Coaching

When I was a young aspiring player, I often lost tennis matches by being too adventurous, which is my attempt to avoid admitting I was very impatient. I enjoyed playing the front court as much or more than staying near the baseline, and I never saw a short ball I did not want to attack. Even by the...Read more

We can all learn how to hit the drop shot better by observing the master of this shot—Carlos Alcaraz—in action. Alcaraz has recently skyrocketed up the rankings to reach #1 in the world and his dropshot has become a consistent and effective weapon that he uses to tire opponents and keep them off...Read more

John Carpenter called me up from Atlanta around the time of the U.S. Open back in 2019 B.C. (Before Covid), seemingly out of the blue. He explained that he had read many of the articles I had written for local, well-regarded publications: Long Island and New York Tennis Magazines. He had written a...Read more

I admit when I was younger I used to think of yoga as a cute, little activity for old people with time on their hands, or for people who weren’t overly athletic who wanted to feel like they were doing something physical. In my early 30s, long after my playing career was over, I tried it and it...Read more

I just finished a super season of summer camp in Vermont. Players from all over the country and world visited our small academy in the green mountains for serious high performance training. It’s becoming harder and harder to find serious training in the summer. Many academies and camps offer more...Read more

There is no one "best" way to play tennis. Some players win by keeping the ball in play and running down as many shots as possible. Others have big weapons like their serve or forehand, and can use those shots to get their opponent in trouble or win the point. There are players who are capable of...Read more

I have always thought my math skills were pretty good. My grades in every math related class I ever took were A's; except for geometry (C). Ironically, one of the best things I do on the tennis court is to use angles to win the point…weird. Tennis is really all about math. If you can make a high...Read more

“Necesito el ritmo,”—“I need (the) rhythm”—is a common phrase heard on the tennis court in Spain, both from players and coaches. Rhythm, cadence, timing, and control are essential aspects of the Spanish style of training. What is rhythm and why is it important in Spain? How do you achieve good...Read more

Tennis professionals and coaches all have their own way of communicating. However, there are many words of wisdom coming from your instructors that have been repeated so many times, they get taken for granted and are often overlooked in a match situation. These can be your most helpful ideas out on...Read more

This summer, Glen Oaks Country Club will have a new Director of Tennis, as Ricky Becker will now be in charge of the club’s tennis events and programming. Becker is a Long Island native who has been involved with the tennis scene here for decades. Growing up on Long Island, Becker was one of the...Read more