Shilstone’s ‘shoulder push’ aids Serena
The man who helped to remake Serena Williams and save Peyton Manning’s career is not an imposing figure. Mackie Shilstone is slender with a shock of white hair. His voice does not boom. But for years athletes from boxers to baseball pitchers have come to his New Orleans office looking for magic. He has given them enough hope that now, at 64 years old, he is often not called a trainer but “a career-extension specialist”.
His clients include Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones Jr, Ozzie Smith and Darryl Strawberry. But by the end of this weekend his legacy might be the rebirth of two superstars of different genders in completely different sports who nonetheless have one priceless commodity: their right arms.
If Williams, at 33, can win her first calendar-year grand slam on Saturday and the 39-year-old Manning can show he is the Manning of old on the first NFL Sunday then Shilstone will have done some of his finest work yet.
Shilstone came to both at moments of great doubt in their careers — Williams in the first pit of a professional tennis life that has played in three acts and Manning last winter when the quarterback wondered if his career was done. In each case he gave them reason to believe they can continue and offered the physical tools to make the renaissance happen.
“It’s a team effort, I’m just a rung on the ladder,” Shilstone said.
Both are using a shoulder program Shilstone gave them in the last several months.
Shilstone is a big proponent of shoulder programs. Athletes who use their shoulders repeatedly like pitchers or quarterbacks or tennis players need a recovery routine after they compete. He is always amazed when he goes to the Open’s workout room and doesn’t see any players working their shoulders after matches.
He gave Manning and Williams the same shoulder program, which is essentially working the muscles in the reverse of the action they had been used in games. They use pieces of tubes and small pipes to do this.
His world is draped with celebrity. Big-name athletes call all the time, having been given his name from his extensive network of friends and clients.
This is how Shilstone came to work with Williams.
“When I came in I didn’t bring my tennis mentality, I brought with me a wealth of knowledge of other sports.” He wanted her to move better so he pulled out exercises he had designed for Army Rangers who told him they rarely shoot standing still and were searching for ways to shoot their guns accurately while running.