Tennis: Do the twist

New teaching theory aiding in development of high school star

Del Mar (PRWEB) February 5, 2004 --New teaching theory aiding in development of high school star.

The 8Board is a device being introduced by two North County tennis professionals who advocate a theory that the source of tennis strokes, properly executed, is not the arm but the hips. Thus the 8Board, a training tool for hip movement.

Paul Mayberry of Del Mar is the 8Board's designer and Jack Broudy of Leucadia its leading champion. To underscore that the thing can be useful, Broudy need only point to Forman, 15, a national champion as a 14-year-old whom Broudy has been coaching since Forman was 5.

"An analogy is a football player," said Forman, a Torrey Pines High freshman. "If he is going to make a tackle, he is going to use his whole body, not just his arms. It's the same in tennis. To get maximum power, you have to use your body and your center of gravity. Hitting as I do gives me more power and control, and it's a lot easier on my arm. I have never had any arm problems."

Before he turned 15 in February, Forman won both the summer and winter Boys 14 Super Nationals. Broudy said Forman already possesses a forehand that is the equal of those being wielded on the ATP Tour.

"For the amount he plays, he's the best player in the world for his age," Broudy said. "The fact is, every other player who is in the top five in his age group plays a whole lot more than he does."

"I train when I want to," Forman said at his home here. "I train a fair amount, but I still have a life."

The ninth-grader said he prefers not to partake of home schooling, in which many young players of promise engage. He said he surfs -- Broudy says he taught him to surf -- and plays golf as well as tennis.

Forman is 5-foot-11 and wears a size 13 shoe, a suggestion he has a growth potential. His father, Michael, an emergency-room physician at Tri-City Hospital, is

6-2, his son said. Broudy said he believes his student can become the best men's player the San Diego area has developed since Michael Chang.

"Absolutely," Broudy said. " 'Core strength' are the buzzwords. If you have core strength and you don't know what to do with it, it's not going to make you a better athlete. What we work on is your actual path of motion, your path of movement."

As he spoke, Forman was exercising on an 8Board. "By learning this 'figure eight' -- you see there is equality on both sides -- by using your arms to maintain your balance, you get the most efficiency out of your strokes, whether it's golf or throwing a ball or hitting a tennis ball.

"From this discovery (the 8Board), not only can you be a better player than you would be on your own without it, but you can learn in about a tenth of the time. It teaches you, with the video that comes with it, how to move your hips rather than rotate. I can rotate, but it's not the same as Andre Agassi or Tiger Woods, who have this movement, this 'figure eight' movement."

Forman said one of tennis' appeals to him is that no matter how proficient one becomes, there always is a higher level to attain. He had this point impressed upon him when he competed in one of the most prestigious junior events, the Orange Bowl, an International Tennis Federation tournament in Miami. He said he finished sixth in his age group after being eliminated by the player from Venezuela who won the 14s.

"They're much more serious," Forman said of his rivals from other countries. "They'll do anything to win. A lot of them are playing to get out of their countries. Their governments are paying for them to travel, so there is a lot of pressure. But I want to be a tennis player."

He goes on revolving.

Jerry Magee
By JERRY MAGEE
UNION-TRIBUNE Staff writer
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