Coaching

Thinking on the court should be simple and concise. Play every single point the best that you can. You cannot win every game point, or every critical point; you have to keep giving yourself chances. If you had one chance, you need another. If you had a couple, you need three, etc. You need to think...Read more

It is human nature to try to figure out what went wrong when you miss a shot on the tennis court. Most of us would be better off approaching things a different way. The first step is to identify if the miss was caused by the opponent hitting a good shot. If this is the case, it is best just to move...Read more

Players tend to think that having more time will help them hit a better shot. Many players actually let the ball drop from close to an optimum position before making contact. I believe that too much time can cause many problems for players. Timing, indecision, and having to hit the ball up to clear...Read more

Many tennis players tend to "steer" the ball in the direction that they want it to go. This involves changing your swing so that it goes more towards your target. Most of the work is done by your hands and your racquet. It is much better if you can use your shoulders to direct the ball. Try to...Read more

I am a firm believer in focusing on your strengths during a tennis match. You can always get better at hitting the ball, improving a specific shot, and sharpening your technique. However, you want to hit your best shots when you are playing a match. If your forehand is better than your backhand,...Read more

Every tennis player is different. Some have stronger forehands, while others prefer their backhand. Many like to run around and hit groundstrokes, and every once in a while you run into that aggressive net charger. Regardless of the type of player, there are a few basic ideas that will likely...Read more

I never really understood the importance of the follow through in a tennis swing. Once the racquet and the ball make contact, how much difference can it possibly make if the racquet ends up in a different place at the end of the swing? The answer is, it can make all the difference in the world. If...Read more

Anyone who is considered a good competitor hates to lose. I can't tell you how many times I have felt this pain following a loss. One of the tough things about tennis is that you are going to lose a lot. You will lose points, you will lose games, you will lose sets, and you will lose matches. Then...Read more

Tennis can be a very complicated game. Over the years I have been trying to simplify my coaching and instruction so that the execution during an actual point is more likely to be successful. When serving, think one, two and three: one is the starting position, two is the toss and the racquet moving...Read more

Practicing groundstrokes seems to be the main focus of most players. Rather than just standing in the middle of the baseline and starting the rally with a feed straight ahead, use your serve and return of serve to start the point. Hit the serve very slowly at first and hit the return of serve so...Read more