Bigger Better Tennis - Paul Dale

The tennis term 'loading' refers to the action of a player interacting with the ground by bending their knees and thrusting out of that position to create greater racquet-head speed.   While that is exactly what should happen on all good ground-strokes, serves, returns, and overheads, teaching a player to only load the legs will not always guarantee success, and can sometimes be detrimental to the stroke. For the stroke to succeed a player needs to understand the real purpose of Loading. A player who only follows the instruction to Load their legs will usually go through a process of bending their knees.   This is what most coaches want to 'see', and will encourage the player to 'bend their knees' on every stroke.  With a small percentage of 'talented' players, this process of loading will automatically translate into better timing and increased racquet-head speed. They can naturally incorporate a knee bend with their stroke and it will go much b...

Looking for ways to recover and regulate stress?  Have you ever watched a racehorse trying to catch its breath at the end of a race? Its nostrils flare as it takes in air but its mouth remains closed. It can be exhausted from a race and desperate for oxygen, but it never opens its mouth. A dog will pant with its mouth open while running but a dog also uses its mouth to sweat. The horse, like humans, sweat through the skin. This is a fundamental similarity between humans and the horse. Unfortunately, over time and through a lack of understanding humans have lost the art of nose breathing. For a long time, athletes and recreational runners have been told to push themselves hard during exercise, to the point where they must open their mouths and gasp for oxygen. But is this gasping for oxygen the natural way we should breathe when exercising?  Does pushing ourselves to this extreme level, and eventually experiencing the need to breathe through the mouth really ...