By Anne Clarrissimeaux

Photography by Ed Lallo

High technology and the sports world have collided at Mach speed: tennis rackets with multifiber string construction, hockey sticks made of Kevlar, athletic shoes constructed with rubber polymer, and golf balls designed to control accuracy and improve distance. Keeping up these days with the newest advances in athletic equipment is as challenging as championship-level play.

However, one piece of equipment that has been overlooked is literally at arm’s length. Vic Braden says the human body is an athlete’s best asset. And the licensed psychologist, tennis instructor, and part-time scientist ought to know. For more than 50 years, Braden has discovered ways to teach athletes — pro, amateur, and aspiring — to use their bodies’ natural movements effectively to improve their athletic abilities and use their bodies to their highest potential.

Braden recently met with ClubCorp tennis pros to teach them how to apply these principles of natural movement to their lessons at Associate Clubs.

"We are not just teaching forehands and backhands. We’re changing lives," Braden says of his teaching philosophy. "I’m trying to get people to play better in a faster amount of time so they’ll play better, longer."

His more well-known students have included Tracy Austin, John Austin, and Elliot Teltscher. Other notable athletes who benefited from Braden’s technique-tweaking advice and research are Martina Navratilova and Roscoe Tanner. Braden also has worked with Pete Sampras on various projects.

In this first installment of a two-part instruction series, Braden provides quick swing tips for beginning, intermediate, and advanced tennis players. So head to the courts. He says these lessons are scientifically proven to help.

FOR BEGINNERS

The Perfect Ground Stroke

Your arm swings naturally at a 30-degree angle. In order to achieve the perfect ground stroke, Braden says, players should focus on making their movements as close to a 30-degree angle as possible. Here’s how to practice. Place five tennis balls in a 30-degree arc in the links of a chain link fence; or on a wall, place two pushpins about 3 feet apart from each other on a 30-degree angle. Practice making a swing based on the line of the arc.

FOR INTERMEDIATE PLAYERS

Swing Positions

Braden’s research shows that the brain and central nervous system’s reactions to an incoming ball are what causes a player to achieve a smooth swing. As Braden demonstrates in the above photos, the movement to the back end of a swing must be immediate and rapid. Turn your upper torso quickly, causing your body and mind to signal your arm to swing smoothly in the stroke — not violently, as many players tend to do.

FOR ADVANCED PLAYERS

Serve Power

Braden says your upper arm (from the shoulder to the elbow) provides 52 percent of the power in a serve. Many players, however, do not place their upper arms in the correct position and lose much of the power needed for a strong serve. Notice in the "correct position" at left, his upper arm is directly above his shoulder at the beginning of the serve, much like a baseball pitch. The upper arm should remain in an overhand position throughout the serve. In the "incorrect position," observe how Braden’s arm is too low on the side of his body, causing his forearm to be the serve’s sole source of power. This leads to an ineffective serve.