Fitness Expert Marco Panichi

Well, Marco, thank you so much for your time, because these days you are one of the busiest people in the house taking care obviously of the number one in the world. Jan Nick Sinner, So thank you so much for coming here to our podcast.

My Big Pleasures.

You know, I have prepared a lot of questions, but I have a feeling this is going to be going so off road and off script. And it's funny for me because it's the first time you actually see me working. We never yes, I've seen all your work that you've done all these years, but never never the other way around.

So exactly I was expecting actually with the racket, to see you with the racket and jumping like you used to do it before.

You know, we're getting also, times are changing anyways, Just just quickly on the tournament. What is one of the biggest challenges from the physical side playing down under? We always talk about the tough conditions, the beginning of the year and so on. For you as a trainer, what are the things you always look to make sure your players are ready for.

Well, you know, I would change a little bit of

What do you do. No, that's why it's very important.

I mean, as you as you know, as you know that for sure, I mean the team is always traveling now much much more than before. And the new professional figures are part of the team which is now constantly all the team. Every player has also for them provisio or stay opath and all these people.

That because we need to.

Try to fix it really and to change some things in really short time. So in order to do this, and because the schedule is very busy all the year, we need to try to find out two or three let's say weeks during the year or more than one or two weeks in order to come back and train in again before the next two mench So it's very important how to plan in the in the beginning of the years. Then of course it depends if your player are win need more or less, so this make huge difference.

Two days and three days.

You know, before we had a little bit more time to schedule a normal work. Now it's more reactive everything, so you have to be very you know, you have to know very very well your player and how we react on some input that you give to him.

So basically now the reason why the players are traveling. But let's say with bigger teams is that you actually do most of the work on the road.

Absolutely absolutely, this is the big changing that we had. I mean me personally, I mean in thirty years, more than thirty years. Yeah, So if I remember what I was doing, you know, I was the programmation. Let's say the planning Back then, I mean it was just, you know, we go to play and then come back and stay one place, one base, even though if we keep traveling, we had time to stay somewhere to practice a little

We have so many tools that help us, so we know.

Exactly exactly how the player is reacting, you know, in what we are doing. So the external lot is easy because it's the job that we are putting on him. But the internal load, which depending for example, from emotional state, depending from so many things, that's very important to understand how much they are stressed, for example, so you can calibrate the external lot based on the internal lot and this may all be more easy to make less mistake from us.

For example, So what.

Do you say, because one of the things I did want to discuss quite a bit is how much the training has changed since you first joined the thirty years or more than thirty years ago to what you do now. So would you say one of one of the biggest differences is that now you have the tools to exactly measure and get the feedback on.

Everything you do. Yeah, for example, author right variability?

For example, I didn't even get that.

Okay, in order don't get too much into it, maybe be bored, But then I.

Thought I was kind of up to dated with the fitness. You know how much I love training and the nutritions.

But obviously not. Yeah, I mean, we have now some tools that are able to exactly calculate the distance of every bit of the heart so country and much we think the bit are not the same in the same time. For example, if you have sixty bit perminos doesn't mean doesn't mean that every second you have a bit. Sometimes it will be more than one second, sometimes it will be less, and actually more than is this variability more our system is saying.

I don't know.

For example, so we have we have sympathetic system, but a sympathetic system, I'm talking about nervous system that we know that when they are working well together, we are rest and we can activate it in a good way. So we are repairing tissue. We are ready to fight. Okay, So this is for example, one of the parameters that the art rivi ability can check. So so many things

Well, it's something I always wanted to ask you and I never did you kind of thanks to Thanks to you, the tennis changes big time as far as where the fitness goes, the training goes. Because of your expertise and your knowledge, where do you go for your resource? Because you're the one making players better, making them motivated, But where do you get the motivation from? And where do.

You I mean I mean simple like when you were playing. I mean it's the passion that you want to make your less mistake, you want to perform your player better. Possible, So you need to be always a little bit curious, let's say, experimentally everything and see what can be useful for your player, for players in general, for your playings in particular. You know, So there are so many things

You know.

I mean again, all these signs help us a lot.

I was actually going to ask you with everything. You know, Now, let's say it was what two thousand and six, two thousand and seven that we work together, what would you have done different?

Also many things?

Yeah, sure, I mean that's again because you you know, we I always say that we as me as a fitness coach or tennis coach or whatever it is, and we need to just throw the suit on top of the player, you know. I mean that's very important. I mean every player is different. I'm not talking about leverage or I'm talking about also emotionally all these things, so more we know the player more we can, yeah, suit

Basically, So this is.

And the more informasure you can get through all these things. Again, more you you are targeted, what you're doing. You are not losing maybe time, you are. You're the possibility to make your player, for example, to avoid all the injury possible. Now for us sample, I mean, I'm thinking about.

This fascia. Maybe you heard about that.

So it's this tissue that is all inside our body, you know, of course, yeah, that's it. So before when I was studying, when I was working the first year, I mean, fascia was a kind of an envelope around the muscle, around the tissue. We didn't know what actually was. Now with new signs, for example, we saw that the fashion is very is one of the probably the most important thing that allowed the body to move smoothly, perfectly.

You know. So because it's.

Kind of a net that is all around our body, all around our bones, muscle, tendons and everything.

Plus is full of this let's say little.

Transistor that can send absolutely every second information to our brain. So and more you are able to use this fashion, and now it's possible to train this fashion. We know how to train the fashion, more the movement is clear, more accuracy, you know, and more the bodies moving.

Well, so you're saying we actually can train instead of the muscles the fashion.

Yes, absolutely, yes, absolutely, okay.

So pretty much we would have done everything differently. No, okay, I think it's like this with everything. The more you know, the more you try to come up with new exercises. But there are always the bread and butter ones, right for sure. So what is for you, like the golden one that you have to make sure all your players do I think I know the answer.

But is it the squad? Well?

Yes for someone, yes, for some other not for example my last two players, for example, I didn't use the squad that much really for example. Yeah, then you know, depends women, men, depends what kind of player you are, how much is your body type?

You know, there are so.

Many things to consider when you do something like that. Tennis is a request are in certain you know, effort, physiological effort require a lot of coordination in there and intramuscular. So the goal that we that anyway, we need to let's say, pers it is what can help players to play tennis and no soccer or basketball. So that's that's the main goal me personally. As soon I see which kind of player I'm working with, I try to address

Let's say.

So all the balance, all the exercise that actually also we were doing, are all part of this big cake to do in order to perform a court.

Let's just not forget to mention that the last two players we are talking about, it's Novak and Yanik, So just quickly on them, especially being to Novak for so many years, and let's say, I think you agree, one of the greatest athletes in the history of not only tennis, but in sports in general. Is there something obviously you had so much to give to him, Is there something you actually learned from him?

Absolutely, but I learned from everybody. I mean, of course absolutely, that's that's that's guaranteed. Particularly we no what coming is his mentality towards the work coming this this big guy, not only him, but I have the lault, do you know, to have the possibility to leave a little bit of this big four and now this new upcoming great player like you. You now, whatever it is, and the common let's say point of all of you, it's how whatever

How everything is related, I mean, how you are you I don't know.

Also something very far from tennis. I mean, if it was reading a book, whatever he was reading, he could bring it on court. So you always find the connection between whatever he is doing to the court, what can improve him as a person, as an athlete, as a whatever I mean father for example, I mean can be related on court. So we always say that athlete is connected with the persons of body mind is working in one unit. It's always working together, So that that's your common point.

Would you say stubbornness as well?

Absolutely, I mean obsession.

But I want to just be clear when I say stubborn and obsession, I mean the functional stubborn and functional obsession in what you do brings you in another level for sure, So not the one that goes to the pathology, of course, so the very important. But then somebody can call passion, somebody can call it, you know, whatever it is, but love what you do.

Where do you draw that line though, between being stubborn in a way that it helps you as an athlete and to a point where you actually let it go and be open and receive the feedback from the team. Was it Was it easy, let's say, with Novak, to kind of receive your information and what you were trying.

Yeah. I think the line, the borderline between functional, non functional, stubborn or whatever it is, is the fact that you anyway are open to listen. Okay, you want to arrive to the point, but you are ready to give and receive feedback. So to give a received feedback is kind of an art because I mean, there are so many ways you can communicate feedback or receive a feedback that can change completely the meaning what you're saying. And that's whatso is another I think plus that as as a

To the player that you don't feel.

Are you say, for example, that happened to me most of the time, depending what player you're working with, of course, but sometimes I don't say, look what you're doing is not right. I could say, because this could be taken by the player like no I'm trying to do it. Why you say that it's not right? I can say, look what you're doing or how you are behaving make me feel that is something like that, so they cannot

And I think sometimes I think of a different cultural background that maybe be underestimated sometimes to a player from let's say Eastern Europe, maybe you can be much more straightforward where to someone from another country. You have to kind of find a way how to go about it, and I believe it's always kind of a working process to to always see where the where the limits are and how to cross them and how how to accept.

Different age. When you grow, you know there is also change in the communication. You know so many factors that can but of course there are some little knowledge tools you can call whatever you want, but you have to haviitally if you want to, because I mean communication in the hand, it's very important more than jump a heat or something like that at a certain level. Of course, would you.

Say you had to approach female athletes differently than guys.

No, I wouldn't say that. I wouldn't say that. It's difference between men and women. That is different between persons, whatever they are, men or women. You know the background, like you said that, the character that they have, this determinate out what kind of person you are.

So we have the dew. We need to understand what we have in front of us.

Because if the main goal is to be able to trust meth some things to be useful for the player, we need to know also how to tell them because you can be the best coach in the world and the best player in the world, and you are not fitting together.

For some reason.

You know.

One question that I think so many of my group will appreciate to know a little bit more, whether it's Lindsay Won Andovich where I just finished playing doubles with,

Well, I would say that.

Guys, listen regarding regarding what we were saying before we were saying before, I mean, the fascia is one of the most let's say, tricky part of our body because if you don't keep moving on the on the right way between this layer of fashion that is kind of college and collage and let's say this this fluid that if you are able to keep this fluid.

Very not sticky you know, but very very smooth.

The movement is smooth, which means you are not creating some resistance in some part of your body, but all the body is moving fluently.

Let's say.

So for our age, which is my age, right for fortum plus, it's very important to keep moving in the right way, be careful what you're doing. Of course, don't do crazy stuff like jumping with you know, from the trampolina. But I mean do a lot of exercise of mobility and strength with just keeping in mind to using this kind of you know, keeping moving the body all together.

Tests a little bit more more, let's say into the limit.

But I would say three dimensional movement for example, that that make the body work on this three different planes that we have, which is frontal, you know, digital, you know this plane.

Let's say make it easy.

I mean it's just moving all the body with some resistance with bands with with weights of course, I mean weights have to be proportional of your sure your state of shape.

Let's say I was going to say, you were going to question my age, but I know you're twenty.

And so basically mobility with a little bit of strength but not to static, yes, but okay, and some explosivity involved, because that's where news it's going downhill.

Everything is connected.

If you're if you're used to, if you are able to use your body with the perfect connection on the segment as a chain, your responsivity is gonna it's gonna be yeah, the sposifity is going to be there.

All right. As far as as nutritions go.

Well, that's another big, big jump forward.

We did absolutely yeah, because as players, we are so used to, you know, having to always have enough fuel and all of this. But then I see more with the guys, I would say that, you know, then it's time to kind of accept that, Okay, we are not burning as much, we are not five hours anymore training.

So I think that's right, listen.

I mean again, also, now science helps a lot, because I mean, for example, now it's very common to do genetic and epigenetic test that is going to be exactly who you are, what you need and actually can be also can detect also possibly I don't want to say sickness or something like this much for example, I don't know, possibly diabetic type two in twenty years for example, So you can start to work right now for that which is not that one O the pertent sure that you're going to have this one.

But your DNA you know, or the.

Modification of NA through the genetic can be arrived in that point there your body in the next twenty years. So also there the nutrition the supplementation now is totally it can be totally you say in.

Are you saying?

I mean you can you can check again all these things according exactly on your topology your DNA, and this of course is helping a lot. So the antih basically you know when you when we're talking about the antihe, we know that some product can trigger some part of your body and can of course putting down more inflammation for example that you have due to the stress the life normal life, you the no movement or some other you know, some other things. So this can bring completely

So to sum it up, basically, what I invest in my body now, I'm going to be hopefully grateful in four years.

Yes, sure, absolutely, life or style, you know, but I mean these things you know that that's the common sense says something like this, but we can go target now.

Oh that's even no more much better.

Lastly, because we are going really down and specific and I feel like we could sit here for hours discussing this. As far as recovery, what has changed, let's say, from I mean already eyes bud and creat therapy was like, well we are killing it. I mean we are on top of things.

Well yeah, yeah yeah, also there I mean.

Nutritions again, nutrition for sure, absolutely, but it can recovery can be absolutely be addressed by nutrition. And you know, there are so many things and now we can discuss they are allowed or not allowed. For example, when you talk about aberbertic chamber, I mean I'm not not here making conversion to aberberdy chamber, but are all things that

That's there are so many things now that can help you. I mean these.

Pants that yeah, I was going to ask you about that that makes really no absolutely.

Yes, absolutely yes, because I mean that.

But then there are also the old good classics like still go on the big after right after the match and stretching. I never forget when you were telling me that when you first started to stretch.

Your players three years ago, that was already like ballets, that big deal.

As I told you, they kicked me out from one tournament in Romania back to the ninety eighteen.

Ninety, which was the first year you started. Oh to think about that eight.

Ready for the time was satellite, no future satellite, So you had to spend one month somewhere. If you luck you play the master final Master, I give you two or three points. But if you don't get to the to the Master final Master, you basically you lose three weeks.

Does it help?

And I do believe big time as you know that your background is in track and field, because let's not forget that you were one of the talents of a long time.

I was, I mean, I was really average. No, well, I would say that.

Because you guys, track and field that's the ultimate athleticism. You don't have tools that help you.

So I always feel like that's a huge, huge.

I think that track and field give me the mentality a little bit to keep investigating, be curious what could help you know as a as a in terms of new work planning, you know new study that remember when we start to do bliometric jumps until this was and I was eighteen nineteen and so I try on my skin. It looks like, wow, this methodology comes from Mars. You know this drop jump. There was this famous Russian professor that was at the time, was at the top of

What is the new research that can help you.

Started on the tour with the players eighty four, what has been the highlight of your career?

Well, now, I don't want to sounds too normal, but I would say that all my players was unbelievable journey with all of them, all of them.

I don't think.

I never learned or I never had pleasure to work with someone, but all of them compared with the other side now of the microphone was a huge privilege for me to keep learning to.

Share.

Basically, now I'm sixty almost sixty one, and I don't have kids, but I consider all my players. Before they were my brother's sister. Now they are my son and daughter. Soon they're going to be a nephew and his. But it was a really great journey keep doing keep I mean, I still loved what I'm doing, So that's probably the best gift.

That's only answer was the most stubborn one.

Let me say something like that.

No no, no, no, no, no, no, absolutely, I mean all of you there was, of course, I mean a person, wonderful person anyway. But of course when you deal with the pressure and everything, sometime can be tough.

I understand.

So that's the way again, the team has to be kind of Mattras, you know, something that absorbed a little bit the high pick and the lower peak. So to to make sure that your play is in this operatic calm of the zone. You can call a rosa, you can call over you want that that's the area.

That they can perform.

You know.

Then, of course, so many factors that can the best work ethic tough to say, but I would say not because you're here. You Novak unique for sure.

As a dedication, let's say, as a dedication to the work, absolutely, yes, but also the other I don't want to sound so, but yeah, but you know this tree that I said not because I mean I want to please you because you're here. But I think that thanks to you, I learned a lot about the headache work heading. I mean absolutely, and yeah, sometimes with you we need to just, you know, like the horse.

Just hold you a little bit more because it could be go in that side of the moon. But no, no, that's that's that's what's fantastic.

Well, I think I'm going to finish on this. I feel like we could be talking for hours, but I know how precious your time is. I did promise this was going to be only twenty minutes, but it has i'm sure been much more than that. But hopefully maybe we can do it some other time down the road, during any time season, and I'm sure we will have so so many questions from the f and a bit