In Hebrew, there is a saying that translates to: “god gives nuts to people without teeth.” Most teaching professionals have encountered this type of player—extremely talented, but agonizingly lazy. As a coach, I always promote good practice habits, discipline, hard work, etc. But how does a coach handle a lazy kid who hates the…
The West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, N.Y. hosted the eighth annual “Little Mo” Internationals earlier this summer, as some of the top junior tennis players from around the world came to New York to compete in the second leg of the “Little Mo” Slam. The week-long event began with a free clinic…
Endurance in the most limiting and arguably the most important factor in the science of human performance. To a certain extent, we all have a lack of endurance in something that we do, and we could all benefit greatly from improving it. If our professional work is connected to a physical activity such as…
I always wonder why whenever a player I work with is in a positive mindset about themselves, they tend to also be playing very well. Take for example Nick Kyrgios at the Citi Open… If you saw him on and around the courts and listened to his interviews, he was in a positive state…
Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning 1720 Crotona Avenue Bronx, N.Y. (718) 247-7420 CaryLeedsTennis.org CaryLeedsInfo@NYJTL.org The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning houses a two-story, 12,000-square foot clubhouse, educational spaces, and access to 20 courts (10 bubbled for winter/indoor use) and two stadium courts that seat up to 800 spectators. Seven-time Grand…
Many pros or clubs aspire to develop a robust high-performance program, with the goal of developing, attracting and retaining competitive juniors. While many attempt to do so, the reality is that few are able to deliver a product that can be truly qualified as a high-performance program. The objective of this article is to…
The development of high-performance anticipatory skills in tennis is one of the key components to a player who has more proficient decision-making skills in a competitive situation. Anticipation can be defined as “The ability to predict or make an educated guess based on various cues and on the characteristics of the ball and opponent…
Around the age of four-years-old, Stephanie Yakoff can recall getting her first tennis racket from her older brother Stan. “I thought that this may be something that I’d like to try,” said Yakoff. “And that’s really when I first started getting into tennis.” Yakoff immediately took to the sport and had a clear and…
When it comes to any sport, let alone tennis, practice is key. You have to put in your hours on the court, take constructive advice from your coaches, work to sharpen your strengths and hone your weaknesses. But are you going to be the type of player to just like the game, or do…
In the heart of the Bronx, N.Y. sits one of sport’s most revered cathedrals in Yankee Stadium, home of the New York Yankees. But just minutes down the road, by foot, lies another facility that is at the heart of sports in New York City, Stadium Tennis Center. For years, Gotham Tennis Academy at…