Almost all of my tennis buddies, except for a few "holdouts," are now playing golf. The athleticism and excellent hand-eye coordination they bring to the game enables them to be fairly successful right from the start. Of course, as we golf nuts know, and I represent that remark, success in golf is fleeting. You can…
High school students will get a chance this month to show off their powerful strokes and strong footwork, and learn about often overlooked opportunities to play college tennis from coaches at USTA Eastern’s 25th Annual College Showcase Day, set for Sunday, Oct. 30 at the Saw Mill Club in Mount Kisco, N.Y. The event is designed…
At times, our worries and anxieties can overwhelm us. In addition, our worries can distort our perception of what is reality and what is not. Here is a brief list of techniques that a tennis player can use to help gain a better perspective on things during their anxious moments. Sometimes, we get stressed out…
As of late, the reverse forehand has gained in popularity due to players such as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, and even Maria Sharapova using it. Although the shot has its applications, in my humble opinion if you are going out of your way to use it, then you’re not using it correctly. Everyone,…
USTA Player Development has announced the hirings of Stanford Boster as a USTA National Coach for Men’s Tennis and Jayadeva Devashetty as a USTA National Coach. Boster and Devashetty have already begun their responsibilities and will facilitate coaching and training for players in the USTA Player Development program. Boster is based at the USTA Training…
Though tennis may have more private lessons then most other sports, in the heat of a match players are often left to their own devices. One-on-one work with a coach is crucial for building a technical and tactical arsenal, but ultimately, the player must understand what to do in matches, and most importantly, must be…
A patient of mine recently asked me a very simple question: ”How do I go about building some self- esteem?” We spent the session trying to answer this question and trying to connect it with the ability to win on the courts. Here is what we concluded. â–ºPeople win when they feel they deserve to…
While watching Wimbledon at the beginning of the summer, the announcers would talk about the bad state of American tennis. During the French Open a few weeks earlier, I heard the same comments several times during the course of the tournament. Come to think of it, I can remember the same comments made periodically over…
The long-term growth and development of competitive young tennis athletes is best accomplished by working in concert with their biological and psychological development factors. The principals of applied functional science dictate that while the protocols of training are specific, the timetables and parameters of movement development are a function of the individual. Simply stated, athletes…
Growing up, I was a big fan of Jimmy Connors. His return of a serve was considered the best in the world for a long time (before Andre Agassi came along). Connors seemed to take great pride in returning some of the fastest cannonball serves. It also became my favorite shot in tennis. Most of…