THE GAME OF AWARENESS
Tennis is awareness. The pursuit of technical, strategic, tactical, physical, mental awareness and of one's own personality is the common thread in every chapter of this book and in every approach I take to training.
Tennis exposes weaknesses and strengths. It makes you feel on the same level as others, since there is no one on the court you can ask for help.
There is you, your skills and your experience in an unpredictable situation, always different, where the only certainty is the awareness that comes with experience.
“Experience is not what happens to a man, but what a man achieves by using what happens to him.” This phrase by A. Huxley recalls my life motto “Homo faber fortunae suae” as the Romans once said, or also "Fortunae robur antecellit"; that is, man is the architect of his own destiny, just as the blacksmith tries to shape iron.I do not mean to say that if someone wants to, they can, as that would be presumptuous and omnipotent, but by relying on experience and their own sense of self-efficacy, which partly derives from experience, they can control the flow of events and change their course.
Personal fulfillment implies willpower. A. Schopenhauer said “…to subjugate intelligence to the will by appealing to irrational forces.” In life, an absolute will to act is needed, a categorical imperative as Kant defined it, to achieve goals and to get back up when you fall, in full awareness of your own effectiveness.
Self-efficacy represents a strong drive to act, to make choices, to change what is not working; it is a force that pushes us to fulfill ourselves, fully aware that existence will often make it waver, it is a power that gives meaning to life and that each of us carries within ourselves.
I took inspiration from highly successful coaches to develop training programs aimed at recognizing every part of oneself in order to then develop control over it or limit its involvement. From the search for a simple and clear method, such as the Spanish approach of Luis Bruguera for those who need certainties and solid reference points, to the development of foot support and proprioception by S. Sosa and A. Musulin, which are fundamental for solid technique. The analysis of visual training by postural and behavioral optometrists is the starting point for the pursuit of motor awareness. The chapters on psychomotor development analyze the building of motor literacy, where it becomes clear that no letter can be overlooked. The challenges in loss of balance train one to adapt to any situation, as E. Meyer maintains. The American methodology of G. Jaramillo recommends a monothematic approach to automate learning.My work, based on studies in motor sciences, further research afterwards, and above all direct experimentation first on myself and then on thousands of students, gave rise to "The Game of Awareness".
Index
About me …
1 INTRODUCTION
2 THE SPANISH METHOD
2.1 FROM BRUGUERA TO NADAL: THAT'S HOW THEY ALL DO IT
Even a mid-level player can enter the top fifty players in the world. Starting from this axiom and a specific methodology, Sergi's father (two-time Roland Garros winner) created the method that underlies the current dominance of Spain, the strongest tennis nation in the world. An Italian coach has studied it thoroughly and put it to the test of science. And he explains to us how and why the system works.3 SUPPORTS, BALANCE AND DOMINANCES
3.1 FROM THE UNITED STATES TO SPAIN. THEORIES ON SUPPORTS FROM EAN MEYER TO SALVADOR SOSA
3.2 IDEAL OR CUSTOMIZED PLACEMENTS? THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO MAKE LITTLE EFFORT
3.3 FIND THE BALANCE STEP BY STEP
How many times have we wondered why we hit a ball too far forward or too far back, losing our balance in one direction or another. With a series of off-court exercises, using the step, we can improve coordination and footwork
3.4 IMPROVE YOUR BALANCE WITH BALANCE BOARDS
3.5 STOP BEING ACROBATS
It often happens during a match to hit from "precarious" positions, off balance backwards or to the side. For ordinary people, this is synonymous with error, but there are professionals who have even turned it into a winning technique, training strength and endurance
3.6 AND WHICH “SIDE” ARE YOU ON?
It happens to notice how movements and executions on one side of our body are quick and fluid, while everything is more awkward on the opposite side. It's all due to lateral dominance, typical of sports with moving objects. But this can be fixed. We'll explain how
4 IMPULSES
4.1 PUT THAT BALL IN PLACE OF THE RACKET
Performing exercises that mimic basic strokes with the weighted ball allows you to get used to coordinating the movement of the arms and legs correctly, resulting in heavier, deeper, and more precise shots. Even trying to hit the ball with the "big ball"
4.2 PUT A SPRING IN YOUR STEP
A correct execution does not depend only on technique. Leg movement, footwork, and pushes are fundamental to improve any play. Just a few simple exercises are enough to give your shots an extra edge.
4.3 PRESS THE BUTTON AND FIRE THE SHOT
To improve leg push, it is not so necessary to bend them, as is often said during a lesson, but it is enough to act with the foot on the ground as if you had to press a button. Here is a series of situations and specific exercises
5 MOVEMENTS
5.1 THE TRAVEL MATRIX
5.2 A ZIG ZAG GAME
One of the most complicated aspects to manage on the field concerns the multitude of movements that can compromise the correct execution of the shot. The proper transfer of body weight while running is by no means a given. That’s why this action should be trained, so as not to find yourself “out of place” once in competition.
5.3 IN THE BACKHAND CONTROL THE WEIGHT
In performing this fundamental shot, the main source of error is due to body imbalance during execution. Balance varies depending on whether you play this shot with one or two hands, aggressively or safely. Here is a guide that will help us limit missteps, with useful exercises to train for every situation.
5.4 WALK OR RUN? HOW MUCH USELESS ENERGY DO YOU WASTE DURING A MATCH?
6 TACTICS
6.1 MINITENNIS: LET'S START WITH TACTICS
Strategy should be part of basic teaching even for the youngest children. Instructing them on the goal rather than the means, which is commonly the technique, is the best way to train both aspects. The different finishes of strokes and spins are in fact just tools to achieve the objective. This way, conveying the message will be easier, without neglecting the fun.
6.2 A PREVENTION PATHWAY FOR HEALTHY PSYCHOMOTOR DEVELOPMENT
6.3 MINITENNIS … FOR ADULTS
Smaller courts, depressurized balls, and junior rackets can be excellent tools for learning even as adults. Or for updating an elegant but somewhat outdated technique. This way, dads can train with their younger children
6.4 THE PASSERBY, THIS UNKNOWN
Passing an opponent who is attacking by rushing the net is not easy, also because there are many variations and the game situation does not make it easy to position your legs. There is little time available, you have to quickly decide how to hit. This is a situation that professionals are used to facing, but not so much club players.
6.5 HOW ARE YOU DOING?
In a match, sooner or later, the moment comes: we are forced to defend, with the opponent eagerly taking the net. This is when knowing how to execute a passing shot and being able to analyze different attacks can prove really useful.
7 MENTAL TRAINING
7.1 THE THEORY OF ZONES AND LEVELS
7.2 FIND YOUR SAFETY MARGIN
Even the champions do it, holding back their shots in length and width to minimize errors as much as possible. It helps to take control of the game, to build the point without taking risks. Here’s how to measure the tolerance of your shots and train to attack with winning success rates.
7.3 WE LEARN BY SCORING GOALS
Training and fun can go hand in hand if the exercise methods combine technical-tactical objectives with playful dynamics inspired by other sports. These systems also help maintain high concentration, as if you were in the middle of a match.
7.4 MATCH ANALYSIS
7.5 VICTORY AND DEFEAT. HOW TO INTERPRET THEM
8 CHECK UP AND VISUAL TRAINING
8.1 A COMPLETE CHECK-UP BEFORE TRAINING
How to proceed and which tests to undergo before starting sports activity
8.2 VISUAL TRAINING
English speakers call it Visual Training, a visual education technique that improves functional problems. It has been established that it is possible to understand when and where we see the widest field, why we prefer one shot over another, and the factors common to musculoskeletal pathologies and injuries. An innovative method that, not by chance, has also been adopted by a certain Roger Federer
8.3 TIMING IS SKILL, NOT TALENT
The right timing, the one that allows us to hit and make the ball run without too much effort, is not an innate gift of the player but a skill that must be trained. Vision problems can therefore represent quite an obstacle. Are you sure you see well? Here are some exercises that may help you
8.4 RESPONDING BLINDFOLDED
Serve and return are the key shots in modern tennis: the latter is often not trained much. Yet it can be greatly improved by using visual training, which helps to see the ball earlier and better and, as a result, not tense up during execution.
8.5 THE GAME ON THE FLY
9 SPORT AND SOCIAL REHABILITATION
In an overcrowded, multiethnic, and multicultural context such as our prisons are in this historical period, sports activities have added value: they are a language accessible to everyone and therefore do not exclude anyone
10 INTERVIEWS WITH THE CHAMPIONS
11 THE DIET OF THE TENNIS PLAYER AND BEYOND
12 TENNIS, MIRROR OF THE SOUL
Bibliography