In over thirty years coaching I have become aware of something most recreational players do, Their focus is always on the result , it’s winning the point and it’s rarely on the process. You will often hear high level players in any sport say ”it’s the process not the outcome”, something they either don’t hear or choose to ignore. In this vlog I want to illustrate the integral role of the transformational zones in the process and how loading into those zones produces safer and more consistent performance gains.
A transformational zone in human biomechanics is where motion in one direction transforms into motion in the opposite direction. You can experience it for yourself, jump up from a standing position without first sinking down. It is not a very successful move. Now go down first, which lengthens your leg muscles and flexes your joints to enable you to jump up, Try it again without sinking down first to appreciate the difference or try to get up from a seated position without pushing down into the seat and ground.
Having established this undeniable principle, I want you to understand what happens to your body going into and out of the transformational zone that enables it to capture the energy it needs to explode in the opposite direction in the jump.
The source of Force
Transformational Zones
You can see clear examples of Transformation Zones in the service action in the following two vlogs:
CRB 7. Transformational Zone 1
CRB 7. Transformational Zone 2
These are the two major zones clearly evident in the serve action and there are others where motion changes direction which I’ve left out for clarity.
Conclusion
Having shown you the integral role of the zones in the process , how they transfer the kinetic energy that has been captured to produce the explode in any purposeful human movement. If you want safer performance gain, you must understand how the preparation phase of a stroke in tennis enables you to capture the kinetic energy you need, for a functional chain reaction movement in all three planes of motion, in the transformational zones. If your load into the transformational zone is incomplete then the explode will be less than it can be, whatever your level.
The question remains, as always, what is the most effective way to train for safer performance gain?
The answer, as always, is to train in a away that resembles the activity and looks to expand your capability in the ranges of motion in your muscles and joints in the transformational zones of that activity. It will include matrix movement in both direction of all three planes of motion and the corresponding stability matrices at the very least and will include tweaks, hybrids, in and out of sync movements and a whole range of performance matrices for your particular activity.
You can start with these to build basic functional fitness.
Six Mobility chain Reactions in both directions of all three Planes
Vaughan Ebrahim
LTA accredited Level 4 Senior Club Coach
Gray Institute. Movement specialist, CAFS 2013, 3DMAPS 2017, FGS+FT 2023.