics

In the picture above you can see the most common examples resulting in poor biomechanics. The early separation of both hands (kids do this very often when running to short balls) results in a big loop and in a late contact point. The risk of playing the ball into the net or with almost no spin out of the lines of the court is high. As mentioned before the elbow near the body or on body at back swing and as a result also at contact point with low acceleration only using the forearm. Another often seen example is a late contact on return or ground strokes because of a loopy backswing breaking the plane. Here often the contact point is just next to the body with a high strain onto the shoulder. All that examples lead to no variation of contact points for the opponent (meaning that the opponent has always time to get to the ball and the ball keeps jumping into the comfort zone between hip and shoulder height). 

Almost straight arm on contact point

In modern tennis the two arm positions on contact point are an “almost straight arm” or a “bend arm” on contact. The bending of the arm is a result of the extremeness of the grip. Roger Federer for example with a not extreme grip contacts the ball with a almost stretched arm.

Brushing the ball vertical and diagonal (both goes together)

Depending on the racket swing path during impact of the ball he creates more or less spin and ball trajectories on his shots. As longer the racket stays parallel to net during the contact, what means that the strings brush vertically upwards, as more spin is produced onto the ball. On flat shots the horizontal wrist snap is taking place very early, on spin and heavy spin shots the parallel to net string position is longer, before the wrist snaps in. We are talking here about fractions of time and very little differences.

Different ball trajectories depending on RPM.

Different ball penetration according to RPM.

We mentioned before that as more extreme are the grips, as more the arm is bend on contact point. The best pro`s still manage to have  the elbow away from the body on contact point because they have it in a distance to the upper body when doing the unit turn. See here an example of Novak on contact point (picture below).

Bend arm on contact point.

Another result of the contact point very much in front of the body is the capability to hit the ball “nearer” to the net to be able to produce better angles.

Angle play from angle bisector positions

The difference between cross and down the line on racket head position

Due to a tiny difference of the angle at contact point the hit ball goes down the line or cross court. This is the most challenging factor for young kids developing sound biomechanics. A modern forehand shot is depending on a sound kinetic chain from lower body, over core to upper body. Here the position of the legs on stance and the resulting range of hip and shoulder axis rotation have an impact of the right angle of the racket head on contact of the ball. While the range of hip and shoulder rotation is high, the range of the racket head position is just about 3 degrees difference to place the shot cross court or down the line. The geometry of the court does not allow higher ranges on that angle. Our young students and also very good Juniors struggle with timing the hip and shoulder rotation with the optimal racket head position on contact point. In my eyes this is the most difficult task for the whole career of a player. How often do we have too early hip rotation resulting in too early shoulder rotation with having the contact point in a position so the ball goes wide cross court out, or the ball is hit with frame? I lost count ;-) The same when the players have a loopy back swing, two back swings or even too long stop of the racket on loading phase. In that case, often the ball is hit a bit too late and goes more middle court or out when supposed to strike down the line.

So when knowing all of these important factors we need to have a red line according to develop a sound biomechanics for our players in their development as young tennis playing kids. Giving them too many corrections and trying to press them into a kind of “form” that we try to apply for every player is not the best solution the same as giving them too much freedom in finding their shots. From my experience the young kids do well in shadowing with proper technique and quite well when balls are fed from low distance. When they have to play from bigger distances, playing rallies or points, the quality of the shots goes down. Here it is important to understand that the kids need to develop plenty of different neuronal pathways to be able to relay on them under stress. Nothing blocks movement patterns more than stress. We must understand as coaches that playing the shot isolated is not the same as in a rally, with serve and return, in practice match or in official match (or with parents watching nervous from outside the court ;-)

The stress factor increases from rally to official match. If we do not work on multiple neuronal pathway building under stress, the development will be poor.

HERE ARE MY TOP 4 ADVICES

• Always implement coordination exercises at beginning or in between technique sessions

• Teach technique match orientated if possible always combined with a game and with a proper target

• Implement exercises where they have to work their decision making (developing the frontal lobe of brain and the executive functions)

• fun is the most important aspect for very young kids and also for developed players

A red line for kids development to orientate on

That is a nice contact point.

We as coaches are responsible for how many tools we give our students to be geared up for the up and downs of a official match.

All the best COACH DIMI  

YOUR TEMPLE OF POWER

The following idea of the “Temple of Power” is from a german ex-military diver and author of the book “MENTALKRAFT” by Clemens Clausen. Unfortunately, the book is published only in german until now, so I decided to let you know about that great mental tool.

To find out in which areas there is still work to do you can create your own “Temple Of Power”. Your mindset is represented by the foundation of the temple. It is important to find out about your core values. You must answer the following questions to get a better understanding of your motivations.

Who are you and where do you come from?

What skills do you have?

Which skills you do not have?

What are you allowed to do?

What aren`t you allowed to do?

Are these your assumptions or someone else´s?

How much did your parents, teachers, coaches program you to function like that?

Did you ever question that?

These questions are not easy to answer and take some time but there are important to get to your inner self and to your own motivations.

When having answered these questions it is important to erase your negative thoughts and to use instead positive affirmations like: “I can and I will succeed, in my rhythm and tempo.”

Because the foundation of the temple is the most important for its stability you finally need to find out 7 values that suit you best.

Choose honestly and wisely from the following values and evaluate them from highest priority 1 to lowest priority 7:

activity, decency, receptiveness, sincerity, authentication, popularity, convenience, humility, reliability, consciousness, education, high principled, humbleness, confidentiality, honor, experience, honesty, success, family, freedom, joy, peace, friendship, leadership ability, diligence, obedience, serenity, community, justice, health, generosity, kindness, harmony, challenge, integrity, individuality, ability to deal with conflict, home bond, power, courage, control, passion, nature, sustainability, open-minded, partnership, lonely wolf, personal growth, wealth, self-determination, safety, spirituality, profundity, tolerance, trust, independence, dignity, purposefulness, privacy, respect

NOW you have just build your OWN, STRONG FOUNDATION of your power temple.

The next step is to build the four columns that lean on the heavy pediment. These four columns are the material, the body, the emotions and the spirit.

The column of material

It is not important to gather maximum wealth in your live but you should always have the financial power to support your development and your basic needs like house, food, equipment, sleep, electricity, water, seminars, traveling and paying your coach ;-). The needed money for these basic needs keeps you mobile. You must be able to feel strong and healthy and have flexibility. This column should not be used to pimp your ego or to impress others.

The column of the body

Your body is your tool and gate to the world. You must nurse it with healthy nutrition, enough rest after tough practice days or tournament weeks, enough sleep, physiotherapy and from time to time with natural electro-magnetic -fields like found in parks, woods or at the sea. Be kind and listen to your body because it is your hardware and must work to bring you to your goals. Train your deeper muscle system as good as the bigger muscle systems and the fascia muscles. All three together are the safety bag for your spine and other bones and joints.

The column of emotions

We are social beings and need to interact with others to feel socially connected and save. It is the most important energy that nourishes us and makes us feel alive and powerful. Good vibes are crucial for our well being and succeeding in any area of live. Equally important is it to be aware of energy robbing persons, who try to have power over you and confront you with negative energy. Also demanding too much of yourself or having too high set goals can get you into stressful energy patterns. Try to avoid that so you will be able to fight fatigue and burning out.

The column of spirit

Everybody believes in something. Weather it is god, a creating universal energy, fate or the pure believe to be able to handle things alone, being spiritually bound to something makes us capable to achieve great things. It is the dark and pessimistic days that we have to be aware of that believes. Mostly we feel save until something very bad or sad happens, like a serious disease or the loss of a beloved person. In these times it is important not to loose faith.

NOW you are aware of the four important columns of your power temple. Always question yourself, if you bring the same care on for all of them. Many times one column is seeking more care and with the time it can bring instability into your world if you do not realize it.

Last but not least there is the pediment of the temple of power. It is the protecting roof of our building. It is related to our vision of life. Ask yourself what your mission is in this life. Try to make clearly visible what you want to do with the time what is given to you here on earth. How do you want to be, what do you want to give and to receive, who are you and what part of your personality needs more attention. You need to build a vision to be able to develop intrinsic motivation, that is nourished by that vision day in day out. What helps is to design a vision board. Craft a board with fotos, texts , drawings and graphics that show your vision in the best possible way. Place that board somewhere, where you can see it every day when you wake up or go to bed. Take a mini board with that vision with you on tournaments. You will see, it will help you tremendously with your intrinsic motivations and the proper feeling of a pioneer.

YOU have just build your OWN TEMPLE OF POWER. Treat all three parts of it with the same intensity and make sure from time too time to question your goals and targets. Live is a steady change of circumstances. But you are in a good position as a tennis player. On court you have to decide within fractions of time. Off court and in live you have much more of it. So you are prepared well with your fast decision making skills from tennis.

Respect all, fear none! COACH DIMI

Available in German on Amazon.

RAISING YOUR PERFORMANCE THROUGH PROPER BREATHING

Breathing is essential to life. Through proper breathing, an athlete can raise his performance. Aerobic demands are also high in our sport of tennis. Just imagine playing a long rally in heavy conditions or going over a 3- or 5- set match. In that case, having a maximum of oxygen saturation and a good carbon dioxide tolerance is crucial to be able to recover fast. When our pulse goes up we feel the need to breathe deeper in so our oxygen saturation is getting raised again. But not only the oxygen income but also carbon dioxide tolerance is of high importance to be able to perform great. Studies have shown that a maximum oxygen saturation goes together with a raised carbon dioxide partial pressure and reduced oxygen partial pressure. It means that tolerating a higher amount of carbon dioxide in the blood can achieve a higher VO2max. But this must be trained in order to achieve it. Let me show you some exercises on how you will be able to reach exactly that state of performance.

“Pulse up and pulse down” is a great way to train to bring the pulse fast down again after high performing. Watch the video above with instructions on how to do best.

The 4 to 6 to 4 breathing exercise

A good breathing exercise is 4-6-4 breathing. You can do this exercise on changeovers. Breath 4 seconds in, hold your breath for 6 seconds and breathe 4 seconds out. Like that you not only raise the oxygen saturation of the blood but through holding the breath for 6 seconds you also work the carbon dioxide tolerance of your body. Not so “advanced breathers” can start with the 4-4-4 rhythm.

The 4-4-4 rhythm exercise is great to start with.

For having a high oxygen saturation it is also important not to breathe while swallowing but to try to breathe deep “into the belly area”. Between the lungs and the stomach lies a small muscle named “diaphragm”. It supports the full opening of the thorax so the lunges can open up fully. When breathing in you should focus on breathing into the area where the diaphragm is placed.

If you want to combine breathing with a mental exercise, the “center yourself” exercise can help you to keep calm and solution orientated. When breathing in you should imagine a hairline cross with its center in the center of your body like in the pic above. Imagine that all energy goes during you breathe in, into that center and you fill yourself up with fresh energy and a positive mindset. Practice these exercises in training, in practice matches, and off-court so you can get the best results out of it under pressure in a match. The last tip for today is the so-called “hypoxia therapy”. Many physiotherapists offer this kind of therapy. In different rhythms, you get high oxygen and low oxygen through a mask to raise your carbon dioxide tolerance. Many pros take these therapies for faster recovery. Also so-called “hypoxic training masks” are used during high-intensity training to support CO2 tolerance. I wish you great results with taking these exercises into consideration.

All the best COACH DIMI

PLANT VS. MEAT - FOR ATHLETES

Different tasks of proteins

Παν μέτρον άριστον

„PAN METRON ARISTON“=„MODERATION IS BEST“         (ancient greek)

HUMANS CAN NOT BE SEEN AS „MEAT-EATERS“ FOR EXAMPLE, A LION  HAS A  DIGESTIVE TRACT THAT IS MUCH LONGER.  AS FOR  A LION, WE SHOULD BE SEEN AS „ALMOST ALL EATERS“. OF COURSE, WE COULD SURVIVE WITH ONLY EATING PLANT-BASED BUT IF YOU ASKED ME, NO INDIGENOUS PEOPLE WOULD EAT „ONLY“ PLANT-BASED ON FREE WILL. IT WOULD BE SO MUCH MORE ENERGY  TO GATHER ALL THE DIFFERENT PLANTS TO GET ALL THE NECESSARY NUTRIENTS FOR A WHOLE TRIBE ON DAILY BASIS. INDIGENOUS PEOPLE HAVE A  COMMITMENT FOR THEIR RESOURCES, NO MATTER WHAT IF IT IS AN ANIMAL OR PLANT, THEY SHOULD ONLY TAKE FROM NATURE, AS MUCH AS NEEDED. AND HERE COMES THE POINT. IN WESTERN CIVILIZATION WE HAVE LEARNED TO GET  WHAT IS AVAILABLE EVERYDAY.  OUR GREED FOR-PROFIT MADE IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE FRESH MEAT AVAILABLE DAILY. FOR GROWING ANIMALS ON FARMS  THERE ARE COST HUGE FOR GRAINS AND WATER UNTIL IT LANDS ON OUR DISH AT HOME. SO FOR SATISFYING DAILY APPETITE FOR MEAT, LARGE AREAS OF FORREST HAVE TO BE CUT DOWN TO AGRICULTURE. THESE BIG AMOUNTS OF MONOCULTURE PLANTATIONS CAUSING SOIL EROSION, DESOLATION AND DESSERT-LIKE CIRCUMSTANCES, BRINGING OUR ECOLOGY MORE OUT OF BALANCE. ENORMOUS HEAT CAN BE THE RESULT IN THOSE AREAS IN THE FUTURE. FOR EXAMPLE IN AUSTRALIA YOU ARE WITNESSING   WHAT HEAT CAN CAUSE TO A CONTINENT. BUT IF YOU THINK, ONLY THE MEAT INDUSTRY IS CAUSING MONOCULTURE PLANTATIONS YOU ARE WRONG.

Grain agriculture plantation to feed animals

VEGANISM

THE VEGAN-HYPE AROUND THE WORLD WANTS VEGAN PRODUCTS AVAILABLE ON DAILY BASIS FOR EVERYONE. IN SOUTH AMERICA HUGE AMOUNTS OF RAIN FORREST ARE CUT DOWN TO PRODUCE  AVOCADO OR COCONUT OIL FOR YOUR VEGAN DIET. ANOTHER POINT IS THE WILD ANIMALS POPULATION LIKE WILD PIGS IN EUROPE`S FORREST. THEIR POPULATION GROWS SO FAST BECAUSE, OF ENOUGH FOOD IN NEARBY VILLAGES AND CITIES, THIER IS  DAMAGE TO THE FORREST THAT BECOMES MORE ABUNDANT. THESE ANIMALS HAVE TO BE SHOT SO THERE IS  BALANCE FOR NATURE. LET`S LOOK ON THE EFFECTS OF MEAT AND PLANT-BASED PROTEINS ONTO THE HUMAN BODY.

Avocado monoculture plantation to make them available around the world on daily basis.

EFFECTS OF TOO MUCH MEAT BASED PROTEIN ON BODY   

• IF THE AMOUNT OF ANIMAL PROTEIN INTAKE RISES TO 10% about THE MAXIMUM DAILY AMOUNT OF CALORIES, THE RISK OF DEATH RISES FOR 2% AND THE RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE UP TO 8%   (WITHOUT THE RISKS OF SMOKING, OVERWEIGHT, ALCOHOL CONSUM AND EXERCISING

• TOO MUCH MEAT CONSUMPTION RAISES CHOLESTEROL AND FAT IN BLOOD WHAT COULD CAUSE ARTERIOSCLEROSIS IN HIGHER AGE

• HIGHER HORMONE INDEX IN MEAT IF NOT FROM BIOLOGICAL FARM (SEXUAL HORMONES)

• THE ACID-BASE BALANCE GET’S OUT OF BALANCE IN FAVOUR OF ACIDS

PRO MEAT:

• THE AMINO ACIC PROFIL OF MEAT BASED PROTEIN HAS SIMILAR STRUCTURE TO HUMAN BODY PROTEINS AND CAN BE BUILD UP MORE EFFICIENT INTO HUMAN BODY STRUCTURES 

• HIGHER BIOLOGICAL VALUE OF MEAT BASED PROTEIN (MEANS THAT MORE ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS ARE GATHERED IN MEAT WHILE ON PLANT-BASED DIET YOU HAVE TO MIX THE FOOD WELL TO HAVE THE SAME HIGH INDEX

EFFECTS OF PLANT-BASED PROTEIN ON BODY

PRO PLANTS:

- PLANT-BASED PROTEINS ARE RICHER IN TRACE ELEMENTS AND NUTRIENTS

- COMBINING DIFFERENT PLANT PROTEINS FROM RICE, BEANS, AND PEAS YOU CAN GET ALL NECESSARY AMINO ACIDS WHICH ARE STORED IN MEAT 

- HEMP SEEDS FOR EXAMPLE CONTAIN B-VITAMINS WHICH ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DIFFICULT FOUND IN PLANT-BASED DIET

- PLANT-BASED PROTEIN HAS LESS SULPHOROUS AMINO ACIDS AND DOES NOT BRING THE ACID-BASE HOUSEHOLD OUT OF BALANCE

- PEA PROTEIN, FOR EXAMPLE, IS HIGH ON ANTIOXIDANTS AND IS ANTIBACTERIAL 

- BLOOD VESSELS WIDEN THROUGH PLANT-BASED DIET AND MORE OXYGEN CAN BE TRANSPORTED AROUND THE BLOOD SYSTEM

HIGH-PERFORMANCE ATHLETES SHOULD STICK TO A PLANT-BASED DIET BUT COULD INTEGRATE FROM TIME TO TIME WITH A PORTION OF WHITE MEAT OR FISH (NOT DURING TOURNAMENTS BUT AS A REWARD AFTER A GOOD RESULT AND ON SPECIAL DAYS LIKE CHRISTMAS OR THANKSGIVING) 

IT DEPENDS ALSO ON WHAT KIND OF ATHLETE YOU ARE. IN TENNIS MOST OF THE POINTS ARE WON WITHIN 0-4 SHOTS WHICH IS COVERED BY ATP (ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATE/ANAEROBIC RESPIRATION/UP TO 8 sec.)

A 400 M SPRINTER OR A SWIMMER DEPEND SO MUCH MORE ON HIGH OXYGEN SATURATION OF HEMOGLOBIN TO ACHIEVE A MILLISECOND BETTER TIME IN THE RACE. 

MY FINAL OUTCOME

MY RECOMMENDATION IS TO EAT MEAT AND FISH ONLY ONCE A WEEK AND TO ELIMINATE DAIRY ALL TOGETHER. I WOULD CONSIDER A PLANT-BASED DIET 75-80% AND MEAT BASED PROTEIN NOT MORE THAN 20%.

OF COURSE, WHEN BEING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE ATHLETE IT CAN BE TURNED ALSO INTO 100% PLANT-BASED BUT THIS IS UP TO EVERY ATHLETE HIMSELF. CHECK BOTH OUT AND SEE WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU (OF COURSE EXAMINE YOUR BODY AFTER BOTH DIETS IN TRAINING AND MATCH PHASES TO SEE HOW YOU RECOVER BETTER).

FOR „NORMAL PEOPLE“ YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND HIGH CHOLESTEROL IF YOU EAT SOME MEAT FROM TIME TO TIME. AS TIME GOES ON AND YOU BECOME OLDER IT IS RECOMMENDED TO TRANSFER TO A MORE PLANT-BASED DIET TO NOT ONLY BETTER YOURSELF BUT ALSO THE PLANET. 

pics by squarespace with overlay by coach dimi