Coaching

There are three different errors that you can make on the tennis court. You can hit your shot too deep, too wide, or you can hit the ball in the net. Hitting the ball in the net is the only error that absolutely gives you no chance of winning the point. The other two errors could always be hit out...Read more

There is not one specific coach for all players. Every player is different and will respond to instruction in their own unique way. A good coach can figure out what type of player and personality they are dealing with and make adjustments to their approach accordingly. Some players need to be given...Read more

Hitting volleys on the tennis court these days is definitely challenging. The balls are going faster with more spin, and it is difficult to get into a good position at the net. I have always been a big advocate of hitting volleys with an angle. The easiest way to do this is to hit the forehand...Read more

Most players prefer either their forehand or backhand. Human nature is to try to stay away from the shot that is your opponent's strength. However, sometimes playing the ball to their strength allows you a bigger area to attack their weaker side. Many players with a very good forehand or backhand...Read more

The local tennis community boasts some of the top coaches in the world, and with this wealth of talent available, Long Island Tennis Magazine took the opportunity to pick the brains of some of these coaches. These coaches share their thoughts on a wide variety of tennis topics and issues, ranging...Read more

The best tennis players are very focused on serving and returning serve. If a player can develop a good serve and/or a good return of serve, they can control more of the points and take advantage of the opponent's weaker shots. It is a great mentality to think that after serving or returning , you...Read more

“Squeeze the middle!” “Nobody gets beat with a cross court passing shot in doubles!” “If you aren’t beaten down-the-line in your alley at least once a set, you aren’t doing a good job covering your alley. You are doing a bad job of not covering the middle!” These are coaching nuggets I’ve been...Read more

Life has a unique way of bringing us back to where we are supposed to be, and no matter where you travel to; oftentimes you can end up returning home. That certainly applies to Ken Feuer, the Director of Player Development at SPORTIME Syosset, the Long Island Annex of the John McEnroe Tennis...Read more

Many people don’t realize that tennis is a brutal game of psychological warfare. Far from the country club, genteel reputation of the sport, real competitive tennis is full of legal and illegal psychological manipulation and outright cheating. Why is this so? Three main reasons: The tennis rules...Read more

Tennis is a game of timing and rhythm. Shots can be hit fast, slow, flat, with more spin, and with all kinds of other variables. My advice is to keep your shots similar. This means, hit your shots with similar speed, spin, and trajectory. Hitting your first and second serve similarly will give you...Read more