Scott Byrnes chat, part oneOctober 07, 2006We caught up with Ana’s strength and conditioning coach Scott Byrnes
Gavin Versi: Hi Scott. Could you start by telling us what you did before you began working with Ana?
Scott Byrnes: I started in the fitness industry about 10 years ago. I finished my studies and began working as a personal trainer. I’ve worked with the Australian Institute of Sport, helping the young tennis players there. I’ve also worked as the Australian Fed Cup trainer; with other female tennis professionals Nicole Pratt, Alicia Molik, Sophie Ferguson and Anna-Lena Groenefeld; at an academy in Scottsdale, Arizona; and with some golfers who train in Sydney.
GV: Why is fitness is so important in tennis?
SB: Your body is your tool to perform, almost like a machine. If it’s not performing at its peak you’re not performing at your peak. It’s the foundation and you must look after it to ensure it is 100 per cent. The most important thing is staying injury free. A lot of injuries are unavoidable of course, but some can be prevented. Obviously if you’re injured you’re not able to compete. My philosophy is ‘be at your peak’. Try and be bigger, faster and stronger, and allow that to shine through when you’re on the court.
GV: What areas do you work on with Ana?
SB: My title is Strength and Conditioning Coach – my job is basically to look after Ana’s body. Her body is the tool with which she can achieve great things. With her conditioning we look at her aerobic fitness, which is important for her endurance and ability to perform in points without being too tired. It’s also important for her longevity in tournaments, that she is able to move from match to match.
Strength-wise we have to provide her with the platform that’s not going to create injuries. Her aerobic conditioning is very good, we’re all really pleased with the progress she’s made since we began working together. Another thing we’re working on is her strength: Ana has a very powerful game and her body needs to be able to handle that. She’s going to get a lot stronger.
Then there’s movement. Agility is huge. It’s actually the first thing Dave and I wanted to address. We watched her during Wimbledon and felt it could be improved. The definition of agility is the ability to stop and move in a different direction. We’ve changed her footwork, for example she now takes fewer steps as she’s moving to the forehand side. Increasing her strength helps her agility. She can get lower on her shots and sustain a bent knee position a lot longer, which helps her move around the court better. She’s a great mover on court now and her defence has improved a lot. She’s worked very hard over the last few months.
GV: How do you measure these improvements? Does Ana often undergo fitness tests?
SB: Yes, I place a lot of importance on testing. Obviously it shows you where you are. When we first started working together shortly after Wimbledon we performed a series of tests, for example body fat, endurance and strength. Some of the tests are very simple, like for strength we measure how many push-ups she can do. Then there are more complicated tests such as the “1RM” or “one repetition maximum”. We’ll be performing one of those once she has recovered fully from her injury.
Scott Byrnes chat, part twoOctober 08, 2006Gavin Versi: What’s your style? You seem pretty laid-back. Or are you really a disciplinarian?
Scott Byrnes: My character would be laid-back, but depending on the person I’m working with it can change. With Ana all the drive does come from her. With other players it might be different, I might have to push them some more, but Ana is such a great competitor and knows the benefit of working hard that it makes my job a lot easier. So I can be myself, which is pretty laid-back. But the sessions are still intense. To her credit she can reach that level of intensity on her own.
GV: Do you play tennis yourself?
SB: I do. I actually first got into tennis when I began working with tennis players – I didn’t play as a junior, apart from the odd hit-and-miss with a few friends. When I got involved with the sport I realised I had to increase my knowledge in it. From a psychological standpoint I wanted to be able to see where they were coming from too, so I entered myself into a couple of tournaments. I got my butt kicked 6-0, 6-0! Then I realised, “okay, this is what they go through, that’s interesting.” Nowadays I play some ‘A’ grade tennis back in Sydney where I live, but just for fun.
GV: When talking about your work with Ana you often use the term “we”. Could you explain how the team works: are you and David always working together with Ana?
SB: It’s a very close role for myself and David. We communicate with each other and try and get on the same page about Ana’s progression. At tournaments we’re pretty much side-by-side with Ana, both on and off the court, always talking about how we can help improve her game. Obviously there's a split between me focusing on the physical side of things and David more on the strokes and tactics, but there's some overlap too and we have open dialogues about each. The three of us very much enjoy working together,
In a conditioning block, like what we’re doing now, about half of it will be without Dave, so two weeks will be just myself and Ana, then the last two weeks Dave comes in and we all work together. The conditioning will be lightened off a little and the tennis is introduced.
GV: How about Ana’s recovery after a match?
SB: Recovery after a match is hugely important. I’ve noticed that it’s only really in recent years that players have been addressing this. It’s important because when you play your body builds up lactic acid, which pretty much stays in your legs after a tough match. If you just go from playing a match to having a stretch and leaving your body where it is, the lactic acid will remain and affect how quickly you recover for your next match. So warm-downs should be done straight after a match. Ana does a 15-minute cool down after a match either on a bike or a treadmill. In that warm-down Ana goes through every movement that will target every muscle in her legs. So that will involve some basic jogging, some side-to-side movement, some shuffling and some skipping. Then for the last three minutes Ana’s just walking, keeping her heart rate slowly dropping down.
Then after the cardio warm-down Ana goes through a pretty extensive stretching routine to make sure that all the muscles that have shortened during her match are elongated and back to their full range. All of this is done to help her stay injury-free.
Scott Byrnes chat, part threeOctober 10, 2006Gavin Versi: Could you tell us about a typical day during a conditioning block?
Scott Byrnes: Sure. The maximum Ana will do in a day is three sessions. Sometimes it will just be two. We always do a session before breakfast, which is what we call the “BB”. It’s a cardiovascular session, so it increases her heart rate. It lasts an hour maximum but is usually around the 30 to 40 minute mark.
I try and vary it as much as possible for Ana’s sake, to keep it interesting and to ensure we’re using different muscles. Sometimes we use equipment, like a treadmill, exercise bike or a stepper. Other times it might be some outdoor running and sometimes we go on bike rides, exploring the nearby surroundings. We can also look at agility in this session, so it’s quite flexible. It’s an aerobic session, around about a 70 per cent maximum heart rate session, so there isn’t much sprinting involved.
Then there’s often a gym session before lunch where we work on strength, and an afternoon session which is cardio based and much more intense than the morning one. But like I said, it changes all the time.
As well as the training itself, Ana probably spends up to half an hour a day stretching during one of these conditioning blocks, and she’ll have a long massage in the evening.
GV: Do you incorporate other activities into the training regime – swimming, for example?
SB: We haven’t done much swimming yet but when we do our big block of fitness at the end of the season we will be getting more into it. So far swimming has only been used as part of the recovery process. I want to work on strengthening Ana’s rotator cuff muscles and swimming is important for that. Fitness work in the pool can also be good when you want to take the load off the legs.
We’ve also done some boxing. It’s a great way of tapping into your anaerobic threshold. In our very first block of sessions back in July we did some kick-boxing. Ana really enjoyed it and she’s got a good punch on her! I’d hold the pads – I’ve got to be on my guard because I think she wouldn’t mind socking me one on the nose for all the torture I put her through! Seriously, she enjoys it, she has a big smile on her face when we’re doing all these varied activities. I’m a big believer that a player has to enjoy the training in order to reach their peak, so using these other activities is a good way of keeping it fun.
GV: In the past Ana told us how you once promised to buy her ice cream if she beat you in a shuttle run. Do you play lots of these games?
SB: Absolutely, it’s about keeping it fun. Ana’s an incredibly competitive person and she loves those kind of incentives. It’s hard work yes, but it’s a lot of fun too.
GV: What is your impression of Ana’s personality, having worked closely with her for a few months now?
SB: The first thing that you notice about Ana is that she’s got a big heart. She’s a lovely person and you’re drawn to her from afar. The second thing you notice is her competitiveness, which for me is key – if you haven’t got that as a professional athlete then you’re not going to reach the top. Her competitive edge shines through in everything we do. She has a great sense of humour and is just a pleasure to be around.
GV: Thanks a lot for talking to us.
SB: Anytime. Speak to you son.
