Warm-up games are still the same games, but the differences in details can change the training focus of the game and give it a new vitality.
Just like now.
On the surface, there is no essential difference between this and hard-court footwork exercises——
At the starting point, Gao Wen needs to step on the bottom line of the teeing area with one foot, which is equivalent to the starting line/return line.
At the same time, Graf stood in the middle of the service area, or close to the net, preparing to hit the ball.
When the game starts, Graf hits the tennis ball over, and Gao Wen sprints forward to return the ball; at the same time, after Graf finishes hitting the ball, he needs to immediately return to the bottom line of his serving area, step on the line, and then turn back
Come back, complete the shot, and hit the tennis ball into the Gawain court again.
To put it simply, there are three steps in total:
After hitting the ball, return to the bottom line of your own teeing area to complete the return movement, then rush forward again to complete the ball.
Turn back and hit the ball.
Turn back and hit the ball.
In this way, repeated over and over again, both people need to take the same return route. In Gawain's opinion, it is somewhat similar to the chase battle on the tennis court:
One person sets off first, and the other person sets off later. The two people are separated by a circle, and then they continue to turn back and forth, forming a chase to see who can catch the other. It may be the former who catches the latter in a trap, or it may be the latter.
Shorten the distance to capture the former, and the return route will be a circle.
The only difference may be that there is red soil under your feet, so it may be very difficult to control sudden stops, turns, and sprint braking.
This should be a game for training the basic skills of moving on clay.
But soon, Gawain discovered that things were not that simple.
First of all, this is indeed a basic footwork training.
The return running on the clay court has completely different requirements for details such as starting, acceleration, braking, control, force generation, etc. than the hard court mode.
If you use the "sudden braking" mode on hard ground, it is very likely that you will not be able to push on the ground at all. If you use a little more force, you will slip. If you use a little more force, you will fall. If it is more urgent or sudden, unnecessary strain or injury may occur.
Sprain, in other words, the red clay should not be too strong.
In fact, hard courts are the most vulnerable to injuries and can easily cause potential sports injuries, while red clay can often alleviate those impact forces and protect joints, muscles, ligaments, force generation modes, etc. within a certain range. In comparison, sports
Lower damage, fewer injuries——
but!
If you use hard ground to stop and turn quickly, rush and stop, and rush on red clay, the possibility of injury will skyrocket.
In the 2022 French Open semi-finals, at the end of the second set between Zverev and Nadal, Zverev used a hard-court braking method to try to change the line with his forehand, but as a result, his right ankle could not push off.
He was unable to skate on clay even though he was living on the ground, so he strained his ligament and retired from the game due to injury.
More importantly, this warm-up game is limited to the teeing area, and the frequency of starting and braking is consciously controlled within a small range.
The space for return running is very limited, basically between two and three strides. In other words, foot control needs to be completed in a short and narrow space.
If it were on a hard surface, sudden stops and turns would be very straightforward, without any sloppiness, and it would be basically no difficulty for Gao Wen; but now on clay, sudden stops and turns would not work at all, because hard braking often
If you can’t control your body, the second start will slow down——
In the process of such a small-scale turnaround, once the second start speed is slightly slower by half a beat, or the reaction speed of foot control cannot keep up, it will not take long, and the gap will widen in three to five rounds.
Then you can no longer keep up, and the gap will widen step by step.
what does that mean?
This means that when running back and forth, he needs to judge his target location in advance, adjust his steps in advance, control his steps through sliding steps or small steps, and avoid sudden stops and turns. Only in this way can he
Maintain balance and keep the center of gravity light and active for the subsequent second and third starts.
observe.
judge.
Focus.
Every time you start, every time you run, you need to carefully feel the friction and grip of the red soil——
For example, this time, is it possible to slide fifty centimeters or one meter?
For example, after sliding, if your steps stop and your arms extend, will the racket be able to complete the shot?
For example, after controlling your body, how should you adjust your steps, regain your center of gravity, and start again?
Etc., etc.
All of this is completely unfamiliar to Gawain.
On the hard court, Gawain's footwork is undoubtedly among the best. Even Peart was full of praise. It can be seen that Gawain's basic skills are very solid and he spent a lot of sweat and effort on his footsteps.
However, when he came to the red clay, Gawain's steps seemed very clumsy, he was cautious, he was focusing on one thing and the other, and his entire control was lost.
In the first round of the game, Gawain only lasted thirteen rounds, and then he couldn't keep up with his staggering steps, and he watched the tennis ball jump twice.
In fact, starting from the seventh and eighth rounds, Gao Wen's steps were already messed up. Gawain relied on his solid basic skills to barely follow for a few more rounds, but the gap still widened and widened, and in the end he couldn't keep up at all.
Such an awkward posture has never been seen on hard ground.
In the second round, Gao Wen's performance was even worse. He only lasted ten rounds and then dropped the ball. What happened?
Only then did Gawain realize that this game is not just about footsteps——
Secondly, this is still a basic training on batting.
Here, the so-called hitting is not the ordinary forehand hitting or backhand hitting, but an understanding of rotation, bounce and control.
In addition to running back and forth, hand skills are also very important.
After each return run, they need to hit the ball, but this time the ball is not simply hit by hitting the tennis ball over the net.
Short lines, long lines, diagonal lines, straight lines, relief, rotation, etc. are all allowed as long as the hitting point is controlled within the bounds of the teeing area.
In fact, this is somewhat similar to the fighting method in front of the badminton net. You use very delicate hand skills such as rubbing, jumping, teasing, dialing, hitting, and buckling to complete the shot. Within the limited time and space, you can increase your own power as much as possible.
Batting Threat:
Or, surprise the opponent, such as suddenly hitting a long line to disrupt the opponent's footsteps.
Or, pursue a perfect shot, such as hitting a small ball close to the net. Even if the opponent makes a correct judgment and catches up, there is no room to complete the shot.
In other words, the movement of the return run is to buy yourself enough time to hit the ball; and the technique of hitting the ball is to buy yourself enough movement time and increase the threat and pressure for your return.
At the same time, don’t forget, this is a clay court——
Every time you hit the ball, there may be irregular bounces, and at the same time, the power of spin will be brought to a whole new level.