I don't think too much forward planning was put into this by the sound of things, although maybe there was a good reason why he delayed his departure from Miami until 23 Dec.
Probably wanted to get the full training block in, maybe should have skipped Xmas in Scotland and go straight to Abu Dhabi if he really wanted to do well there. But tournament planners didn't do a great job either - admitting they got the seeding wrong, then still giving Almagro get the bye (though I suppose he had to travel at pretty short notice). Maybe Andy's learnt something for another time, but it doesn't seem worth bothering too much about at the moment.
Came accross this via a twitter trail, and thought it was interesting:
McCaw Method OFF SEASON TRAINING: Training mistakes & how I plan a players Pre season:
One of the biggest mistakes a lot of players make in the off-season, and especially with it being a slightly longer one, is starting too soon on the 'hard stuff'.
Personally when i work with a player, the first 2 weeks is what i call 'Pre Pre Season Preparation', having the player do work that will prepare the body to be ready to hit the more explosive and harder work come around mid December (this week). This 'Pre Pre Season' (Usually last week Nov, first week Dec) is easy, fun and getting the player loose and moving again. After that the real work begins.
Ideally, you want the player going to Australia (or ready for Jan) fresh, not tired. In fact I aim to have the player only 80% fit by first week January and then peaking 100% by the Australian Open - Where it counts most.
Too many coaches and trainers don't take into account that the start of the Australian Open is far, it's 7 weeks into your season if you started training in the first week of December! - Some players go to the first Slam simply tired and even injured already!
However, first things first, before any training is started, last seasons injuries or fatigue need to be addressed first.
Also, the off-season is a time when players try new equipment, so special attention is to be paid to different feelings and muscle soreness (from new strings, tensions, frames etc..). It's the small details that make the big difference in the end and these can be so often over looked by the over zealous coach and trainers.
