Alright, that’s it. I’m tired of reading these rants from old school tennis fans that say our sport is going down the drain since they don’t see the stylistic choices of tennis players past any longer. I can understand where they’re coming from and don’t blame them for missing serve and volley a bit, but it’s time to accept the changes to our sport and stop the whining. Historically grass has been the fastest surface in tennis with low, skidding bounces making ground strokes challenging. Combine this with the lesser athletes and small, heavy wooden rackets of several generations ago and it’s easy to understand why getting to the net as soon as possible was the best play.

Since then serve and volley tennis has all but gone away at Wimbledon and it’s due to three main reasons:
The Grass
I’ve read several blogs recently that seem to regard the “supposed” slowing of …

So often I see and hear tennis instruction that just doesn’t make any sense. Recreational players can latch onto this poor information without knowing the difference and I think it’s really a shame. Below is a post on the ET forums from a new member, he gives a perfect example of what I’m talking about and then I answer his question!
The “Mogul Move”
“The other day I was exploring one tennis website and came across the explanation of Mogul move:

“Contact Move: The body becomes elevated after the hit where the hips shift powerfully sideways and both feet turn and finish pointing in the direction of the target. Again, weight moves sideways after contact and spinning or rotating the hips will cause the ball to be dumped into the net. Hit off a moving unstable stance, the secret to the Mogul Move is staying down throughout …

I recently answered a great question about keeping your cool on the tennis court. Basically the question asked: “How can we keep from going crazy after stupid errors out on the court?”. I’d like to share my answer with the rest of you because I know many of you reading this can fall into the trap of getting negative while playing tennis!

This is a really good topic. So many of us tennis enthusiasts take our game very seriously, so seriously that any kind of failure or mistake becomes inexcusable. I battled with this while I was in college and wish that I had learned how to deal with it then, I had so many practices and matches that made me just miserable on the court, it was really a shame. Here are a few of my thoughts on the subject:
Keep Tennis in Perspective
This is kind of an obvious …

Moving backwards is not something that us humans do very naturally. This makes sense of course since our bodies are designed to move forward. What does this mean for our tennis games? Moving back to cover a good lob is very often a huge weakness for tennis players, especially doubles players who spend a ton of their time up at the net. In my experience very few recreational level players move correctly when trying to get back towards the baseline for an overhead and this causes lots of problems when even a relatively easy lob gets hit up into the air. Don’t be this person! The lob is the highest, slowest, most defensive shot in tennis, not something that you should be fearful of or afraid to hit. Hopefully this quick article will give you a good idea of how to best move in a backwards direction to cover even the best …

Digital video has revolutionized so many aspects of our lives in the past decade, including how we learn and interact as tennis enthusiasts. It wasn’t so long ago that the only way we could view video of tennis players was either on TV or by checking out tapes at your local library. Nationally recognized tennis pros and coaches would often times come out with instructional videos as well which you could purchase from the backs of magazines or at tennis conventions.

These days absolutely anybody with an entry level camera, entry level computer, and connection to the internet can become a star on the tennis court. Below I’ve outlined the top 5 components of creating your own videos so that you can receive the best feedback and instruction possible. Follow these instructions and your videos will be a pleasure to watch instead of a pain.
Camera
Digital video doesn’t cost an arm …

I would like to address a question I was asked in reference to my last blog, “Movement is easy to understand, but tough to do right. It’s one thing to see it and know when each step type should be used, another to be able to feel it on court, and yet another to do it instinctively.

Any suggestions for going from one level of knowledge to the next?”

It’s correct to say that movement is easy to understand and tough to do right. This is in part because there are numerous steps to learn, correct patterns of movement, and more importantly, breaking through some of the counter-intuitive principles of associated moving correctly.

For instance, people understand that it’s faster to take large steps to the ball, but fail to realize that it’s not economical to take one last large step and effectively lunge to a ball. They don’t make the connection of …

Many people claim that the serve is the only shot in tennis that you control from begging to end – of which I won’t necessarily disagree with. However, each player can control their footwork and the aggressiveness of their movement. While a person’s energy will ebb and flow depending on the day, each person is still capable of giving 100% of what they can on every time they play.  It’s imperative to understand proper movement and the pressure it puts on your opponents.

Learning how to correctly move on a court is much more important than any single shot a player might hit. By being able to recognize where to move to on the court, and the speed it takes to move to the shot, puts pressure on your opponents to do more with their shots. Tennis is a sport dictated on time, those who maximize their time while taking the most …

Today is a Holiday here in the United States called “Thanksgiving”. It’s a time to slow down and reflect upon everything that we have to be thankful of which, if we’re honest, is a great deal no matter what circumstances happen to surround us. Below I’d like to briefly write about the different aspects of tennis that I’m truly thankful for, parts of the sport that have made me a better person and improved my life. Hopefully you share my appreciation for these benefits. Feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of the page with your own list of things to be thankful for as it pertains to the sport of tennis!
1. Physical Fitness and Conditioning
I’ve always been blessed to be a very active person through out my life and tennis has been a huge part of that. Training yourself to become a good tennis player includes by default …

Dear All,

Andre!  How much does it matter that he has disclosed probable abuse of substances by his father?  Abuses by his own choice of similar substances?  Clever manipulations to avoid being caught?   It would be so easy to judge him in whatever way anyone might choose, easy to find blame for his timing of disclosure.  BUT:  He has also decided not to agonize over the privacy of his truths.  They are on the table for all to see.  Does his disclosure influence or disrupt the wonderful energy he puts forth in his programs and community efforts?  I hope not.  Another celebrity with an abuse and drug history comes forward.  Is it amends?  Perhaps not.  BUT:  In the good work he does, moment by moment offering kids like he was hope for success, let’s continue to support him and his efforts.  Let’s accept that all of us, status not mattering, make ugly …

When asked the question “what skills are needed to be a good tennis player” the first things that come to mind for most of us are athletic abilities such as good eye hand coordination, quickness, agility, or strength and flexibility. Other players may cite more cognitive traits such as being a good strategist, picking out an opponents weakness, or having rock solid mental toughness. Today I’d like to talk briefly about a different type of skill.

I would like to submit to you today that putting in maximum effort is a skill. It’s an athletic trait that can be practiced and learned, not something that you’re either born with or not. This is great news for all of you reading this, it means that you’re capable of great things if you just focus and actually try as hard as you can. I know this may seem kind of corny, and probably overly …