Coaching

The title of this article may be precarious for a full-time collegiate tennis coach, a guy who teaches college courses and has taught tennis for more than 30 years. I returned to coach a college team after a 12-month hiatus from competition because of the COVID- 19 pandemic. It was great to get...Read more

When I was growing up, we were always taught to keep the ball deep. The idea was to push your opponent back and give them very few opportunities to move forward. These days, there are a lot of players who start the point standing relatively deep in the court. This pretty much negates the "hit the...Read more

I don’t remember myself without tennis. I first picked up a tennis racket at the age of four and ever since then we have become inseparable. A lot has changed in my life over the course of these many years but tennis is and always will be a significant part of me. The love for the game, for me, is...Read more

I’m sure we have all experienced having a great practice session only to find ourselves in a match struggling with the very same shots we hit well in practice. Even though you have executed these shots successfully in practice, it is a whole different world when you are trying to win a match. Your...Read more

The forehand has become the premier dominant shot in modern tennis, especially in the men’s game. Toni Nadal, the legendary Spanish coach, even goes so far as to describe the forehand as “the most important shot in the game.” Most coaches and players would probably disagree with Uncle Toni, and...Read more

Thinking on the court should be simple and concise. Play every single point the best that you can. You cannot win every game point, or every critical point; you have to keep giving yourself chances. If you had one chance, you need another. If you had a couple, you need three, etc. You need to think...Read more

It is human nature to try to figure out what went wrong when you miss a shot on the tennis court. Most of us would be better off approaching things a different way. The first step is to identify if the miss was caused by the opponent hitting a good shot. If this is the case, it is best just to move...Read more

Many players default to a coaching career because it feels familiar and comfortable following their playing days, and there is nothing wrong with that. But when making this transition, most try to teach the game the way they were taught, forgetting that today’s game is nothing like it was 20, or...Read more

Players tend to think that having more time will help them hit a better shot. Many players actually let the ball drop from close to an optimum position before making contact. I believe that too much time can cause many problems for players. Timing, indecision, and having to hit the ball up to clear...Read more

Many tennis players tend to "steer" the ball in the direction that they want it to go. This involves changing your swing so that it goes more towards your target. Most of the work is done by your hands and your racquet. It is much better if you can use your shoulders to direct the ball. Try to...Read more