If you are serious about any sport or activity, you’re going to have to work long and hard to get to the level you want to reach. Very often, the activity that was fun when you started can become more like a grind as your practice gets more intense. It doesn’t have to be this…
I would like to salute team captains of our league teams. From coast to coast, the largest demographic of passionate and competitive tennis players in the nation are the adult league players. The unsung hero in a no-win situation is the team captain. Whenever I meet a team captain, I never fail to get a…
Being a tennis coach necessitates a unique ability to connect with the player. Tennis is a game of skill, strength and strategy. As a coach, the challenge is to guide a player to perform their best in all of those aspects and then come back the next day reaching for more. As in any sport,…
Early in my coaching career, the following scenario would take place with me and my students repeatedly … I would work long and hard with a player and achieve a smooth, efficient stroke, only to see the shape of the swing fall apart when the player moved more than one step to the ball. I…
The New York metro tennis community has some of the sport’s best facilities, both indoor and outdoor, and best coaches in the world. With this wealth of talent available right in our own backyard, New York Tennis Magazine recently took the opportunity to pick the brains of some of these top coaches. What you will…
As a tennis professional, I always hear people use general terms and phrases to describe very specific actions. For example, you have probably read or heard the term “racket head speed.” This is just the common, quick reference to a very detailed and intricate action. One must understand the words mentally, physically and visually before…
Tennis is often referred to as a "mental sport.” It is true, of course, but what really makes it such a challenging and unique sport? Apart from the obvious of tennis being an individual sport and no coaching is allowed, it is a sport that constantly tests your nerves, week-in, week-out, and it is a…
Verbal Kint was the man! Sorry for those who haven’t seen this classic, The Usual Suspects, but this movie was an instant classic in my humble opinion! Every time I watch that flick, I get a kick out of it. (Spoiler alert: Seeing and understanding how Verbal takes the little details and creates a story)….
I have been playing in USTA Adult Leagues for about seven years now, and not one season has passed where I can avoid an overwhelming amount of animosity at the age difference between myself and some of my opponents. This experience is not just an isolated one, but one that is common both inside and…
There are many facets to hitting a solid ground stroke, but if you key in on four simple areas, your shots will improve. Movement is number one. Tennis is a sport that requires quick feet. The stroke is dependent on the fact that you are in the right spot to hit the ball. Moving the feet…