Got Your Back: Part 1

[johnyandell]

Let's get your thoughts on Brad Gilbert's article, "I Got Your Back: Part 1"

[MahboobKahn]

Yes, great ball hitting technique is required at the world's level no doubt about that, but in order to beat a player of similar abilities you ought to need a Coach who can prepare you for the battle and who can tell you how to impose your game over his and who can find any technical, tactical, physical, or mental shortcomings in your opponents. Brad Gilbert has all these abilities in abundance.

Mahboob Khan
Islamabad
Pakistan.

[don_budge]

Yes, great ball hitting technique is required at the world's level no doubt about that, but in order to beat a player of similar abilities you ought to need a Coach who can prepare you for the battle and who can tell you how to impose your game over his and who can find any technical, tactical, physical, or mental shortcomings in your opponents. Brad Gilbert has all these abilities in abundance.

Mahboob Khan
Islamabad
Pakistan.

Yep...yep...yep. Back on August 23rd I wrote this on some forgettable thread here on the forum. An excellent post...if I do say so myself. Give myself a like! Of course, completely ignored by the brainless trust currently in vogue here.

I've been texting with Brad. They have done nothing technical. It's confidence building and tactics. Brad wanted more air and shape on the groundstrokes and that seems to have magically eliminated the technical problems on her forehand.

Fascinating. This was my take when I first read about Brad Gilbert's involvement and perhaps the counter intuitive approach to this player. But my philosophy with players is you have to play with what you've got. My impression of Gilbert is that this guy is the quintessential corner man. A tactical coach. As a player he had the reputation of winning "ugly". Maybe he didn't have the prettiest strokes in the eye of some of the more casual "connoisseurs". But what is ugly about winning...period. No...Brad has the right approach to this game and it isn't one of first priority technique. It is all about the tactics and playing to the score. The mental side. There have been many great players who don't hit it with the conventional technique most pleasing to the eye but still manage to find a way to win. Jim Courier is a great example. There are too many to mention. I have really enjoyed the Coco results that have come after the initial collaboration. Fantastic stuff!

The guy is a corner man. He knows what his player can do. He has an eye for understanding the strengths and weaknesses of any given player based solely on his eye...his observations. He doesn't need a second opinion. Brad is a coach who earns his keep. His player is going to take the court with a game plan A, B and C. His player is going to understand what shot to play in given situations based on his opponent and the score in the match. I don't understand what a lot of these coaches do to earn their keep but I do know that Brad earns his based on his tactical acumen and his ability to motivate. Such an interesting story in a dull page in the book of tennis. Jeez...I wonder if at some point Brad will have her serving and volleying. This is an area of the women's game that should be mined and exploited. Coco has a pretty darn good service motion. Hmmm...

[don_budge]

"He wasn't looking to me for technical improvement. What he needed was a strategist."