While we describe the practices of today and refer to “Social Distancing”, a more accurate term would be “Physical Distancing”. For many young people, 12 hours a day of “FaceTiming” is the new norm and it has the potential to bring people closer, so I will keep today’s blog brief: Call an old friend….
Take a short break from TikTok and consider: Do you have a resume? If your answer is “Yes”, improve it. If it’s “No”, now is the time to learn how to do it. Even if you are in Junior High School, it’s not too early to start the process and learn the mechanics and…
Did you know that many studies indicate that you can develop and improve tennis movements simply by thinking about them? It’s called Visualization and it’s powerful. Close your eyes and picture yourself hitting a serve. Breathe, bounce the ball and feel it as if your were actually performing the movement. Start your take back,…
One of my favorite lines from any song is: “There never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do once you find them”, from Jim Croce’s “Time In A Bottle”. The silver lining to this crisis is that we have time now. As tennis players we are goal oriented….
When I was young I used to complain about how useless the subjects in school would be to my life. “Why do I need to know when the Magna Carta was written?” was a thought going around my immature mind. OK, so now that you are home, learn domestic skills that I guarantee you…
If everyone in your home has a “reserved” seat at the dinner table, you understand the value of friendly habits. Familiarity provides comfort. It’s why serving rituals in which we bounce the ball the same exact way before starting our motion is so important. If you are a young person schooling from home, it’s…
In 1999, a young Novak Djokovic sheltered in place, huddled in a basement while NATO bombed his hometown of Belgrade, Serbia for over two weeks. He credits this difficult time with changing his life by making him stronger. When he resumed playing tennis, it was a joy. There was no pressure because he realized…
This is a difficult time for everyone. For young tennis players it’s frustrating, scary and confusing. But maybe it’s also an opportunity to learn, grow and mature. Education is a shared responsibility, and for the moment that’s an imposed reality. We can sit in isolation and feel like victims or we can rise above and take action to empower…
This idea is going to sound obvious, but tennis is supposed to be basic. If you are serving, focus on getting the first serve in, then hitting a shot or two (usually crosscourt) to get the opponent moving, and then figure out a way to win the point. When returning serve, get the return…
Players generally stand in the middle of the baseline to warm up before a singles match. However, it is rare that both players are standing in this position during an actual point. In singles, the server will be slightly to the right or left of the center of the court and behind the baseline….