INSTRUCTIONAL COLUMN
Cup of Joe
Waking up to the facts and myths of winning tennis.
In “Cup of Joe,” we want to evaluate accepted methods of how tennis should be played and coached in the context of the modern game. Some readers may conclude that many of the accepted ways of thinking are now obsolete; other readers may feel their importance is reinforced. Either way, we want to hear from you—about this current topic and on other topics you’d like us to address. Email me at joe@oncourtoffcourt.com and we will try to publish your comments in future columns.
‘Float Like a Butterfly’ or Bounce Like a Wind-Up Toy? By Joe Dinoffer USPTA and PTR Master Professional Junior athletes in all sports have a 41 percent chance of experiencing at least one injury related to their sport. In tennis, primary injuries are arms and legs, with feet, ankles and knees leading the list from the lower extremities. Combine this with the decades-long concern about hard tennis courts being much harder on a player’s legs as compared to clay-court play and red flags fly up like fireworks on the Fourth of July. Despite these facts, we’ve all seen the proud faces of coaches and parents as a 75-pound 10-year-old girl is bouncing non-stop with the intensity of a jackrabbit all over the court. Now, we’re not questioning whether or not quick and efficient movement is a requirement for higher and higher levels of play. It certainly is. But, what about the risk of injury due to the constant wear and tear on young ankles and knees? And, more importantly, what can be done about it? The dilemma is apparent. To be competitive and fight for the more than 10,000 college scholarships in the U.S., juniors are slugging it out on hard courts the vast majority of the time, playing weekend tournaments that often demand an incredulous three two-out-of-three-set matches each day of singles alone. Yes, nearly 50 percent of these children will get injured and most of those injuries are foot, ankle and knee injuries that are impact-related. What can be done?
Q: Why all the alarm now? Hasn’t this problem existed for decades? A: No. When I was growing up in competitive junior tennis in the late 1960s, it was mainly a five-month summer regimen, with much less play during the winter months due to limited indoor facilities. Nowadays it’s different. Year-round play is the norm as even in colder climates indoor courts are everywhere. Plus, thousands of elite juniors now train 12 months a year at any one of the multitude of academies in sunny areas like Florida, Texas and Southern California. Money has mainstreamed tennis.
Q: Do we really have any options? A: Yes. Think of boxer Muhammad Ali. Think of dancer Fred Astaire. Think of Yvonne Goolagong. Think
of Roger Federer. In their primes, they all would float like butterflies. And, you know what? They were all pretty much injury-free. Light is right!
Q: What about the split step? Is it necessary on every shot? A: No, not on all shots. While a well-timed split step can certainly help when moving forward to volley
and also when returning serve, many players are moving from the conventional and relatively heavyfooted split step to an agile shuffle to change directions on the baseline. If this shocks you, think of basketball or soccer. Both demand relentless, multi-directional movement, and the split step as we know it in tennis is non-existent.
Q: What about training? Competitive players are more fit and train harder than ever before. Don’t all players have to spend several hours in the gym each day if they want to succeed? A: Yes and no. The tendency nowadays is for too many junior athletes to over-train. Fitness and sports 30
TennisLife magazine
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