TIME MODE – Hotspot club / XL / PRO

In Time mode we firstly set the amount of time that we will be working for.  For example we may have a drill that requires an athlete to work for 20 seconds.  During this time the Hotspot is open to triggers from the spots and will record a “hit” every time a spot is activated.  In time mode the score at the end is simply the number of spots hit during the pre set time frame.

Time mode has a number of real world applications.  If you can imagine a “Zig Zag” pattern consisting of 4 spots.  The athlete has to move in this pattern touching each of the spots with his/her foot forwards and then backwards.  This pattern is then repeated for the set time.  The use of Time mode will increase the intensity and effort level of the athlete whilst forcing good body control, precise footwork and a rhythmic, fluid movement ability.   The score at the end of the activity will reflect the athlete’s ability in these areas.  Time mode allows up to 95 seconds, in increments of 5 and can really pressure all energy systems.

COUNT MODE – All Hotspot Systems

Count mode is essentially the opposite to Time mode where the system is configured to accurately time a set number of triggers.  In Count mode we set the number of spots required to be hit in the activity.  In the above example we could use a count of 4 (just the forward pattern) or 8 to include the backward pattern also.  We could set it to 16 for two repetitions of the forward and backward patterns, get the idea?  The result is a Time value, accurate to 100th of a second.  Obviously in this mode it is more discriminatory and can provide indications of marginal improvement (key for elite athletes) and also between groups i.e. in talent detection.  For athletes to achieve the fastest time’s certain movement techniques, fatigue levels etc will impact the time.  There are a variety of uses for this mode.

Split Time Mode – XL and PRO only

Split time mode is an extension of Count mode where each received trigger splits the running time.  To explain further if the count is set to 2 then there will be two time’s in the display cycle post activity.  The first time will be from the start of timing to the 1st received trigger and the 2nd time will be the total time for the activity.

Split timing can be used to look at movement to the left and the right, fluidity of movement i.e. if the splits are equal in difference then there is a a rhythmic component to the athletes movement.   Another use of split timing is to run a repeat of an activity touch a spot after each set.  Let’s say we are doing set’s of 5 medicine ball squat jumps.  After each set the athlete touches a trigger point.  After say 3 sets of this the hotspot will have 3 times.  With a bit of simple mathematics we can determine how much the athlete has fatigued over the course of the drill.  This would be useful in telling us whether the athlete starts strongly and finishes poorly or is pretty consistent throughout.

SUMMARY

So there are 3 timing modes on the hotspot system’s that can be used in a variety of ways.  In all cases the athletes get immediate performance feedback and are externally motivated to give 110% to the activity.  Like anything where there is improvement to be made and one can see that it is possible an athlete will strive to beat times/scores and may even be inclined to practice outside of formal training.  Athletes will begin to own their training, effort and performance becoming more aware of themselves.   This is essential to reaching potential and fulfilling dreams!

Remember…MAKE IT COUNT!

Mike

The “flow” step is commonly used as a means of defending wide balls that have caused you to be on the run and over stretched.  The “flow” step allows you to hit the ball on the move and implement a braking method allowing quick and efficient recovery back into the court.  I am going to provide 3 variations of the drill and alongside each provide some coaching tips and analysis.

Flow Step Drill 1:

In this drill there are simply two spots.

1. positioned as a recovery point.

2. positioned where the outside foot is placed in order to execute the flow step.

The drill is a repetitive exercise that puts the execution of the flow step and the recovery under pressure.  There are two ways to do this.  Firstly repeat for a period of time, say 20 seconds or secondly to perform a set number of repetitions, (using the hotspot will provide both methods and give times and scores as feedback).   Obviously the repetitive nature is not tennis specific but the point of this is to isolate a “skill” and train it to be efficient and robust so it can be relied on in game play.   Also during a drill of this nature players will stress their concentration and their technique whilst putting it under time and fatigue pressure.

"Flow" step drill - basic

For the drill the player is asked to move from the centre of the court, perform the flow step and recover back to the recovery spot and repeat.  The timing of this will be affected by a number of variables.  Clearly the ability to execute an efficient flow step will aid in allowing the player to go quickly, apply the brakes and recover.

Flow Step Drill 2:

This drill uses the same configuration as above.  This time however, the system is put into it’s “zero” start mode which means that the first hit of a spot starts the timing.  We are also going to use a count of 1 which means that the player will perform a single flow step (which will start the timer) and then recover as quickly as possible to the recovery spot (which will stop the timer).

This drill is aimed at measuring the effectiveness of the flow step and the recovery speed.  Clearly improved times will reflect flow step braking and recover speed.

Flow Step Drill 3:

Flow steps can be executed in a variety of court positions.  We can position spots in alternative areas as to apply more movement pressure and execution stress to the player.

I have set up the drill as in the picture below.

Flow Step Adaptive Drill

There are numerous options in which order things are done, for example top, middle, bottom repeat or bottom, middle, top, middle, bottom etc.  Once again repetitions can be set or the drill can be done for time.  The key point to this drill is that players must adapt to different movement patterns needed to move and recover to each of the 3 areas. This adds additional pressures to the drill and improves complexity.  If players can perform the necessary skills in this environment there is a good chance they will be executed in game play.

These drills are not only useful for the “flow” step but by moving up the court and replacing with the appropriate footwork pattern you create a tactically, technically, physically, and mentally competent practice.

Finally, the hotspot system  provides for precision and repeatability of the drills and most importantly provides accurate feedback on the players performance that coupled with subjective, observations from the coach can be extremely powerful.  Players will gain a more complete understanding of where they are at and the level at which they perform.  In addition there is no better motivation once players start to own their development.

Hope you enjoy this post and can make use of it!

MAKE IT COUNT!

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