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. ►People 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…
We have all heard people say, “She played out of her mind!” referring to someone who played exceptionally well and beyond expectations. As an athlete, have you ever performed out of your mind? Either pitching to perfection, running like the wind or serving lights out? Maybe there is more to this “out of your mind”…
For any tennis player in the United States, the U.S. Open is the Mac Daddy of everything tennis … it is the biggest tournament in the world. This event has the biggest monetary prize to win; it is played in the biggest tennis stadium in the world and is played in the greatest city in…
The backhand volley is the nemesis of many a player in both singles and doubles tennis. Compact and minimal movement can improve most players’ volley when your basics are correct. Even the smallest players volley powerfully. From your ready position, lift your racquet with the left hand to the ball…
In this article, I will cover two of the psychological aspects of tennis … particularly doubles tennis. The topics up for discussion here are attitude and accountability. Attitude on the tennis court is of vital importance. The reason is that attitude will often dictate how well you play. Tennis is as much mental as it is physical. In order to have more success, you will…