Time to Rally: Tennis Industry United

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By Steven Kaplan
"In an alliance called “Tennis Industry United” , the entire tennis industry has come together to analyze the most pressing needs and the top concerns of all who are involved in our sport, and then collaborate on programs that can provide the immediate and longer term support that is needed. In...Read more

Time to Rally: Right Amount of Fear

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By Steven Kaplan
Without fear on the tennis court, we would aim for a line and try to hit a winner on just about every shot. With too much fear, we would fail to strike firmly when we have an open court to hit to. So how much fear is the right amount? Just enough to get us to act responsible and conscientious so...Read more

Time to Rally: Fact And Opinion

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By Steven Kaplan
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, in one of his daily addresses earlier this week, talked about the importance of separating FACTS from OPINION. Facts are "calming and empowering", he stressed. As a coach, my opinion on technique, mechanics, tactics, strategies and training for each student matters...Read more

Time to Rally: In This Together

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By Steven Kaplan
Parts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park are now a hospital to help ease the healthcare burden in New York City. While I have not always been a fan of USTA policy and protocol, as a tennis fan and as a New Yorker, this unprecedented action makes me...Read more

Time to Rally: Trust Science

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By Steven Kaplan
I believe in science and if you spend hours a day staring at a screen, then you believe in science too (or you are insane, or perhaps both…but more about that later). This virus doesn't have a nationality or a race but it loves when you touch your face and hates soap. Science tells us this. Much of...Read more

The Match of My Life: A Tennis Player's Mentality

By Salomon Levy
Me (the tennis player) vs. COVID-19 Match played: March 2020 Venue: World Stadium Audience: Seven Billion I don’t know where to start the story of this incredible match. The most difficult and important part is that I didn’t fully understand the characteristics of my opponent. I had no idea from...Read more

Time to Rally: Call Someone

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By Steven Kaplan
While we describe the practices of today and refer to "Social Distancing”, a more accurate term would be “Physical Distancing”. For many young people, 12 hours a day of "FaceTiming" is the new norm and it has the potential to bring people closer, so I will keep today's blog brief: Call an old...Read more

Time to Rally: Work On Your Resume

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By Steven Kaplan
Take a short break from TikTok and consider: Do you have a resume ? If your answer is “Yes”, improve it. If it’s “No”, now is the time to learn how to do it. Even if you are in Junior High School, it's not too early to start the process and learn the mechanics and structure of a resume. Now is a...Read more

Time to Rally: The Power of Visualization

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By Steven Kaplan
Did you know that many studies indicate that you can develop and improve tennis movements simply by thinking about them? It's called Visualization and it's powerful. Close your eyes and picture yourself hitting a serve. Breathe, bounce the ball and feel it as if your were actually performing the...Read more

Time to Rally: There's Time Now

The silver lining to this crisis is that we have time now.
By Steven Kaplan
One of my favorite lines from any song is: "There never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do once you find them”, from Jim Croce's “Time In A Bottle”. The silver lining to this crisis is that we have time now. As tennis players we are goal oriented. We are doers. So set goals,...Read more

Time to Rally: Learn New Skills

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By Steven Kaplan
When I was young I used to complain about how useless the subjects in school would be to my life. "Why do I need to know when the Magna Carta was written?" was a thought going around my immature mind. OK, so now that you are home, learn domestic skills that I guarantee you will use: ►Learn how to...Read more

Time to Rally: Good Habits

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By Steven Kaplan
If everyone in your home has a "reserved" seat at the dinner table, you understand the value of friendly habits. Familiarity provides comfort. It's why serving rituals in which we bounce the ball the same exact way before starting our motion is so important. If you are a young person schooling from...Read more
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