Bailey’s Blog

As a coach knowing WHY a player is making an error is really important!

There are several reasons why a player makes an error. They might include -

• Poor footwork (player is late to the ball, is reaching for the ball, is too close to the ball)
• Bad balance (feet too close together, poor body alignment, poor use of the non -dominant arm and leg, no split step)
• Swing error (too big a backswing, turns the racket face over or under, poor follow through, loose wrist)
• Wrong contact point (hits above or below strike zone, hit late or too early)
• Mental error (is nervous, uptight, lazy)
• Pysical Conditioning (is tired, cramping, low blood sugar)
• Stategic Error (poor shot selection, hitting a low percentage shot or a shot they have not fully mastered)
• Variant factors (sun in eyes, windy, bad bounce, netcord)    

I suppose the list can go on and on……one thing I do know however, is that many many errors are due to poor footwork and bad balance while  the swing can be perfect ….or the footwork can be perfect, the balance great, the contact point right at the correct height etc… but the swing is all wrong. It is our job as coaches to understand ALL aspects of the game and straight away be able to make clear and accurate assessment OF WHY AND ERROR HAS BEEN MADE….I do feel in general that many coaches do not study footwork and balance enough and concentrate too much on the swing error and by pass the footwork and balance error!! All you hear is MOVE YOUR FEET…..well I am sorry that is not good enough!!! WE must teach the HOW and WHEN and WHY!!!

Coaches owe it their students to be knowledgable in all areas of the game…..TO BE CONSTANTLY UPSKILLING AND BEING A STUDENT OF THE GAME!! My aim of the Bailey Method is too a provide a system where coaches can  develop a BIAS EYE towards footwork, movement and balance and become a more COMPLETE COACH!!! Get licensed ……it is fun and will also really improve your own game!!! 

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

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

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

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

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

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

The other blog from Ean Myer!

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

Thanks Ean, DB

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

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

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

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

Thanks Ean, DB!

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

So Back to footwork!

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

A very popular and successful TV show in the U.S.A and in Australia is called ‘So You Think You Can Dance? In the reality show the dancers who are familiar with their own dancing styles are challenged to learn totally new dance styles.They then learn a choreographed routine in 1 week and then perform within an elimination format. All in front of a studio audience, 3 expert judges and millions of  TV viewers!

What amazes me is how well these dances adapt and pull out these incredible routines with such little preperation!

I ask myself……How? and, I answer, that, even though they are dancing out of their comfort zone ….through years of training thay have developed great body awareness, superb co-ordination and control of their feet!

This is what I see as the main aim of footwork training! KNOW WHERE YOUR FEET ARE IN SPACE and being able to master balance and control your centre of gravity.

Once you have this CONTROL of your hips, feet, legs and upper body you THEN have the motor skills to find out which steps, stances and contact/balance moves work for you! You can place your feet exactly where you want them to go. NOW you can experiment! Trying different steps, stances and moves on the SAME FED BALL and hence choreographing your own personal dance …your own personal style that works for you!      

Ricky Pointing the current Australian cricket captain and our best batsman at present in our country, is having a bad form slump.

I really liked this statement made in The Sydney Morning Herald on 24th February written by Peter Roebuck:

‘Unfortunately,even a mature batsman can have trouble with his grey matter and his pedals. After years of reliable work Pointing’s feet are refusing to take him into the correct position at the appropriate time. He has become taut, anxious and , rather than letting the ball come to him, he is reaching for it. Rhythm has deserted him and he is trying to recollect how he scored all those runs. At such times the past is the only reassurance  a man can find. Meanwhile, his bat feels as thin as a twig.

Often a bad patch begins with a minor disturbance in the mind,a little laziness, an uncorrected bad habit or a stay thought that nibbles away like a rat at  cheese’

I think the points above are very valid and can relate very closely to tennis .i.e. the correct foot positioning at the appropriate time, being relaxed, staying down and hitting through the shot, not reaching for the ball, keeping good rhythm and trusting your instincts! 

This blog was sent to me by Rupert ’The Guru’ Green a good friend and Bailey Method devotee from the UK. Thanks mate!

This quote is from a book called “The Way of Energy” by Master Lam Kam Cheun.He is a master of various martialarts disciplines as well as being an authority on Chinese medicine and Chinese Opera.In the section “Energy for sports ” he writes:

“If you are playing a racket sport such as tennis,keepyour weight low. Relax your entire upper body,so there is no tension whatsoever in any of the vital joints such as your shoulders, neck, elbows, and wrists. Forget your hand; let all action flow effortlessly from below. That is the source of explosive power. Keep your eyes on the target, ignore the rest of the body,and let your feet be the only points in your mind.” 

If you what to send me a footwork blog e-mail me at info@thebaileymethod.com

Anna Ivanovic      World Number 4

” Every player is different and has to find their triggers to focus properly. I think about my footwork and ask myself “Am I watching the ball closely enough?”

“Open Diary” - Australian Open Column Jan 19th 2008

Triggers come from your training! Triggers are unique things you think about that help fix problems or keep you in the right frame of mind. They come from experimenting , defining and polishing aspects of your game so you can focus on these triggers when you play. Triggers come from KNOWING WHAT WORKS for YOU.

Because moving well and watching the ball are such important triggers for staying focused, then training these 2 skills religiously are incredibly important. Especially if you can train both together .i.e. hitting fed balls on the court and only thinking about moving your feet and watching the ball!

Great Tip Anna!….and by the way watch her footwork, her movement is very clean and smooth.