Coaching

Every successful athlete knows that there is both an inner game and an outer game. The outer game is visible: Forehands, backhands, serves, tactics, point development and statistics … skills that most players know about and continue to work on. Many of us know that, in spite all of this work, there...Read more

The following is taken from the blog of Gerard Ashley of Sportime at Roslyn, tennis director and USTA tournament director, documenting his coaching trip to the USTA Boys and Girls 14 North Zone Team Championships, held at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Mich., July 28-Aug. 1. Tuesday,...Read more

I. Thou shalt train with an event in mind Practice and training can be monotonous, and at times, more of a chore than a diversion. Think of practice as a business. Approach it with planning, forethought and focus. Two weeks before any event, practice with the event in mind. Create a journal. Record...Read more

September is an exciting time, as the U.S. Open is in town, school is starting and it’s back to the daily grind for tennis players, parents and coaches alike. Now is the perfect time to evaluate or re-evaluate your tennis goals (maybe your other goals too). I believe that it is vital for players,...Read more

If I were advising a person who was taking a bath for the first time, I would recommend that they step into a tub of warm water, after all, if the water is ice cold, it would be very uncomfortable and if it is scalding hot, then it could be downright dangerous. If they check the water from the...Read more

One of the more curious things that tennis players tend to do is give up the lead when ahead. They could be dominating, have a set lead and are cruising along just fine, but when victory is in sight, they soften up and fold. It’s as if a switch has been flipped off and all of the energy drains from...Read more

Recently, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) held a QuickStart training for tennis professionals at Sportime Lynbrook. QuickStart Tennis is the USTA’s new play format for juniors ages 10 and under. It has been designed to make tennis learning and playing more fun, and to help juniors have...Read more

Will you know it when you see it? In fact, we have all seen it when watching tennis. To most, it is the pink elephant in the room that we do not know what to name. Last year, Karen Crouse of The New York Times began naming it when she wrote an article called “Toss the Ball, Hit the Ball, Oops, Oops...Read more

One of the greatest misunderstandings in tennis is the topic of control. All tennis players desire to have more control, more control of their emotions, more control on their shots, more control over their opponents; the truth is though that the things we think gives us more control often do not...Read more

Sports are almost entirely a visual motor game, and when the mind fills with chatter, this is when the trouble starts. Many players begin to over think when under pressure. They secretly believe that words will help them make better shots. They will say things like “don’t hit it long, do not double...Read more