AdminSelea

About AdminSelea

Posts by :

2020 10 13

The great moments of the Polish tennis

What happened over the past few days during Roland Garros was something the Polish tennis fans could only dream of for many years. Although Agnieszka Radwańska and Jerzy Janowicz used to perform outstandingly on the international courts, along with Łukasz Kubot, who is still brilliant in doubles, up until now, we had lacked the icing on the cake – a Grand Slam championship in singles. Even though Iga Świątek has always been considered a great hope for this discipline in Poland, just two weeks ago barely anybody would have thought she would make the fans’ dreams come true in Paris.

Agnieszka Radwańska is the most successful Polish tennis player in recent years, who has accomplished great things – for over 10 years she was among the top leading players in women’s tennis, in which the competition back then was incredibly tough. The time when Serena Williams was dominating the tennis scene, and Maria Sharapova along with Victoria Azarenka were trying to keep up with her, fell on the prime time of the famous “Isia” as well. The tennis player from Cracow was for many years the only strong Polish accent on the international courts. Despite being ranked. No. 2 in the WTA Rankings, being a Wimbledon finalist and winning 22 WTA tournaments, the Polish fans always felt a little dissatisfaction because of a lack of the Grand Slam championship.

For some time, the Polish fans believed that Jerzy Janowicz would be the one to win it for the first time. Unfortunately, a combination of health issues and some wrong decisions allowed him to present his best skills only during the ATP tournament in Paris and Wimbledon semi-finals, but did not let him settle in, so that he could think of succeeding in Grand Slam in the long term. In a few days, Janowicz will become 30 and although he is still thought to play at a decent level, nobody expects him to be a successful Grand Slam competitor anymore.

As Iga Świątek paved the way to the ITF tournaments as a 15-year-old girl and won the Roland Garros and Wimbledon Junior Championships (both in 2018), she gained recognition as a junior Grand Slam player. Then she quickly advanced to the top-ranked tournaments and she has been present in the WTA Tour for quite a few months now.

As it often happens to young tennis players, especially those whose playing style is so risky and aggressive, like in the case of Świątek, she had her ups and downs. The experts anticipated that once she managed to become consistent over the course of days and matches, it would be incredibly difficult to stop her. This happened in the best possible moment, during Roland Garros, when Iga’s domination was unquestionable. In the beginning, even after she had defeated the last year’s finalist, Markéta Vondroušová, surely nobody found her a safe bet to win the entire tournament. This totally changed though after the 4th round once she beat Simona Halep, who left the court with only 3 games won! Later there was a lot of talk going on about Świątek and her real chances to win the title, but she handled it well and went on the court to beat the next rivals. She ended up winning the final against Sofia Kenin, which was a key to new career opportunities. Now the world is her oyster.

This success is invaluable not only for Świątek herself, but also for all her Polish fans, who can eventually brag about their first Grand Slam champion ever! Now, they hope for Świątek to stay on a winning streak and learn from her older fellow colleague, Agnieszka Radwańska, how to fit in with her rivals and to be at the top of her game for years.

2020 10 08

The exhibition tournaments have come to an end – who will be remembered?

AdminSelea 0

These days many tennis fans have faced a completely unusual situation. Nobody could expect tennis tournaments to have been suspended in April and be back only after several months, in August. Who would’ve thought that the US Open would take place in such circumstances – without cheering fans, under a strict sanitary regime. Although some people may have already come to terms with the suspension of any tennis matches, the organisers of the exhibition tournaments cheered the fans up. Whether a layman or an expert – the fans could be surely satisfied and furthermore, over the course of the past few weeks plenty of, so far unknown, tennis players showed the best of their abilities. Thanks to this article you’ll get to know them.

Arthur Fery

Let’s start with a tennis player, who still remains rather unknown, at least in Europe. However, it has changed in the UK recently, where he got publicity after participating in some national exhibition tournaments. Arthur Fery, who has proved to be a solid junior player, played almost the highest number of matches in the British Tour. A lack of experience in the professional tour didn’t stop him from winning most of them. The 18-year-old player has achieved great results – 27 wins and only 4 losses. Even though the exhibition tournaments have their own laws and many players seek new solutions and try out different game strategies, this winning streak is impressive. Especially when it comes to a teenager ranked no. 1199 in the ATP rankings.

In a coverage for LTA Fery said he aimed to become one of the top 50 players in the world and play Grand Slam tournaments. Indeed, there’s still a long way to go, but don’t forget this name. In a few months his regular wins in the ITF Tennis Tour should come as no surprise, at least to those who have previously heard his name.

Liam Draxl

Liam Draxl is another young player, who took advantage of the suspension of the regular tours and became more recognisable, thanks to his participation in the exhibition tournaments. The 18-year-old Canadian hasn’t had too many opportunities to do it yet as he’s still a student of an American high school and couldn’t allow enough time for professional competition. Nevertheless, he has managed to get into the best 600 in the ATP rankings. During his career he has even won some matches in the ATP Challenger Tour.

Obviously, the Draxl’s performance in the American exhibition tournaments was intensive (he played mostly in Florida). Despite 11 losses, the most gifted Canadian junior player succeeded 54 times. It’s worth mentioning that among others, he won against Paolo Lorenzi, Dmitry Popko and Aslan Karatsev.

The Canadians have already been satisfied with another two young tennis players, Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger Aliassime, who can soon be joined by Draxl as well.

Adrian Andreev

Bulgaria is not famous for great tennis players. Although it’s been successfully represented in the international tournaments by Grigor Dimitrov, there’s barely anyone, who can reach his level anytime soon. However, after some great performances last year (for instance, his appearance in the ITF tournament final), the results achieved by Adrian Andreev this year seem to be the light at the end of the tunnel once he’s proved his potential in the exhibition tournaments. The 18-year-old player presented top form during the International Tennis Series in the US, when the regular tournaments were suspended. 24 -3 – that’s an impressive win-loss record as for the player who is ranked towards the end of no. 600 in the ATP rankings.

Paolo Lorenzi, Peter Polansky, Dominik Koepfer – these players unexpectedly lost against him, the Italian even twice. It’s not a coincidence. Once the Bulgarian has made himself comfortable in the professional tournaments, there is a great chance for him to participate in the ATP Challenger Tour on a regular basis.

2020 10 05

3 mistakes while practicing volleys

AdminSelea 0

Practice sessions provide big opportunities to become better tennis player. Drills, intensity, and volume of single training sessions have big influence on the quality of player’s work and future progress. Players spend time on improving baseline skills, net game skills as also serve and return abilities. In this article we will focus on the most common mistakes that players make while working on volleys.

Volleys are less used in modern tennis but they still have a place in the on-court performance. In individual format of play players come to the net to get advantage over the opponent and use situational opportunity to finish the point in quicker way. Being closer to the net provides better angles for the finishing shots as also it allows for better placement because player is closer to the intended target. In team format of play there are 4 players on the court so immediately there is less open space to hit winners at. That is why staying at the net is an offensive position that allows player to put more pressure on both rivals – the one on the baseline and the one at the net.

Players who think about getting better at any aspect have to develop solid skills during practice sessions. It is impossible to develop weapons only by playing matches when player is under significant stress and focuses solely on achieving the best possible result. Training environment is completely different. Player can use on-court time to work on any aspect of the game. He can both solidify own strong sides as also take own weaknesses to the higher level of advancement. There is no doubt that most of the practice time is used for baseline shots but when player decides to hit also some volleys the priority should be placed on quality. Unfortunately a lot of players practice volleys in the wrong way and they are surprised why they can’t win points at the net during the tournament.

Practice environment has to reflect tournament’s conditions. If player works in the same way he is going to compete there is a big chance that his training performance won’t be different than the one that decides about winning the trophy. Below you can find the 3 most common mistakes while practicing volleys at all levels of play:

Staying too close to the net

That’s definitely the number one. Players who almost touch the net with own racket is the situation visible at all courts around the world. That’s a big mistake because of 2 reasons. Firstly players rarely will hit the ball in this area during the match and secondly even without perfect skills you shouldn’t have a problem to finish the ball while being almost on your opponent’s side. During the match a lot of volleys are played from around the service line that is why players should practice volleys from this area. It is much more difficult to execute balls out of the air while being further away from the expected target so players will understand how to work with body and racket to achieve success.

No reaction

Being at the net means quick balls. Being at the net will make you hit one or maybe only 2 balls in a row. Success at the net is related to your possibility to react. A lot of players practice volleys in a completely different way. They execute exercises that are based on directions that player knows ahead. That is a good stage at the beginning of learning volleys to grove technical parts but later on player should also develop skills under the time pressure that will guarantee him won points during the match. Make sure you do drills that you don’t know the direction of the next ball so you can react and check what is your volley’s quality in the real tennis environment.

Isolated volleys

On the tennis court we have to run to every ball. We start every point with serve and return so our position is around the baseline. To get to the net and hit volleys we have to firstly hit approach shot and move to the net to take the best position possible. Many players forget about this part of tennis game and they practice volleys solely in isolated form. They don’t connect them with previous shots and with physical part of running and making dynamic split step. That is why they have a lot of problems during the points because they are not able to construct good point that will end with successful volley. To win more points at the net remember that you have to practice shots that will give you an opportunity to hit the last shot at the net. Many times the quality of approach shot will be more important than volley so you should practice and possess this skill to make your game more effective.

We all make mistakes so it is nothing wrong if you have done the mistakes mentioned in this article. Champions learn from mistakes and incorporate changes into own routines to constantly improve own performance. Be conscious about the mistakes of practicing volleys, change habits if needed and surprise your rivals with successful volleys the next time you will be playing the tournament.

2020 09 23

What are the symptoms of being overtrained?

AdminSelea 0

Achieving success requires hard work. Without maximum effort, it is impossible to beat other competitors and get to the top. However, the quantity doesn’t always equal quality, so the players have to be careful with the amount of work they do every day. As we said, the more is not always the better. Sometimes, too much work can lead to negative consequences. Without any doubt, one of those negative consequences is overtraining. The players have to run to every ball, bend knees, and accelerate the racket to take the most of every shot. Who gives up on the court, stays behind the rest. Out of the court, players have to lift weights

and run extra miles to take care of their physical performance, which is, of course, crucial for a strong tennis game. Then, we have to also focus on the mental aspects since tennis, as an individual sport, puts a lot of pressure on the player’s mind. The athlete knows that he is just on his own on the court, and doubting the progress, ranking points, and incoming tournaments are some factors that especially drain mental energy. That is why after a long time, if the quantity of work is too high, the players tend to give a weaker performance and lose more matches than usual. Is it bad luck or the first sign of overtraining?

Overtraining is a reaction of the body to the chronic tiredness. Too much work combined with not enough recovery cause physical and mental symptoms that limit the player’s abilities to improve and can lead to many unpleasant situations such as physical injuries and a lack of interest in tennis. What is more, overtrained players can experience problems recovering from an advanced state of overtraining, so actions have to be taken quickly after noticing the first signs of possible chronic tiredness. Of course, one or two bad days in a row shouldn’t make you worry about your physical and mental state. If you do your best every day to become a better competitor, it is common that sometimes you feel weaker and sense that you need to slow down. However, when this state is prolonged, and you don’t see the change even after the weekend free of activities, it is time to check the list below to see if you have some typical

symptoms of possible overtraining. If you observe a few of them yourself, it is time to take some days off, relax and do some fun things that will let you come back to tennis with the proper mental and physical state.

Tiredness.

If you do some new exercises, your muscles can remain sore even a few days after. When you work harder than before, it will be visible in the level of tiredness during the next hours. If you didn’t sleep well or you have a stressful time, it is nothing unusual that your body does not feel great. However, when this stage of tiredness is visible for a longer time, and you feel like you get tired faster than before, it is the sign that you should consider a thorough recovery. Your muscles need time to rebuild, and if you don’t give yourself this time, you put a great danger on both your body and tennis career.

Lack of appetite.

Usually, the players observe that when they train, they are more hungry because their body needs to replenish the energy. However, when there is too much training without adequate recovery, our body starts to work abnormally. Overtrained players lose their appetite, and this puts even more stress on both body and mind. By not providing enough macro and micronutrients, there is a greater risk of getting injuries. At the same time, lack of energy means a bad mood, so a negative mindset will definitely have a harmful impact on the player’s everyday living.

Lack of motivation.

Competitive players need a lot of motivation. They have to get up early and perform a lot of tasks to improve every day. Overtrained players lose the motivation to do even the necessary things. They either give up on their daily actions, or they don’t put 100% effort even when they have started the training. On one day, you can accept that, go home and take a necessary rest. However, if you experience such state consistently, it is time to accept that your body and mind need a proper rest.

Problems with sleeping.

If you think that after some hard sessions, you lie down and fall asleep quickly, you are wrong. Your body cannot have distractions to fall asleep and maintain a night of quality sleep. That is why when you are especially tired and have some pains, there is a high chance that it will take you more time to fall asleep and maintain the quality of sleep. This disturbed process undoubtedly has a negative impact on your energy level the next day.

It seems like the recipe for success is work. That is only partially true, since like with any aspect in life, a healthy balance is the key. If there is not enough work, you cannot expect outstanding results. On the other hand, if there is not enough recovery, you may be sluggish and tired all the time. Learn how to listen to your body and mind, and if you see some of the symptoms listed above, make sure you take necessary actions based on recovery.

2020 09 07

Return to the tour from a player’s perspective

AdminSelea 0

Tennis players have just gone through their first tournament starts after the break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have spoken with Karol Drzewiecki, currently the 159th doubles player in the world. After the resumption of the competition, Karol has already played in several ATP Challenger Tour tournaments, and shared his feelings regarding the events with Top Level Tennis.

Before the resumption of the games, we have written about the fact that returning to the game will be something brand new for all tennis players. While nothing, of course, has changed in terms of the game, getting used to a new reality in terms of organization will probably be a long process for the players. Karol Drzewiecki made a post-pandemic start at the first possible opportunity – during the so-called second inauguration of the season in Todi, Italy. Then, together with Szymon Walkow, he moved to the Czech Republic, where he took part in the next ATP Challenger Tour played in Ostrava. Thus, the Polish representative had a great comparison of how the topic of protection against coronavirus was approached by the organizers of both tournaments. Actually, we have to admit that the organizers are doing everything to follow all the procedures. Drzewiecki admitted that it is the issue of safety that is given the highest priority. “The first tournament I played in Todi, where I was immediately tested for COVID-19 on Sunday. However, this is not all. During the games, I was tested again together with my partner. Most of the results we received in a day or two.” – says Drzewiecki. Polish doubles player also admitted that playing regularly in tournaments and coming back to the games as soon as there is a possibility is much easier in terms of organization than taking a break. While returning later to the competition, it is necessary to get tested for COVID-19 on your own. “While going to the tournament without taking part in the previous one, I would have to do a test at home, or wherever I would be at the moment. I would have to come to the place where the tournament is played with a negative result of the test and still, I would have to be tested again on Monday anyway.” – shared Drzewiecki.

Recently, a lot of excitement arose due to the news from New York, where tennis players battling in the US Open were locked in a so-called bubble, which purpose was to protect them from potential contact with an infected person. When it comes to the ATP Challenger Tour, we can also talk about restrictions, but they are much lighter than in the case of the mentioned Grand Slam event. “In Italy, we all had to wear masks, and the tournament’s staff kept rebuking those who did not do so. After going out on the court, the masks could be taken off only after the end of the draw before the match. One of the more interesting things is that the racket handles were particularly secured so that no bacteria could accumulate on them. Besides, every time before stepping on a court, our temperature was checked.” – admits the Polish rookie, who can be proud of winning three ATP Challenger tournaments as for now. Drzewiecki also mentioned that less importance is attached to the restrictions during the Czech events where, for example, the responsibility of wearing masks is no longer scrupulously complied with. “It is much more comfortable in the Czech Republic. Actually, no one walks around in a mask, and there are more people on the stands. One can certainly say that there is a greater freedom.” – summarized Drzewiecki.

photo-of-three-men-playing-tennis-2568551_1

2020 09 02

Can you build self-confidence?

AdminSelea 0

One of the aspects that are always mentioned while talking about champions is confidence. This mental ability has a big influence on physical performance and the level of confidence is responsible for the good or bad quality of their own game. However, is it possible to build self-confidence, or is it a skill that only a few people were born with?

Good performance in tennis consists of various skills. Top players understand that to compete effectively at the highest level they have to work every day on different aspects to allow their body and mind to deal with the demands of a competitive environment. Unfortunately, at lower levels many players don’t pay enough attention to the mental aspects of the game and they spend definitely too much time focusing on the racket forgetting that improper mental state will change even the best forehand into weakness.

A lot of players believe that with success comes confidence. That is mostly true because when we lift the trophy we believe that we can repeat this achievement the next day. However, confidence shouldn’t be related just to on-court results because we don’t play tournaments every week as also it is really hard to win all the matches week by week. Players, who think about being conscious and confident athletes, have to work on this skill every day both on and off the court because with quality repetitions will come the skill that is responsible for much more than just a positive state of mind.

Why is it important to get confidence? Confident players believe in themselves so there is no doubt in their actions. Additionally, they feel significantly less pressure while facing challenges because they know that they are able to deal with these specific demands. Also, confidence helps with finding solutions during difficult situations and controlling emotions after some mistakes so in the heat of the competitive battle these factors can decide about the final result of the match.

Confidence is a skill like any other. When players consciously work on it, the skill will get better. Here are a few methods that players can use to control their own level of confidence and become more successful with all the activities they do to improve as tennis players:

– Be aware of your strengths and weaknesses

Confidence is connected with awareness. Player can’t be confident if he doesn’t have a weapon to hurt the opponent or if he has many weaknesses that the opponent will try to capitalize on. Being aware of own skills and working on them every day will not only take the technical level up but it will also increase the level of confidence.

– Analyze your progress

Every training session provides feedback to players however players have the option to use it or not. Confidence is built on improvements so it is a worthy move to analyze every training session and be aware of improvements that happened. Taking a few minutes and writing down technical, tactical, physical and mental progress will help the player to understand how they develop but at the same time, this valuable information can be used to set up goals for the next session.

– Stay in a positive environment

Your coach, friends, and the closest environment have a great influence on your actions and thoughts. The more positive they are the bigger chance you will also be positive and confident. It is important to understand how other people react to different situations and make sure that we either change our reactions when they are negative or we change friends who can have a negative impact on our level of confidence and well-being.

– Surround your life with confidence

The human brain works quite simple. The more often we hear or see something, the stronger we believe in it. It is useful to implement this process into building self-confidence every day no matter if we are practicing on the court or just resting at home. Put pictures on the wall with confident quotes, add your picture with the trophy on the screen of your phone or download specific app that will send you motivational tips every day. In this case, it is all about quantity so make sure you have enough confidence around you.

There is no doubt that for many athletes confidence is the number one mental skill that they want to possess. It offers many benefits both in personal and athletic life so players should learn how to make conscious steps every day to build and maintain solid confidence. There are internal and external factors that have an impact on confidence so being aware of them and taking care of these under our control is a proven recipe to become a confident and successful tennis player.

2020 08 24

Is Grand Slam not that grand?

AdminSelea 0

It has long been known that tennis players, when preparing for the season, set a goal for themselves to have the best form in four particular periods. These are the times when the Grand Slam tournaments are played – the events where the players can get the most, whether it is about the ATP and WTA ranking points, or the big money that lies on the court. The situation related to the COVID-19 pandemic caused the current season to be turned upside down. In the end, however, the US Open is to be played, which in many aspects will not resemble the event we used to watch before.

“I think the player himself or herself who will win the US Open under these circumstances will know that they didn’t really win the US Open. You can’t really say that you won a Grand Slam when you have 20 out of the top 32 players not coming, for example, if that is happening.” said Marion Bartoli about how this year’s Flushing Meadows event will be treated. You may have different opinions on the topic, but it is hard not to admit the Frenchwoman is at least partially right. The tournament, which everyone would usually like to participate in, is currently not the first choice for tennis players from around the world. Dominic Thiem also shares the opinion of the more experienced colleague. The Austrian player believes that success in New York will not be comparable to this year’s Australian Open. We have to bear in mind that many leading tennis players will not participate, which means that reaching the further stages of the tournaments will be far less worthwhile in comparison with, for example, the Australian Open.

To be as precise as possible, we will bring up some statistics. The lack of willingness to participate in the US Open tournaments is best illustrated by the fact that only four out of ten best female tennis players in the world are planning to take part in the New York competition as for now. Missing on the tournaments would be Ashleigh Barty, currently the best player in the world, Elina Svitolina, who is fifth in the ranking, and Kiki Bertens, who is two positions lower. Apart from those mentioned – twelve other tennis players from TOP 100 did not appear in one of the largest conurbations in the world.

Although the withdrawals in men’s tournaments are not so extreme, the absence of Rafael Nadal will cause that both men and women will have no one to defend the title (last year’s champion, Bianca Andreescu, will not play in New York either). Apart from the Spaniard, the desire to compete in the US Open was also not expressed by the players such as Roger Federer, Gael Monfils, Nick Kyrgios, Stan Wawrinka, Fabio Fognini or the French Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Lucas Pouille.

Of course, we would all like to watch the matches with all of the abovementioned players, but we have no control over how the situation will escalate. If we don’t have these excellent players in the tournament, we might be able to witness the birth of some new stars in a couple of days. However, is it possible to happen? It’s hard to say, because there are still those who have long been craving for the prestigious Grand Slam titles among both male and female competitors.

Foto credit: IPTL World

2020 08 20

One week before the tournament

AdminSelea 0

For every tennis player, the upcoming tournament is a big event. Athletes train hard, invest a lot of money and sacrifice many things to fight for the win to proceed to the next round. To increase your chances of a brilliant performance, you should prepare thoroughly for this special event. But when should you start preparing for the competition?

Some players start the preparation 30 minutes before the match. When the second set of the last match starts, they start their physical preparation. They begin to run, perform some dynamic exercises, and do specific activities with a resistance band. All these routines are executed while listening to the favorite music that helps them improve their focus on the incoming battle and prepare the mindset to perform optimally. Other players believe that proper preparation starts the day before the match. They set up a specific plan for the match that includes their strengths and weaknesses. If they already know the opponent well, they imagine how to avoid the rival’s weapons and find the weaker sides to get an advantage on the court. They also pack the bag, buy specific supplements, and think about the schedule for the next day to take care of all the details that can have a negative impact on their comfort zone. Both these approaches are good, but they are not enough to prepare for winning all the matches up to the final stage.

In the beginning, it is important to understand what a high-quality preparation should include. By finding out these specific aspects, every player can create their unique routine that will be comfortable and intuitive. To play well and be able to fight for the trophy, the player should take care of six different areas: technique, tactic, physical preparation, mental preparation, nutrition, and recovery. If you omit one of the aspects, you decrease your chance to overcome the obstacles and have an advantage over the rival.

Professional preparation should start a least seven days before you step on the court with a rival across the net. Of course, you are not going to do your pre-match warm-up a week before, but you have to keep in mind some various aspects that have a positive impact on your game today and soon. By paying attention to your daily activities, you increase the quality of your work and can be sure that you have done everything you could to prepare optimally for the incoming challenge.

Below are the most important factors that you should start taking care of one week before the tournament:

Playing points.

No more technical drills. It is not the right time to divide your strokes into parts and practice them. Instead, focus on playing points because your decisions and reactions to different scenarios on the court decide how you will compete in a few days. Play many open drills and compete as often as possible to start feeling the pressure. You will train how to focus on your performance instead of results and get more comfortable with playing under the tension.

Take care of your strengths.

You are not going to win the tournament by avoiding your weaknesses. Actually, you are going to beat the rival by using your strengths. Make sure that during every practice, you are aware of your weapons, and you use them in various patterns as often as possible. If you have an outstanding forehand, try to serve widely to the ad side and take the position on your ad side to cover almost the whole court with your strength.

Winning mindset.

Tennis is undoubtedly a mental profession. The individual format of the game puts a lot of pressure on your mind. You can have a powerful serve and consistent returns, but if you do not have a proper mindset, you can underperform while battling for the win. Use visualization, read motivational quotes, and write down all positive aspects after every training session to build your confidence and step on the court as a winner.

Prepare your machine.

Your body is your machine. If you adjust your body for optimal functioning, you can be sure that your performance does not drop under the given level. What does your body need? Water and food. Drink a lot of water on and off the court, and take care of a diet proper for the athlete. Make sure you provide your organism both macro and micronutrients to so playing long matches will not affect the quality of your strokes and decisions. What you put on the plate can make a big difference in your next week’s performance.

As you can see, winning takes more than 25 minutes of physical activity before the match starts. The glory consists of many nuances. The more aspects you take care of, the higher your chance to leave the court with a trophy. Start thinking about the competition seven days before it starts, and you will see that every day is a stepping stone to the final success.

person-holding-black-and-green-tennis-racket-1103829_1

2020 08 10

Split step – it is all about the timing

AdminSelea 0

Looking at the tennis match, we can easily notice which areas of the performance are most apparent. Powerful strokes, quick movement, or balanced position are the factors that top players possess at the highest level, but these are not the only skills that decide about their ability to play effectively against the more advanced opponents. The whole process starts with a little jump, which is a split step.

Split step is an action that players learn during the first lesson on the court. Coaches make the athletes aware that the process of hitting the ball starts with a split step, so this ability has to be executed habitually to prepare an effective shot, especially during the intense rally. Players who have to remind themselves about making the little jump are usually unable to focus on tactical decisions that are crucial to dominate the rival during the point.

There is no doubt that the higher the level, the more important the split step is. Of course, at a beginner or intermediate level, the players cannot omit this crucial aspect. The main goal while executing a split step before every shot is allowing our body to produce the fastest possible reaction. As we know, the opponent does not give us too much time to prepare, so being late at the beginning can have disastrous effects on the final result of the stroke. A good split step is necessary to apply the individual techniques most efficiently and execute a tactical plan based on your strengths and the opponent’s weaknesses.

The typical player knows that a split step should be made when the opponent hits the ball. That statement is not entirely true, which is the reason for many mistakes in this really simple physical action. Additionally, the players falsely believe that they should land with both feet on the ground simultaneously, which is another reason why they do not move to the ball in the fastest way possible. If we add one more aspect, which is landing with feet quite close to each other, we have a total recipe for being slow in reaction and unable to prepare the shots effectively.

If we want to improve the quality of playing points, we have to start with the right approach to a split step. The action performed by the professionals in the field always displays the areas that should be addressed to all players’ training sessions. The right moment to start a little jump is right before the opponent hits the ball. It means that when the opponent is hitting the ball, the player should already reach the peak of the jump. This timing is necessary to be able to read the direction of the opponent’s shot and land on the court first with the opposite leg to the direction the player wants to move. This landing allows for turning into the direction we want to move and immediately start the movement after one leg touches the ground. It proves that a split step is not related only to the plyometric action, but it also forces the player to develop a good perception to assess when to start the whole action. Either we are late or too early with the jump, we cannot have a quick reaction that is necessary while responding to the surprising shots from the rival. Of course, landing with a wider base will also positively impact the first steps to the ball, so taking care of these aspects should be a priority for the players at all levels who think about the serious competition.

Split-step is performed before all the shots except the serve. Before forehand, backhand, or volley, the players should incorporate a small jump to increase the chances for a good execution and a lead in the score. However, it is quite difficult to assess when the timing is appropriate, so the players should record themselves and pay attention to the time of the jump and the specific technique of landing on the court. This is the base that athletes have to start with, keeping in mind that other physical abilities are also important to build the final of the split step. If the players have a problem with balance on one leg or cannot land on the front part of the foot, they cannot be able to be quick with the first steps, even while jumping at the right time.

Learning from the top players is a great way to get information that can be used during the individual practice sessions. The professional players perform excellently, because they repeat the simple actions until they reach the highest possible level of this ability. It is not about learning the most complex skills at once – the recipe to succeed in tennis is to gradually improve various areas of a given stroke. If we focus on quality repetitions during every training session, we can be sure that the split step becomes a habit that we execute unconsciously.

2020 07 31

New reality – ATP Challenger Tour tournaments are back

AdminSelea 0

The last tournaments of ATP Challenger Tour rank, which have successfully started, took place at the beginning of March, more precisely in its second week, and were played in the Potchefststroom and Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. Unfortunately, in both cases, the event was not finalized, and the competition was finished in the second round. The organizers of the event had no other option as the coronavirus pandemic was taking its toll all around the world, and nobody wanted the tennis players to get stuck in one of the countries for several days.

The fans of ATP Challenger Tour tournaments certainly miss the competition of this kind – as mentioned, the last matches on this level were played at the beginning of March – almost five months ago! However, it seems that the expectations will end in a few days. On 15th August, the inauguration of the games is planned, and there will be two tournaments – in Todi and Prague. It is known that we will have to deal with something completely new, and it is the tennis players who will feel the difference the most.

The most important changes concern the organizational issues. As you can imagine, the tennis player will only be able to take part in the tournament if he receives a negative result of a COVID-19 test. Thus, the player will have to register at the tournament venue in advance. In the case of the Czech competition, it will be Thursday (wild card tennis players and players from the elimination) and Saturday (main tournament, the same in Todi). This only means that sudden withdrawals from the ladders can be expected. The coronavirus pandemic is in such an advanced stage that single cases of infection are highly possible – as was the case with the Novak Djokovic and his Adria Tour, where too much freedom was allowed.

The ATP Challenger Tour itself should be considered a kind of a test before the main cycle events. After the ATP authorities resigned from hosting the ATP 500 tournament in Washington a few days ago, the Challenger Tour will be the first “post-COVID” event. Probably, it will largely depend on how the tournament proceeds whether tennis on the international level will return for good, or whether 2020 will have to be written off. After all, there are plans for two Grand Slam events – the US Open and Roland Garros.

Concerning the innovations introduced to the organization of ATP Challenger Tour tournaments, it should also be mentioned that tennis players will be able to stay with only one accompanying person. What’s more, each accompanying person, just like the tennis player, will have to be tested negative for COVID-19.

While in terms of sport little will change, the organizers of each event will have to face an extremely difficult task to complete. A lot is also in the hands of the tennis players, whose every single subordination will be very difficult to handle. Let the tournaments in Todi and Prague be just the beginning of this year’s adventure with new professional tennis.

AdminSelea

About AdminSelea

Posts by :

The great moments of the Polish tennis

The exhibition tournaments have come to an end – who will be remembered?

3 mistakes while practicing volleys

What are the symptoms of being overtrained?

Return to the tour from a player’s perspective

Can you build self-confidence?

Is Grand Slam not that grand?

One week before the tournament

Split step – it is all about the timing

New reality – ATP Challenger Tour tournaments are back

MENU

INFO

ACCOUNT

SOCIAL