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Originally posted by bdole
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Much has changed in ten years in athletic development, and for a high-level thirteen-year-old she's light years behind where she needs to be I think.
If your hip is in the wrong spot, if you're knees are collapsing and if you live life on the quad like Ms. Bouchard that stroke isn't going to be what it should be, and high-level instruction will not help whatsoever. A good stroke isn't going to happen when you are buckling, splaying, supinating, collapsing and have note-able holes in the function in a concentric and eccentric chain.
Yes, she is talented, but I am not sure it was maximized to its full extent.
As she got older her collarbone placement became a very big issue, and if you moved her laterally she'd break down due to all these pre-ingrained stability (balance issues) and throw her collarbone and nose at the ball.
The sign of a great player is how well they can hit a winner on the run, and what they do under pressure - do they throw their collarbone, nose and then hands at the ball chaotically, or do they have the athletic balance and intelligence to think with their hips and drive through the ball when things get really iffy.
I call it court speed - you don't have to be a burner, but you do need to get to where you need to get to under functional control.
I hate these new rackets because players just throw themselves at the ball in chaos. With the old rackets you needed to be under superb control cause nothing was going to save you except for a very solid fundamentals. Ivan Lendl, just terrific on the run, same as Connors. Beautiful transitional tennis sure makes for a long career.
Everyone can hit down the middle and in the comfort zone, but, Roger, Borg, Lendl, Rafa, Sarina and all the great ones can do serious damage if you try and put the ball in the corners.
Eugene is not a factor on the run laterally.
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