Nadal | Bagels & Breadsticks

Symbiosis in Tennis

Posted on March 31, 2016 by odendevelopment

How an Algebraic Equation could be a Technical Roadmap to Learning

By Walter Oden, USPTA Elite Professional

$Hangover Math$

Introduction:

How do you describe your teaching philosophy? Mine continues to evolve. Yet, I think I may be able to summarize it with a single mathematical formula. In my previous blog post Another Theory of Relativity, I posed a concept. The premise was that some technical components are CONSTANTS while others are simply RELATIVE to the user and/or the beholder of the technique.

Below, I will delve deeper into the concept of the technical constants. In fact, I will hypothesize that some of these constants have a symbiotic relationship. Each of these constants may need the other in order to survive and operate efficiently.

The constants defined:

Balance Awareness = B(x)

Contact Point Awareness = C(x)

Racquet Face Awareness & Grips = Rg(x)

I refer to the above constants as “States of Awareness”. This is a critical component to mastering a technical constant. It is not simply achieving the technical goal, but rather your “Kinesthetic Awareness” of the state. Awareness means the user can change the characteristics of the CONSTANTS and change the desired result.

Awareness 1

Therefore, if we were to describe this algebraically we might create the following expression:

Wc(x) = World Class Tennis Awareness

Wc(x) = B(x) + C(x) + Rg(x)

Why Algebra?

Algebraic process requires that you solve for the independent variables. That is the premise of expressing this hypothesis algebraically. As we further our discussion below, it is this independent variable premise that makes our algebraic process on point.

Symbiosis defined:

sym•bi•o•sis

NOUN: pl. sym•bi•o•ses

Biology A close, prolonged association between two or more different organisms of different species that may, but does not necessarily, benefit each member.
A relationship of mutual benefit or dependence. Things that are symbiotic rely upon each other for success.

Zebra 2 with Birds

Many animals in the Serengeti rely upon birds to eat the insects off their backs. There are bacteria in your stomach that assist with digestion. In fact, you can’t talk about the evolution of species without talking about symbiosis. Does tennis have similar symbiotic relationships? Do we have to answer the chicken and egg story to get to the real answer? Or can things be mutually exclusive and be successful?

Symbiotic Hypothesis

Here is the premise: It may be necessary for a player to have great awareness of all three technical CONSTANTS independent of one another to master stroke production. That is why we used algebra above.

For example, can I really hit a ball IN FRONT without having GOOD BALANCE and the correct angle of RACQUET FACE? If I am out of balance in this example, I will likely fall over when trying to reach in front. Could being out of balance (for extended periods) force my contact point in an adaptive way? Could hitting late really be a function of prolonged practice in an out of balance state? If my racquet face is too open, hitting in front might make my shots fly. Could this force another unconscious adaptation? What about grips? Could grips be floating out of a range of acceptability to adapt to missing technical constant? I say these are all plausible.

Compensation and Improvisation

I want to point out that well developed players (Those with great awareness Balance, Contact Point and Racquet Face) can survive on individual shots missing a technical constant. Yet, they don’t survive without their state of awareness. It is this awareness that allows players to improvise and compensate with other skills.

For example, being late on a ball can be a function of my opponent’s ball. If Novak rips a backhand cross court, Nadal might be a little late as he hustles to the ad court corner. Nadal being a world class player can hit a ball up with heavy spin and his famous reverse finish. The result is as intended, he neutralized Novak’s attack.

Nadal Action 2

The ability to improvise and compensate is the ultimate sign of skill and awareness. How many times have great players been in the wrong grip on a shot, but hit the ball anyway with a decent result? That is a result of racquet face awareness.

Fed Tweener.gif

How about players being pushed way out of balance? This player may compensate with a much shorter swing or block to defend that moment. Again, balance awareness has led to other skills to compensate for moments when the player is out of balance.

Novak out of balance

Brain Hemisphere/Lateralization Theory and Tennis

There has been a little backlash from the neuro-scientific community on using terms like RIGHT BRAIN/LEFT BRAIN. That is because pure neuroscientists (not neuropsychologists) have plenty of brain scan data to show that all humans use both hemispheres of their brain. In fact, there is no specific data (based on current technology) to show that one human being will tend to complete a task starting in a hemisphere different from another human. I might argue that empirical and observational science may still be in conflict here.

Brain 2.gif

Yet, personality typing (like Myers-Briggs) continues to be well accepted. Where do different personalities emanate? Subtleties in the brain. The use of terms like Right Brain versus Left Brain have many historical reference points. This article will not delve into those. Yet, I wish to make reference to these terms to describe differences in humans and their preferred STYLE in processing data. So, without arguing the merits of the science, I still feel we can describe a person in terms of their dominant TRAITS. Therefore,

Right Brain – Holistic, Intuitive, Feel, Emotional

Left Brain – Process, Order, Segmented

Skills, Learning and Teaching by Brain/Personality Type

In terms of learning an advanced foundation in tennis, some skills are more Right Brain than others. I would claim that all states of awareness (Balance, Contact Point & Racquet Face Management) are Right Brain skills. Let’s just agree to call intuitive/feel skills Right Brain.

In fact, it is the “state of awareness” premise that by definition completes the argument. Right Brain versus Left Brain Dominance in students has a lot to do with how a student learns these skills. We can take a step further. The brain dominance of a particular teacher/coach can also impact how a student learns these skills

During my presentation at the 2004 World Conference on Tennis (La Quinta), I posed many questions about brain dominance and learning styles.

http://www.tennisresources.com/video/right-brain-vs-left-brain-dominance-and-its-impact-on-tennis-and-humanity/?r=1&width=1366&Height=768

I actually have changed my mind on a statement I made during that presentation. I commented that practicing just contact point was a left brain cue. I am convinced that contact point/timing awareness lies in the realm of intuition (right brain)

What order should I learn it?

Chicks 2 and Eggs

The premise alone tells it all. There is NO order. They should all be learned concurrently but independent of one another. Again, I refer to algebra. Developing specific awareness of each state independent of the other states will allow the student to make corrections during the learning phase and playing phases.

A possible starting point

Although I make the statement above that no one constant should be taught before the other, there are teaching processes that work well.

Balance awareness seems to be the critical first step because of the methods used to teach it. There are lots of ways to teach Balance Awareness. In 2014, I had the pleasure of presenting at the USPTA Midwest Division Conference on this topic. I called it Balance Awareness (The Anchor Constant). The premise was to share ideas on teaching Balance Awareness as a separate variable to the bigger equation.

An example of teaching a single variable

One of the simplest is teaching players to hold their finish on the follow through. This teaches the player to feel whether they were IN or OUT of balance on a particular shot. It also forces a newer student to develop a feel for a full stroke without emphasis on IN and OUT.

Maria Holding Finish

The beauty of teaching with this (tried and true) drill is you can use it to create a positive learning environment. For example, teaching a student to hit and hold their finish (3 second golf rule), you are able to say “Great balance” even though a player may have missed the shot. This lets you emphasize and teach balance awareness separate from other components. It also isolates success from missing a shot.

Other benefits to this teaching process include a preemptive strike on a common follow through flaw/symptom later. I might argue that many apparent follow through issues in a player’s game are simply caused by balance issues.

Some pitfalls during the teaching of technical constants

Video Game Pitfall

Students of all levels are highly motivated by things that may not always contribute to long-term learning. In versus Out is one of those things. Teaching technical constants/states of awareness requires a very positive coaching environment since there will be many shots missed during the process. Experienced players with flaws in their technical constants may need to believe in the fix before they start the work. Why? You may be asking a player to start missing shots to fix or improve a skill.

Conclusions:

The longer I coach, the more I realize there are a lot of ways to get to a final goal. There are many paths through a forest. The ocean can be traversed by many different ships on many different courses. The goal is to know where you are going. I believe that players that have B(x) + C(x) + Rg(x) can have many stylistic differences. Yet at their core, they share these constants.

Gulbis 3

Boring Copyright History

It all started in 2003 when I first started presenting on Right Brain versus Left Brain Dominance and its Impact on Tennis and Humanity. Those presentations included presenting on the topic at the 2004 World Conference on Tennis (La Quinta). Throughout the last 13 years, many more presentations and articles have followed. Many can be found on my other blog “I Have an Idea”.

http://odendevelopment.wordpress.com

In 2008, I started my project on summarizing my theory of using an algebraic equation to describe the teaching of tennis fundamentals. I wrote an article in 2009 published by TennisOne.com called: Racquet Face Awareness and the Floating Grip.

Versions of this article were posted on my Facebook wall as a precursor to my 2014 presentation at USPTA Midwest Division Conference (Columbus, Ohio). My topic there was: Balance Awareness (The Anchor Constant).

I am completely thankful for your time and feedback.

Copyright Information:

Pressure

Posted on December 3, 2015 by odendevelopment

May the force be with you

by Walter Oden, USPTA Elite Professional

Luke and Yoda

“The difference between a good quarterback and a great quarterback is how they deal with pressure” – Tom Brady during is interview on The Brady 6 (ESPN).

I originally wrote this article in 2010. I think Tom Brady walks the walk. He has shown unbelievable ability to deal with pressure.

The History and Reason for Repost

I think each time I edited this article there was another tennis match that exemplified the discussion on pressure. I also saw a post in a coaching group I follow on Facebook. It asked about opinions on the concept of pressure.

This year we witnessed Serena Williams going for the calendar year Grand Slam. Was the pressure just too great? It sure looked that way. Then there was Novak Djokovic at the Tour Championships in London. He looked like a player with no pressure at all.

Billie Jean King and a Definition of Pressure

Billie Jean King’s famous saying and book is “Pressure is a Privilege”. If you are a teaching professional, try running 20 kids on one court? Now that’s pressure! I am not sure that all pressure is a privilege. I think we all perceive pressure differently.

Billie Jean & Walt Oden at 2013 USTA Midwest Section Annual Meeting

Tennis players are often defined by their ability to deal with pressure. Rafael Nadal has been pressure bullet proof at times. The great ones seem to bring a bigger game when there is pressure. In 2009, I heard Mary Carillo describe Roger Federer in terms of “he seems to be playing like there is no pressure”. Doesn’t that statement apply to Novak Djokovic this year?

My best assessment is that pressure is a life force that exists in the universe. We sometimes apply pressure and other times are the recipient of pressure. We need pressure to live and other times pressure can be our demise.

If pressure is a fact, then we can’t prevent it. We might look at pressure like gravity. Once you accept this fact, you may be able to use it to your advantage. Gravity could be looked at as a limiting factor. It keeps us down and slow. Creative minds have been able to use the FACT of gravity to create positive things for society. Hydroelectric dams use gravity to create electricity. If we can harness gravity, then could we harness pressure?

Pressure Gauge

For us to be able to harness “pressure”, we first need to understand it in all its forms. Here are some ideas of the different kinds of pressures that might exist in tennis and life:

External versus Internal Pressures – Some pressures are created by others or environment. Some pressures are home brewed. These internal pressures need to be controlled or at least HIDDEN from our opponents. We need to prepare for both internal and external pressures. Knowing that an opponent tends to have bad sportsmanship in advance of a match is a way to prepare for an external pressure. Knowing that I will be nervous during the first four games and having a game plan to offset that pressure is a great example of preparing for an internal pressure.

Pressure Panaceas – These are the intended or unintended things that reduce pressure. Sometimes, having an opponent freak out is one of these panaceas. In other words, I could be panicking inside when all of a sudden my opponent starts yelling and throwing his racquet. Suddenly, my pressure drops. Winning a first set is a common pressure panacea. These can have both positive and negative impacts.

Egg Pressure

Moral Pressure – Showing superior ethics or morality to an opponent forcing or willing them into similar behavior. This is making close calls IN FAVOR of your opponent early in a match. Saying the phrase “good shot, close enough” makes an opponent feel they need to return the favor. This kind of pressure has been mostly eliminated from professional matches. Yet, this kind of pressure is perfect for setting the tone in a junior or adult league match.

Skill Pressure – Showing or seeing superior skill and consistency. Skill pressure is often apparent in the warm up. I can only imagine a warm-up with Nadal, Federer or Djokovic. Former Ohio State standout Phillip Metz used to talk about trying to “win the warm-up”. He was applying skill pressure.

Emotional Pressure – Emotional pressure goes in two directions. Applying emotional pressure can be quiet or loud. Being very quiet and internal can apply pressure by showing no emotion. Pumping oneself verbally can also apply emotional pressure. On the other hand, we can apply negative emotional pressure to ourselves. Acting scared, yelling at bad shots or complaining about bad calls can create an internal pressure.

Helmet Pressure

Physical Pressure – is complicated. It can be making points go really long. Grinders tend to apply physical pressure. Nadal definitely comes to mind. It can also be a size or strength thing. Big players can exert a physical pressure by using their pace or size. I feel Stan Wawrinka applies a lot of physical pressure with his strength and pace. Physical Pressure can be non verbal too. You notice how Rafa runs back to the baseline before a match begins? When Rafa was in his prime, do you think he was letting you know what kind of physical pressure was coming?

“Street Cred” Pressure – Remember when Roger Federer had undeniable street cred? Tiger Woods used to have street cred. Novak Djokovic is the new sheriff of street cred. Who are you betting on in the 5th set of a major? If you are the opponent of a great one, you know what Street Cred pressure is all about. Yes, both Tiger and Roger may have lost some Street Cred. Yet in their prime, these are perfect examples.

Embarrassment Pressure – This is the most common pressure that juniors face. It is the pressure that they might lose to a younger or lower ranked player that is good. The fear of embarrassment can actually be truly paralyzing. It is always easier to play well against someone that is supposed to beat you. On the other hand, playing a player you are supposed to beat with a crowd? That is a different story. Is it possible that Serena faced a little “embarrassment pressure” against Roberta Vinci?

Vinci and Serena

Post Traumatic Loss Pressure – This is the pressure that is self imposed from taking a bad loss. Sometimes this is related to or a result of embarrassment loss. Some players have a hard time with this one. I wonder how Ronda Rousey is dealing with this right now?

Rousey Matchup

You might call this a SLUMP or “they are not playing well recently”. This is also related to CONFIDENCE PRESSURE. I think Andy Roddick faced this late in his career. As a player approaches the end of their career, losses can create a pressure all their own.

Confidence Pressure – The pressure created by confidence or a lack of confidence. This could be as specific as a stroke like a backhand or serve. As we lack confidence, the pressure grows and creates a growing storm. This pressure has an ebb and flow. I can have confidence and lose it all in the same game. This is a mystery all its own.

Condition Pressure – This is pressure created literally or implicitly by the conditions we are playing under. These could be wind, sun or heat OR time of day. These could also be the venue. Bad courts or bad crowds are in the category of Condition Pressure. Condition pressures are external pressures that are specific to my surroundings. The pressure is often created by unfamiliarity with the condition. It could also be related to specific people watching your match. Juniors often feel pressure when a certain parent is watching.

Andy Murray

Andy Murray and Wimbledon Trophy

There really should be a special category just for him. So here it is. Andy Murray has faced a special kind of pressure from an entire country. He deserves a special award for overcoming the pressure of history. Andy got to share the final feather in his cap with his brother. By helping his team win the Davis Cup for Britain, he overcame another British drought. Winning a gold medal, Wimbledon and Davis Cup with pressure of the United Kingdom had to be unbearable. Andy came through like a future hall of famer. Tim Henman wasn’t so lucky.

Some concluding thoughts

Pressure is a fact. If you have a family, you feel pressure every day. Every American is feeling financial pressure. These are the facts of life. Pressure in tennis is a fact as well. Maybe this is why tennis is such a great device to teach people to cope with pressure. The key to understanding pressure is accepting its existence and preparing for its specific manifestation.

Is pressure really a privilege? I suppose for those that deal with it well and win in a big situations. For others, it is paralyzing and debilitating. Yet, if we can accept pressure as a fact we may be able to utilize it to our advantage. The day that Sir Isaac Newton was able to define gravity, great minds had already figured out how to use it.

Consider this concept: “Pressure is a force; use the force”

Luke Lego

Tennis & Poker

Posted on January 21, 2015 by odendevelopment

How to compete in tennis like a poker player

By Walter Oden

Introduction:

Did you see that epic battle last night? Nadal fought off cramps, dizziness and overall malaise to win the 4 hour plus match against Wisconsin native Tim Smyczek. In the post match interview this morning, Nadal was very honest. He essentially said he wasn’t feeling his best, but he had to fake it and fight. As we watch these epic battles, we all witness the mental, physical and emotional struggle. In fact, it often reminds me of another battle with international talent; The World Poker Tour.

Premise:

One of my annual traditions has been attending a New Year’s Day night poker tournament. It is hosted by my Physicist/Teacher friend Al Golden. He and his buddies are high stakes players. Yes, they pull out a thousand in cash and buy a couple hundred dollars in chips to start any cash game. This limits how often I can play with them. Thank goodness there are tournaments.

Tournaments are great because there is a set “buy-in”. Al’s event has never been more than about $50. You play as long as you have chips. I have gotten to heads up play twice in 7 years. I have never won the event. “Heads up” play means it is down to two players.

Another motivation for this article is that I play poker with my kids almost every day. My youngest (Age 5) has a real knack for the game. In fact, he is even good at betting. He is also good at fixing the deck. I will talk about that in a future article.

Let’s Set the Table

I will use clips from the movie Rounders throughout this article. Here is the trailer. This is a fantastic movie. Watch the trailer right now. You will want to watch it tonight! If you like Matt Damon, Edward Norton and John Malkovich you will be in heaven.

Trailer to Movie Rounders

The Tennis Connection to Poker

It always makes me laugh how often former/current tennis players play poker. Some even convert to poker professionals. The most famous from my era is Vince van Patten. This former Southern California pro and son of Eight is Enough star (Dick Van Patten) is the host of many World Poker Tour events.

Yevgeny Kafelnikov

This former Russian great traded his tennis career for the poker tables and golf courses. Although most websites list him as a professional golfer, some wonder if that title is accurate with all his success at poker tables. For those of you that don’t remember Yevgeny, his sweet backhand got him both a French Open and Australian Open title. He also won majors in doubles and a gold medal.

Wanted to see how a level headed Yevgeny plays a poker hand?

Kafelnikov Professional Poker Highlight

Boris Becker

As we watch Boris help lead team Djokovic, I have to wonder what poker techniques he is showing Novak. Boris Becker may be one of the most exciting tennis players in history. We can all remember trying to dive on the on the court and do a “Becker”. Becker’s dives became synonymous with his playing style. He was really amazing. Boris is another former player that trades time with the poker tables. You think he might be playing a couple of games in Melbourne right now?

I would bet that Boris used his experience on the Poker tables to teach Novak a lesson or two about how to win. Some of those strategies will be described later. I sure hope Becker’s recent financial woes are not related to high stakes poker.

Rafael Nadal

Will the real Rafa please stand up, please stand up! I am not sure anyone will ever understand the soul of Rafa Nadal. He is the ultimate mystery man. I did another blog post about his handedness.

Cross Hand Dominance

In addition to knocking on the door of the all-time major wins record, Rafa is an avid poker player. In fact, there are signs that he could become a professional poker player in his second life. What is it that attracts him to poker? Is it the pressure? Is it the stakes? Does he play poker the way he plays tennis? Or, is poker his alter ego?

Other former players

If you are a poker fan, you already know there are other former tennis players “killing” it in professional poker. This list includes Gus Hansen (former Dutch tennis player) and Patrick Antonius. I am positive I have missed someone. This is where your comments will help fill in the gaps.

Anna Kournakova

There is nothing like a tease. I put a picture of the iconic Anna Kournakova at the beginning of this article. You had to ask what is this all about. If you are a poker player, you get it. Our friend Vince Van Patten coined the term the “Anna Kournakova”.

Ace-King unsuited in the hole. “It looks great, but never wins”. Everyone uses this term in poker. Thanks Vince!

How to play Texas Hold em

Since we are about to talk about specifics in the game, I need to describe the most popular game to our non-poker players. No Limit Texas Hold Em is the most common game used in tables across the world. All the biggest tournaments play this format. Want to know more? I am going to let our friend Matt Damon describe how to play.

Terminology and Tennis

We have already talked about Anna. Much like tennis, there are so many terms in poker. I figured I would share a couple of common ones and talk about their connection to tennis.

Playing Tight

This describes a style of play. If you are playing tight, you are only betting on great hands. You are not bluffing much. You will fold if the cards don’t give you an excellent chance to win. Who in tennis plays this way? My vote is for Novak Djokovic. I often make reference to him centering the ball throughout rallies to reset. He is a master of extending rallies and NOT going for it. Novak has become a master of playing “tight” to extend matches.

Playing Loose

This one seems obvious. We use this term in tennis all the time. When a players starts making a lot of unforced errors, we refer to it as playing a loose. Nick Kyrigios comes to mind. When he beat Nadal last year, no one can argue that he was “going for it”. That is exactly what playing loose does for a player in Poker or Tennis. The payoff is big, the failure rate is high.

I check the stats on Nick’s first round 5 set win over Delbonis. Nick had 61 winners and 50 unforced errors. His opponent won 154 points. That means he had about a 33% unforced error rate. Was he playing tight or loose? By the way, against Karlovic he only had 13 unforced errors.

Check, Raise, Fold & All In

The term “check” means essentially “pass” in poker. If I am the first to bet (on the button) I can either Check, Raise or Fold. Checking means I will pass to the next player to decide. In tennis, this is what we call a “neutral ball”. Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are masters of this skill. They will calmly center the ball and let their opponent decide what to do next.

A “raise” in poker is where you challenge the table by adding more money to the pot. Opponents must do one of three things. They can “call” the bet which is essentially matching the bet. You can also “raise” again. The final option is to “fold” essentially conceding the hand.

In tennis, a “check” is hitting a neutral ball. A “raise” is creating some offense. I see “folding” as defending. Losing the hand after making a bet on bad cards is an unforced error.

Going “All in” is a term used in no limit games. That means you can bet ALL of your chips at any time. If your opponents “call” your bet, they have to match it and hope they have a better hand. Otherwise, they have to fold and you win the pot.

Watch Novak “check” repeatedly in this famous rally with Rafa at the 2012 Aussie Open. Notice how Novak could only check for so long before he had to go “All in

Big stack/Short Stack

This poker term describes how many chips you have. Having the “big stack” means you are the chip leader at the table. You stack determines your style of play. Having the “short stack” means you might play “tight” for a while. On the other hand, many players panic and go “all in” before they have to. This is exactly what happens in a tennis match. A player that is behind has a choice to play consistent or go for it. The same can be said for a player with a lead. Do you play consistent and wait for the opponent to panic? Or, do you get really aggressive and try to close out the match? There are benefits and pitfalls to both strategies. Tennis players and poker players face big stacks and small stacks every day.

Outs

I actually use this term in coaching tennis all the time. An “out” is a player that is losing a hand and needs certain cards to win. For instance, my opponent has a “set” of Aces. That means three of a kind. I currently have nothing to beat that hand. I currently have (4) clubs though. That means if I get another club (one of my outs) I would have a flush. Then, I would beat the (3) aces.

Tennis is no different. The most obvious example is a passing shot. My opponent has attacked my backhand and is pressing. My outs could be a down the line pass, a cross court angle pass or lob. Another out might be hitting a heavy topspin shot below the opponent’s net line.

Teaching players how to assess “outs” is an important skill in developing defense. All the great players in today’s game (Roger, Rafa, Novak and Andy) know what their “outs” are in a particular situation. They practice them. This is also true for MMA fighters. But that is a different article.

Bluff & Tells

The “tells” is one of my favorite connections to tennis. The great players in both poker and tennis can have powers of observation that allows them to figure out what hand they are holding. Want to learn more about tells in poker? Check out this quick clip from Rounders.

Tennis players are always looking for tells. Is my opponent tired? Is my opponent nervous or scared? Is my opponent angry? Does my opponent have doubts?

At the same time, tennis players are always trying to “bluff”. A bluff is faking your hand. This is usually done in poker by betting aggressively. In tennis, you might smile or keep a stoic demeanor. That Novak smile in big situations is a perfect example. Players that are good at bluffing are said to have a “Poker Face”. That term seems to rhyme with “Djoker Face”. Coincidence?

Buying the pot (A form of bluffing)

The premise is simple. Bet enough money and give the impression of having a good enough hand to beat everyone. The goal is to get everyone to lay down (fold) their hands. Tennis players try to do this by showing their weapons. Sometimes serving bombs or cracking big forehands can create a fear in some opponents. The key to “buying a pot” in poker and tennis is being in the right mindset. In other words, it is not always believing you have the best hand. You are simply trying to impact your opponents play. This is important because making big bets or hitting big shots and “hoping” to win may lead to bad results.

Conclusions:

The game of tennis is said to be mostly mental at the highest level. How you respond to these stresses directly impacts your play and your opponent’s play.

Is it the emotion of high stakes that attracts tennis players to poker? Are tennis players addicted to pressure? Is pressure a fix? We all remember the gambling stories of such high profile athletes as Pete Rose and Michael Jordan. Do all athletes share this addiction?

How about business leaders? Poker principles can be applied to business and life as well. You can fill in the blanks. Thanks for reading!

Another Theory of Relativity

Posted on October 23, 2014 by odendevelopment

Relatives versus Constants

By Walter Oden, USPTA (Elite Professional)

Introduction

What is your coaching philosophy? I wrote the first version of this article over 5 years ago. It was the beginning of an evolution in my coaching style. I was recently revisiting how I perceive different coaching philosophies. Therefore, this seemed to be a logical first blog post.

The Concept

The genius of Albert Einstein has so many layers. Einstein received many of his accolades for his Theory of Special Relativity. I interviewed local science guru Alan Golden on the topic.

“One of the foundations of the theory (of relativity) is the fact that the speed of light is a constant for all observers regardless of their relative motion. The (experimentally proven) ramifications of this fact mean that other quantities that we usually think of as unchanging such as length, mass, and time become relative and will be different for different observers.”

You may be wondering as your read this article why bring up Einstein in tennis terms. It is this premise of relativity that may help us to better understand advanced teaching of techniques and tactics.

In talking with colleague professionals over the year, I have noticed differences in terms of things that are relative (variable) and things that are constant. In addition, techniques that we consider unchanging may become relative and different for different observers. Let’s use the forehand as an example. It may be critical to understand the differences between CONSTANTS and RELATIVES in terms of teaching the forehand. If you have very specific opinions about how to teach a stroke, you are a PRO that defines many fundamentals in terms of CONSTANTS. If you are this type of PRO, very few things are RELATIVE in terms of teaching the forehand. Things that fall outside your definition of CONSTANTS may be considered “incorrect” or “wrong”.

Right versus Wrong

This reminds me of my teaching style over fifteen years ago. I had very strong opinions about RIGHT and WRONG. I realized as I have discussions with younger pros that I have changed.

Does this make PROS that teach in terms of pure CONSTANTS wrong? Maybe not. Their teaching approach is personal and could be effective with a certain type of student. On the other hand, if they think ALL other teaching approaches are WRONG, they may have to reassess their definitions of CONSTANTS.

There is rare teaching theory that considers EVERYTHING as a “relative”. Constants may just be a perception or relative to the shot being hit. There may be some truth to this. On the other hand, teaching under this premise may be difficult when developing foundations for beginners.

The Forehand

Let’s give some specifics to this argument of RELATIVES and CONSTANTS. Here is a great example: What is drastically different about Rafael Nadal and Jerzy Janowicz’s forehand? It is obviously the grip! Therefore, grips are RELATIVE on the tour. In fact, we can build a continuum to visually represent this RELATIVITY.

Here are five players along a GRIP continuum.

|Western —-Semi Western———Weak Semi Western———–Eastern————Continental|

|—Nadal———–Djokovic—————Federer————–Del Potro———–Janowicz—|

Let’s ignore Jerzy Janowicz in the analysis for the moment . How well do/did Nadal, Djokovic, Federer and Del Potro hit their forehands? Each of these players has won a major and has used their forehand as a weapon. Therefore, the answer is obvious. They have/had BIG FOREHANDS.

Therefore, it is NOT their RELATIVE grips that make their forehands great. The next question is what do those players have in common with one another?

Commonalities

Do they have world class balance?
Do they hit the ball consistently in a world class contact point?
Do they use a range racquet face angles for different skills?
Can they manage their backswings to deal with different balls (Speed, Height and Spin)?
Can they change between a linear skill (flat) and an angular skill (topspin)?

The answer is obviously YES to all of these. Therefore, these might be the CONSTANTS between pro forehands.

Why does this material matter? Why do we need to know what is RELATIVE and what is CONSTANT?

Considerations in Teaching

We must consider that making a technical CHANGE to something RELATIVE will ONLY work if you have mastered the CONSTANTS. We might even consider a statement to summarize this philosophy:

It is the commonalities or CONSTANTS between World Class players that should be a priority rather than their RELATIVE differences

Let’s create a bullet point list to analyze possible CONSTANTS and RELATIVES on the Forehand

Constants

World Class Contact Point Awareness (Generally much farther in front than amateurs)
World Class Dynamic & Static Balance Awareness (Upper body is generally very still during hitting other than rotation)
Racquet face angle awareness and management (Racquet Angle changes are critical. This can include subtle grip changes to assist with this process)
Backswing awareness and management (Pros use a variety of backswings to deal with different ball speeds and trajectories)
Spin feel and management (Most world class players create spins with feel)
Ability to use angular momentum and linear momentum in a variety of combinations based on an intended goal.

Relative

(All relative to individual teaching pro, the observer of the skill AND the player hitting the shot)

Timing of racquet back
Length of racquet back
Height of racquet back
Height of contact point (Pros use a variety of heights)
Follow through positions

There is an endless list of RELATIVES. That is because it is based on the eye of the observer of the physical skill. Just like Einstein’s definition.

Definition of Teaching Preferences

I would fail in this discussion on teaching if I did not bring up the definition of PREFERENCES. A teaching preference is exactly what it sounds like. Yet, it may NOT be a CONSTANT. In fact, some PREFERENCES are RELATIVE.

For example, I prefer to teach linear momentum as a foundation. I like to add spin skill sets along the way. I know some coaches that are all about ANGULAR MOMENTUM right out of the gates. We are both right as long as the teaching PREFERENCE fits the student’s long term development goals. We are also right as long as we don’t confuse PREFERENCES with CONSTANTS.

Skill versus Technique

Another consideration in our premise of RELATIVES versus CONSTANTS is the difference between skill and technique. Most coaches would tend to agree on one premise. They want their students to have a lot of skill. Therefore, technique is simply a process that helps students develop skill. Have you ever had a student naturally produce a skill without teaching them the technique? I think it happens all the time. In these cases, we may not want to add too much technique to remove a natural skill unless is has long term limitations.

RIght Brain versus Left Brain Teaching

WIthout too much detail in this area, I wanted to throw out another related concept. I have always felt that teaching professionals can be categorized in two ways. You are either a RIGHT BRAIN coach or LEFT BRAIN coach. Left Brain coaching is highly process oriented. It uses lots of details. In fact, the premise is to put together many different reference points to achieve an overall bigger stroke goal. Right Brain coaching starts with the final result as the premise for teaching. Most Right Brain coaches are more focused on the “feel” of the stroke. The individual reference points don’t matter unless they are impacting the final result. Teaching the “feel” of topspin without too many technical restrictions would be an example of a Right Brain teaching technique. Right Brain coaches are more holistic. Left Brain coaches are more detailed oriented. Both teaching methods have been historically successful if they match the students preferred learning style.

A Final Thought

My friend Al Golden mentioned one more thing about Albert Einstein:

“His life’s mission was to create a “Theory of Everything”…one set of physical laws that could be applied everywhere in the universe, a goal that ultimately eluded Einstein, and many great minds since. The crux of the problem is that there is one set of physical laws that govern the realm of tiny stuff like sub-atomic particles (quantum mechanics), and another set that hold true for the big stuff like people, planets, and stars. As it turns out the two sets of laws just don’t play nice together. Recent work on String Theory/Membrane Theory holds promise as being that elusive “Theory of Everything”, but alas, it is a theory that is thought to be virtually un-testable using today’s technology.”

I bring up this concept because much like Einstein, we may never create a THEORY OF EVERYTHING in teaching methodology. Differences in students mean that one teaching method that has produced PERFECT results may fail for another. I hope I continue to evolve as a teacher. It seems that the only way to guarantee this evolution is to:

Keep striving for new ideas from many sources including those OUTSIDE tennis.
Keep an open mind to many teaching methods even those that are different than our own.
Make daily continuing education a priority. Continuing education is part of the job description of being a tennis professional.

Thanks for your time! Your comments are always welcome.

Scientific Review by Alan Golden of Kent, Ohio

Originally published in the May/June 2010 USPTA Midwest Connection

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