Top players including Federer support a better more intense system for drug testing players.
The best players know it is in their interest to make sure no one is cheating both for their personal results and for the long term protection of the sport. Since they have skin in the game I'd say that it is a good idea to listen to them. One great thing about professional tennis is that the top players do have a lot of influence in things like this.
I suppose this focuses specifically on performance enhancing drugs such as steroids that may give an advantage to an athlete over one that doesn't use these. If so, yes, testing is a good idea for these substances. As for recreational drugs I don't see them as any advantage since tennis really does require your full physical abilities and mental acuity.
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Friday, September 18, 2015
Great Forehand Lesson
I found this video on Youtube by James Jensen. He does a really good job in explaining how to hit a forehand.
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Congratulations Flavia - Winner Women's Singles 2015 U.S. Open Championship
It is pleasing to see Italy represented again with a Finals Win at the U.S. Open. The Italian Women have a brand of tennis that is appealing to watch that includes both singles and doubles. Upon winning she announced her retirement.
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Working on your Short Game in Tennis
What is the short game?
The short game in tennis includes balls played inside the service line usually on the bounce. We'll look at volleys as a whole separate skill. The ability to get underneath the ball rather than behind it is part of the requirement to manage a ball close to and below the net. While further back toward the service line with a ball above the knees the racket face can take more of a 45 degree to vertical position depending on the type of spin used. A topspin stroke creates lift so it is possible to hit these with a vertical racket face while slice or backspin usually needs a slightly open face, one facing upward. A majority of short balls are best taken with backspin or incremental amounts of sidespin.
How is it used in tennis?
One of the first things I do when walking out on a court with an opponent or a intermediate student is to see if they have a short game. If they are hesitant to come forward on a short ball and then fall to using their standard topspin groundstrokes on balls close and below the net I know there are many free points waiting to be taken in a match. More importantly if they are a student is that I know I must make them feel more comfortable with handling balls at lower speed and inside the service line. If I do this it will usually give them a start toward becoming an all court player.
Learn from Fed.
A good player not only has directional control, consistency, depth, spin, and speed on their shots but the ability to vary the depth of their shots. An example is when a player like Federer gets a mid-court ball and in most cases he will either go for an angled shot or deep placement to win the point or he might use it as an approach shot to gain a better position in the point at the net. Usually this is a function of the height of the ball where a higher sitting ball allows for a stronger attack while one below the height of the net need to be guided to a point on the court to create a much better opportunity. But I've also seen Federer move to the ball as if he were hitting an approach shot using body language that indicates what we call dynamic balance or moving forward through the shot rather than statically positioning and hitting the stroke. So Fed puts on this show of planning an approach and instead at the last second drops the ball short as a drop shot. He has then forced his opponent to join him in a a short game standoff and how well he hits the drop and then positions at the net will often determine if he wins the point.
The Yo - Yo strategy
One of the benefits of adding this additional risk facing your opponent is that they have to play closer in the court to protect against short angled shots or drop shots. If your opponent prefers to hang back 8 or 10 feet behind the baseline this can be a very uncomfortable situation for them. So your ability to manage the depth of the ball to include intentional short balls as well as deep ones can be a good way to keep them out of their comfort zone and off balance. If they prefer deep hight balls I'll make sure to add in some low sliding shots with backspin, drop shots, and short angles. If they can easily handle all of these then you are facing a very good player. If not though, you can manipulate them and keep them guessing by dropping them short and hitting the ball deep. Often they will reward you with errors and by giving you short balls that ideally you are well equipped to take advantage of.
A mid-court ball, one at the service line or just inside it is an opportunity to create a good volley or net position.
A means of improvement
So the way to improve your short game is to start your practice sessions with mini-tennis, short balls inside the service line. The more adept and comfortable you become with managing the speed, angle, and distance close to the net of short balls the more likely you will become a difficult player to face in a match of wits. I've often used a short game strategy against players who were a major challenge at the baseline, but had a clear weakness in handling short balls and often had no volley to give them a follow on strategy with a short ball. This will give you an opportunity to lob or pass them, or to watch them net balls on attempted winners with balls they should have just directed to a good spot on the court. Even better is when they demonstrate that their low volley is non-existent. The best thing to do with them at this stage is a low backspin that most will dump right into the net, or a topspin shot that they will pop up and allow you to have an easy put away as they stand there unhappily at the net.
My advice is to add this dimension to your game as part of the all court ability you want to develop. It can never work against you.
The short game in tennis includes balls played inside the service line usually on the bounce. We'll look at volleys as a whole separate skill. The ability to get underneath the ball rather than behind it is part of the requirement to manage a ball close to and below the net. While further back toward the service line with a ball above the knees the racket face can take more of a 45 degree to vertical position depending on the type of spin used. A topspin stroke creates lift so it is possible to hit these with a vertical racket face while slice or backspin usually needs a slightly open face, one facing upward. A majority of short balls are best taken with backspin or incremental amounts of sidespin.
How is it used in tennis?
One of the first things I do when walking out on a court with an opponent or a intermediate student is to see if they have a short game. If they are hesitant to come forward on a short ball and then fall to using their standard topspin groundstrokes on balls close and below the net I know there are many free points waiting to be taken in a match. More importantly if they are a student is that I know I must make them feel more comfortable with handling balls at lower speed and inside the service line. If I do this it will usually give them a start toward becoming an all court player.
Learn from Fed.
A good player not only has directional control, consistency, depth, spin, and speed on their shots but the ability to vary the depth of their shots. An example is when a player like Federer gets a mid-court ball and in most cases he will either go for an angled shot or deep placement to win the point or he might use it as an approach shot to gain a better position in the point at the net. Usually this is a function of the height of the ball where a higher sitting ball allows for a stronger attack while one below the height of the net need to be guided to a point on the court to create a much better opportunity. But I've also seen Federer move to the ball as if he were hitting an approach shot using body language that indicates what we call dynamic balance or moving forward through the shot rather than statically positioning and hitting the stroke. So Fed puts on this show of planning an approach and instead at the last second drops the ball short as a drop shot. He has then forced his opponent to join him in a a short game standoff and how well he hits the drop and then positions at the net will often determine if he wins the point.
The Yo - Yo strategy
One of the benefits of adding this additional risk facing your opponent is that they have to play closer in the court to protect against short angled shots or drop shots. If your opponent prefers to hang back 8 or 10 feet behind the baseline this can be a very uncomfortable situation for them. So your ability to manage the depth of the ball to include intentional short balls as well as deep ones can be a good way to keep them out of their comfort zone and off balance. If they prefer deep hight balls I'll make sure to add in some low sliding shots with backspin, drop shots, and short angles. If they can easily handle all of these then you are facing a very good player. If not though, you can manipulate them and keep them guessing by dropping them short and hitting the ball deep. Often they will reward you with errors and by giving you short balls that ideally you are well equipped to take advantage of.
A mid-court ball, one at the service line or just inside it is an opportunity to create a good volley or net position.
A means of improvement
So the way to improve your short game is to start your practice sessions with mini-tennis, short balls inside the service line. The more adept and comfortable you become with managing the speed, angle, and distance close to the net of short balls the more likely you will become a difficult player to face in a match of wits. I've often used a short game strategy against players who were a major challenge at the baseline, but had a clear weakness in handling short balls and often had no volley to give them a follow on strategy with a short ball. This will give you an opportunity to lob or pass them, or to watch them net balls on attempted winners with balls they should have just directed to a good spot on the court. Even better is when they demonstrate that their low volley is non-existent. The best thing to do with them at this stage is a low backspin that most will dump right into the net, or a topspin shot that they will pop up and allow you to have an easy put away as they stand there unhappily at the net.
My advice is to add this dimension to your game as part of the all court ability you want to develop. It can never work against you.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Bill Moldoch - Rest in Peace
I lost a good friend named Bill Moldoch on August 1st, 2015. Many in the tennis community will know his name. He was a top national competitor in his age bracket for as long as I knew him. He chose tennis as his profession because it was a good way to spend his days whether it was teaching, practicing, or playing competitively. I knew that he had a passion for many sports and activities such as golf, and Jet Skiing, but above all was his devotion to Tennis as a way of life.
I got to know Bill when he hired me for a tennis pro job at Big Vanilla Athletic Club in Arnold, Maryland back in 2008. He was the Head Pro there and I knew of him by name and excellent reputation but hadn't yet met him. Over the next five years he became one of my best friends and someone I enjoyed talking to regularly while we took care of the work of running a tennis program that unfortunately was being scaled back as fitness programs took precedence for court space. We'd go out to lunch often and talk tennis, office politics, and just laugh about whatever new situation presented itself in the local tennis scene, and of course we'd talk about the latest tournament results for professional tennis.
Bill was a Federer Fan foremost as with most discerning tennis watchers, and he lived for watching great tennis matches. I could talk with him about tennis matches and tennis history going back into the early 1970s and he could recite it all. He could do it with credibility since he was a top national tennis competitor in his age bracket for all the years I knew him.
Having Bill as a hitting partner was a lesson in precision. We'd go through the routine of hitting all the strokes and one thing I always came away with was how much focus was needed to stay with him in any aspect of playing. He was fierce on the court in a disciplined and relentless way that seemed so counter to his easy going off court demeanor. When Bill turned to his competitive mode on the court it became obvious that he was there to win, not at all cost though, because I have never met anyone who didn't respect his sportsmanlike attitude whether winning or losing. He had a universal great reputation for integrity, honesty, and fair play among his peers. For his students I have to say he set a perfect example on how to conduct oneself.
Finally, Bill was a person with a strong sense of honesty and fairness. He also held the ability to maintain his dignity throughout his battle with cancer. When I spoke to him about how he was doing he held much of his struggle in reserve and it became clear that he was fighting this challenge with the same quiet tenacity his opponents on the court learned to know and respect. I'll miss him and so will the tennis community who knew him.
Bill Modoch - Rest in Peace
I got to know Bill when he hired me for a tennis pro job at Big Vanilla Athletic Club in Arnold, Maryland back in 2008. He was the Head Pro there and I knew of him by name and excellent reputation but hadn't yet met him. Over the next five years he became one of my best friends and someone I enjoyed talking to regularly while we took care of the work of running a tennis program that unfortunately was being scaled back as fitness programs took precedence for court space. We'd go out to lunch often and talk tennis, office politics, and just laugh about whatever new situation presented itself in the local tennis scene, and of course we'd talk about the latest tournament results for professional tennis.
Bill was a Federer Fan foremost as with most discerning tennis watchers, and he lived for watching great tennis matches. I could talk with him about tennis matches and tennis history going back into the early 1970s and he could recite it all. He could do it with credibility since he was a top national tennis competitor in his age bracket for all the years I knew him.
Having Bill as a hitting partner was a lesson in precision. We'd go through the routine of hitting all the strokes and one thing I always came away with was how much focus was needed to stay with him in any aspect of playing. He was fierce on the court in a disciplined and relentless way that seemed so counter to his easy going off court demeanor. When Bill turned to his competitive mode on the court it became obvious that he was there to win, not at all cost though, because I have never met anyone who didn't respect his sportsmanlike attitude whether winning or losing. He had a universal great reputation for integrity, honesty, and fair play among his peers. For his students I have to say he set a perfect example on how to conduct oneself.
Finally, Bill was a person with a strong sense of honesty and fairness. He also held the ability to maintain his dignity throughout his battle with cancer. When I spoke to him about how he was doing he held much of his struggle in reserve and it became clear that he was fighting this challenge with the same quiet tenacity his opponents on the court learned to know and respect. I'll miss him and so will the tennis community who knew him.
Bill Modoch - Rest in Peace
Monday, August 10, 2015
Make Your Serve Practice a Routine Much like Walking
Tennis players don't need to take walks for exercise or relaxation. Instead of taking a walk I'd suggest you go to the tennis players version of the daily walk by taking to the court by yourself with a ball hopper full of tennis balls. Your standard 75 ball capacity hopper usually only holds 65 balls with the lid shut down on it so here is my suggestion.
Stand it up back toward the fence and proceed to serve to your target zones in the serve box. After each round of serving four balls which is how many I usually hold in my hand for practice you can then do another round of drop and hit forehands and backhands. The point of this is to make it an exercise both physical by movement and to also focus on your precision. There is no stress to be found in this drill since even if you miss your objective per shot you are moving forward toward your goal of hitting a set number of balls per outing. I usually make the goal to go through a minimum of 4 baskets or approximately 260 balls
For Tennis players this is a better alternative than just a walk down the walking path since you can get exercise and at the same time improve your skills. I find it as peaceful as meditation.
For Tennis players this is a better alternative than just a walk down the walking path since you can get exercise and at the same time improve your skills. I find it as peaceful as meditation.
Monday, July 27, 2015
USTA Online Video Training To Teach Kids
I'm taking the online courses in their series as part of a continuing education effort that I've followed since beginning tennis as a child. I used to only read books and watch VHS and DVD training videos and now have added online tennis courses as a source for information.
The nice thing about this course is that it is broken down into six courses plus an on court training session. You can find a local on-court-course once you complete the online series. Another great thing about the courses are that you can stop and pick up again in a course at any time so if you are limited in your schedule you can complete these as your time is available. I started mine in mid July and hope to finish the last one in the series by the first week in August.
I rate these free USTA online courses as absolutely superb for the information, format, and ease of use. Check out their site and give the courses a try. http://coachyouthtennis.com
Teaching Credentials:
An added benefit for taking these classes is you will gain credentials for teaching tennis to children and this is a foundational requirement for certification in the youth tennis teaching curriculum of tennis teaching organizations. Additionally, you can use each of these 6 classes as continuing education credits toward the requirement to maintain your certification with the Professional Tennis Registry. It is a convenient way to help fulfill your needed hours if you are fully occupied with your teaching career and other activities.
The nice thing about this course is that it is broken down into six courses plus an on court training session. You can find a local on-court-course once you complete the online series. Another great thing about the courses are that you can stop and pick up again in a course at any time so if you are limited in your schedule you can complete these as your time is available. I started mine in mid July and hope to finish the last one in the series by the first week in August.
I rate these free USTA online courses as absolutely superb for the information, format, and ease of use. Check out their site and give the courses a try. http://coachyouthtennis.com
Teaching Credentials:
An added benefit for taking these classes is you will gain credentials for teaching tennis to children and this is a foundational requirement for certification in the youth tennis teaching curriculum of tennis teaching organizations. Additionally, you can use each of these 6 classes as continuing education credits toward the requirement to maintain your certification with the Professional Tennis Registry. It is a convenient way to help fulfill your needed hours if you are fully occupied with your teaching career and other activities.
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