February 2, 2012
By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
There is no doubt that in order to get to the next level there is a need for speed. Now, more than ever, athletes are investing in personal trainers, speed training programs, and gym memberships to help improve performance on the field. In this Free Speed Training Clinic, set for Saturday, Feb. 11 from 12:15 p.m.-2:00 p.m. at Sports and Fitness Performance in Islip, N.Y., Coach Frank Dolan will dispel the myths about speed training and lay out a blueprint to successfully improve running speed.
January 31, 2012
By Lawrence Kleger
Do you ever win the first set easy and lose in three? Of course! It happens to every competitive player at some point in time. The scenario goes something like this …
January 27, 2012
By Rob Polishook
How many times have you found yourself in a match in which you were just a few points or games from winning? Maybe the score was 6-3, 5-2, and you began to think, “This is great. I’m going to be the champion!”
January 26, 2012
By Luke Jensen
The late season surge from Roger Federer winning his last three tournaments of the year (Basel, Paris and London) show tremendous signs that the player of the last decade will be ready to make a run for the top spot again in 2012.
January 23, 2012
By Dr. Tom Ferraro
When I am asked about the secret to athletic success, I invariably say that the ingredient that every top athlete must have is the long-term support of an intact family with both parents being on board for the long haul.
January 19, 2012
By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Jordie Dolberg is the new director of tennis at Sportime Massapequa. Jordie lived in Florida his entire life, attending college at The University of Florida, before recently moving to Long Island to accept his new position.
January 12, 2012
By Steven Kaplan
Traditionally, strokes are developed and corrected by haphazardly focusing on body movements, racket movements and ball and racket interactions.This approach is confusing, ineffective and needlessly complicated because it fails to address the kinetic chain of events that led to a successful stroke.
December 6, 2011
By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
The Long Island tennis community is blessed to have some of the best indoor facilities and best coaches in the world right here in our backyard. Recently, Long Island Tennis Magazine spoke with some of these top coaches to get insight into their coaching/training strategies, what they look for in a great player, views on important local tennis topics, and a background in how they got into coaching.
December 1, 2011
By Lonnie Mitchel
I have read quite a bit over the years about Eastern philosophies on martial arts instruction and training. I learned that “Karate is a martial art in which the ultimate purpose is not to seek to win, but to work toward perfection of character and strong body. As with any martial art, karate requires solid discipline.
November 23, 2011
By Dr. Tom Ferraro
The night before an event often determines who the winner is. The loser will be anxious, worried, distracted, thinking of troubling things, and above all, never be thinking of how good a player he or she actually is.
November 18, 2011
By Miguel Cervantes III
If you want more power, then I’m going to give it to you. Most of the time when trying to hit the ball harder or achieve more power in tennis, we end up doing things that take power away. It’s a frustrating cycle, but not one that is impossible to break.
November 17, 2011
By Steven Kaplan
Perhaps the most important quality for success in tennis is steadiness and the avoidance of errors. It might come as a surprise then, that in practice "Blue Chips" miss more shots than “Five Stars,” while "Five Stars” miss more shots than “Four Stars,” etc.
November 16, 2011
By Luke Jensen
I am still fired up from this year’s U.S. Open … the most physical Grand Slam tournaments I've ever been a part of since I began playing them in 1983. Before the tournament began, there was an earthquake centered in Washington, D.C. and felt on the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center with no physical damage to the site of the Open.
November 8, 2011
By Rob Polishook
A surfer sits out in the open ocean. The water is calm, the surfer is in complete control. Atop his surfboard, the surfer can enjoy the tranquility of his sport.
October 19, 2011
By Ed Wolfarth
Almost all of my tennis buddies, except for a few "holdouts," are now playing golf. The athleticism and excellent hand-eye coordination they bring to the game enables them to be fairly successful right from the start. Of course, as we golf nuts know, and I represent that remark, success in golf is fleeting. You can 'borrow it but you can never own it.'
October 17, 2011
By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
High school students will get a chance this month to show off their powerful strokes and strong footwork, and learn about often overlooked opportunities to play college tennis from coaches at USTA Eastern’s 25th Annual College Showcase Day, set for Sunday, Oct. 30 at the Saw Mill Club in Mount Kisco, N.Y.
October 11, 2011
By Stanley Popovich
At times, our worries and anxieties can overwhelm us. In addition, our worries can distort our perception of what is reality and what is not. Here is a brief list of techniques that a tennis player can use to help gain a better perspective on things during their anxious moments.
September 29, 2011
By Miguel Cervantes III
As of late, the reverse forehand has gained in popularity due to players such as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, and even Maria Sharapova using it. Although the shot has its applications, in my humble opinion if you are going out of your way to use it, then you’re not using it correctly.
September 28, 2011
By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
USTA Player Development has announced the hirings of Stanford Boster as a USTA National Coach for Men’s Tennis and Jayadeva Devashetty as a USTA National Coach. Boster and Devashetty have already begun their responsibilities and will facilitate coaching and training for players in the USTA Player Development program.
September 26, 2011
By Daniel Kresh
Though tennis may have more private lessons then most other sports, in the heat of a match players are often left to their own devices.
September 23, 2011
By Dr. Tom Ferraro
A patient of mine recently asked me a very simple question: ”How do I go about building some self- esteem?” We spent the session trying to answer this question and trying to connect it with the ability to win on the courts. Here is what we concluded.
September 22, 2011
By Lonnie Mitchel
While watching Wimbledon at the beginning of the summer, the announcers would talk about the bad state of American tennis. During the French Open a few weeks earlier, I heard the same comments several times during the course of the tournament.
September 20, 2011
By Steven Kaplan
The long-term growth and development of competitive young tennis athletes is best accomplished by working in concert with their biological and psychological development factors.
September 19, 2011
By Tonny van de Pieterman
Growing up, I was a big fan of Jimmy Connors. His return of a serve was considered the best in the world for a long time (before Andre Agassi came along). Connors seemed to take great pride in returning some of the fastest cannonball serves. It also became my favorite shot in tennis. Most of the principles I learned from watching Jimmy still hold true today.
September 15, 2011
By Rob Polishook
We have all heard people say, “She played out of her mind!” referring to someone who played exceptionally well and beyond expectations. As an athlete, have you ever performed out of your mind? Either pitching to perfection, running like the wind or serving lights out?
