It’s Monday morning, and my inbox is filled with e-mails from parents whose child has just played in a tournament over the weekend. Most e-mails lament about how the results could have gone better, including what could be done to change what appears to be this “monster inside” of their usually mild-mannered child. “You don’t…
Paul Annacone was born and raised on the East End of Long Island before going on to carve out a decorated career in the sport of tennis. The Long Island native graduated from East Hampton High School before moving on to the University of Tennessee, where he would win the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Player…
One of the first things I tell parents who bring their kids to my program is: “Please don’t talk to me about winning and rankings.” When they talk to me about getting their kid to the top 20, or to make their varsity team, I just shake my head in frustration. Kids have different levels…
For the past 10 years, I have taught, volunteered and observed at various tennis clubs around the United States. All of these facilities offer 10 & Under Tennis programs for youth tennis players, so I have witnessed firsthand how to run these programs. There are two main challenges I face on a daily basis as…
The new year brings a chance to set goals for the following playing season. Most professional tennis players do this religiously. There is ample evidence that establishing goals and writing down a plan is effective for game improvement. After years of working with the highest level tennis players on Long Island, this is what I…
The first tournament for a young tennis player is oftentimes quite daunting. Most kids start playing tournaments because they've been deemed "good enough" or “tournament ready” by a coach or parent, and come in with an expectation of success. As we know, success in terms of "winning it all" is extremely rare for tennis competitors,…
There are many opposites in tennis. This article applies to the general tennis playing public who hit their groundstrokes after the bounce has peaked and is on the way down. One opposite is to be able to hit up, you have to stay down! Topspin is created by brushing up the backside of the ball,…
Most tennis players wish they could practice exclusively with better players despite the zero sum impracticality. This means that we cannot all hit up all the time because if one player is hitting "up," the other is hitting "down." Still, some players are able to overcome this challenge and are sought out by top competitors…
It’s never easy for one to leave their home nation to start over in a completely foreign land. Having to learn and adapt to a new culture, language, lifestyle, etc. can be a daunting task. So when Peter Gecse came to America from Hungary with his sister Andrea in 1997, he knew it would be…
It's that time of year when you wish the snow would melt and the skies would clear for some real tennis fun! For the players on the pro tour, that fun is played at the "Happy Slam!" The Aussie Open, played at the end of January for two weeks, serves as a springboard into the…