Despite common thought, it is inconsequential how good a player your coach was in their playing career. But it is of great consequence whether he or she can help you grow. Most of the parents and kids don’t understand this and hence, it’s a constant struggle to find a good coach. When we talk about…
Arcadi Edelman is a coach at MatchPoint NYC, but this isn’t just the story of a coach. It’s the story of a man who still walks onto the court in New York every day, in sweltering 95-degree heat racket in hand, watching a child’s reaction as attentively as he did half a century ago. A…
There is a dirty little secret in the cloistered world of competitive junior tennis: Cheating and gamesmanship are rampant—and nobody is doing anything about it. For many children and parents, their first exposure to the junior tennis circuit is a shock. Unlike most other sports, junior tennis is one of the few sanctioned competitions where…
Carlos Alcaraz is at the pinnacle of tennis, as a five-time major champion who has reached the spot of world number one. His success comes on the heels of the illustrious career of Rafael Nadal, the 22-time major champion. Both players hail from Spain, and represent the success that nation has had in producing top-tier…
Pressure in tennis is unavoidable. It shows up in the form of break points, tie-breakers, deciding sets, and match points. For some players, this constant pressure feels like a threat. For others, it’s an invitation to rise to the occasion. However, the difference between these players doesn’t lie in talent or technique, but instead lies…
Tennis training methods have long been based on the belief that longer rallies during practice sessions lead to success in matches. However, recent analysis suggests a significant misalignment between this conventional practice approach and the actual dynamics of tennis matches. The core of this argument revolves around the breakdown of points by rally length, revealing…
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) today officially launched USTA Coaching, Inc., a new entity established to elevate and support the coaching community nationwide. USTA Coaching offers a comprehensive, inclusive and scalable solution to support every type of coach, from parents looking to introduce tennis to their children to full-time professionals. This first-of-its-kind national platform…
The conservation of angular momentum means that in a spinning object not acted upon by an external force, the momentum will remain unchanged. So if we reduce the radius of movement, the object will compensate to retain its momentum by spinning faster so that its net torque remains zero. If we flex our elbows, our…
Mobility + Flexibility: Lube the Joints or Lose the Game After age 40, your connective tissues lose water content and elasticity, making you stiffer and more injury-prone. Mobility isn’t about just doing yoga once a week, it’s about unlocking usable range of motion in the joints that generate power and absorb shock during play. If…
Anxiety is a tough opponent. It doesn’t hit forehands or serve aces, but it can derail even the most talented tennis players. Whether it’s pre-match nerves, fear of failure, or the pressure to perform in front of coaches and peers, anxiety is a real mental hurdle. Fortunately, today’s players have more tools than ever to…