Tennis Hacks: Change Up Your "Live Ball" Practice Routine

By Steven Kaplan
One of the most widely played live ball practice games is commonly called "Sweeper." It's essentially a singles rally game started with a neutral feed from the baseline. Sweeper is a staple game of junior practice sessions everywhere, and a fun way to build a solid foundation for point construction...Read more

Tennis Hacks: Keep Warm and Dress for Outdoor Success

By Steven Kaplan
The calendar may say "Spring," but the thermometer says "Winter" and the wind chill says "Brrr!" You don't have to suffer and waste valuable energy shivering. Save your movement for the match by dressing wisely. Wear wool or synthetics instead of cotton. When cotton gets wet, it has negative...Read more

Tennis Hacks: Impress the School Coach at Tryouts

By Steven Kaplan
I've learned a few "hacks" in my years of coaching that I would like to share weekly in this blog, beginning with "Part 1: Impress the School Coach at Tryouts." So your trying out for the school team with numerous other players and you want to make your best impression on the coach? Here's a...Read more

A Last Resort

By Miguel Cervantes III
What do you do when you’re stuck in a situation without any obvious way out of it? That’s the situation I found myself in recently during the last snow storm. My car was stuck where I had parked it and had little hope of getting it out. This was not the first time at the rodeo though, so I put my...Read more

iPhoney Behavior

By Steven Kaplan
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, taking a page from the Academy Awards, tried to take a "selfie" during their exhibition match last night during the BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden. Fail! How come these guys can't master how to use a cellphone on the court? Well perhaps they just don't...Read more

Something Old, Something New

By Steven Kaplan
Disco was popular and the best doubles team in the world was "John McEnroe & Anyone." That was a long time ago. The BNP Paribas is coming to Madison Square Garden again this year and in one of the matchups John McEnroe, the "Michael Jordan of Doubles" is teaming with his brother Patrick (let's...Read more

Reflections on the Australian Open

By Steven Kaplan
While switching channels between NFL playoff football and the Australian Open, I could not help but notice the difference in the production value of each broadcast. The NFL telecast is polished like a Broadway show. Their graphic technology is cutting-edge, and the announcers are polished...Read more

The Internet of Things

By Steven Kaplan
The $399 Babolat Play Pure Drive was showcased at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last week. This racket features tiny sensors embedded in the handle to measure swing consistency, power, spin and just about everything else that happens between the racket and ball. This...Read more

Move Quicker to Think Better

By Steven Kaplan
Ladder drills, shuttle runs and cone drills will help your footwork on the tennis court, and according to a recent study in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, they could make you smarter. People who did agility training three times a week for six weeks raised their scores on a...Read more

McEnroe Works With Sportime Roslyn Juniors

By Michelle Lehat
Former world number one John McEnroe made his widely anticipated appearance on Dec. 18 at Sportime Roslyn, and as one of the junior players in the program, I was very eager to meet him. McEnroe cordially introduced himself and individually shook hands with me and the group. McEnroe started the...Read more

Boosting Your Tennis Game on a Racquetball Court

By Joel Ross
Is hitting tennis balls on a racquetball court (or squash court) helpful to your tennis game? The answer is unequivocally ... YES! I am living proof ... 63-years-old and still improving. It is amazing! For 100 days in a row (a little extreme), I have been hitting on the racquetball court at my...Read more

Martina the Great

By Steven Kaplan
Martina Navratilova spoke at the United Nations on Tuesday and urged the International Olympic Committee "to take their heads out of the sand" and do more to support the rights of gay athletes. This talk of part of International Human Rights Day and is on the heels of the upcoming 2014 Sochi Winter...Read more
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