Picture a red Ferrari…a machine built to move. It can accelerate at the drop of a hat and corner on a dime. Dragsters may beat it in the quarter mile, but not many cars would out perform it in a slalom course. Why is this the case? The Ferrari has a very low center of gravity,a wide wheel base and a tight suspension (along with a ton of horsepower). Now think of the great movers in tennis: Hewitt, Sharapova, Kuznetzova, Moya, etc.... What these players have in common with the Ferrari is that same wide wheel base (stance) and low center of gravity. They all have tremendous first steps to the ball and rarely find themselves executing a shot in an “off-balance” position.
This was a lesson that I’ve recently learned the hard way while training with the Athletic Performance belt last week at Bollettieri’s Tennis Academy. Interestingly enough, I’ve learned that the belt is not a Bollettieri product (although a prototype does appear in the Killer Forehand video), nor is it an IMG offering. The belt is the brainchild of one of the folks working at the tennis academy. Pat Dougherty (you may have seen some of his instructional pieces in recent Tennis Magazine articles) has patented his design. These belts are individually made and custom fit based on the user’s specific measurements.
The Academy was hopping this week as most of the top players were preparing for a large international tournament being held at the club right after Thanksgiving (The Eddie Herr Tournament). These belts were everywhere. Whether practicing footwork drills, volleys, or ground strokes, there was a player training with the belt everywhere I looked.
I was fortunate enough to notice this device as I was checking in. As I was enrolled in the adult program, I was able to purchase a belt ($150) and have it sized by the afternoon session of my first day. This gave me 4.5 days with which to train with the belt. Having always considered myself pretty athletic/fit, I was overwhelmed by the workout the belt provided. Talk about intense. I used to think nothing of trading ground strokes for an hour at a time. I found it hard to wear the belt for more than 10 minutes before needing a breather. I’m sure you all remember the “downhill skier” exercise. (You place your back against a wall and lower yourself until your legs are at a 90 degree angle). The intensity of the AP belt workout reminded me of this exercise, only more difficult.
My belt was sized so that if I moved out of my athletic stance (a foot lower than my height of 6’2), I would feel resistance from the cord. I never realized how much time I spent standing straight up on the tennis court as my first session with the device was met with almost constant resistance. The workout was amazing. I spent the first afternoon and the whole second day fighting the belt, (meaning always feeling some level of tension). By the third day, I’d already made significant progress. I felt much less resistance (so much less that I re-checked the sizing to make sure nothing had changed….It hadn’t). I found myself moving to the ball with cleanly executed drop steps. My groundies had much more pop as I was hitting them with a wide base and low center of gravity. I framed fewer balls and was able to drive the ball better as a result of this “new” position. I quickly came to realize that I don’t think I’d ever hit more than 3 balls in a row “correctly” before using the belt. Usually by the 4th shot in a rally, I would find my straightening up as I tried to put a little extra effort into my swing. Not so while wearing the belt.
Where I really noticed a difference was transitioning from the backcourt to the net. My approaches had more bite, I probably closed the net a full step faster and was in an excellent body position to execute the volley with the belt on. You’re supposed to stay low when hitting the volley. I now realize the importance of doing so. Volley’s had more stick as I was better able to track the ball to my racket (again, a result of my lower center of gravity).
When it came time to work on serves and overheads, I welcomed the break from the belt workout. After I put the belt back on, I made sure to hit all of my favorite shots. I hit running forehands, the “Rios” one legged two-handed backhand (Safin hits this one too). I never felt impaired or restricted. The only time I felt the tension was when I was off balance or standing straight-legged (out of my athletic stance). I’m guessing the reason for this is that as one you lift one leg, the pulley system allows the cord to slacken.
Just for the record, I am a 6’2, 195 pound all court player. I am rated a 5.0 and have been playing tennis for about 10-11 years. I played baseball in college in New England. I’m positive that I would have reached the 5.0 level much sooner had I been training with the belt over the last few years. When I purchased the belt, I was a little concerned about spending the $150. I don’t have a money tree in my backyard. By the end of the week, I’d realized that I’d just made one of the better investments in my game. $150 could by you that 3rd or 4th racket, or a couple of lessons with my Pro back home. An extra racket wouldn’t have made such an impact in my game. In 30 minutes, the belt gave me a better workout than any hour (or hour +) that I’ve ever spent with a teaching pro.
I am pretty serious about my game (just ask my wife the tennis widow). I would highly recommend checking this belt out. I know that they have a website at www.APbelt.com where you can order online or read more about it.
This was a lesson that I’ve recently learned the hard way while training with the Athletic Performance belt last week at Bollettieri’s Tennis Academy. Interestingly enough, I’ve learned that the belt is not a Bollettieri product (although a prototype does appear in the Killer Forehand video), nor is it an IMG offering. The belt is the brainchild of one of the folks working at the tennis academy. Pat Dougherty (you may have seen some of his instructional pieces in recent Tennis Magazine articles) has patented his design. These belts are individually made and custom fit based on the user’s specific measurements.
The Academy was hopping this week as most of the top players were preparing for a large international tournament being held at the club right after Thanksgiving (The Eddie Herr Tournament). These belts were everywhere. Whether practicing footwork drills, volleys, or ground strokes, there was a player training with the belt everywhere I looked.
I was fortunate enough to notice this device as I was checking in. As I was enrolled in the adult program, I was able to purchase a belt ($150) and have it sized by the afternoon session of my first day. This gave me 4.5 days with which to train with the belt. Having always considered myself pretty athletic/fit, I was overwhelmed by the workout the belt provided. Talk about intense. I used to think nothing of trading ground strokes for an hour at a time. I found it hard to wear the belt for more than 10 minutes before needing a breather. I’m sure you all remember the “downhill skier” exercise. (You place your back against a wall and lower yourself until your legs are at a 90 degree angle). The intensity of the AP belt workout reminded me of this exercise, only more difficult.
My belt was sized so that if I moved out of my athletic stance (a foot lower than my height of 6’2), I would feel resistance from the cord. I never realized how much time I spent standing straight up on the tennis court as my first session with the device was met with almost constant resistance. The workout was amazing. I spent the first afternoon and the whole second day fighting the belt, (meaning always feeling some level of tension). By the third day, I’d already made significant progress. I felt much less resistance (so much less that I re-checked the sizing to make sure nothing had changed….It hadn’t). I found myself moving to the ball with cleanly executed drop steps. My groundies had much more pop as I was hitting them with a wide base and low center of gravity. I framed fewer balls and was able to drive the ball better as a result of this “new” position. I quickly came to realize that I don’t think I’d ever hit more than 3 balls in a row “correctly” before using the belt. Usually by the 4th shot in a rally, I would find my straightening up as I tried to put a little extra effort into my swing. Not so while wearing the belt.
Where I really noticed a difference was transitioning from the backcourt to the net. My approaches had more bite, I probably closed the net a full step faster and was in an excellent body position to execute the volley with the belt on. You’re supposed to stay low when hitting the volley. I now realize the importance of doing so. Volley’s had more stick as I was better able to track the ball to my racket (again, a result of my lower center of gravity).
When it came time to work on serves and overheads, I welcomed the break from the belt workout. After I put the belt back on, I made sure to hit all of my favorite shots. I hit running forehands, the “Rios” one legged two-handed backhand (Safin hits this one too). I never felt impaired or restricted. The only time I felt the tension was when I was off balance or standing straight-legged (out of my athletic stance). I’m guessing the reason for this is that as one you lift one leg, the pulley system allows the cord to slacken.
Just for the record, I am a 6’2, 195 pound all court player. I am rated a 5.0 and have been playing tennis for about 10-11 years. I played baseball in college in New England. I’m positive that I would have reached the 5.0 level much sooner had I been training with the belt over the last few years. When I purchased the belt, I was a little concerned about spending the $150. I don’t have a money tree in my backyard. By the end of the week, I’d realized that I’d just made one of the better investments in my game. $150 could by you that 3rd or 4th racket, or a couple of lessons with my Pro back home. An extra racket wouldn’t have made such an impact in my game. In 30 minutes, the belt gave me a better workout than any hour (or hour +) that I’ve ever spent with a teaching pro.
I am pretty serious about my game (just ask my wife the tennis widow). I would highly recommend checking this belt out. I know that they have a website at www.APbelt.com where you can order online or read more about it.
)
