Tennis Combines Athletic Skills

If you are looking for one sport that does it all then look no further.  Tennis does combine many of the skills that it takes to be a great athlete in other sports, for example...

In baseball, if you think hitting a pitch thrown at 90 mph is difficult in baseball, then try tennis where you have to return a serve hit at 130 mph and it is spinning wildly before bouncing in different directions!

In basketball, if you think changing directions on a dime and accelerating at top speeds is difficult then try doing the same on a hard court surface in 90+ degree heat on a sunny windless day!  If you think basketball is the only sport that requires you to jump high from a stand still then try tennis where you are launching your body into the air and controlling it while hitting a 90 mph overhead smash!

In soccer, if you think the constant running and endurance it takes to be successful is difficult then try tennis where professional matches may last 2-5 hours or even longer.  Longest on record over 11 hours with the last set taking over 8 hour to play!!!

Tennis is one of  if  not the only sport that allows you to play as an individual or part of a team (doubles).  It allows you to compete in skill level competition or age division competition.  It is truly a lifetime sport with minimal cost to get started.

In the High Desert we need to encourage players from other sports to try ours.  Make a resolution to introduce at least two new players to the sport of Tennis each.

Advice About Poaching In Doubles

Poaching may be one of the scariest moves you’ll make on the tennis court, but to be a good doubles player, it’s essential that you learn to do it well.


1) Position: Stand right in the middle of the service box. In this position you are right in front of the returner, who will immediately consider you more of a threat. You are also in position to intercept any return not hit perfectly crosscourt.


2) Your Stance:  Lower your center of gravity by widening your feet and bending your knees. In this stance you will be more balanced and able to push off to go in either direction, right or left.  It also allows you to stay lower and keep your  body below the ball when volleying.  Think about the ball, racquet and your head all at the same level when you make contact with the tennis ball.


3) Timing:  Take off for your poach either just before or right as the returner is hitting the ball. This way you are making your move when the returner is concentrating on hitting the ball so they won’t notice you (or even better, notice you and make an error on the return).  When you see your partners serve cross the receivers service line you can start your move.


4) Direction: Always move diagonally toward the net.  By moving forward as well, your momentum helps you punch the volley, helping to resist the urge to take the racket back for power.  


5) Strategy:  Great volley technique is not about power but about placement.  If you swing at the tennis ball to generate power you will often be late (hitting the ball long) or early (hitting the ball into the net),  Block the ball away from your opponent into the open court or down at their feet.

Federer "Point Of Contact, The Eyes Have It"

"Revolutionary Tennis" has written an article that discusses, what they believe to be, Roger Federer's technique in hitting tennis balls. In short, they believe he looks at the back of the racquet to see contact with the tennis ball. After giving this some thought, you may find it something you might want to try. It certainly is easier if you use a western or semi-western grip but it is also possible to do with the eastern or continental grip (continental being the most difficult).

If you are not familiar with these different grips and the advantages and disadvantages of each please leave a comment and "CTP" will discuss each style.


In the process of looking for ball/racquet contact as seen from the back of the racquet a few advantages come to mind:


1) The stroke is longer before making contact giving the racquet more racquet head speed equaling more ball speed.

2) The player is forced to develop quicker set up skills since the swing has to be initiated earlier.

3) If the player is late he still has time to make contact in front of or even with their front hip which is closest to the net.

4) You will, in time, more than likely hit more balls in the center of the racquet. 

Tennis Getting In “The Zone”

Whether you have perfect strokes or not you can improve your game and raise your level of play by improving your minds focus.  Most players at one time or another have experienced being in “The Zone” or sometimes it is called “Being Treed”.  It is almost an out of body experience when you have this feeling of confidence that you are controlling destiny.  Time seems to slow down and you can enjoy the event because you know that the outcome is going to be in your favor.

An excellent but involved article discussing the thought process that helps you reach this state of mind was written by Robert Nideffer, Ph.D..  It is called "Calming The Mind So The Body Can Perform" and it discusses our ability to focus on broad/narrow external things and broad/narrow internal things.  As it relates to tennis external would be (broad) your surroundings and (narrow) your shot, internal it would be (broad) comparing previous experiences and (narrow) analysis of shot being hit.

A bit deep but if you would like to read the entire article you can click on this link: Tennis Getting In "The Zone"

How to Analyze Your Opponent During A WarmUp

Nick Bollettieri has provided the following information to assist you in understanding an opponent you are getting ready to play for the first time. What would other players say about your game before they played you?

Stroke Preferences

Hit your shots down the middle of the court and see if your opponent favors one side over the other. For example, do they run around their backhand to hit their forehand every time?

Strokes

Does your opponent practice all the strokes in the warm-up? Some players will skip volleys or overheads all together. Others will only hit one or two balls before changing to something else. This could give you an indication as to their strengths and weaknesses. *Hint: Players typically warm up with their strengths.

Volleying

Hit your groundstrokes to them and determine where they stand on the court. Do they come forward to the ball? Are they aggressive? Include a few lobs, hitting a few over their opposite hitting shoulder and see if they come forward after the overhead.

Serving

Does your opponent only practice their first serve, blasting it all around the court? How many serves do they hit? Are they in control of their swing and can they control the ball? Does the ball seem to go in the same direction all the time or do they rotate the placement of their serve?

Studying your opponent in these four areas will give you an excellent read of your opponent’s game even before the match begins.

For Success In Tennis....

Modern Tennis Footwork

The following is a 30 minute program about "Footwork" used by professional players today.  The video is from the website "FuzzyYellowBalls" located in our directory on the right hand side of this page.

Basically it talks about a more fluid and continuous movement when you hit the ball with the body weight moving toward the net in a walking or skipping step or cross step motion.  Old school footwork required a weight transfer from the back foot to the front foot in a balanced position with a slight pause after contact then after the shot was hit you would allow your weight to transfer backwards to your back foot and regain your ready position.

All-in-all a good 30 minute lesson it is just a little slow for the first 5-7 minutes.  All levels will benefit from this video but more so the intermediate to advanced.  Click on this link: Modern Day Footwork

Test Your Tennis Knowledge

Here are a few questions for fun to test your tennis knowledge...  Just click on comments to answer one or more questions...

(1) What do you want to accomplish with your groundstroke?
(2) What do you want to accomplish with your volley?
(3) There are three basic tennis grips, what are they?
(4) How hard should you hit your average strokes on a percentage basis?
(5) Can you name four types of serves?
(6) Is your tennis game more like checkers or chess?

We will check some of your answers against some of the pros answers.... so click on comments and let's get started...

 

7 Tips To Better Doubles

Tip #1: Be certain when committing...

Don’t commit to a doubles partnership until you are certain your combination is the best fit for both of you.

Tip #2: Study and emulate the pros:

Constant communication is the single biggest weapon for doubles players
Supporting each other is a willingness to forgive quickly - for your mistakes and your partner’s
Adjusting positions especially on serve and return of serve
Recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of each player

Tip #3: Choose complimentary styles of play

Create a team where the players compliment -- not compete against -- each other. For example, if one is a big server, choose a partner who is a big returner or is an aggressive volleyer. Remember that great men and women singles players don’t always make great doubles players.

Tip #4: Consider personality traits when creating a doubles team

A team can have all of the talent and weapons in the world, but if they are not playing “together” and supporting each other, especially after blowing a big point, any success as a doubles team will be limited and short lived.  Great doubles players are capable of thinking in terms of “team” versus “self” -- not a skill common in tennis players.

Tip #5: Constantly seek self-improvement

We all tend to gravitate towards our strengths and often plateau as a player because we stop working on improving our weaknesses. This is especially true with doubles players as they become dependent on their partners to come to their “rescue.”

As the old saying goes, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. It won’t take long for your opponents to exploit your weaknesses and formulate strategies to expose them. Make sure your chain is as strong as it possibly can be and then strengthen it even more.

Tip #6: Know the nature of the beast

In pro doubles, most of the intense action is down the center of the court. Whereas on a club level, the action tends to be more on the outsides of the court.

If you have a strong forehand and weak backhand at the club level, playing the deuce side will be more effective. If you play the ad side, you won’t have the same opportunities.

Tip #7: There is no “easy” side of play

Just remember that one of the most difficult shots in both doubles and singles is the inside-out backhand return of serve, and it’s equally difficult during a baseline rally.

Hold on to any partner that can really play the deuce side -- they are worth their weight in gold.

Join And Send Your Pictures

If you have pictures of you and your friends playing tennis or a team picture you can submit those pictures to our blog.  Please add names just in case we can add them to the pictures at a later date. Send your pictures to CourtsideCoach@Gmail.com.

How To Keep Score In Tennis

For new tennis players, to go from learning and practicing their strokes to putting them to use in a tennis match requires one more thing..... How To Keep Score.  So if you click on the included link it will take you to an easy to understand internet lesson on.... Tennis Keeping Score. < Click there.  

New classes are still forming for adults and juniors.  Help us get the word out to Pineville, Tioga and Ball residents about the "Ward 10 Tennis Academy" with certified tennis instructors Gary Childress, USPTA Cell 318-787-4993 and Talton Trickey, PTR Cell 318-541-6653.

The courts at Ward 10 Tennis Center are free to use when we do not have lessons booked.  Please join us and learn more about our lessons, leagues and tournaments.

Make Your Practice More Meaningful

If you’re like most players, your idea of practice is getting in a few sets. While there’s lots to be said for that, the problem is that we tend to play to win these practice sets and therefore don’t make an effort to do the very thing that practice is supposed to be about: working on the weaker parts of our game.

But there’s an easy way around this dilemma, one that simulates the situations you might face in a match while de-emphasizing the pressure to win. Play points instead of sets.

Try this: The server must win three points in a row to win a game; if you lose any of the points before reaching three, your opponent gets a chance to serve and win three consecutive points. This forces both of you to concentrate and become dominant. You’ll find that there are times when players compete for long periods and never win a game.

Tennis = Fun + Exercise = A Healthy Life

At last year's meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) exercise physiologists, sports medicine doctors, and sports nutritionists all reconfirmed their commitment to the power of exercise to change lives for the better.

Their Slogan for 2012 is "Exercise Is Medicine" or better yet "Exercise Is Better Than Medicine" as they continue to battle the biggest public health problem in the 21st century... lack of physical activity.

Exercise can reduce the risk of heart disease, certain cancers, dementia, and other diseases of aging. What most people don't know is 16% of Americans will die from low fitness/sedentary lifestyle. That's higher than the 14% that will die from smoking, diabetes, and obesity combined.

Bottom line... find a sport or two sports that you can stick to for life. Obviously we suggest tennis for your sedentary friends. Entry into the sport is reasonably priced and the time requirements are reasonably. Tennis is a lifestyle and way of life for both exercise and friendships for life.

Tennis Practice "Hitters" for Rent

Now you can hire a "Hitter" to help improve your game by playing against someone who is guaranteed to be a higher rated player.

Here is how it works: you would tell us when you want to play and we will make the arrangements and provide you a more than competitive match. These "Hitters" will help you practice your game and groove your new tennis strokes.

If you would like to try out this new concept, you may call USPTA Tennis Instructor Gary Childress at 318-787-4993 and ask him to arrange a match for you. He then selects and instructs the "Hitter" on how to design the workout session to best develop your ground strokes or volleys or movement around the court. The "Hitter" then provides a written report back to Gary describing how you played and how well you incorporated any new techniques you wanted to work on.

The cost to hire a "Hitter" for One (1) Hour is $25.00 and (1.5) Hours for $35.00.

This is a new concept in tennis instruction that is designed to bring a developing tennis player along faster in their game improvement. Every good Tennis Instructor recommends that their students practice what they have learned in an official lesson at least 3-5 times before taking another lesson.

Eat Like The Best Players Gluten Free

Most tennis fans are aware of Novak Djokovic and his current winning streak as he moved through the French Open.  Some credit his performance to a change of diet.  He is now the poster child for the benefits of a Gluten Free Diet.
 
Following is an article that talks about some of the negatives of eating wheat, the symptoms and which foods are best to pick for a healthier experience.  Click on the following link to read more... The-Gluten-Free-Athlete

Tennis Players And Their Food Choices

Are you one of the fortunate few who learned early on in life the right kinds of foods you should eat to be and stay healthy?

Unfortunately there are still many of us who grew up on low cost carbohydrates and fats and who-knows-what-else that did nothing for our health and finally nothing for our looks as we moved from hour glass to apple or pear shaped tennis players.

Here is a link to twenty four foods that may not make you physically handsome again but they can at least get you headed in the right direction and give you a few more good years on the tennis courts.  Just Click: 24 Healthy Foods For Men

8 Superfoods to Add to Your Diet

Remember in your twenties how you could eat anything and still look good and play tennis from dawn to dust without a problem? Many of us do and we are here to tell you that after 50 it is entirely different, maybe earlier.

We would like to add a regular report from a local dietitian about how to be fit for life. If you know of someone who might be interested in submitting monthly articles then here is their chance to be "slightly famous".

Have them contact us at CenlaTennisPartners@gmail.com.

In the mean time here is an article about substituting different but similar foods so you do not become totally board with counting how many kinds of lettuce there are.

Just click on the link and enjoy: 8 Ultimate Superfoods to Add to Your Diet | Active.com

Build A Tennis Player, Whose Strokes Would You Use?

If you were going to build a local tennis player, whose strokes would you use to build a man and/or a woman tennis player?  David Walker topspin forehand... Joe Rankin drop shot... Christine Dodge cross court forehand topspin!


Get the tennis ball rolling by sharing with others...  just "click on comments" below and remember under profiles to add your name.

CenLA Tennis Growing In 2011-12

"2011 will mark the beginning of an expansion in tennis facilities and the number of tennis players in Central Louisiana."  


If my prediction is correct we could see: 

• Public hard courts built in Pineville
• An agreement with Louisiana College for access to their courts
• More courts built as a private or public facility on the west side of Alexandria

Tennis as a sport and lifestyle has been an under developed resource in CenLA.  There are over 14,780 USTA card carrying tennis players in Louisiana and less than 400 live in Rapides Parish.  Annually tennis players pass through our area headed north to play tournaments from Shreveport to Monroe.  At other times northern players pass through headed south to play in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette and Lake Charles.


Question: "Why do we not hold more tennis tournaments here in the central part of the state?"  Although not complicated the answer is not simple either.  Certainly the baseball and soccer supporters are better organized and maybe it is easier for city officials to complete those needs.  Unlike the others sports which are seasonal, tennis is a year round sport but like the others tennis would bring players to CinLA to stay and play and compete in tournaments.  You could fit all the courts we need on two baseball diamonds.  


Other cities have adopted a more pro-tennis  approach and they have built and manned their facilities by charging a small court fee.  If this community wants to be more than a thoroughfare for tennis players headed north and south to have fun and spend money then it needs to commit to a progressive approach.


Would you be interested in being part of the solution by committing some of your time to support the organized growth of tennis here in Central Louisiana?  If the answer is yes then send an email to RapidesTennisPartners@mail.com.  Also consider leaving a post here to encourage others to make a difference, those who know you are willing to be involved may commit as well.


Gary Childress, a former club tennis professional, is the Editor of this Blog..  As a USPTA Teaching Professional he ran numerous tennis facilities earlier in his professional career including (3) clubs in Dallas, TX and (3) clubs in San Antonio, TX before changing careers.  Gary grew up in Shreveport and met his wife Sandy from Alexandria at the tennis courts while they were both at Northwestern University in Natchitoches.