Resilience
August 29, 2019
Brad Gilbert was commenting today at The US Open. He referenced a player having a tough patch by saying…’he is in a spot of bother.’ It made me consider the spots of bother that come streaming into my life each day. Do I catastrophize them (all too often) or realize they are inevitable…can I take […]
Revolutionary new tennis product
July 1, 2019
As a tennis coach, I receive match feedback each week from players of all levels. The report that came in today was disconcerting to say the least. In a recent 3.5 women’s doubles match, a player deemed it ‘fine and dandy’ to scream (louder than Sharapova) on each hit. But…it wasn’t on the strike of […]
Tennis momentum
June 20, 2019
Yesterday, a very young cowboy had a tennis drill group that was attended by Susan, Suzie, Susan, and Susan. Susan P. mentioned that her and her partner were starting slowly in their matches and losing the first set routinely. I suggested they change their routine. Find a team who is competitive and play the best […]
Possibility
April 29, 2019
‘Performance equals potential minus interference.’ Tim Gallwey ** Megam M. reported in drills on Friday that she played her best tennis when she had put a number of Christmas bells in her hair. She said the constant jingling eliminated the white noise, the over analyzing, and the critical monkey voice that had previously interfered with […]
Sick
March 23, 2019
Naomi Osaka is rightfully the number 1 ranked player in the world following back to back major wins at Flushing Meadows and Melbourne. Today in Miami, she was beaten by Su-Wei Hsieh of Taiwan. I’m hear to tell you that Hsieh is the most entertaining player in women’s tennis and more fun to watch than […]
The basics
March 10, 2019
A dog’s life is pretty simple. Two meals a day, chasing squirrels while the sun shines, and watching your favorite players compete at The BNP Paribas Open. Who could ask for more?
Variety
March 9, 2019
Bjorn Frantangelo was matched against Novak Djokovic tonight at The BNP Paribas Open. The underdog was up a break in the first set before Novak turned it around winning 7-6, 6-2. Jim Currier was announcing the match and made a comment club players might want to try incorporating into their games. He said that Frantangelo […]
Confidence in sports
February 23, 2019
Dustin Johnson is not just the best golfer on the planet, he is an amazing athlete. He’s atop the leaderboard again in Mexico City leading Rory McIlroy by four shots heading into the final round. The panel of commentators were describing his technical prowess and how he is so far above other players in many […]
Persistence
February 15, 2019
During a televised women’s singles match this week, a commentator praised a player for ‘digging in her heels’ and playing error free tennis. What would ‘digging in your heels’ mean for you? ** refusing to go too big too early in a point ** shrugging off a double fault and making four first serves in […]
The Master
February 2, 2019
When you view this photo at contact…’the moment of truth’, ask yourself if the master had turned his hand over milliseconds before striking the ball…what chance would he have had to clear the net. The truth is that the young (well coached) girl in Tennis Terminology no doubt looked just like Roger at the critical […]
Tennis terminology
February 2, 2019
I cringe when players say they’ve been coached to produce ‘over spin’ on their ground strokes. The phrase unfortunately sends the wrong message to the wrist and forearm…’to produce topspin, turn the hand and forearm over’. Ouch. Get a refund if your coach speaks of over spin and turning the hand and forearm over in […]
Touch in tennis
February 2, 2019
There are a lot of similarities between golf and tennis. Without going into too much detail, here’s an idea ‘borrowed’ from a golf telecast that could help your tennis ‘touch’ game. When you play a drop shot….strive to make it as soft as a butterfly with a parachute. That’s how announcers describe a bunker/sand shot […]
Naomi The Zen Master
January 28, 2019
Naomi Osaka was one set up and had three match points in the second set. It appeared she was a shoe in to win her second consecutive Grand Slam title. Her opponent, Petra Kvitova is a two time Wimbledon champion in the best shape of her life after recovering from hand surgery following a home […]
Formidable
September 14, 2018
The Golf Channel did a feature interview with professional golfer Maria Torres. She has an infectious, positive, personality and one of the commentators said…’her attitude could be the most powerful weapon in her bag.’ It made me think of the tennis players I coach and if their attitude is a powerful weapon in their bag.
Game sense
August 29, 2018
What is your Tennis IQ? Do you consistently hit the shots you ‘own’? On the changeovers, do you take time to assess what’s working and how you can exploit what is not working for your opponents? Are you familiar with former touring pro Eliot Telstcher’s concept of ‘shot tolerance’? It basically means how many balls […]
Three is the charm
August 21, 2018
How do you know when Father Time is sneaking up on you? Well, in a very young cowboy’s case…it’s when you realize you’ve taught tennis to three generations of the same family. Grandma Lynn started in 1982 followed by her daughter Kelly in 1988. Lynn was thrilled when the third generation began lessons last Sunday. […]
One amazing player
August 12, 2018
He was brash…belligerent…and once was the number 1 ranked tennis player in the world for 160 consecutive weeks. Jimmy Connors won ten major titles during his career and made an incredible run to the U.S. Open semifinals at the age of 39. That run was the story of the tournament and showed the grit and […]
Cwaaaazzzzyy!
July 30, 2018
Gregor Dmitrov possesses incredible improvisational skills on the tennis court. If you want proof, just watch these consecutive points played against hard hitting Jack Sock.
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