You'll never have a relaxed swing until you fix this!

Summary

This video offers insights into why many tennis players struggle to relax during shots, attributing the issue to stress caused by deficiencies in the visual system. The speaker explains that 70-90% of sensory information processed by the brain is visual, making it crucial for anticipating and reacting to the ball's trajectory in tennis. To address this, the video provides a series of vision training exercises aimed at improving eye movements and reducing stress, which includes smooth pursuits, fast eye switches, and exercises targeting the vestibular system to enhance balance and coordination. The goal is to help players perform better by training their visual skills to cope with the demands of the game.

Takeaways

• 🎾 The video aims to help players overcome the issue of tensing up during shots by addressing the underlying cause.
• 🧠 The inability to relax while hitting shots is often due to stress, which is linked to the visual system's performance.
• 👀 Our brain processes 70-90% of sensory information visually, emphasizing the importance of vision in sports like tennis.
• 👁 Players may have deficits in their visual systems that they are not aware of, causing stress and tension during play.
• 🏃‍♂️ The visual system is tasked with anticipating an opponent's moves, reading and reacting to the ball, and setting up for a swing.
• 🤓 Basic vision training exercises can help improve the visual system's function, which in turn can help reduce tension.
• 🔄 The video introduces exercises like smooth pursuit and fast eye switches to improve eye movement quality, which is foundational for visual skills.
• 🌟 Good eye movements are essential for tracking the ball, switching focus, and making decisions based on visual information.
• 💪 The exercises are designed to condition the extraocular eye muscles, which can be poorly conditioned due to modern lifestyle habits.
• 🧘‍♀️ The video suggests practicing the exercises with relaxed breathing to help maintain relaxation during complex visual tasks.
• 🔄 Additional exercises like the 'pencil push-up' and near-far switching are introduced to improve focusing ability at different distances.
• 🎯 The balance system, or vestibular system, is also crucial for maintaining visual clarity while moving and is targeted in the exercises.
• 🤓 The video concludes by emphasizing the importance of addressing both physical and technical aspects of tennis to improve performance.

Q & A

Why do players often tighten up on their shots even when they try to relax?

Players tighten up on their shots due to underlying stress, which is often caused by issues with their visual system that they may not be aware of.

What percentage of sensory information processed by the brain is visual?

Between 70 and 90% of all sensory information processed by the brain every second is visual.

How is vision crucial to playing tennis effectively?

Vision is crucial in tennis as it is needed for anticipating an opponent's moves, quickly reading and reacting to the ball, predicting its trajectory, setting up in the right position, and adjusting the swing based on visual information.

What is the common issue with players' visual systems that can lead to stress and tension?

Many players have deficits within their visual systems that they are not aware of, which can cause stress and tension as their bodies struggle to perform tasks that their visual systems are not well-equipped to handle.

What is the purpose of vision training exercises in the context of the video?

Vision training exercises aim to improve the quality of eye movements, which are foundational to all visual skills needed in tennis, and to address the underlying issues that cause stress and prevent relaxation during play.

What is the significance of the smooth pursuit exercise in vision training?

The smooth pursuit exercise helps to improve the ability to follow a moving target with the eyes, which is essential for tracking the ball in tennis.

What is the difference between smooth pursuit and Cades (fast eye switches) exercises?

Smooth pursuit involves following a moving target slowly, while Cades (fast eye switches) involve quickly switching focus between targets, improving the ability to rapidly change focus.

Why is it important to remain relaxed while performing vision training exercises?

Remaining relaxed during vision training exercises is important because it helps train the brain to stay relaxed while performing complex visual tasks, which is a key goal in improving performance in tennis.

What is the 'pencil push-up' exercise and how does it help in vision training?

The 'pencil push-up' exercise involves slowly moving a pen from arm's length towards the nose while focusing on the tip, which helps to train the coordination between eye muscles and the ability to focus at different distances.

What is the role of the vestibular system in vision and why is it important for tennis players?

The vestibular system, located in the inner ear, is crucial for maintaining visual clarity and focus as players move. It helps keep the visual fields clear and is essential for the visual system to function effectively during the constant movement in tennis.

What type of breathing technique is recommended during vision training exercises to help stay relaxed?

Long exhalation based breathing is recommended, where one breathes in through the nose and exhales through the mouth for at least twice as long, helping to stay relaxed during the exercises.

Outlines

00:00

🎾 Overcoming Tension in Tennis Shots

This paragraph introduces the video's focus on helping tennis players overcome the issue of tensing up during shots. The speaker explains that tension often stems from underlying stress, which can be addressed by improving one's visual system. The video promises to reveal the cause of this stress and provide tools to fix it. It's highlighted that 70-90% of sensory information processed by the brain is visual, making it crucial for anticipating and reacting to the ball in tennis. Many players have unaddressed deficits in their visual systems, leading to stress and tension. The speaker suggests that modern life, particularly screen time, has caused our visual systems to adapt in ways that aren't conducive to the dynamic visual tasks required on the tennis court. The paragraph concludes with an introduction to vision training exercises that can help improve the visual system's function.

05:00

👀 Enhancing Visual Skills for Tennis Performance

The second paragraph delves into specific vision training exercises aimed at improving eye movements, which are foundational to all visual skills needed for tennis. The exercises include smooth pursuit, where the eyes follow a moving target in eight different directions, and fast eye switches, also known as saccades, which involve quickly shifting focus between targets. The speaker emphasizes the importance of staying relaxed during these exercises, suggesting long exhalation-based breathing to help maintain relaxation. The exercises are designed to condition the extraocular muscles, which can become poorly conditioned due to prolonged screen time. The speaker also introduces exercises for improving the ability to focus on targets at different distances, using a pencil push-up for smooth pursuit and near-far target switching for fast eye switches. These exercises target the coordination of eye muscles and the ability to adjust the lens for clear vision at varying distances.

10:02

🧘‍♂️ Integrating Balance Training with Vision Exercises

The final paragraph introduces the importance of the vestibular system, which plays a key role in maintaining visual clarity during movement, particularly relevant for the dynamic nature of tennis. The speaker describes a 'V' exercise that involves looking at a target, such as a thumb, while turning the head in different directions. This exercise aims to activate different parts of the balance system and the associated eye muscles. The speaker warns that dizziness or nausea during these exercises may indicate a compromised system, suggesting the need for gradual and careful training. The paragraph concludes with a summary of the five exercises designed to address visual stress and improve overall tennis performance. The speaker offers additional resources for those interested in learning more about brain-based training for tennis and encourages viewers to engage with the content by leaving comments or subscribing to the channel.

Keywords

💡Relaxation

Relaxation refers to the state of being free from tension and anxiety. In the context of the video, it is a crucial aspect of sports performance, particularly in tennis, where the ability to relax can affect the quality of shots. The script emphasizes the challenge many players face in trying to relax during crucial moments, which can lead to 'tightening up' and impacting performance. The video aims to address this issue by identifying the underlying causes and providing exercises to help players relax more effectively.

💡Stress

Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from demanding circumstances. The video script explains that stress is a primary reason why players tighten up during their shots. It suggests that the stress is not just psychological but also related to the physical demands placed on the body, particularly the visual system's ability to process information quickly and accurately during a game.

💡Visual System

The visual system encompasses the eyes and the parts of the brain that process visual information. The script highlights that between 70 and 90% of all sensory information processed by the brain is visual, emphasizing its importance in tennis for tasks such as anticipating an opponent's move, reading and reacting to the ball's trajectory, and setting up for a swing. The video suggests that many players have deficits in their visual systems that contribute to stress and the inability to relax.

💡Anticipation

Anticipation in sports refers to the ability to predict or foresee what will happen next, allowing for proactive responses. The script mentions that a functioning visual system is essential for anticipating an opponent's actions in tennis. This ability is critical for setting up in the right position and timing the swing correctly, which contributes to the overall performance and the player's ability to relax during play.

💡Eye Movements

Eye movements are the physical motions of the eyes as they track and focus on objects. The video script introduces exercises to improve eye movements, which are foundational to visual skills in tennis. Good eye movements are necessary for tracking the ball, switching focus between the ball and the opponent, and maintaining visual acuity during the game.

💡Visual Acuity

Visual acuity is the clarity or sharpness of vision, often measured by the ability to read letters or details at a distance. While the script mentions that being able to read letters clearly is different from having the full range of visual skills needed for tennis, it is still an important aspect of the visual system. The exercises provided aim to enhance not just visual acuity but also other visual skills necessary for sports performance.

💡Peripheral Vision

Peripheral vision is the ability to see objects and movement outside the direct line of sight. In the context of the video, having good peripheral vision is important for tennis players to be aware of their surroundings, such as the position of the ball and the opponent, without needing to move their eyes or head directly towards them. This contributes to the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the player's movements and reactions on the court.

💡Depth Perception

Depth perception is the visual ability to judge the relative distance and depth of objects. The script explains that judging the distance and speed of a tennis ball is crucial for timing the swing correctly. Exercises in the video aim to improve this aspect of the visual system, which can help reduce stress and improve the player's ability to relax and perform under pressure.

💡Vestibular System

The vestibular system is part of the inner ear that contributes to the body's sense of balance and spatial orientation. The video script introduces an exercise that targets this system, as it plays a significant role in maintaining visual clarity and focus while moving, which is essential in tennis. A well-functioning vestibular system can help reduce the stress caused by the need to maintain visual focus during dynamic movements on the court.

💡Brain-Based Training

Brain-based training refers to exercises and techniques that aim to improve cognitive functions and neural processes, often with the goal of enhancing performance in specific tasks or activities. In the video, the presenter mentions a master class that delves into brain-based training to improve tennis skills. This type of training is presented as a way to address the underlying issues that may be preventing a player from reaching their full potential in the sport.

Highlights

The video aims to help players who struggle with tension during shots by addressing the underlying cause.

Tension on shots is often due to stress caused by an inefficient visual system.

70-90% of sensory information processed by the brain is visual, highlighting its importance in sports like tennis.

Visual system deficiencies can create stress, preventing players from relaxing during shots.

The presenter offers vision training exercises to improve the visual system's function.

Many players have unaddressed deficits within their visual systems.

Tennis relies heavily on visual skills such as anticipating opponent moves and tracking the ball.

Modern life and screen time can impair the visual system's ability to perform necessary tasks on the court.

The presenter introduces a series of exercises to improve eye movement quality.

Smooth pursuit exercises involve following a moving target with the eyes while keeping the head still.

Cades (fast eye switches) are used to train quick eye movements between targets.

Relaxation during vision exercises is crucial and can be aided by long exhalation breathing.

The presenter explains how to train the ability to focus on targets at different distances.

V exercises are introduced to improve the vestibular system's role in maintaining clear vision during movement.

Potential side effects like dizziness during balance exercises indicate the need for further training.

A combination of on-court practice and body training can transform a player's game.

Transcripts

if you struggle with always being tight

on your shots no matter how much you try

to relax then this video is going to

help you a lot because I'm going to

explain the underlying reason the thing

that causes so many players to be tight

on their shots and I'm also going to

give you some tools that you can use to

start to fix the underlying problem so I

hope you find the video helpful if you

do it'd be awesome if you give me a

thumbs up and if you haven't subscribed

to my channel before it's really

appreciated if you could do that as well

so you've probably heard it a thousand

times before the importance of relaxing

when you hit your shots but then for

some reason when you try it you just end

up tightening up at the last second no

matter how hard you try to relax well

the reason that you're not able to relax

on your shots is because there's

something going on underneath that's

creating stress and obviously when

you're stressed you tighten up so I'm

going explain the underlying cause then

show you some exercises that you can

work on to address the underlying issue

now this is going to be something that

you probably haven't thought of or heard

about before but it relates to your

visual system between 70 and 90% of all

the sensory information that our brain's

process every single second is visual

there are more different parts of the

brain that are responsible for

processing visual information and

helping our visual system to work than

pretty much anything else we do because

vision is crucial to life and if you

think about tennis everything in tennis

is visual it depends on how your

system's functioning you have to be able

to anticipate what your opponent's going

to do you have to quickly read and react

to the ball predict where it's going so

you can set up in the right position set

up in the right position in time so you

can start your swing at the right time

adjust your swing based on the visual

information and then watch the ball

through to contact that is a lot of

stuff your visual system has to do and

most players have deficits within their

visual systems that they don't realize

that are going on or just visual systems

that don't work well enough so this is

really stressful for your body you're

asking it to do things that effectively

it's really struggling to do you know

especially the reading where the balls

going and then judging the distance and

judging the speed so that you can start

your swing at the right time you need to

do it at exactly the right moment or

you're going to hit the ball late and

things are going to go wrong and your

brain is desperately trying to figure

out where the ball's going often while

you're running at full speed and

twisting and that creates stress and

it's that stress that then prevents you

from relaxing and in a second I'm going

to show you some Vision training

exercises that you can work on to start

to improve how the system functions but

I've been showing players and people how

to train their vision for about 10 years

and what you find when people are doing

basic Vision training exercises is that

a lot of people just when they're moving

their eyes standing still hold their

breath and tense up because the visual

system doesn't work in the way that it

needs to now potentially you think think

that your visual system is awesome

because you don't have to wear glasses

but it's important to understand that

being able to read letters clearly

sitting in a doctor's office is very

different to having all of the visual

skills that you need when you play

tennis your ability to track the ball

your ability to judge distance and depth

it goes into a lot more detail than just

your ability to read letters clearly and

the reality is that Modern Life with the

amount of time that we spend on screens

our brains basically adapt to it our

visual systems adapt to look at a screen

that's that far away that's brightly lit

they are just not prepared to do all the

things that you need to do on court so

that's why we're going to start to

change it with some very simple training

exercises so we're going to do a series

of exercises that are going to improve

the quality of your eye movements the

reason that we're going to focus on

those is because they're easy for me to

teach you in this format and eye

movements are the foundation of all of

the visual skills because you need to be

able to see the ball and track the ball

you need to be able to switch between

looking at the ball and looking at the

other under the core so you need to have

good quality eye movements there are

other visual skills that are going to be

important so your ability to see things

clearly your visual Acuity your ability

to judge distance and depth your

peripheral vision your ability to make

decisions from what you see so there's a

lot of other visual components that you

might need to work on but we're going to

start with the foundational eye

movements now the first exercise that

we've got is a smooth Pursuit so what

that means is following a moving Target

slowly and the way that I'm going to do

this is by keeping my head as still as I

can holding my thumb out in front my arm

straight and I'm just going to look at

my thumb and then move it to the left

and then back to the middle and I'm

going to do between three and five reps

of that just slowly moving it to the

left keeping my head still focusing my

eyes on the thumbnail I'm then going to

do the same thing to the right I'm going

to do the same thing going downwards the

same thing going upwards and then the

four different diagonals so up and left

up and right

down and

left down and right and when I'm doing

all of those I'm keeping my head still

keeping my eyes focused on the moving

Target and notice I only used a small

range of motion so I didn't go all the

way out to there I just started with a

small range of motion because the most

important thing is that you do this

safely and sensibly you can challenge

your system over time but you don't want

to create eye strain or anything like

that when you start training so maybe

three to five reps in each of those

eight directions is going to be a good

start in point now the reason we're

doing eight directions is because we got

six different extraocular eye muscles

that move the eyes in different

directions and these muscles can be

poorly conditioned if we spend our whole

time looking at the phone or we can

train and improve their condition so

that's what we're doing with these

exercises we then also want to do fast

eye movements so the fancy name is Cades

but just think fast eye switches and

again we're going to do basically the

eight different directions so I'm going

to start horizontally so switching

between targets that are left and right

go as quickly as you can being able to

see the target clearly so I can switch

backwards and forwards almost instantly

but you might take a moment or two in

between now hopefully you can see my

eyes it's a little bit Sunny so I might

be squinting but you'll get the idea

we'll do horizontally we'll do

vertically we'll do

diagonally and we'll do the other

diagonal now something else that's going

to be important when you're practicing

these exercises is that you try and stay

relaxed because that's what we're

working on here when people work on the

visual system it be quite threatening so

you want to try and remain relaxed and

the best way to do that is with long

exhalation based breathing so if you can

while you're doing these Vision ex

exercises try and breathe in through

your

nose and try and take at least twice as

long to breathe out through your mouth

so maybe I'll breathe in through my nose

for two to three

seconds and then out through my

mouth and if you can do that style of

breathing while you're doing these

Vision exercises it's going to be really

good for training your brain and helping

you to stay relaxed while you're doing

complex visual tasks and that's really

the goal of what we're after in terms of

numbers around 20 switches in each

direction is going to be a good starting

point for most people we're then going

to work on our ability to look at things

at different distances and we're going

to do this in two ways as well we're

going to do a smooth Pursuit a slower

variation and then a fast switching

variation so for the smooth Pursuit

variation called a pencil push-up I'm

going to hold the pen arms length I'm

going to look at the tip of the pen and

slowly bring that in to the bridge of my

nose and as I do that hopefully you can

see that my eyes are going inwards and

then as I follow the target out my eyes

will return to the normal position so

I'm tracking it inwards and outwards and

ideally you can bring it all the way in

like I've just done but you might have a

problem with one of your eyes not doing

this in which case you'll get to a

certain point the tip of the panel start

to split in two if that happens to you

you know that you need to work on

training this visual skill because you

should be able to do it but you just

want to start off you know just say this

is the point before it doubles I'm just

going to practice going to that and then

the more you work on it hopefully you

can get it closer and closer without it

splitting as a starting point maybe five

reps in the left hand five reps in the

right hand maybe 10 reps if you can

handle it is a good way to go we're then

going to do fast eye switches so now I'm

going to hold the target as close as I

can without it splitting in two so I'm

just going to go for around 3 in on this

one um but you could potentially go all

the way in

or you might need to go a little bit

further out I'm going to look at this

and then I'm going to switch and look at

something that's in the distance so out

on coure you can use a larger distance

or if you're outside you can use a

larger distance but if you're at home

just do it in a room hopefully a long

room and you can just look at something

on the far side of the room near Target

far Target switching back and forth

between the two but making sure that the

target comes into Focus first so you

might find that when you switch from the

near Target to the far Target it takes

two three seconds for it to come into

Focus that's okay you're going to work

on increasing the speed over time and

then again around 20 switches is going

to be a good Target for this and here

we're training the coordination between

the eye muscles so the muscles bringing

the eyes in and the muscles taking the

eyes out and we're also changing the

ability uh to change the shape of our

lens so we can see clearly at different

distances and we've got other muscles

called sary muscles that kind of help

with that so we're working on a few

different things here but there are four

foundational eye movement exercises

we're then going to add in an addition

exercise a fifth exercise but this one

is focused on the balance system in the

inner ear this is your vestibular system

it's really important for pretty much

everything you do in life but one of its

main jobs is to keep your visual system

looking at Targets keep your visual

Fields clear as you move and obviously

when you're playing tennis you're

constantly moving and it's actually this

system that creates a lot of threat in

players so we need to work on it the

basic way that we're going to do that is

with a V exercise which means looking at

thumb or looking at a Target and turning

the head while still looking at my thumb

so I got my eyes looking at my thumb

turn my head back to the middle turn my

head back to the middle I'll do right

left up down up and left up and right

down and left down and right so I'm

going to do the same diagonals that I

did when I was working on the smooth

Pursuits because we want to activate the

different parts of the balance system

and again we want to activate the

muscles because as soon as you move the

balance system controls effectively

controls the eyee movements now when

you're doing balance system exercises

it's possible that you might feel a

little bit dizzy a little bit naded a

little bit nauseous that sort of thing

only happens when your system is

compromised and if that is happening it

means you definitely need to work on

this system but you just want to rest

and build up slowly and go at a pace

that your body can handle but now we've

got a nice little program of five

exercises that you can use to start to

fix the underlying issues that are

creating visual threat within your

system and causing to tighten up if you

have any questions about the exercises

how to apply them or anything like that

please leave me a comment down in the

comment section and I'll get back to you

as quick as I can if you would like to

learn more about this style of training

I've got a master class that's going to

go into a lot more detail about how you

can use brain-based training to become a

more skillful and better tennis player

so I'll place a link up there and I'll

place a link down in the description so

that you can check that out now I hope

you enjoyed the video if you did it'd be

awesome if you could give me a thumbs up

and subscribe to my channel it's

probably a little bit different to the

information that you're expecting when

you initially clicked on the video but

it's important to understand that you

can only play tennis at the level that

your body will allow you to play at so

if you've been watching coaching videos

you've been out there you've been trying

different things and for some reason you

can't fix some problem maybe it's your

timing maybe it's watching the ball

through to contact there's always an

underlying reason why you can't do it

often it comes back to how your body is

functioning so the way that you need to

approach addressing problems is

obviously high quality onc Court

practice but then also working on your

body to fix the underlying issue the

combination can really allow you to

transform your game okay thanks for

watching and I'll catch you next time