Bailey’s Blog

HOW we shift our weight from one leg to the other is very important….I call this mogul moving!

1. RELAX one leg towards the other, we never “brace up” or move towards both at the same time. The tendency should always be for one leg to take more weight than the other.
2. Remember to RELEASE and RELAX the leg that does not carry most of the weight. With on leg free , we can immediately adjust the other foot
3. If our weight is on both legs we have to shift to one or the other before acting
4. We have to prevent “FREEZING THE JOINTS” as this inhibits our ability to sink into our legs and draw on the earth and instrinsic strength. Think of squeezing the body into the ground …this will translate to compressive power and will really aid horizontal movement
5. Being relaxed is the key to shifting……keep the jaw, hands and shoulders loose as possible. Only ever try and move at 4/5th of your maximinm speed as tension will make you jump up and not get the push power from the ground that you need. Great shifters flow!!!

This was a question asked to Julius Menendez, Muhammad Ali’s Olympic Coach by Bud Winter, author of his fantastic book called ‘Relax and Win’:

Q. Did Ali have any special exercise or tricks to get relaxed, or was he mostly born with the ability to relax?

A. Well, I am not sure he had any tricks. His relaxtion sort of developed with his great training. He did a lot of shadow boxing where he constantly stayed loose when there was no pressure on. In shadow boxing, you develop a rhythm that is very important in aiding relaxation. You know, Ali is a dancer, constantly moving around, and he has for a big man, very quick reflexes. All this comes from his “floating like a butterfly” practice. He shadow boxed a lot like this.

Dear readers….You see I am a huge fan of shadow tennis! And, like the above suggests: Swing your racket (particularly in a warm-up before a match) with confident visualisation, relaxation and without pressure. Get the rhythm in your feet (which is so important to have from the get go) and get those feet moving in the MOST TENNIS SPECIFIC TRAINING TECHNIQUE (in my opinion) that exists  OFF COURT! 

The other blog from Ean Myer!

Vince Lombardi, one of the most sucessful football coaches ever was asked why he ran such a simple set of plays. His response: “It’s hard to be aggressive when you are confused”.

Thanks Ean, DB

I agree with Vince …..and that is what footwork training by hitting a fed ball is all about….you learn to READ a certain ball and RESPOND with a rehearsed set of steps, moves and stances that WORKS for you. This gives you a FAST, REACTIVE response but also removes confusion and most importantly gives you CONFIDENCE. The key ingredient to successful play!

The next 2 blogs are from a great friend of mine. His name is Ean Myer and he works at the Evert Tennis Academy (one of my past employers).

“Years ago a reporter asked Arnold Schwartzenegger: ” Now that you have retired from bodybulding, what are you going to do next?” ” I am going to be the number one box-office star in Hollywood”. “And how do you plan to become Hollywood’s top star?” “It’s the same process I used in bodybuliding. What you do is create a vision of who you want to be , and then live in that picture as if it were already true”.

He didn’t say you work until you receive a vision, you CREATE one. A major part of living a life of self-motivation is having something to wake up for every morning. The vision can be created right NOW. Do not live a moment longer without one.

Thanks Ean, DB!

I know it’s been quite some time since I’ve written any blogs, but to tell the truth, I’ve had so much going on in my life that I just haven’t been able to get around to it. Meg and I now have a baby girl - she was premature, so we spent a lot of time to-in and fro-in to the hospital and on top of that we moved house and then it took a month to get connected to the Internet. However, all is now well, I’m back on track and pleased to say our beautiful little girl is happy, healthy and bouncing.

So Back to footwork!

I read these tips in a fastfoot ladder instructional manual written by a New Zealand company called SPSS (Speed Power & Stability Systems) and really thought the tips where great!!!
 
” Rapid footwork and correct foot placement is a critical factor in all sports at all levels. Without foot control there is no body control. Footwork is often the most difficult aspect to master as the feet are a long way from the brain and the signals directing the feet where to go often get lost or mixed up on the way. Developing faster feet is a skill that must be targeted specifically as it is the feet that control your ability to move quickly. All the strength in the world is wasted if your feet are out of control.
 
Light feet are quick feet.
 
Emphasis must be placed on working on the ball of the feet and keeping the heels off the ground at all times. This is the optimal position for maximising speed and quickness.
 
When working on  your footwork …..train only as fast as your skill level allows. Start slowly, master the movements with good technique before speed. Increase to maximum speeds as soon as you are able and have rhythm.”