Every year I receive numerous calls from college freshmen who seemingly out of the blue have lost their feel, instincts and confidence. Their mental game used to be reliable but now they are experiencing anxiousness, anger and an unstable attitude playing for their new team. They can’t believe what they are experiencing: some describe…
I know this sounds pretty crazy, but you should not be trying to think while you are playing a point in a tennis match. This idea goes against what our mind is telling us as well as what it is trying to do. We will usually have the tendency to try to work things…
There are so many resources available these days to help you improve your tennis game. Lessons, clinics, and practicing with other players are all good ways to continue to get better. However, watching other players hit or compete can also be very helpful. There is unlimited video available on the internet (just google “tennis…
The world’s top two men’s tennis players will square off in a special one-night championship match when all-time tennis great Rafael Nadal visits Las Vegas for the first time to meet current world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in “THE SLAM: Nadal vs. Alcaraz,” hosted by MGM Resorts International. The event is scheduled for Sunday, March 5 inside the MGM…
Even though it’s rarely talked about, guilt is one of these hidden emotions that influences many athletes, whether they are amateurs or pros. Guilt is felt when a tennis player pities are weaker opponent, or when a player fails to win a match and chastises themselves with self-ridicule. If a player is guilty about…
Many players just don’t understand why they play so differently in an actual match compared to what they do in practice. One of the problems is that it is extremely difficult to simulate an actual match situation in practice. Some small adjustments to your practice may help this. Try doing your normal hitting drills…
The local tennis community boasts some of the top coaches in the world, and with this wealth of talent available, New York Tennis Magazine took the opportunity to pick the brains of some of these coaches. These coaches share their thoughts on a wide variety of tennis topics and issues, ranging from junior tennis…
It seems obvious that we should try to repeat a successful point in a tennis match. In the heat of the match, this might not be the first thought that comes to mind. Often, our tendency is to panic or worry about the points that we lose. We try to prevent those from happening…
The split step is an essential tennis movement that is often misunderstood, poorly-performed and misapplied. With a little knowledge of WHY, WHEN and HOW to perform the split step, you will move quicker and faster, and have better balance on the tennis court. WHY do we need to Split Step? All movements have three…
Nick Bollettieri was the most successful tennis coach in the history of the sport. He was not always a fan favorite; he wasn’t trying to win a popularity contest. He often did and said things that people on the outside did not like or disagreed with. However, the players he coached understood what he…