| With all the many motoring analogies flying around | | | | because Nadal (and you) will have to hit shot after |
| these days when people are talking about the great | | | | shot, the ability to stay low (for good balance) and |
| tennis players not only of today but in the past, I | | | | come out of your shot under control and move to the |
| thought I would take this opportunity to look at a few | | | | next shot (under control) is of the highest priority. |
| of the important elements that go to make up the | | | | Added to that is the fact that moving on clay is harder |
| modern clay court genius that is Rafa Nadal. | | | | because it moves underneath you causing you to slide, |
| After his 3 set demolition of the tennis "Rolls Royce" | | | | so you have to learn how to retain your balance in and |
| Roger Federer, which left everybody in awe not only | | | | out of slides to the ball whilst keeping your footwork in |
| about Federer's lack of ability to hurt Nadal but also | | | | check for maximal position. |
| Nadals untouchable performance, I thought I would | | | | This is why Nadal has done, still does and why you |
| wheel Nadal into the "garage", open him up and take a | | | | should do lots of on and off court drills without hitting |
| look under the hood to see what we could find. | | | | balls. |
| In The Garage | | | | Drills that force you to learn how to remain balanced, |
| Ok first impressions are a well proportioned yet | | | | move your feet quickly and also to move all over the |
| streamlined body kit which gives him the ability to | | | | court to get to balls or cones etc in patterns that are |
| generate power yet is aerodynamic enough to get | | | | similar to those you may come across when you play. |
| around the track (court) time after time. | | | | It doesn't matter whether you do them on clay or not |
| But let's put him on a ramp to start our inspection at | | | | or even if you play on clay or not. Whatever surface |
| the bottom. Let's look from the ground up to see what | | | | you play on, you can improve your play significantly by |
| the secret ingredients are to his success. | | | | introducing this type of practise into your routine. |
| The first thing to notice is the choice of axle and | | | | Think of it like learning new words. |
| wheels. He has a wide axle and wider than average | | | | If you can increase the amount of words you know |
| tyres with a low profile that enables him to have great | | | | and use, then it won't matter what situation you find |
| traction without sacrificing manoeuvrability. He is of | | | | yourself in as you will have more words at your |
| course a 4 wheel drive with independent suspension | | | | disposal to cope. This is exactly why small children find |
| which is essential for success on "the dirt" of the clay | | | | it harder to communicate well - they don't have many |
| courts. | | | | words to choose from! |
| But what does that mean for you? | | | | It's the same with your footwork & movement. The |
| Well, because all of the great tennis players are built | | | | more you can increase your "movement vocabulary", |
| from the ground up, that is exactly what you need to | | | | the more likely you will be to cope with whatever |
| be paying attention to when looking for clues and tips | | | | situation presents itself on the court and is why Nadal |
| to improve your game - so start with your feet and | | | | is a fluent multi-linguistic wizard (so to speak - no pun |
| how you can improve how they work. | | | | intended). |
| The ability to get to lots of balls in a great position to hit | | | | So that's it for the bottom of the Nadal-mobile, in the |
| great shots is crucial. Too close or too far from the ball | | | | next segment we'll move up to look with a bit more |
| and you will have no power and a lack of control and | | | | detail at the engine to see what we can learn there. |