The following post is an excerpt from Championship Tennis. For more information: The Tennis Parents’ Bible. The first step in strategizing is being able to identify the four styles of play, aggressive baseliner, retriever, net-rusher or finesse player. A player can practice spotting these styles by visiting the courts and taking the time to observe [...]
The following excerpt is from my new book Championship Tennis. For more information see The Tennis Parent’s Bible and/or Championship Tennis. Please read on…Frank Although equipment and improved technique can help increase the power of strokes, the greatest gains are brought about by physical improvements. Resistance training is an excellent training method for tennis [...]
SCENARIO ONE: Molly is a strong starter. She routinely performs her aggressive baseline style of play as she opens the set with a 4-1 lead. Once a lead is established, the trouble sinks in. Molly gains the lead by keeping her foot firmly on the gas pedal with a “play to win” attitude. As [...]
Nature versus nurture is one of the oldest debates in sports: Are great athletes born or made? Are innate physical qualities—size, speed, and coordination—more important than learned behaviors? It would be foolish to boil it down to an either–or conclusion. Plenty of evidence supports the belief that both factors play an integral part [...]
Tournament play is a terrific way to document your player’s strengths and weaknesses. The best way to improve is to strengthen strengths and eliminate weaknesses. Lack of knowledge of match play strengths and weaknesses is a huge wasting time, money and emotion. Be pro-active and chart your player’s matches or hire your coach to [...]
My son says I’m negative. How do I push him nicely? Frequently, parents get fixated on what our junior “world beater” is doing wrong, what they need to change, need to learn or need to improve! Because we are so focused on our child’s success, we often become preoccupied with only seeing their faults. [...]
Terrific children, wonderful adults and tennis champions aren’t born, they are developed. It’s not simply heredity. It is an organized plan. No one becomes extraordinary on their own. The Williams sisters are an actual example of a parent with a plan! The story goes; Richard Williams planned to have more children for the sole [...]
Finally, my second book Championship Tennis with publishers Human Kinetics is available for pre-order. It will be on book shelves soon (Barnes and Noble and the like) and available as an eBook by late March 2013! Pre-order your copy today! Learning sound mechanical strokes and learning how to win are two distinctly different lesson plans. [...]
Parents, it’s important to understand one of the most important parental goals of tournament play and the key to assisting your child on game day is to DE-STRESS them. I recommend focusing on performance versus potential. Here’s a story I’ve been sharing for years: Pretend your little Rebecca is a national level gymnast. She has [...]
Is the game of doubles really that important anymore? If tennis is known as the sport of a life -time, the most popular form of tennis has to be doubles! In Southern California, doubles can be found in the 10 and under events, all the way up [...]
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