We have to ask ourselves as coaches: what is the final and key developmental aspect when faced with 10 & Under Players moving to the full court? One dimension which won’t change from green ball to performance yellow ball is court size. Players now have to use the full court which brings about a…
The best tennis players are very focused on serving and returning serve. If a player can develop a good serve and/or a good return of serve, they can control more of the points and take advantage of the opponent’s weaker shots. It is a great mentality to think that after serving or returning, you…
Considering I’ve been around tennis for over 50 years, I can honestly say that tennis is one of those sports that’s harder than it looks! From playing tennis, coaching juniors, traveling and coaching on the tour, and managing tennis programs at federations and academies – over the years I’ve been involved with tennis in…
In the 25 years I have been a tennis coach, I have encountered the eternal question from every parent, “Well, what does his/her potential look like to you?” In most cases, of course, it’s impossible to know. The kids usually come to me at an early age and every child has a different pace…
Many people don’t realize that tennis is a brutal game of psychological warfare. Far from the country club, genteel reputation of the sport, real competitive tennis is full of legal and illegal psychological manipulation and outright cheating. Why is this so? Three main reasons: The tennis rules The rules of the game are actually anachronistic…
Tennis is a game of timing and rhythm. Shots can be hit fast, slow, flat, with more spin, and with all kinds of other variables. My advice is to keep your shots similar. This means, hit your shots with similar speed, spin, and trajectory. Hitting your first and second serve similarly will give you…
Moving forward in singles has become more difficult. In addition, many players are not sure how to move in and what to do once they are in a volleying position. The first step is to try to hit your approach shot deep and towards the side of the court you are already on-usually this is…
I have discussed this several times in different ways when presenting my tips. Hitting the ball and actually playing a point are two very different things. Hitting the ball well helps you play the point better. However, just randomly hitting the ball against a good player will not be very effective. I recommend focusing…
John McEnroe is a multiple time Grand Slam Champion and a tennis icon. His tennis mantra is, “Don’t Beat Yourself!” To most casual observers, he was an overly aggressive player who just “went for it” all the time. And it was his talent that allowed him to “get away with it”. But that could…
If you watch professional tennis, it seems that there are a lot of different ways to follow through. Although players tend to have different finishing spots and techniques, most have a lot of things in common on their follow through. First, and most important, the pro players tend to let the racquet continue through…