Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Exercise Prevents Early Death for Office Workers - Try Tennis

According to a recent study this is true.  1 Hour of exercise daily removes the risk of office work.

Fine.  So who wants to bounce on a treadmill or do a stair climber to get that hour of activity.

I suggest that tennis is the better choice for regular exercise since it is actually something you can learn to enjoy rather than see it as a chore.


Friday, July 22, 2016

College Instructor's Guide for Tennis 1 - Credit Tennis

This is my recently published book available from Amazon.

Tennis 1 - College Instructor's Guide: Tennis Instruction





If you are about to begin teaching a community college tennis class it may be helpful to have a made-to-order course.  You can check out the preview on the book to see what is covered.  Look at the outline.

Thank You

Sunday, July 17, 2016

In Memoriam Chet Murphy Tennis Player, Coach, and Teacher

Chet Murphy passed away ten days ago  on July 7, 2016 reaching the amazing age of 98.    I didn't find out about it in the news and still can't find anything. Yet, by chance I was reading one of his books today from the 1970's that I studied so many times in the past.  He along with many of that era was a strong proponent of scientific approaches to tennis technique.  I decided to find out what he was doing now and thought that maybe he was no longer alive.  A web search and wikipedia confirmed that he had passed away just a few days ago.   So even though I never knew him personally I knew him through his words on paper and still feel loss as if I had just spoken to a friend recently who now I hear has passed away.

Rest in Peace Chet and may his family know that he is not forgotten.  We all shared the same love of the game of tennis and his contribution to the game will stand the test of time in his books.

Here are some of the titles that Chet authored in some cases along with his brother Bill.  You can still find them on Amazon in print form.

Advanced Tennis by Chet Murphy

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Sunday, July 10, 2016

Murray Wins Wimbledon Again

I didn't expect this.  I actually didn't expect his first win at Wimbledon.  I'm going to have to give credit beyond just him but also to his coaching.  It seems Lendl somehow gets Murray past the mental hurdles and brings forth in him a game approach that leaves his previous tepid and timid baseline game behind and brings out aggression.

Neutralizing Raonic is no easy feat with that monster serve he sends across the net.  Murray did it, and did it with an old style approach, blocking returns.

Ready about Murray and his win.

Oh, and congratulations to Murray.  I was never a fan since his style always left me wanting to see Federer hit the ball rather than him.  His moody antics added to my lack of interest.  But you have to give him credit for this one.  One Wimbledon can be chalked up to being one of the best in the world and catching someone in the final on a bad day.  Two means he belongs in the winner's circle.


Why Controlling your temper matters

On the tennis court there are times when frustration brings players to do stupid things and letting your temper get the best of your can be costly.  First off it has the effect of giving your opponent the pleasure of seeing you break mentally and often this makes them mentally stronger.

Additionally, there are rules against this in tournament play especially when it impacts safety which often by accident it can and does.  Here is an example.

Time Henman Hits a ball girl at Wimbledon when he loses his temper and smacks a ball that was not in play, but rather in his possession and is disqualified. 
He's lucky he didn't hit her in the eye and blind her but an ear hit at close range is definitely not pleasurable and could even damage hearing.

Another aspect of this is ego, that big EGO that many of us have witnessed when a player full of themselves needs to impress the audience however small that losing or not playing a single point well justifies acting out.  Often, the player talks to themselves loudly so the audience can hear as they provide excuses for not being the masterful player they fantasize themselves to be and want everyone to know that it is beneath them to be in this situation.  I've witnessed this enough times and it is embarrassing to be a witness to such folly.

Do yourself a favor and find a way to contain your rage and anger over mistakes or perceived injustices on the court.  It can cost you a match and more importantly cause you to lose enjoyment of the game and will surely do so to your partner if playing doubles.  Your opponents often gain from poor behavior on your part.