Several years ago at my sleepaway camp, there was an “incident” which illustrated to me the importance and urgency of switching to “synchronized teaching” at camp. “Synchronized teaching” is a system of instruction where every instructor on every court is teaching the same drills simultaneously. It enabled me to maintain control of our teaching program….
In order to design an effective dynamic warm-up routine, it is important to understand the science behind each component and how it can affect your tennis game in the short- and long-term. Most tennis athletes rarely warm up, or when they do, it is done in an ineffective manner. This can give you a tremendous…
Tennis is a sport for the intelligent. The smarter you are, the better a player you will be. The reason for this is simple … the smart player has the chance to read the opponent’s weaknesses during warm-up and during the first part of a match. Maybe their backhand is weak or maybe they are…
On Sunday afternoon March 11, high school tennis coaches and players took part in the Annual Long Island Scholastic Coaches Conference and Clinic at Bethpage Park Tennis Center. The clinic, run by Bethpage Park Tennis Directors Steve Kaplan and Keith Kambourian, taught coaches how to incorporate different exercises and drills into their routine to help their players…
“Why do I play better in practice than in matches?” It’s probably the second-most popular question I hear from players, exceeded only by some variation of “OMG, I’m nervous, what do I do?” Sometimes, this question comes out as a defiant statement, where the player stubbornly says, “If I played like I did in practice,…
Hitting cross-court or down the line is always the big question for any player at any level. The cross-court shot is the high percentage shot over the low part of the net, while down the line is the lower percentage shot because it is over the high part of the net. There is a tactical…
The USTA Eastern Long Island Region is offering a new Saturday training program for junior players designed to introduce new players to the game of tennis and prepare those with some experience for tournament and team play. The affordably-priced Early Training Program, offered at a price of $100 per child (with a 10 percent discount for…
Steve Kaplan’s Bethpage Park Tennis Center will be hosting a Tennis Development Academy, the Annual Long Island Scholastic Coaches Conference and Clinic, on Sunday, March 11 from 4:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m. This event is geared toward all junior high and high school coaches. The program will include instructional clinics on mechanics, tactics and fitness, court time, in addition…
Teaching tennis and teaching more tennis “helping others to improve their tennis game” has been my mission. I will brag for a moment, a very brief moment. My strokes look to the average club level player as an exhibition of textbook tennis. I am so proud of my skills because lots of practices made it…
SUNY Oneonta Director of Athletics Tracey Ranieri has announced that Long Island native Lonnie Mitchel has been selected as the interim tennis coach effective immediately. Mitchel replaces Bill May, who resigned earlier this month to take the head coaching position for men and women’s tennis at Southeastern University in Florida. Mitchel brings to Oneonta more than…