Northern Starchive- Aug 2006
#93 Hernandez- Breaking Down the Backcourt
Last month we talked about what makes a man of the Jai-Alai backcourt, and as promised, this month we’ll delve into one of those souls, namingly Dania Jai-Alai’s #93 Hernandez. At 25 years of age, Hernandez already has 6 years of professional experience under his belt, but by Jai-Alai standards, is still a young player with lots of room for growth.
Impressive since his rookie season, Hernandez has fought his way up the ranks and now sits in third position for this season’s Backcourt Doubles Title. At 6 feet tall and just shy of 200 pounds, he’s not as big as some of the other elite backmen, but still has enough size not to be called a smaller back. Hernandez sits as one of the best backcourters in the sport today, so let’s find out why.
Hernandez is a tenacious competitor who keeps his nose to the grindstone and loves to be on the offensive. His catching is one of his greatest assets and his style in doing so is remarkable. In reeling in the pelota, Hernandez is not often one to play defense. He attacks the ball with a brazen demeanor, and tries to catch it as far forward on the court as possible.
Hernandez doesn’t really favor catching the ball on one side over the other. In fact, he catches remarkably well from almost every position. Whether on the backhand, forehand, off the bounce, in the corner, or off the side wall, Hernandez will make most of the tough grabs. In this, he has a big advantage over some backcourters who favor catching from a certain position. He has more time to position himself going into the catch, and therefore is in a better position on the court after he snares the pelota.
One other thing that helps Hernandez on the catch is his court mobility. He moves well both laterally and north and south. He also moves smartly. I say that in he moves when he needs to and how he needs to. It’s rare to see Hernandez wasting energy and effort going the wrong way. While he has very solid court positioning, it’s not quite at the elite level, yet. That is one of those things that should improve with age and experience, and it’s something that Hernandez will need if he wants to be a top flight backman in his 30’s.
Throwing the rock, Hernandez spawns a lot of power on both the forehand and backhand. A big part of this is his outstanding form. His mechanics on the throwing motion have been prime ever since his professional debut. Not as fluid as some other’s on the throw, Hernandez has a sort of snap motion that is witnessed best on the forehand side. His release is always crisp, the english on the ball eternally spinning exactly like it is supposed to.
Hernandez is old school in the fact that he does not play games on the throw. His game is powering the pelota into the corner, and his game is what he’ll play. Going over the top, drop shots, off tempo throws, and kill shots are not things that Hernandez will get into very often if ever. Some may see this as a weakness, and in some cases it may be, but Hernandez is so good at what he does he’s essentially made it a strength of his.
His tenacity is what makes it a strength. While I can’t argue that a larger shot selection could be beneficial, the fact is Hernandez is steadfast in his determination, and does not rattle easily, if at all. All professional Jai-Alai players have bad days, that is certain. Many tend to change things up when this happens and most of the time that does not help.
Hernandez, on the other hand, stays the course. He keeps doing what he does best, and will not let a player faze him. In not getting away from what he does best, Hernandez tends to find his way out of a slump well. In not showing weakness when he’s on his heels, he doesn’t show opponents a clear way to attack and defeat him.
Last month, we mentioned the pelota is thrown most effectively when a pelotari is moving towards the front wall. This is one of the things that Hernandez is best at. Much of the power that he generates on both sides comes from that momentum. Just like a baseball pitcher, like let’s say Roger Clemens, initiates most of the power in his throws from his legs, the same can be said of a Jai-Alai superstar. When stepping into the throw, and standing on a solid base, the pelota can be launched with both more power and accuracy.
Accuracy is the component of Hernandez’s throwing that needs work. His power would be even more potent if he could assert a little more control on the pelota. Too many wild throws that go off the court definitely hurt. Hernandez also has a tendency, at times, to place the ball too high up the back wall or too far to the outside of the court.
This happens a lot in the rare occasion when Hernandez catches off his heels, or is not engaging the pelota like he normally does. In these cases he tends to reach while throwing, looking to get more power out of the ball than his stance will allow. When reaching, his body rotates a little too far, causing the pelota to take an errant flight path.
The other big reason for Hernandez’s wayward throws is his determination. He wants to win the point on every throw. On the forehand, he’ll play the dangerous game of placing the ball just below the upper pad. Of course, when you do that, you are going to hit said pad on occasion. In some cases when the ball is in play, he will have simply thrown it too hard. This leads to easy rebote shots for his opponent’s frontcourter.
The good thing for Hernandez is these are things that can be fixed, and a player usually overcomes them as he matures. As Hernandez gets more experience, he should start to realize when he can and cannot throw his booming shots. As Hernandez gets more adept about picking his spots, he’ll be that much tougher to beat.
On the rebote, Hernandez is about average for a backman. In layman’s terms that means he stays away from it if at all possible and he’s not going to go scaring opponents with it anytime soon. Hernandez is capable of turning a save now and again, and can get a hold of the pelota on the fall down shot if he’s in good position to perform it. A weak rebote is expected of a professional backcourter, compared to their frontcourt brethren. Guys like Cuvet and Lopez are the exception, not the rule.
Hernandez, during the point, is a volleying player. He’ll use his superb catching and powerful throws to slow foes down until he wins the point. That will usually occur after he puts the opponent in a bad position, which results in either a dropped ball, or a weak return that give’s Hernandez’s frontcourt partner the pelota in scoring territory. Hernandez plays the volleying game very well, and I would consider it a strength for him. Again, he’s not going to get suckered into playing a style of game he does not excel at.
Communication and leadership are an area where Hernandez still has plenty of room to grow. When rising up the professional ranks so quickly this can be an area that is more difficult to develop than others. I can imagine that at the age of 21 or 22, yapping directions at guys like Arriaga, Celaya and Arregui is a formidable task. You can’t feel comfortable telling a former Olympic Gold Medalist when to catch the pelota. It takes maturity to be confident in oneself in a situation like that.
While Hernandez has become a much better communicator in the past couple of years, he still needs to develop into a more of a leader on the court. There are times when he is too passive and does not assert himself like he could. There are times when that will work just fine, but in other circumstances it will cost the team the point.
The ability to lead a team is not developed overnight. It takes time and Hernandez has put a lot of effort into that. Some of that is respect. Respect is only earned through hard work and success. The more success a player has, the easier it will be for him to become a presence both in the locker room and on the cancha. In the end Hernandez’s wins and perseverance on the court will go a long way into forging him into a capable leader of a team.
Dania Jai-Alai’s #93 Hernandez is one of the elite backcourters in the sport today, and rightfully so. His fantastic catching alongside his powerful throws can help a team to victory in many circumstances. Hernandez’s dogged determination and his toughness along the side wall and in the back corner are a staple of his success. While still having plenty of areas to improve, Hernandez is on the path to being one of the best in the world for another 10 or 15 years.