In my career as a tennis coach, I’ve learned that when you start working with a young tennis player, it’s not enough to just focus on the quality of the technique, you must also take into account what happens outside the court. Children play many roles … they are sons and daughters, students, friends…
In the March/April 2019 issue of Long Island Tennis Magazine, I discussed my formula on junior tennis success. In short, it goes like this … Click Here to read Part I of Ricky Becker’s article Ten percent of junior players walk onto the tennis court for the first time with clear-cut talent; 80 percent…
Participation in high school tennis is not thriving on Long Island. That’s too bad because school tennis is not just an extracurricular activity, it’s an essential part of a well-rounded tennis experience for 98 percent of all young players. It develops teamwork, school spirit and socialization. Participants learn cooperation and sacrifice and what is…
As players age, the tactics of the game of tennis also change. The typical, albeit annoying, byproduct of getting older is the loss of mobility and power. Instead of remembering how fast and strong you were and trying to recapture this younger innate characteristic, it would be wise to accept the changes, and modify…
I recently had the pleasure of hosting legendary coach Nick Bollettieri as the featured speaker at my annual High School Coaches Clinic. Nick is an engaging speaker and his record of elevating the most gifted athletes to great heights is unmatched. Nick Bollettieri, like all great messengers, is inspirational and an extraordinary leader. Leadership…
The following are six easy steps to get you ready for the upcoming outdoor season … 1. Play the baseline: When we play on clay, we normally entrench ourselves way behind the baseline to play high balls and try to force the opponent’s mistake, since the court slows down the ball. On a hard court,…
Who cried after losing an insignificant match? I did, your honor … guilty as charged! I remember it as if it were yesterday. I had just lost a match in a junior team event. It was a match between two local clubs separated by a mere five miles in an average-sized town in Southern Holland….
Before my year-long hiatus from contributing to Long Island Tennis Magazine, I published the following formula on junior tennis success. It goes like this … Ten percent of junior players walk onto the tennis court for the first time with clear-cut talent. If they really push themselves to the max and go for it,…
It’s always fun to sit on the dais with some of the great thinkers in the world of tennis. I was recently invited to participate in a panel discussion at this year’s New York Tennis Expo at NYCB LIVE. The panel consisted of Steve Johnson, the California-born powerhouse currently ranked 34th in the world;…
It’s important that players understand the importance, function and movements of the split-step. When you finally “get it,” tennis becomes a very different game. Split-steps link together movements and create a brief pause allowing players to make decisions, react efficiently, see where the ball is going and change direction quickly. Split-stepping is as important…