Coaching

We all walk onto the court wanting to win. The reality is, tennis involves winning and losing. It’s no secret that unless you are in the top five in the world, you will probably lose as much as you win. Even if you are in the top three, you will probably lose 20 percent of the time. The only way...Read more

It has been an incredible year so far on the ATP Tour. There are many great up and coming players and a lot to look forward to the rest of the year. Obviously, the biggest story thus far is that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are once again near the top of the rankings and have split the first two...Read more

As we roll into the heat of the summer of 2017, I thought I would address what separates all of us on the court: How we deal with the heat of pressure. From the first time we compete in any way, shape or form, even as children, it's the first time we realize we could "LOSE.” It is that starting...Read more

In Israel in the 1970s, tennis was a sport reserved for the elite and was hardly accessible to the majority of the population. That all changed in 1976, when the Israeli Tennis Centers first opened, giving kids, who would otherwise not have the opportunity, a chance to play tennis. One of those...Read more

I have players from all over the world coming to me to learn the secrets of movement and footwork in the Spanish system. On the pro tour, Spanish players are known for being the best movers … think Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer and many others. How do the Spanish teach footwork and movement so well?...Read more

My understanding of what a progression is, is to use a systematic scheme to accomplish goals. Using progressions as a tool to teach any subject matter is not a new concept. For tennis players, this type of planning can minimize the dependency cycle a player can have for a coach's approval...Read more

There is no shortage of high-quality tennis coaches on Long Island, and the area has helped grow some of the best players in the country. But few of those coaches carry the type of background and experience brought to the table by Andrea Retolaza. “Andrea has the combination of a professional...Read more

It seems strange to start an article about warm-ups with a note about cooling down (many teaching plans include a period for warming up and cooling down during a lesson). The New York Times recently printed a piece outlining how cooling off after athletic exercise was mostly unnecessary. For high-...Read more

For 10 years, Chris Lewit spent a month each summer living in Barcelona, traveling around Spain to learn from the country’s legendary tennis coaches. “It was an interesting evolution for me to study and travel to Spain, I spent about 10 years doing that,” said Lewit, who grew up a very good...Read more

I often hear the phrase “PLAY” used by coaches to begin a drill or scenario to emphasize the starting of a point. Play is a creative term used to elicit a behavior of imagination and randomness to help discover what experiences really mean. The word “PLAY” sounds fun, but I believe we can use it to...Read more