Arun Sairam Iyer

PHE E-Portfolio
 My topic is to improve the agility and cardiovascular endurance of my client. I choose this topic
because I’m a tennis player and because I know the training that is required to increase the agility and
improve the technical performance of a client, during the tennis match.

Building up agility is useful Tennis, running regularly with change in direction during intervals helps
maintain your physical health. Agility is also good for your mental health as it makes the brain
release endorphins (chemicals) that make you feel exhilarated and re-energized, it can also lead to an
increase in the reflex action, allowing for my client to have a greater situational awareness during the
match.

By developing the agility of my client, I am giving him the tools to improve his performance in not
only Tennis but in other sports as well and I’m helping him become healthier and more balanced, as
well as have a greater situational awareness on the pitch.

I will also be teaching my client sports imagery (psychological process). Imagery is defined as “an
experience that mimics real experience and involves using a combination of different sensory
modalities in the absence of actual perception.” It is practiced by professional Tennis players, and it
is thought to be one of the most useful tools for a sports psychologist.

Some of the training will involve:

● Reflecting on past performances and accomplishments
● Considering all possible scenarios (what if’s) and mentally rehearsing before a competition
● Dealing with pressure
● Downloading information from training
● Correcting mistakes with the 3 F's:
○ Fix it - How do I fix it?
○ Forget about it - Don’t dwell on your mistakes
○ Focus - Focus on improving

I want to teach my client sports imagery as it will help him:

● Get the most out of his training so he can build him strengths and eradicate his weaknesses
● Compete effectively by helping him stay focused and confident
● Speed up his progress
● Help stay motivated by setting goals and staying positive
● Reduces his anxiety and helps him stay calm

I think sports imagery can positively impact not only the performance of a client in Tennis but their
mental well-being as well which is why I will instruct my client to implement imagery at the end of
each training session and encourage him to practice it in his free time.

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Client Interview
What sports do you play and what have you accomplished in these sports?
I swim as a leisure activity, and I have not been to the national level for swimming. I also play
basketball and run occasionally.

What do you think are your strengths?

I’m well balanced both physically and mentally. I’m in shape because I swim regularly, and I know
that I shouldn’t overwork myself and so that sports don’t interfere with my academics. I’m also very
competitive.

What are your weaknesses?

I need to tone my body better and gain muscles. I’m short and I don't weigh much so I would say that
my height and weight are a weakness. I also doubt myself and get overwhelmed easily which
distracts me a lot. I can also improve in basketball and at sprinting in short distance track events.

What is your experience in Tennis?

I know the basic forehand backhand and slice and have undergone training by a coach but never have I
played in an international national or state level tournament.

Do you think you can improve in Tennis? Why?

I can improve in Tennis if I train regularly. I want to improve my agility so that I can participate in a
wide range of events also so I can improve in my current events.

Do you have any personal goals?

I want to improve my forehand action and increase my agility in situations where I must run and turn
to hit the ball. I also want to grow taller and gain weight in the form of muscle but I’m pretty sure that
won’t happen!

The Benchmark Test

I will be testing my client on three things, his agility, cardiovascular endurance, and his forehand
action because it will help me understand how I can help him. To test his agility, I will conduct and
time a 33-meter slalom, a 66-meter slalom, a 99-meter slalom and a 132-meter slalom benchmark test
to understand his current speed and I will analyze his running action with the forehand and backhand
racket positions in the video of his benchmark test so I can break down which elements he needs to
improve. I will also identify the strengths and weaknesses of his entire running action through the
video of his benchmark test.

Client Analysis
From the client interview, the benchmark test I conducted and my knowledge of my client’s prior
experiences in sports, I have an idea of which areas he can improve in. Through the video analysis I
found that my client is physically fit but has minimal stamina or cardiovascular endurance, the
physically fit aspect of my client is that he was able to hit powerful shots and all of the landed in the

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 doubles Alley and doubles sideline after the completion of the slalom and the minimal stamina was
that during the 132-meter slalom, my client faced breathing issues and slowed his pace. He also
needs to learn the start position as well as forehand backhand and serve positions in tennis as it will
help him be prepared to hit the ball, my client also took a long time process the turns and sometimes
even missed a cone. I also noticed that he was nervous about attempting the slalom and wasn’t very
interested in training, also during a sperate cardiovascular endurance test where my client had to take
laps around the court his time was much higher than the expected time average, which showed that
he had lower stamina and a decrease in his cardiovascular endurance.
Below are the results and my evaluation of my client:

The Initial Benchmark Results Distance covered by Speed of each shot

the ball
Event Timing Distance Speed
(meters) (seconds) (meters) (Kmph)

33 3.4 26 56

66 7.8 22 67

99 11.12 24 79

132 21.33 21 86

AVG 83 11.00 23 72

Expected 83 7.00 16 38

so, the following benchmark test shows us the agility, and the power of the client during a slalom event in tennis for a 15-year-
old male. after each slalom the client can take a 20s break.

During the following test my client took a long time to process the position of the cones, and hence why
could not manage to generate maximum speed whilst moving between the cones, during the 99-meter trial
my client was highly focused on generating speed he missed three of the cones and when the ball was
thrown on the duce court of my client, he took 5 seconds to register where the ball was and then he
sprinted towards it, with the left foot and the ankle positioned at 21.3 degree angle towards the pole of the
net, his racket was positioned at his knee, and when the racket made contact with the ball, my client was
lunging forward and his toe was facing incorrectly and his hand was slightly outstretched, which caused
him to loose balance and fall, so his ability to process the position of the obstacle as well as turn at a high
speed is negligent.

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Benchmark Test 2: for cardiovascular endurance Only

Event Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5 Average

(seconds) (seconds) (seconds) (seconds) (seconds) (seconds)
2 laps 22.4 25.6 28.9 26.8 38.11 28.00
4 laps 35.8 37.9 34.8 35.6 43.56 38.00
6 laps 45.69 42.56 39.26 37.65 54.39 44.00
8 laps 47.84 34.39 58.29 59.63 66.75 53.00
10 laps 68.97 83.48 89.39 63.18 99.28 81.00

Average Laps Average seconds of all laps incl trials

6 Laps 49 seconds

Expected for 15-year-old (6 laps) Expect Average seconds of all laps incl trials
6 Laps 34 seconds.

So, the following test is for the cardiovascular endurance of the client in which the client must run laps around the court for 5
times, after each trial the client gets 10 seconds break and after every lap the client gets 45 seconds break

During the Lap test my client showed a slightly higher enthusiasm whilst performing the test, but after the
4 laps my client faced breathing issues, and was gasping for oxygen, showing minimal aerobic
respiration, after the 6 lap bench mark my clients face turned pale, showing that my clients oxygen intake
was less than 36.5%, this showed me that he required more training in cardiorespiratory fitness and which
would in turn allow him to perform moderate to high intensity excersies for an extended period of time.
His performance was at 39% less than the expected average performance (time).

His Strengths His Weaknesses

● Good stride length ● Doesn’t know the proper swing positions

● Good Power ● Bad arm action
● Physically fit because of him ● Decreased Stamina
swimming ● Inexperienced footwork
● Not motivated and nervous
● Not Agile

With my analysis of the video and my client’s performance, I understood which areas I had to help
my client improve in and, in consultation with him, I developed the following physical and health goals:
● Improve him in Tennis which can be developed working on the Running ABC’s.
● Teach him the correct starting position + forehand and backhand action by breaking it
down, step by step.
● Increase his agility (reduce his timings by at least 2 to 3 seconds) through continuous,
interval, strength, and speed training.
● To improve his cardiovascular endurance through continuous training methods

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 ● Motivate him to train by making him enjoy the lessons.
● Reduce his anxiety with sports imagery which will also help him improve faster and better

SMART Goal
My goal is a SMART because it is:
Specific The goal is specific because it focuses on a physical goal which is developing the
agility, cardiovascular endurance, and swing action of the client for tennis matches. It
also focuses specifically on how to make the client more confident and motivated to
train through sports imagery.

Meaningful The goal is meaningful as the improvement in the speed of my client will help him in
tennis, develop his endurance, improve his tennis action, and increase his technical
expertise. Practicing sports imagery is meaningful as it helps in improving boththe
physical and mental wellbeing of the client and helps the client learn faster and
improve further.

Attainable The goal is attainable as my client can achieve improving his agility, cardiovascular
endurance, and swing action with the help of imagery and the training sessions.

Relevant The goal is relevant as it tackles the challenges my client faces right now or currently
and achieving it will help him in the future as it will minimize chances of injuries and
improve his mental health.

Timely The goal is timely because client’s speed can be improved in 42 training sessions if
sports imagery is practiced regularly and correctly.