Many players, coaches and parents are very fixated on technique. With very good reason, I may add, because good technique is extremely important. Technical shortcomings can limit the ability of an individual to progress to the next level and can also cause injury.
What is technique? It would seem it is simply mechanical movements. The path of the racket, the use of the body as a kinetic chain, all very simple really, or so it would seem. The body is built in a certain way, biomechanically, and surely there cannot be too much variation involved in producing efficient movements to a similar end.
For me, technique changes based on the ‘x’ factor. The body is not a separate entity, it is part of a greater whole, consequently, our movement cannot be seen as simply mechanical movements because those mechanical movements are not connected to a robot, they are part of an organic whole and the experience of that organic whole affects those movements.
If we were robots, everyone would play exactly the same, but we do not. Why not? What is the root cause of the differences between players?
To try and change those mechanical movements without an awareness of the other parts of that whole will surely end in failure. How could it possibly be any other way?