An engineer overthinks tennis in a daily journal.
One of my goals this year is to maintain player records as outlined in the USTA Player Development Journal. I previously wrote about the Practice Evaluation Worksheet that was derived from the USTA document. Now, with USTA League play in full swing, I am playing matches that matter. Consequently, I have turned my attention to the Post-Match Evaluation Worksheet.
I have been suffering from heel pain due to plantar fasciitis. While I generally follow the treatment advice for that malady, when the suggestion inevitably comes to switch to only low-impact activities for awhile, it is a bridge too far. It simply isn’t a viable option for me. Tennis will be played no matter what. Recently, I have settled in on a sock configuration that minimizes heel pain both during and after tennis. I call it my “Socktail.”
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I played a tournament last October at the Mission Hills Country Club. The COVID postponed BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells was going on at the same time. One morning WTA player Desirae Krawczyk and her doubles partner Alexa Guarachi strolled into the club for a practice session. Naturally, I watched their workout with rapt attention. They played the classic doubles practice game “Dingles!” against their coaches.
Tennis players don’t spend enough time training for mid-court play. It is a profound truth expressed by Tom Gullikson last November in the “Compete Like a Champion” podcast interview. Tennis coaching and training focuses almost exclusively on play from one of two primary areas, the baseline or the net. My junior tennis days were punctuated by loud exhortations to avoid “no-man’s land” at all cost.
Are you spending time during tennis practice sessions, or are you investing that time? The benefits of maintaining a personal player development journal.
The USTA Player Development Program produced a document in 2013 that continues to serve as a focal point for players to assess and track their tennis training. The “Player Development Journal” consists of three major sections. The first is an overview of the various playing styles so a player can understand the aspects of their own game. The second part is template pages for practice evaluation. The last section provides forms for post-match assessments. The “PD” (as insiders apparently refer to it) is available for free public download from the USTA at the link provided at the end of this post.
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The SwingVision artificial intelligence tennis training application is primarily designed to work directly on a smart phone. That implementation puts tremendous analysis power directly into the hands of the players and enables immediate feedback. However, the use of a smart phone during a USTA sanctioned match is prohibited. Additionally, many players may be reluctant to drain their phone’s battery in a tournament setting. Fortunately, SwingVision can import data captured from an alternate device. I recently tested out that functionality and was very pleased with the results.
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The “Cone Game” is one of my favorite tennis practice drills. It is a great development tool because it gets the players into an Zen-like focus that is still layered with the pressure of competition. I recently used the SwingVision during a practice session that included the Cone Game and was very happy with the results. I continue to be completely enamored with the SwingVision application and service.
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I am still completely enamored with the SwingVision application. I have always been a big proponent of video review, but until SwingVision came into my life, my primary usage was pretty much confined to examination of individual stroke mechanics. My recent session using SwingVision with a ball machine illustrates how the heat map generated by the application opens a much wider perspective.
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I finally got around to trying out SwingVision and was very impressed with the results. In fact, I immediately applied to be a brand ambassador for the product. I am absolutely kicking myself for not trying it out much sooner. As a strong proponent of video analysis, any technology that reduces the workload required for meaningful review is transformational.