Growing up in Massachusetts, I had the privilege of playing tennis on free public courts at local parks and high schools. Learning the game in New York City, however, is an entirely different experience. Here, tennis isn’t something you simply stumble into. With Manhattan’s limited space, there are no sprawling parks with a dozen courts…
Preparing for a tennis tournament requires careful planning, discipline, and focus. However, even the most experienced players can fall into common pitfalls that negatively affect their performance. Here are some of the top mistakes to avoid when getting ready for a tennis tournament: Physical Conditioning Tennis is a physically demanding sport. Although match and…
Throughout my years of coaching tennis I’ve come across many players of all ages and levels that are ‘perfectionists’ in other areas of their lives (school, work, extracurricular activities, etc). Often, this leads to challenges in their tennis development because they are scared of change, risk, discomfort, and failure. And it takes away from the…
Hey Coaches, It’s Tony Huber here, and today I want to share something that’s reshaped my approach to coaching: group sessions. For many of us, private lessons have been the cornerstone of our coaching careers. They offer personalized attention, clear structure, and a nice hourly rate. But if you haven’t considered the power of group…
This is a continuation to the articles about tactics in Red Ball and Orange Ball stages. Previously we talked about Red Ball being the stage to understand tennis is a game of errors; the less errors we do, the more successful we are. In Orange Ball, we carried on the previous ideas and added the…
Like many of you, I was excited to learn that Roger Federer was giving a commencement speech. How fortunate for Dartmouth that Tony Godsick, his agent, had a daughter in the Dartmouth University 2024 graduating class, which is also Godsick’s alma mater. Much like Federer’s career, the speech went viral. Some described it as motivational,…
Footwork is essential to playing tennis, no matter how you approach it. Common phrases heard on the courts—such as “move your feet,” “get to the ball,” “recover for the next shot,” “one step closer to the net,” and” get behind the ball”—all emphasize the importance of footwork. Tennis involves receiving skills before sending skills. If…
Is there space in the Red Ball stage to work on tactics? Is it worth it? The answer is yes. It’s not only worth it, but it is one of the main purposes of using soft balls in the first place! We use soft balls in order to slow down the game and allow our…
At the highest levels of competitive tennis, it can be very hard to know who is winning or losing at first glance. One of the key concepts of understanding the inner game of tennis is that of momentum development. The key questions are: 1. How do you start building momentum … what do you…
I just boarded my flight from Fort Myers, Florida back to my home in Tucson, Arizona. My mom lives in Naples and we try to get together every two or three months. My stay was short (only four days) but we were able to fit in three sessions of tennis. At 88, she is truly…