Yann's Series on Tennis Pre-Puberty Mastery
Episode 8: Movement
PPM: Pre-Puberty Mastery. Setting the perfect foundation for the game before it's too late.
One of my coaching insights that first put me on the map was my Dynamic Footwork approach to teaching tennis-specific movement. Some of these Youtube videos attracted hundreds of thousands of views.
Efficient movement is what enabled me to step onto the Citi Open court and defeat ATP Top 100 players in qualifying when I was barely practicing tennis at all, so focused as I was on coaching in my late 20s.
One of the biggest differences that I see between younger players and older teen players is in the way they move around the court. It's not just strokes that can be more graceful.
Bodies physiologically adapt to what they train for often. So after years of sport-specific training, a top junior has developed the muscles that allow for maximum court coverage.
We can start that process with an older player, and eventually their muscles will start to adapt to tennis. But because there is less time, it's wiser to focus on the footwork and movement that will maximize the points they'll be able to win.
Additionally some shots require added flexibility or the larger margin of error afforded by a different stance, changed grip, and time to set up.
Whereas a young player will be able to develop all around movement, allowing them to choose more winning strategies.
In our Pre-Puberty Mastery Series pedagogy, we're delving into the myriad physiological, mental, social, psychological, and technical reasons why it's vital to master the game before puberty.
And regardless of whether you're looking to help your teen child or to ramp up your own game, we're here to help you set a ROADMAP TO SUCCESS.
PPM Episode 8: Movement
Tennis-specific flexibility
The game is about punishing your opponent. Making them hit shots outside their strike zone. Stretching them out wide, above their shoulder, reaching forward below their knees.
Not only do PPM players understand how to exploit this, they can defend it by moving better to the ball.
Getting to it and setting up efficiently so they hit more shots within their strike zone. Which is the name of the game.
In our last story we heard about a teen who'd come back from knee surgery with limited motion. She became our school's top player not by defending the whole court but by stopping opponents from exploiting that weakness.
I wonder what havoc she would have wrought if she'd started earlier and her muscles allowed her to stretch more, her ankles allowed her to slide on hardcourt. I've yet to see a TAAM player slide like that.
Transition motion, hitting a ball in midcourt and attacking the net, has great significance for an older player. Shortening points and winning with the volley becomes more important.
That's a skill older players can still learn well. That takes specific footwork that isn't beyond their time horizon.
If you've mastered the strokes before puberty, you can do that already. Moreover, your short footwork is crisp. When you're stretched wide, you can plant, limit the damage, and recover to the middle.
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with Yann Auzoux, CEO of Tennis Central
If you want to reach your goals in tennis, you need a roadmap to success. Schedule your ROADMAP Call with me, Yann Auzoux, CEO of Tennis Central.
It's about what YOU want in your tennis life.
More from Yann's Series on Pre-Puberty Mastery
Episode 1: Crafting the Muscles, a musculoskeletal system specialized for tennis
Episode 2: Racquet Unity, the racquet as extension of the arm
Episode 3: Self-Awareness, winning and losing and handling both
Episode 4: The Full Arsenal, every shot for every situation
Episode 5: Social Commitments, when independence and friends arrive
Episode 6: Habits, setting and overcoming them
Episode 7: Setting Goals, belief and reality