(Oct-2006)
One of the enduring problems when "individuals"
join tennis teams, is that
the meshing of the varying personalities never
happens and conflicts break out among the group.
I used to coach high school tennis teams..both
boys and girls....and before every season began
I would have ALL the players read and sign a
statement I had prepared for them called the
"Players Creed"...
Players Creed
"I am grateful for the opportunity to play
on this tennis squad. There are many people
who do not have this chance, and I see this
as a real blessing in my life. I am fully aware
we are ALL here to advance the purposes of the
team, am I am NOT here to serve my own interests,
although I WILL be the recipient of many great
things while here. As a valued member of the
team, I will do "anything" the coaches
and captains ask me to do to advance the common
cause. If they ask me to play... I will do that
and give my very best. If they ask me NOT to
play, I will be the biggest cheerleader on the
side for my friends who are in the fray. Whatever
is asked of me, I am committed to carrying it
out in the best interest of the group. This
entire
experience is NOT about me... instead it is
about my helping the squad achieve its goal
of being the best we can be...together. In the
event I failed to live up to this high calling
in the days ahead... I hope some other team
member will bring these words to my remembrance." |
|
(Sept-2006)
Coaches and players always talk about
having "good hands"…but how do we develop them?
1) Learn “to block”: against an
extremely hard ball, no backswing is preferred.
Allow only the racket to meet the ball and push
forward through the contact zone.
2) Learn to accelerate and brush: for topspin
and hitting a heavy ball and maintaining the
ball on the string.
3) Learn to drive: drive through the contact
zone for a put-away ...this is also known as
“flattening out” the ball.
4) Learn to soften: loosening the grip of the
racket slightly to absorb the impact of the
ball. That would allow for a drop shot or drop
volley to be created.
5) Learn to follow: under spin shots used as
drives or approach shots. Here the player needs
to have the sensation of the hands following
the ball to the target.
6) Learn to snap: would be appropriate on wide
balls, overhead smash and serves. The player
needs to have an educated wrist.
|
|
(Aug-2006)
What do I do if I am a "righty" playing a "leftie"?
1) Rallying: Your backhand or backhand volley
down the line is your best shot! If he hits
to your forehand hit crosscourt…..
Extreme topspin on the crosscourt will take
the ball high over the backhand strike zone.
2) Serving: stand wider on the deuce side and
closer to the center on the add side….that
will allow you to hit better slice serves to
the backhand side. It would be wiser to hit
2 spin serves to assure the proper placement
of the ball in the box.
3) Returning Serve: Take one more step to your
left as this will negate their favorite slice
serve.
|
|
(July-2006)
I am often asked, "What qualities make
up the nature of a Champion tennis player"???
Well, at last, here they are:
1) Attitude: There is NO such thing as a menial
task…….only a menial attitude!
2) Commitment: Commits him/herself to a worthwhile
endeavor and carries through to the completion
of it.!
3) Self Belief: Total and complete belief in
oneself to perform under pressure!!
4) Determination: Carry out the task NO MATTER
what the circumstances or people may say!!
5) Perseverance: Adopt the “never quit”
mentality!
6) Humility: Showing respect for your opponent
and yourself by acting in the appropriate manner
on and off the court.
7) Responsibility: Realization how your actions
affect others!
8) Discipline: Realizing what is needed to develop
your full potential and doing everything possible
to reach that!
|
|
(June-2006)
Playing tennis on a clay court has been
described as both a sport and an artform. The
clay rewards those players who know how to keep
their cool under stress while inflicting the maximum
pain on the opponent. Here are four (4) assets
any good clay court player must possess.
1) Applying too many strategies can muddle
your play. Keep it simply... hitting the ball
to the open court while exploiting the weaknesses
of the opponent. Remember these words... "hit
it where they ain't".
2) Make stamina a priority in your life. The
physical part of the game is, in some ways,
more important than the technical. It is very
difficult to beat a player who can absorb everything
thrown at him and still keep coming at you.
Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare...
the victory belongs to the one who will keep
moving, keep trying and never quit.
3) Build confidence through consistency. Learn
to clear the net by 3 or 4 feet... allowing
yourself a good margin of error for days when
things aren't going so well. Practice hitting
20 or 30 shots back to back, without over hitting,
to build security that it can be repeated in
match play.
4) Create a working relationship with the ball...
too close and the stroke will be cramped...
too far and the stroke will be way over extended.
Observe how precise a golfer positions himself
to the ball... and do the same as the tennis
balls approaches your own strike zone. |
|
(May-2006)
When facing a lob from the opponent, it is generally
more advantageous to strike the overhead out of
the air. However, there are times when letting
the overhead bounce would be the better choice.
Here are examples of some of those situations
when the bounce is recommended...
1) You are playing on a sunny day and the lob
goes up and you find yourself not being able
to see the ball in the sunlight.
2) You are playing on an exceedingly windy day
and you find yourself unable to properly set
up the ball as it gyrates in the air.
3) The lob goes up and you are either near the
sideline or baseline and you are fairly confident
the ball is going out... but it does not.
4) Your opponent hits a lob and you find yourself
unable to get there in time to hit it out of
the air.
5) You never hit one of those towering lobs
that are very difficult to hit on the fly.
Those are just a few of the situations where
allowing the lob to bounce is the smarter way
to play the point. |
|
(April-2006)
The question is often asked, "what (in
doubles) is the best return of serve"? While that
answer will vary from player to player, probably
most votes will go to the low, crosscourt ball
hit with significant angle. The existence of the
doubles alleys begs the returner to get the ball
over there because the center of the court will
magically open as the opponent runs wide to retrieve
the ball. And, since hitting "up" is about the
only way to return the ball, an average volleyer
can then move in for the kill. |
|
(March-2006)
While most accomplished tennis players
spend most of their time and energy developing
the ground strokes, volley and serve…..the most
under-rated skill in playing tennis is that elusive
talent known as "mental-toughness". All players
should understand that the game of tennis is nothing
more than the game of life on a smaller playing
field. Whether it is sport or life, the emotions
are much the same….frustration, anger, depression,
hope, satisfaction, joy…it is all right there
in front of you. And it is one of the truths of
life that how you handle your emotions on the
court will mirror how you will handle them elsewhere.
So, here is the lesson. Learning to be "tough"
does not encourage people to be angry or boastful.
Rather "toughness" on the field of play is manifested
in resiliency and the ability to take a hit and
continue to go on …….regardless of the difficulty
of the moment. |
|
(Feb-2006)
Have you ever noticed rifles don't work well without
bullets and bows do not work well without arrows?
Well, good tennis strokes do not work well without
a good game plan. It is usually true that an average
player "with" a good plan will beat
a better player who has no specific plan as to
how he will win.
Setting up your game plan is fairly easy…but
you have to be honest with yourself. List on paper
all your strengths and then all the weaknesses.
Once that is done, then the plan is devised by
maximizing your strengths and minimizing your
soft spots. But wait, you are not through yet.
When you finally get on the court with the opponent,
it will be necessary to observe what is going
on, on the other side of the net. For a winning
strategy is now to maximize the opponent's weaknesses
and minimize their strengths. Once done…you
have put together the winning plan! |
|
(Jan-2006)
Tennis players usually talk about the volley
as if it is one, clearly described motion wherein
the ball is taken before it bounces. The problem
is there are many "types" of volleys:
1) Block volley- where the player simply squeezes
the grip at contact and, with hardly any racket
work, the ball explodes off the strings.
2) Swing volley- usually hit with an open stance
and used when a ball momentarily floats upward
and is hit with a short, but powerful above the
shoulder motion.
3) Reflex volley- commonly used when the ball
is coming at high speed into the body. As such,
is usually executed using the backhand volley
since that provides more coverage.
4) Drop volley- necessitates soft hands and some
backspin….as it is actually a "drop
shot" hit out of volley format.
5) Lob volley- a great shot to use against an
opponent who either hugs the net or does not move
backward with high agility.
6) Half volley- a defensive shot where the ball
is literally "picked up" after a quick
bounce…..teachers always use these words
to describe the technique…."trap and
then extend." |
|
| (Dec-2005)
To be effective as a server, you MUST
mix up the serves. Use variations of spins and
move the ball around as much as possible in
the box. Remember that the wider you serve...the
more angles you provide for the receiver AND
wide serves force your own netman to stay close
to the alley.
So, the better way to go is to serve down the
middle, or the "T" as it is called. That will
allow your partner to slip out to the middle
more often and poach the pick off a lot of the
low hanging fruit. |
|
(Nov-2005)
"Footwork is CRITICAL!" ...Coming
to a complete stop, turning completely sideways...
All of these things USED to be the requirements
of a good
tennis player. Now, none of these issues are
irrelevant, but the emphasis needs to
be, above all else, GET TO THE BALL! |
|
| (Oct-2005)
One of the greatest paradoxes of teaching
tennis to kids is the age old question... How
much should we emphasize fun... and how much
should we stress teaching technique? Of course,
the answer is BOTH. The tennis pro cannot become
so completely absorbed in conveying information
that it becomes boring... Yet, he likewise cannot
have so much jumping, laughing and running that
the kids become totally lost as to the skills
necessary to play the game.
It is unquestionably a difficult balance to
maintain. Fun is absolutely essential..but combining
fun with bite-sized bits of learning opportunities
must always be part of the equation. So, that
is the way we do it here at OakLeaf and only
time will be able to judge how well it will
work out. |
|
| (Sept-2005)
One of the tough issues facing intermediate
players in the problem of the continental grip.
Unlike the more natural "eastern" and "western"
grips, this grip places the hand on top of the
racket handle. This forces the fingers to play
more of a role in bracing the racket against
the sure impact of an approaching ball.
A simple trick to strengthen the hand and forearm
is to extend the index finger upward, as if
reaching for the trigger on a gun. By positioning
the index finger this way, you will find you
have more leverage and support for the continental
grip. |
