Peace

January 16, 2017

The thoughtful soul to solitude retires. Omar Khayyam

Well coached

January 16, 2017

The late, great tennis coach Welby Van Horn referred to it as the significant other arm. One look at this youngster and you figure he is well coached. The soa is not dangling or bobbing or pointing out towards the net. Positioned across the body, it proves he’s been taught the importance of a significant […]

Growth

January 15, 2017

We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world. Helen Keller

Creative doubles

January 15, 2017

What might you learn by playing six points using The Australian Formation in your next match? Maybe that your opponent’s blistering cross court backhand is tame by comparison when you force her to go down the side. Perhaps that your partner’s less formidable backhand volley is put in the back pocket as she plays more […]

The present

January 15, 2017

You know it’s important to live in the moment…not ruminating about the past or fretting about the future. You’ve tried yoga, meditation, and mindfulness. Yet the mind keeps racing. Sort of like a strobe light at a downtown dance club. Maybe spending more time with little children or dogs is the answer. Perhaps by osmosis, […]

Quick learners

January 14, 2017

Yes, it’s true…cats and dogs can be taught to excel in hide and seek.

Doubles communication

January 14, 2017

What percentage of college and professional doubles teams have brief huddles before serving points? If you answered 100%, you are correct. The natural second question is why. Actually, there are a number of reasons. It allows for the planning of the next point. Without planning, players are more strangers than partners. The server is the […]

Take time

January 14, 2017

The soul is healed by being with children. Fyodor Dostoevsky

Perspective

January 14, 2017

There are three musts that hold us back: I must do well. You must treat me well. And the world must be easy. Albert Ellis

Purpose

January 14, 2017

What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?’ George Eliot

Keep fighting

January 13, 2017

You are down 1-6 in the third set match tie breaker to ten points. Why should you keep fighting? Three reasons. You understand that the pressure is now on your opponent to close the deal and that can be a heavy burden. Because they have a big lead, their natural tendency is to play a […]

Use your gifts

January 13, 2017

If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced. Vincent Van Gogh

Choices

January 13, 2017

You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you. James Allen

Amen

January 13, 2017

Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet. Colette

All that matters

January 13, 2017

In an empty sanctuary she began to play slowly…reverently, just her…her piano and…her God She could not see the aging gentleman kneeling in the shadows What a pity she didn’t know that her music soothed the man Transported him from trials and worries…and the stuff best left unworried about His eyes closed as she continued […]

Pachuuuunnnngg!

January 13, 2017

Tennis really is the greatest game. Perfect for kids from age four to super seniors at ninety. How fun when four doubles players bring the spirit of this five year old to the court…when everyone appreciates the magic and no one gets curmudgeonly based on the score. For those who don’t know the meaning of […]

Hair on fire

January 12, 2017

A high percentage of players are visual learners. Granted, this is the former  #1 player in the world who covers the court like a blanket. Maybe you can mimic Andy’s dash to net the next time you play. Truly, he’s moving forward like his hair is on fire. The byproducts are that it’s the way […]

Doubles shot selection

January 11, 2017

This player is wisely favoring his forehand and playing the ball up the middle. Here are five reasons you might mimic his shot selection. 1. The opponents could be confused regarding who should volley the ball. 2. The player has the full length of the court to work with. (78 ft.) 3. The net is […]

Heart to heart

January 11, 2017

People come into our life for a reason. Some are messengers; others are teachers. Some are healers, and others are coaches or counselors. Some people come into our lives for only a season, but their fingerprints remain all over our lives till the end. Matthew Kelly

Penultimate

January 11, 2017

Carlos Goffi was one of John McEnroe’s coaches in the early days. He wrote a very good book entitled Tournament Tough. In the book, he used a word this young cowboy had never heard before…Penultimate. About the only time you’ll hear it now is on golf telecasts. The commentator might say that Jordan Spieth is […]