Marius_Hancu
Talk Tennis Guru
Valuable Tennis Movement References for Moving in the Roger Federer Style
The Web references which I selected and listed in the following support, in my opinion, the building of a movement framework for tennis players using the outstanding movement technique of Roger Federer. They are assembled with the idea of being sufficient by themselves, but are not exclusive, and might be useful to coaches, players, and parents.
They belong to three groups:
1. The Model
The model is an outstanding recording clearly presenting the target to be achieved, i.e., the efficient, elegant, and healthy style of movement of Roger Federer, which was a crucial factor in leading to a legendary successful and long career.
I have selected this clip for this particular purpose:
Federer v. Wawrinka 2013 US Open practice
This clip, 18 min in length, is extremely valuable as after time 9:00 Federer is close to the viewers, and the view is court level, also because throughout its duration Federer has a challenging practice session with another Grand Slam champion, Stan Wawrinka, during which his movement technique is displayed in much detail and quality.
Now, in a quiet place, play the above clip loudly (perhaps in your buds/earphones )
and do only two things very attentively while Federer is on our side on the court:
- watch the tips of his shoes, the way they move (play at times with slow speed .25, at youtube)
- listen to the sounds generated by his motion
What you may learn:
- that Federer is painting the court with very quick, sharp, touches/bounces, as if the ground were burning
- that he is using mostly only his toes to touch the ground, like a ballerina
- that he does not land on the full soles or on his heels, that would be anathema and would break his continuous movement
- that his shoes are quite new (those squishes are much more present when the shoe is new)
- that he borrows energy from a previous step/bounce to carry into the next
- that this borrowing cannot exist so readily when one step/bounce is flat-footed/on the full sole
- that his crossover steps are extremely quick and wide, covering lots of ground
What you may also learn is that you yourself are not there, that your contacts with the ground are much slower and more flatfooted, that the squeaks/squishes you generate are not nearly as sharp and short, that your bounces are less numerous and not as high. Which can be fixed with very hard work.
Now, one may wonder, why Federer stays so low and wide?
Because among other things, it has been found that the crossover steps, which are fundamental to lateral movement, are easier and faster when executed from a low, wide stance. That you can pass one leg under yourself (which is what the crossover step is) much easier and faster from this ready stance.
Also, read on, it is all there in Ean Meyer’s clips.
Test this. Make a sequence of 3-4 connected crossover steps and see how its execution feels when in a high, respectively low ready stance. Don't forget to make it only on your toes.
His base is also low and wide because when he is this way and on his toes, his support and movement is generated not by his /quad muscles/the muscles on the front of the upper leg or thigh/ but by his /glutes/muscles on the back of the thigh/.
So you'll have to experiment with the width and the height of your base, until you feel supported by the back of your thighs, when you should get the feeling that your crossover steps are quick and wide.
Also, from now on, you'll have to move much more on your toes.
2. The lessons
These are footwork and movement lessons by the renowned movement coach Ean Meyer, associated with Online Tennis Instruction.
These lessons are based on watching Federer in play, and extracting several principles to be used in instructing tennis players in the area of movement.
They can be found at Youtube with a search for:
ean meyer tennis footwork
Some of them are:
Watch it in its entirety, esp the part about The Base.
Tennis Footwork Tip: Master The Split-Step & The Flow Split-Step
Tennis Footwork Tip: The 4 Movement Zones
See the two attachments.
Tennis Movement: Move Like a Pro and Defend Your Base
Tennis Movement Tip: Beat The Ball To The Bounce
Tennis Movement: Move Like The Pros With Stutter Steps
Tennis Strategy: Taking The Ball Earlier
A more complete collection:
Tennis Tips with Ean Meyer
3. The Conditioning Framework
The physical conditioning required is a short, but of course sometimes demanding, fitness and footwork set of exercises available at this link:
Deigo Schwartzman
[sic! instead of Diego] performed by the once top-10 Argentinian player, renowned for his outstanding on-court mobility. Ten minutes total in length, they can also be used for an outstanding warmup. The movement-specific ones start at 3:42.
These exercises have been chosen for their remarkable compatibility with items 1 and 2 in terms of respecting the recommended wide and low stances, the specific bouncing, but especially for showing patterns of movement where touching of heels is avoided (as prescribed and justified in one of Ean Meyer’s lessons listed in the above).
Great tennis training to you all!
Marius Hancu
Attachments: [from Pictures]
The Web references which I selected and listed in the following support, in my opinion, the building of a movement framework for tennis players using the outstanding movement technique of Roger Federer. They are assembled with the idea of being sufficient by themselves, but are not exclusive, and might be useful to coaches, players, and parents.
They belong to three groups:
1. The Model
The model is an outstanding recording clearly presenting the target to be achieved, i.e., the efficient, elegant, and healthy style of movement of Roger Federer, which was a crucial factor in leading to a legendary successful and long career.
I have selected this clip for this particular purpose:
Federer v. Wawrinka 2013 US Open practice
This clip, 18 min in length, is extremely valuable as after time 9:00 Federer is close to the viewers, and the view is court level, also because throughout its duration Federer has a challenging practice session with another Grand Slam champion, Stan Wawrinka, during which his movement technique is displayed in much detail and quality.
Now, in a quiet place, play the above clip loudly (perhaps in your buds/earphones )
and do only two things very attentively while Federer is on our side on the court:
- watch the tips of his shoes, the way they move (play at times with slow speed .25, at youtube)
- listen to the sounds generated by his motion
What you may learn:
- that Federer is painting the court with very quick, sharp, touches/bounces, as if the ground were burning
- that he is using mostly only his toes to touch the ground, like a ballerina
- that he does not land on the full soles or on his heels, that would be anathema and would break his continuous movement
- that his shoes are quite new (those squishes are much more present when the shoe is new)
- that he borrows energy from a previous step/bounce to carry into the next
- that this borrowing cannot exist so readily when one step/bounce is flat-footed/on the full sole
- that his crossover steps are extremely quick and wide, covering lots of ground
What you may also learn is that you yourself are not there, that your contacts with the ground are much slower and more flatfooted, that the squeaks/squishes you generate are not nearly as sharp and short, that your bounces are less numerous and not as high. Which can be fixed with very hard work.
Now, one may wonder, why Federer stays so low and wide?
Because among other things, it has been found that the crossover steps, which are fundamental to lateral movement, are easier and faster when executed from a low, wide stance. That you can pass one leg under yourself (which is what the crossover step is) much easier and faster from this ready stance.
Also, read on, it is all there in Ean Meyer’s clips.
Test this. Make a sequence of 3-4 connected crossover steps and see how its execution feels when in a high, respectively low ready stance. Don't forget to make it only on your toes.
His base is also low and wide because when he is this way and on his toes, his support and movement is generated not by his /quad muscles/the muscles on the front of the upper leg or thigh/ but by his /glutes/muscles on the back of the thigh/.
So you'll have to experiment with the width and the height of your base, until you feel supported by the back of your thighs, when you should get the feeling that your crossover steps are quick and wide.
Also, from now on, you'll have to move much more on your toes.
2. The lessons
These are footwork and movement lessons by the renowned movement coach Ean Meyer, associated with Online Tennis Instruction.
These lessons are based on watching Federer in play, and extracting several principles to be used in instructing tennis players in the area of movement.
They can be found at Youtube with a search for:
ean meyer tennis footwork
Some of them are:
Watch it in its entirety, esp the part about The Base.
Tennis Footwork Tip: Master The Split-Step & The Flow Split-Step
Tennis Footwork Tip: The 4 Movement Zones
See the two attachments.
Tennis Movement: Move Like a Pro and Defend Your Base
Tennis Movement Tip: Beat The Ball To The Bounce
Tennis Movement: Move Like The Pros With Stutter Steps
Tennis Strategy: Taking The Ball Earlier
A more complete collection:
Tennis Tips with Ean Meyer
3. The Conditioning Framework
The physical conditioning required is a short, but of course sometimes demanding, fitness and footwork set of exercises available at this link:
Deigo Schwartzman
[sic! instead of Diego] performed by the once top-10 Argentinian player, renowned for his outstanding on-court mobility. Ten minutes total in length, they can also be used for an outstanding warmup. The movement-specific ones start at 3:42.
These exercises have been chosen for their remarkable compatibility with items 1 and 2 in terms of respecting the recommended wide and low stances, the specific bouncing, but especially for showing patterns of movement where touching of heels is avoided (as prescribed and justified in one of Ean Meyer’s lessons listed in the above).
Great tennis training to you all!
Marius Hancu
Attachments: [from Pictures]
Last edited:
