Moving in Singles

About a week ago I was glad my playing partner was about 10 minutes late. It was about 48 degrees, overcast and cold! I used this time to do side to side to side to SIDE steps in an effort to warm up my legs, tendons and ligaments. When it came time to play, I was much more confident in doing my side steps when covering the courts from side to side. Why is this movement important? After hitting a ball from near a sideline, you have to recover through side-steps to the center of the court to cut down on angles that your opponent has.

As you probably know in singles, there isn't as much sprinting side to side to get a ball. And if one does have to turn to run (forward) to the other baseline, it's many times to throw up a lob or some other desperation shot.

So I did my warmup side steps, maybe 2 feet between steps but when I was actually playing, I noticed that many of this side to side steps were more on the order of 6 to 12 inches at a time; more often a sideways stutter step. In a long rally, you might have 10-15 balls to hit, and of that, maybe 8-12 changes of direction. Many of those direction changes take small steps, large steps, microadjustments, etc.

And like practicing your serve, overheads, backhands or more, it makes sense to PRACTICE MOVEMENT on the court. Personally, I can move very fast forward and my stamina is better than average. However, moving side to side in a long rally, I tire quickly. You do not use the same standard muscles (quadriceps, hamstrings) that you use when running forward, that you use when you go side-to-side.

So the next time your partner is late, or hey- here's an idea-- arrive early to do this WORK- yeah, it's not as fun as hitting a ball but if practiced enough, movement drills will ultimately lead to better tennis and more winning, and that is fun.

A little Coke, a little Pepsi...

A Little Crystal Meth

I generally keep this blog to improving your game but me, like everyone else, is a bit surprised by the confessions made by Andre Agassi this week about his crystal methamphetamine use when he was down (and almost out) in '97. I have always liked Andre, and still do, partly because I try to play like him and he was always an underdog when playing his nemesis Pistol Pete Sampras.

It is unfortunate however if young readers get the impression that you can fool around with drugs, quit anytime, and then remake yourself into something special. Andre's meth use is the exception and not the rule. But when you are 15 or 20, it's hard to believe you can't just stop when you want to, it's the hubris of youth.

I read the full excerpt in Sports Illustrated yesterday and what is more amazing and entertaining (and frightening) is how Andre talks about his father's single-mindedness of making him a champion. It's a story of child abuse but not in the usual sense. It's a cautionary tale for overzealous parents and for those high achieving juniors who are trading in their youth for the dreams of their parents.

It is exquisitely well written which means Andre didn't write it, but he told the stories and approved of what was written. While Pete got the better of him most times on the court, it's Pete now who double faulted when asked by a reporter last month about what is his most inspiring project he is currently committed to. After a long awkward pause, he mumbled something about being busy raising young kids. Indeed. You know after reading about Andre's father Mike that Andre and Steffi won't be little league parents.

Superman Had Kryptonite

I have...

I am playing some new guy the other day and about 3 games into it he yells in exasperation either during or right after a point, "what's your weakness?"

I didn't yell back "my second serve" but instead yelled back something slightly off-color, trying to be funny.

Five years earlier I would have had to respond to him, "well, where do you want me to start?"

I have told players before, and probably already written this in somewhere earlier in this blog but, you are only as good as your weakest stroke. Under pressure, that weak shot becomes your achilles heel and is sure to break down even further.

We all like to hit our favorite shots but to improve, schedule some time with a ball machine, or a tennis lesson, because if you're not getting better, you're getting worse-- because your opponent is improving, so in relation to her/him, standing still is taking a step back.

What is your weakness? fitness, overheads, backhands, pace, no pace, second serve ad court, volleys, half-volleys, keeping score, returns... Think about it and then set a goal to improve and a plan to get there. Aloha.

Foot Faulting Your Way to Success!

Quiz Time... what is the tennis equivalent to the "gimme putt" in golf? I think it would be the foot fault. This broken rule is about as common as forgetting the score, which at my age is about as common as wrinkles.

Being about 5' 10" in my K-Swiss shoes, I discovered the other day that while I am not tall enough to see over the net when my oponent is serving, I can see through the net and under the tape and get a good look at his or her feet while serving.

This is the first time I have seen it while playing. "Ah-- take two, looked like you foot faulted" I said. I said it about a minute later again. I felt like a cretin, but c'mon, it's breaking a rule. And if I had really wanted to, I could have called it about 5-10 more times. It began to bother me so much I stopped looking for it. And we are not talking about stepping on the line, but across it, into the court before contact was made.

That was Monday. When I played the same person Wednesday, a mere 2 days later, he wasn't foot faulting. I watched for it maybe for 5 serves and nope. His motion had changed. After about his 3rd or 4th service game he said to me, "have you noticed my feet on my serve today?"

"Yeah, the front one isn't moving - no foot faults."

"I discovered that if I keep my front foot planted, it gives me better stability and I can also control the direction better."

Did you catch that? With one day of practice, my friend was able to retrain his body and his muscle memory and make a change that not only complied with the rules, but also resulted with a better stroke.

Now if we could just get the other 12 million recreational players who regularly foot fault to do this.

What can this man teach us about TENNIS?

Chuck "The Iceman"

Liddell

Ultimate Fighting

Championship Fighter

No, I don't believe Chuck plays tennis, so what can we learn from him to improve?

Back in February of 2008 he was on a radio program called WAIT,WAIT, DON'T TELL ME, a humorous news based program on NPR. I heard him that day being interviewed by Peter Sagal.

Among other things Peter asked him about was does it help to get "worked up" and angry about the person before you go into the ring with him? Chuck said actually no. Paraphrasing here, Chuck says "I'm not an emotional fighter. Emotion CLOUDS YOUR JUDGEMENT, implying it gets harder to problem solve and execute if you get too emotional (and less rational) when you are in battle. http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=19108930 That conversation is at about the 2:10 mark.

You hear that tennis fans? Settle down a bit and think while you are out there. Losing ones cool may have (or may not have) helped some pretty famous tennis players, like McEnroe and Connors in the 70's, and more recently Nadal, Hewitt and The Poster Boy for Tennis TESTOSTERONE-- Gael Monfils. Every time Monfils jumps around the court shouting in glee after winning a big point, I can't help but think all that adrenaline is going to tire him out later in the match, when it wears off. Coupled with that are the emotions that accompany these large outbursts. They have to affect your judgement. Might doesn't always make right in tennis or otherwise you would have people looking like Chuck Liddell winning Wimbledon every year.

Andre Agassi also was interviewed late in his career and he talked about tennis is problem solving. Isn't that the truth. Let's say you are down 2-6, and have a breakpoint at 3-3. Your last 2 break chances you hit both service returns long trying to break serve with a return winner. I don't know, I'm no Einstein but I think instead of again overhitting the return, you might want to try something safer. However, so many people never seem to make any adjustments, or pay attention to learn from their mistakes. Remember that old definition of insanity: Doing the same thing again and again but expecting different results.

I also wrote another post related to this about your tennis hard drive-- see here http://paul-ihearttennis.blogspot.com/2009/02/is-your-tennis-hard-drive-faulty.html if you are interested in this important but often neglected part of the our game, the mental side of tennis.

Viva Roger!!

You gotta be happy for the guy... he's got the monkey off his back. Is his victory diminished because he did't beat Nadal in the final? Nah, not unless you such a Nadal fan that you are considering naming your firstborn Rafa.

Federer overcame many serious contenders and deficits. He was behind in sets won against 3 different opponents, and went 5 sets twice.

As good as he was he has to rethink the backhand slice service return. Many, many of these balls are just making it 2-3 feet beyond his opponents service box and that is a short ball. It's hard to break serve when you are continually getting winners hit off of your returns or making forced errors over your opponents 2nd shots.

Yet, the men's game generally comes down to a few break chances that decides the match. In the case of the Fed's semi-final against Del Potro, in the first 4 sets the person that won the set was the one that was the first to break the opponents serve. In the 5th set, the pattern only differed slightly - they went break-break-break, with Roger getting broken on his serve in the middle of those three games.

You are only as good as your weakest shot-- whether it be your 2nd serve, your backhand return, your overhead, volley, etc. And under pressure, the weakest shot breaks down even further.

A few years ago I rallied with a boy who was going to be on the tennis team the next year. In the 10 minutes of rallying, he ran around his backhand and hit maybe 8-10 inside-out forehands cross court. He loved it so much he probably would have married it. Sure, practice your favorite strokes, but it's MORE important to practice your weakest ones. That's where improvement occurs, for you, me, Roger and anybody else that plays this great game.

Socrates once said, the unexamined life is not worth living. I say the unexamined tennis game is not worth playing. We can all improve leading to more enjoyment but the first step is identifying an area (or two) to start that improvement.

Still Playing, Still Improving?

Tennis YES, but what else?

Is tennis your number one sport? It's mine followed by hockey and cycling. But what else do you do for exercise? Walk, run, soccer, bike, golf, weights, basketball, swim? I know that many sports are complimentary to each other. For example, some Olympic athletes have gone from cycling to speed skating and vice versa. Both sports reward powerful leg muscles and a good lung capacity.

What about tennis? What else would support and actually compliment tennis? Andre Agassi before he retired was known for his 1/4 mile UPHILL wind sprints in the Vegas desert. He was also said to do bench press reps of 250+ lbs.

When I think about tennis (singles especially), I think about a lot of side to side movement, and a fair amount of forward and backward running as well. I think of basketball. The movement is similiar, as well as using anticipation on your opponents next move. It also takes arm muscles, plus a strong heart and lungs. Of course I can also name a number of people who have had their knees scoped because of basketball being a contact sport, but other than that, playing once a week or 4-5 times a month could be useful.

Weight training. I am not suggesting you need to bench over 200 lbs on a regular basis but lifting free weights especially (to help with balance, recruiting more muscle fibers), you can isloate your triceps (important for throwing-- which is partly the service motion), do lifts for your lats (good for trunk rotation on ground strokes), curls-- good for your writsts-- important for volleys as well as all shots-- and well, I think you get the idea.

Personally I am not as keen on weights for your legs, I am old-skool there, thinking that running, or running hills/stairs is a more natural movement.

Other exercises? Both cycling and swimming are terrific for building cardiovascular stamina - important if you have to run down a lot of balls which I think describes most of us.

That's it. Think about giving up one day a week, or maybe a few times per month and cut the tennis short by augmenting your exercise with something else that will make you a stronger, more well rounded tennis player. It adds variety and may also help with injury prevention, since you will be building and recruiting additional muscles for support.

Try it. It might just be fun and it could make you a better tennis player - how about that?

The Ageless Sport of Tennis

I originally wrote this in March of 2004--

Yesterday I played tennis, doubles, with three other men. One was in his early 60’s, another 74, and the last one 77. I was thinking this wouldn’t be the best tennis to participate in since I was a youngish 43 and probably mistakenly think that I have more in common with Andre Agassi than I do these guys. I was wrong.

Art the youngest of the three called me and told me that he had some “good players” to play some doubles with. He mentioned something about a “guy who’s almost 78 who has a son who is ranked in Southern California in the 45’s [age group], but he can still really play.”

I said “sure” and agreed to meet them at 10 a.m. at the courts down the block from my house. I thought that the ‘father and son’ would probably take on the 60 year old and I and it would be fun.

Even though John (the 77 year old man) might have a 45-year-old son who is a very good player, that son wasn’t there. Instead I got a 74-year-old partner (Skip) and we played against Art and John.

For those of you who know the game of tennis you would think that being the person at the net with your partner serving you could “poach” (cut across the net to intercept the opponents return) a lot. You would think. I mean it makes sense that guys in their 60’s and 70’s who grew up learning to play in the 1940’s and 50’s with wood racquets would not hit with great topspin and power. They grew up during a time where the words “power” and “tennis” went about as well together as “Hummer” and “good gas mileage.”

The first time I served to John (who is about 5’ 6”) my partner didn’t poach and intercept an easy, soft return. When I served to John he sliced the ball back toward me so deftly that it forced me off the court completely and almost into a light pole that is about 6 feet off the court. I couldn’t successfully return his shot and we lost the point.

I found that this would be the rule rather than the exception for our tennis that morning. What the trio of elder players lacked in power, they more than made up for it in consistency, angles, touch and placement.

There was one player though that double faulted the most and missed more volleys than all the other players. No, not the 77 year old as you might think. It was I, the youngster of the group, with the most hair.

I guess that brings me to the moral of this little tennis anecdote. Now I could say something about aging like it’s never too late to accomplish something in life. Like how the guy who started McDonalds was 52 at the time, or how Colonel Sanders got his start at age 65. Or even how Jack LaLanne at age 89 still wakes up at 5 a.m. every day, lift weights and swims for two hours. But nah, for me the lesson is much simpler; do not serve to a 77-year-old players backhand, lest he make you look foolish.
Jack LaLanne, looking like Bono in shades, celebrating his 90th back in October 2004

It's Getting to be That Time of Year Again!

Protect Yourself!

The sun is both our friend and our enemy. It causes us to: miss overheads, age our skin more quickly, it can even cause a mole to become cancerous. But it's our friend too-- the sun helps us produce Vitamin D, makes our commutes to work, school or play safer, and grows our food among other things.

Generally the tannest part of me is my red-neck. That is unless I wear my outback hat, like the one pictured above. Between that and slathering on-- with a latex glove during a match so my hands aren't greasy-- sunscreen 30 or above generally.

And the health educator in me wouldn't be doing his service if I didn't mention the ABCD's of melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer. Check it out, it's worth a click and keep an eye on those moles--- especially the ones that get a lot of sun exposure. http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d001201-d001300/d001207/d001207.html

and on the humorous side, as far as tan lines go for tennis players, it could be worse!

Practicing Better

Tennis scientists say rubbing your head with your tennis racquet increases tennis knowledge by 4% on average. Try it today!

Who’s winning? Who won? Don’t you just love that question? It is only eclipsed by the question I heard early in the days of the long distance running movement in the late 70’s or early 80’s. It would come from someone you worked with asked you what you did over the weekend.

I ran a 10k.

Did you win?, they would ask excitedly.

Oh yeah, I beat over 6000 other runners, about 50 of who are supported financially and training for the Olympics. I lapped them, beat them all by 10 minutes, thanks for asking.

The other day I am playing with my friend David and from the next court, the question comes “Who’s winning?”

For me to yell back, we both are would require a lengthy explanation so I just say “he is” but the truth of the matter was I really didn’t know. I hadn’t forgotten the score, we don’t keep track.

The David Formula

Here’s what we do. We play 3 games—keeping score each game, alternating serve after each game, but don’t take a break and switch sides until after the third game. Then we just repeat this format all morning or afternoon.

What format allows us to do is several things:

• Work on specific areas (maybe return of serve, serve and volley, a new grip, rushing the net more, etc.) It allows you to practice without fear of failure because you won’t blow a game based on trying your new technique and think now I’m behind, this sucks.! Also, it’s not a formal thing---- hey, I’m going to try all serve and volleys for this game so please return it right to me. Instead it’s something you decide in your head and work at it in your own way, so it feels less like practice, and more like playing, which of course you actually are.
  
• Get in better condition. Playing 3 games consistently is quite a workout! Often one of those 3 games will have multiple deuces or an extended rally. When this happens it will test your conditioning considerably. Imagine that happening in the first game, you have two more full games before you sit.


• It's fun, with less pressure and allows you check your ego at the door since your performance that day is not tied to winning or losing.

Sure, there are times that I am aware I just won (or lost) 3 games in a row, but generally after 90 minutes or two hours of hitting this way, I really don’t know if I won 14 games and lost 10, or won 11 games and lost 19.

I hit with a boy from the high school team about 2 months ago and told him of this format and asked if he wanted to try it. He said, “sure, but I’ll never be able NOT to keep track of the score, I’m just that way.” About thirty minutes into playing, at a changeover he smiled and said, “you know, I really don’t know what the score is.”

The David Formula. Three games + rest (repeat...) = improvement. It’s worked well for us, and it might work well for you too.

Growing the Game of Tennis!

Wouldn't That Be Nice?

The number of tennis participants (in the US) reached an all-time high in 1973-74 as the colorful characters of Connors, McEnroe and even the quiet genius of Bjorn Borg made for some interesting matchups. -- Click here to see that actual rise and fall of participation since 1960. http://www.tennisindustry.org/PDFs/ParticipationHistory.pdf

As tennis participation has fallen or plateaued since '99, the game of golf has skyrocketed-- and you can blame Tiger Woods for that in part. And it's not just mens golf either. While Tiger may not have motivated that many young girls to get into the game, in Europe the recently retired Annika Sorenstam did that for the Barbie set. South Korea routinely fills up the women's leader board with as many as 12-14 of the top 20 spots thanks to the stellar play 10-15 years ago of Se Ri Pak. And now golfs new Tigeress hails from Mexico-- Lorena Ochoa --so we can only expect many young Latinas south of the border asking for golf clubs now for their next birthday instead of last years Bratz Dolls.

So what does this have to do with GROWING THE GAME of tennis? Yeah, good question. We obviously could use some more exciting personalities that are in the top 5, or maybe top 3 that hail from the land of the currently unemployed. It's not like we aren't trying but at least we have Roddick marrying a bikini model and he often has hilarious post-match interviews. Andy even hosted Saturday Night Live a few years back---okay 2003, just after winning the US Open -- that alone probably got 1000 people out in the following week with their old wooden Jack Kramers. However, other than that, tennis needs some colorful and GREAT players. The Williams sisters, while great, have been standoff-ish and play less tournaments than virtually all others in the top 20 of the WTA.

It wouldn't hurt to maybe get a new PR firm and come up with clever commercials going head to head against golf--- we compare quite favorably I think---- Tennis offers...

• better workout-- you can't use a pullcart or electric cart to get to your next shot in tennis


• faster workout 1.5 to 2 hours versus 4-5+ hours for golf


• tennis has singles or doubles, or mixed doubles for variety


• cheaper-- way cheaper and in this economy this cannot be stressed enough! Most racquets retail for $95-$140 (x2) versus clubs that can cost $250-1000+ and green fees of $25 to $100+ dollars each time you play


• hit 75-125 balls in golf for 18 holes versus the fun of clobbering 200-300 in an hour in tennis

One other fan friendly thing to do, as Billy Jean King has suggested, is that both the mens and women's tours play more combined events. Aside from the 4 majors, there are only 2-3 others that you can see men and women play a court away from each other. This value added benefit is appreciated by most tennis fans and could really also appeal to the next generation of players.

We have the superior product and unless Tiger Woods (or Obama) changes sports to tennis, we have some serious marketing to do to protect and grow this great game of ours.

link to the USTA http://www.usta.com/

link to the Tennis Industry Association http://www.tennisindustry.org/

POWER, POWER, POWER!!!

Speaking of power, I was playing with my friend Rufus yesterday and he had a new racquet. It was a RAMBO XF15 THUNDERBAT which is (surprise!) a stiff, powerful racquet. Rufus from the first point hit hard penetrating baseline shots, a noticeable uptick in power and depth from his normal game.

For the first 3-4 games I was breathing hard, chasing deep shots into both corners. My goose was cooked – tennis wise. Then something interesting happened. On shots that were mid court to him, he came in and hit it long (out) more often than not. What had been a wonderful racquet 5 seconds earlier was now an unwieldy cannon.

Power is only good on a tennis court if you can harness it and direct it. From the baseline he was a monster but for the mid court stuff, the monster lost its bite and the racquet became a one trick pony.

So this is just a reminder that while power might be the most intoxicating of all the tennis weapons, it is also the most overrated. The other tennis P’s... placement, position and pa-variety are all equally or more important armaments in an effective tennis arsenal.

Searching for the Holy Grail

There are people out there, okay men out there, that are at Frys or Best Buy right now trying to decide between the 48” Plasma 720 HDTV or the 52” LCD1080Q HDTV. It’s a big decision, for them. In either case they are convinced that their quality of life, er… TV life, will be enhanced such that they will reach TV or DVD nirvana. And it will work for them, for about 6 months. Six months from now they will read an article or see an ad for the new DIGITAL FP2000 with a Zerna 12XKF Controller that promises to make all other TV’s obsolete. And now they have to have "the new one".

The Holy Grail. A mythical object that promises eternal life, fresher breath, a flatter stomach, well behaved children and more! Just 4 E-Z payments of $29.99, Visa-Mastercard accepted! Call now, operators are standing by. Sounds ridiculous huh?

If you read a tennis magazine and look at the racquet ads you see phrases like areo modular, woofer, smart grip, aerogel, magnetic speed, flexpoint, metallix, speed port, morph beam, n-code, v-engine, and a whole lot more!

-- for a dizzying array of tennis tech, click on this>

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/technologies.html

Each promises that the feature will translate into better shots. What they don’t mention is that losing 10 lbs, taking some lessons, and going for more reasonable shots will actually improve your tennis a lot more than all those things combined. However, we don’t want to think about that, we want the quick cure—for our double faults, slice onthe golf course, weight loss, baldness, etc.

Instead of searching for the Holy Grail, be the Holy Grail. Could Tiger Woods win the Master’s with clubs bought at K-Mart? Probably. Could Nadal pick up a used racquet from a Salvation Army and beat most of us 0 and 0? Probably.

I am not saying that certain strings and racquets can’t lead to improvement, but the best gut and racquet will not make up for bad technique or being out of position, etc.

So if you’re looking for that one magic racquet (or string) okay, but remember it’s a slippery slope. One player I know has switched racquets (and brands) more than 5 times in 2 years. Don’t look for the next "big thing" as far as equipment goes, work on your game the old fashioned way; with lessons, improved technique, improved conditioning and better on court decision making.

HURRY - LIMITED TIME OFFER!

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Be one of the first 3 to "FOLLOW THIS BLOG" and receive a valuable can of tennis balls! New ones! Optic Yellow! Extra Heavy Duty! X-outs? Nah... not for you guys! Hurry, a limited time offer!!!

Okay, questions...

"Um, like what if I'm the 6th or 7th person to "Follow this blog"? Do I get anything? -signed Lonely in Los Feliz

Dear Lonely,

Yes, of course we have something for you. You will get valuable tennis information and insight from an old guy by reading this blog!!! Oh, I can see from your face you are massively disappointed. Well, maybe for you I can find an overwrap or a dampener then.

Andy's Busy, Now What?

Knee Bend or Wrist Snap?
A secret I have found to more powerful serves is have Andy Roddick hit them for me. However, there are so many times when he is not available I am forced to serve on my own. I guess it's time consuming being engaged to a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. Bummer.

In the reader questions area of TENNIS magazine about two years ago someone asked what had a bigger impact on service speed; wrist snap or knee bend/jump? When watching the pros it's easier to identify the knee bend and jump into the court, they all do it. But watching the wrist snap is harder to see.

To answer this question, TENNIS magazine referenced a study about wheelchair tennis players. Since there is obviously no knee bend, all the service speed can be attributed to arm and wrist motion. They found that wrist snap is responsible for more service speed than an able bodied player bending their knees and jumping.

Personally, there are so many moving parts on me when I serve I often forget about this last necessary step but if you can coordinate many things at once, try BOTH the wrist snap and a knee bend that will propel you into the court after you hit the ball.

Keep in mind that service speed is probably overrated. Consider these stats from Roddick and Federer from the Australian Open, semi-finals: SERVING STATS

.................... Roddick .....Federer

Avg Speed -1st .....128 ........117

Avg Speed - 2nd ....107 ........97

First serve % .........65 .........66

Aces ....................8 .........16

Dbl Faults ..............2 ..........0

Looks like the bigger server should have won, but of course Fed prevailed 6-2, 7-5, 7-5. And despite serving slower than Roddick, he had twice as many aces. Placement of serves and varying your serve, especially at the high school level will yield many more service return errors than the big 100 mph heater up the middle, or into the body.

Singles vs. Doubles...Who's the Better Player?

Playing singles is generally the marquee spot in a tennis line-up or at a tournament. However, at the pro level with 4 players at the net, (less so in high school), it can be very fast and exciting compared to long rallies in singles, or a power serve-missed return that is common in men's tennis.

There is a bias toward singles assuming that they are the better athletes, more skilled etc. Let's examine this bias. When returning in singles, a deep return anywhere is good. In doubles, unless the return is cross-court with pace, it can and should be intercepted - point lost. In singles you know who is going to get the ball when it comes toward you-- there's uh... you and no one else, you take every ball. In doubles, there is communication or else no one takes the ball or CRASH, both go for the same ball and hit racquets, or worse, hit heads or head to racquet.

When I serve in singles, I have only a few things to think about, and I am fairly relaxed since it is common for me to have 10 (or so) service games in two sets and have 0-2 double faults. However, when I serve in doubles, all the normal things to consider come into play-- wind direction, the returners ability on FH and BH sides, where did I serve last time, etc.-- but now an additional consideration or pressure comes up. I don't want to let my partner down. If I double fault in singles, yeah, it's a drag but you move on. In doubles, a double fault gives me guilt because I have let my partner down. Furthermore, with my partner at the net if I serve too soft, especially a 2nd serve to avoid a double, then some teams will whack their return with the ferocity of an Ova (take your pick) right at the head of my partner at the net.

In football, who's a better player, a cornerback or safety? In baseball, a centerfielder or a 3rd baseman? In those sports as in tennis, there are similiar skill sets required at different positions but there are also unique qualities and skills required. So one is not better than another, they are just different.

Swinging It In Your Favor

Momentum Boy

There is something more powerful in tennis than an Andy Roddick serve. In fact this power is not found just in tennis. It occurs in most sports including basketball, hockey, baseball and football among others. This fearsome power in sport is called momentum.

In tennis it produces some surprising results. When the box score reads 6-2, 0-6, 6-2 people are left scratching their heads and thinking ‘what happened there?’ Sometimes tennis commentators will announce things like ‘Nadal has just won 11 of the last 13 points’. If his opponent can’t find a way to derail Nadal’s momentum, it will be a short afternoon. Though I don’t completely understand this complex phenomenon myself, as it encompasses the fields of sports psychology, strategy, and unknown intangibles, I have noticed some things to change momentum and swing it in the opposite direction.

When I am coaching a high school boy and he is underperforming and nothing seems to be working for him, I tell him he needs to change something (because obviously the path he is on is working. Change something. Personally, I have changed momentum in changing racquets (especially when they might be different or just strung different), changing sunglasses (or just taking them off), changing tactics (attacking the net more, less/more pace, etc. When I suggest a tactic change to a player or doubles team, I will tell them “stick with it, even if it doesn’t work the first few times”. Too often they see the first failed attempt at a changed tactic as “well that didn’t work” so they just go back to what wasn’t working originally. Not smart psychology, not smart tennis.

There are also times where you or you and your partner are riding a wave of momentum to apparent victory and then the 5-1 lead is lost and you are kicking yourself at the start of the tie breaker thinking “how in the heck did it come to this?”

A few suggestions. First, recognize when you have momentum in your favor and do everything you can to maintain it. Last week, two boys I coach in doubles had this score after two sets: 6-3, 2-6. With Sam and Marko serving to start the 3rd set, Sam held serve and then they broke their opponents quickly to take a 2-0 lead. And this was after losing the last set 2-6. I was sensing a big momentum swing in our favor as these two games had been won rapidly and then Marko served. Several missed first serves and two double faults later they were at deuce. In our no-ad league the next point wins so we were on the verge of losing the all-important momentum that had gained after losing the 2nd set. What led to Marko’s double faults and a very complicated serving game was unrestrained enthusiasm and adrenalin from the quick 2-0 start. His heart was in the right place but not his head.

Nothing leads to a loss of momentum faster than double faults and missing a lot of first serves. Momentum is sometimes a fleeting phenomenon and you have to do everything in your power to keep it on your side. Short of rushing, it is prudent to continue play quickly with momentum which in part doesn’t give the opponent time to think or analyze what’s going on. Getting first serves in, even if they are softer, more spin is the smarter bet than risk longer serving games with possible double faults that rob the server of his spirit while at the same time bolstering hope in his opponent.

More about pace of play when momentum is on your side. A few years ago when playing singles, I raced off to a 5-0 lead against an opponent I had never played. At the changeover, I told him I had run out of water and had to use the drinking fountain about 150 feet away. At the drinking fountain I ran into someone I hadn’t seen for a long time and it would have been awkward to just say “hi”. We ended up talking for a longish 4-5 minutes. I was very apologetic to my opponent when I returned and then he ran the next 6 straight games on me to take a 6-5 lead. Talk about momentum swings.

In life, as in tennis, the KISS method of doing your work often pays off. Keep It Simple Stupid is a reminder to us to get the serve in, or get the return in, and then go from there. Especially at the high school level with boys, testosterone runs high, and they think that “might makes right”. If hitting harder was always better than we would see Mr. Olympus types crowding us out for court time.

Momentum is the best thing you can have in sports. Next time you recognize it’s “present” in your match, do what you can to keep it, or if it’s running against you, do what you can to change it in your favor, short of gamesmanship.

Momentum, once lost, is hard to find again

Serving With a Purpose

Andre Agassi in the last year of his career was interviewed and in that interview said that tennis and life were similar, both involved problem solving. Isn’t that the truth?

In tennis against a worthy opponent, problem solving can make the difference between who goes on in the tournament and who goes home.

A frequent singles opponent of mine I’ll call Jason, attacks my second serve with a lot of pressure and a fair degree of success. That’s a problem for me so it led to me doing some problem solving before the match. We played today and in two sets, I had 9 service games. I served about 85% as hard as I usually do and it enabled me to get all but three first serves in. This meant I only had to face a very aggressive returner 3 times today. It’s also no coincidence that I held 7 of my 9 service games today.

I figured out that strategy before the match, but many times you have to problem solve during a match. Yesterday I played doubles and in my first service game I missed a first serve on the deuce court. My admittedly weaker second serve to the returner’s forehand was returned powerfully right at the head of my doubles partner at the net. Dylan fortunately blocked it so he didn’t get hit but we lost the point. Big problem. Immediately I decided for the rest of my serves to the deuce court that all of them would be to the deuce returner’s backhand side. Problem solved. My partner was protected and the returner was frustrated in playing the forehand return side but having to return all my serves from his backhand side.

In that same doubles match one of our opponents, Andy, was thinking like me. Every serve to me in the deuce court was to my backhand. While not a weakness for me, it’s generally not a serve I can hit with as much power as the forehand. Andy served with a purpose, which was not to put him or his partner in trouble right away from my return.

When beginning tennis players serve the goal is to just get the ball in play so you can play the point. However, as a player becomes an intermediate and can control the pace and location of most of his/her serves, they should serve more purposefully and thoughtfully. Considerations of wind direction, opponents returning ability, a rough percentage of your first serves going in, number of double faults, missed serves to which side and going deep or short, plus more, should help a person to make necessary adjustments to their serving games.

One of our intermediate high school boys (a 3.5- 4.0) nicknamed The Ball Magnet has a hard, flat first serve but he only gets it in maybe 20-25% of the time. His second serve makes him look like a 2.0 player and unfortunately he has to use it a lot unless I am there to remind him to “take a little off that first serve to get it in”. Something magical happens then, he serves over 50% and wins a lot more points.

Tennis is not just a physical game. It’s also emotional and mental. The mental part is continually analyzing what’s working and what isn’t and then making adjustments to your game. Problem solving helped Agassi have a lot of success on the court and it can help your game too.

Even Better Than Google?

Become a Student of the Game

I am not a heretic, really. But to suggest something might be better than chocolate, the early rounds of American Idol, Megan Fox, or Google, well, let’s just say this is almost on par with most of those magical things.

Here is the definitive list of places to go, resources of tennis information, version 1.5. Sure there is more, perhaps add your comments and sites/books and we will print an updated 2.0 list sometime.

INPO (in no particular order)

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ the Tennis Warehouse – Talk Tennis message boards. Page down and you will see a Miscellaneous category with Tennis Tips / Instruction but I have also learned a lot about Strings/Stringing in that self-named category.

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/LC/lcfrontpage.html this is the Tennis Warehouse Learning Center. I have learned a lot about racquets on this website though you can see there are many categories that look very appealing. Check it out, it’s new and improved with eye-catching icons!

http://www.tennisserver.com/ Tennis Server. Two particular links at this website are great--- 1) Turbo Tennis has fantastic articles/insights into the game, as in how to improve yours. 2) Pro Tennis Showcase has amazing photos of the top pros in action, check out some of their Australian Open pics—you won’t find better ones anywhere! Word.

http://www.racquetresearch.com/ is on Racquet Research. Even though much of the information seems to be from 2002, the LINK on that page to Is a Lightweight Racquet a Good Idea? is outstanding and if you heed it's advice, your throbbing forearm and elbow will thank you.

http://tennis.about.com/od/instruction/u/instruction.htm Believe it or not, ABOUT ‘s website has a section on tennis that is pretty darn good! They have a number of photo instruction lessons which don’t look very flashy at first but are solid, good information and easy to understand.

Jeff Cooper seems to have written most of this at the About site and to give you a taste of him, here is his BLOG from that website http://tennis.about.com/b/ - and an excellent excerpt from his latest post on the AO. -- Too much emotion can easily get in the way of executing your strokes, especially if your strokes require the precise execution that Roger's do. Rafa has much less to worry about in that regard, because he hits with so much topspin, he can just rip away at the ball and count on the spin to bring the ball down into the court. Under pressure, Rafa's shot selection and execution are simpler than Roger's, and his emotional makeup is probably much simpler, too. Rafa's dominant emotion seems to be a ferocious competitiveness, whereas Roger seems to carry a more complex mix of thoughts and feelings, one of which is a growing doubt about his ability to beat Nadal.

So the next time you get rained out from your game, right after you are done doing pushups, and crunches, go on-line and read about your favorite sport, then get out and try something you learned. That’s all for now. Now give Google a rest and click on a few of these links and start learning. Become a student of the game.

Ball kids at the Australian Open. When watching the pros, don't just be amazed by their power; watch for their variety of shots, movement, etc.

Is Your TENNIS Hard Drive Faulty?

I was in a round-robin tennis league a few years ago where you played everybody once, and if you wanted to play them more, you could count the score only if the outcome was different from the first time around. In other words, you couldn’t just keep playing the same (weaker) player to build up your standings.

Anyhow, the first time I played “Malcolm” I played an all-court game and attacked the net fairly often. In the second set I was at the net and he couldn’t pass me so he hit the ball right at me – but not in a mean—trying to kill me way. I had less time to get out of my own way and I missed the volley. Four or five points later there I was at the net again and hey, here comes the ball, again, right at me. I lost the point. And just to confirm what we both already knew I lost one more point at the net in the same way. I played the rest of the match at the baseline unless it was an easy put-away. For the first 15 games we played I volleyed like a champ. I volleyed well on my forehand and backhand. Malcolm late into our 2nd set learned something about me – a weakness of mine and then used it when I was at the net.

Fast forward 3 weeks later and I am playing Malcolm again. I remember the lesson I learned from three weeks earlier but the funny thing was Malcolm apparently had forgotten. I nervously approached the net in this second match and found fairly easy volleys to handle everywhere but right into my body. It wasn’t just once or twice, it was all day. Did he not notice the first time we played a weakness I had? I sure remembered but apparently his hard drive (okay brain) didn’t think it was important to recall that advantage.

When I am playing a new opponent my brain is looking for weaknesses from the very first warm-up ball struck.

‘Hum, dumped my slice into the net, let’s try another and see what happens.’

‘He looked awkward on that high ball to his forehand, hum, wonder if he will do that in our match.’

And so on.

A favorite tennis statistic is something like 40-70% of the time it takes to play a tennis match is the time between points. We all have a lot of time to think about and process what is taking place during the points. So next time you play, pop some Omega 3 capsules and fire up that gray matter so you can pay attention. Being a keen observer of your opponent may make the difference on a few key points and in a close match, that’s all it takes. Pay attention on the court and in life – it won’t just help your tennis score, it might save your life.

Know Your Strike Zone

Swing Batta Batta Swing!

In baseball, the “strike zone” is the area where if the batter doesn’t swing, the umpire behind the plate is supposed to call a strike against the batter. A batter with a keen eye can get a free pass to first base in the form of a “walk” if the pitcher doesn’t have good control of the ball and doesn’t throw the ball over the plate and somewhere between the top of the players knee to just above the waist area. In baseball you don’t have to swing at any pitch if you don’t want to but in tennis all balls that would land “in” do have to be hit back.

As I work with beginner and intermediate high school players I see a lot of players wait for the ball to drop to around their knees and then try and get under it to hit it back. They do so with sporadic success. They are practicing hitting a ball from their preferred strike zone about two feet off the ground. More advanced players usually take the ball earlier and many like to try and hit the ball when it’s near or slightly below the waist area. An adult friend I play with occasionally likes to try and crush the ball when it’s at his shoulder area. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

It seems that many players have a preferred strike zone where they like really swing out when the ball meets their eye in a certain spot, at a certain speed in relation to where they are standing, etc.

Now as noted earlier, in tennis you have to hit every ball that you think is going to land “in”. But hit doesn’t mean pound the ball. Most balls that are coming toward you, you do want to try and attack, you just want to hit it safely back. This could be a ball around your knees, at your shoulders, above your head or even a ball that’s at your waist level but because you had to run 30 feet at a virtual sprint to get it, it’s not a ball to hit back hard.

Your strike zone in tennis where you can swing out a bit should be a ball that is probably near your waist area, at a pace that is comfortable for you, the balls spin is comfortable for you and the area of the court where you will make contact is inside the baseline.

One of my frequent tennis opponents hits a ball that is of moderate pace but much flatter than what most of today’s players hit with an eastern or semi-western forehand. For me, I have less time to set up because of the less spin he imparts on the ball. So even though this ball might be in my swing away strike zone (for me my waist area), I am cautious unless I have more time to set up.

Similarly, many players will see a ball land short in mid court, but with backspin, as a green light to attack. However, this backspin throws off their timing and many less careful players will get ahead of the ball and pull the ball off-court, or make contact too far out in front (because of the spin) and their shot falls into the net. That’s why you don’t see a lot of professional players attacking a ball that is sliced back to them. While this ball may meet other criteria for the strike zone (inside the baseline, lack of pace, at or near waist high), because of the spin it makes it deceptively hard to attack.

If players are mindful of what kind of ball they can hit hard with reasonable success, and conversely, hit a ball safely when it’s not in their strike zone, they will play better percentage tennis and can expect to cut down on unforced errors and win more points.

Another point to be mindful of is that your opponent also has an area that is their swing away strike zone. If you can keep the ball away from this area or put the ball into an awkward area for them, it will force them to either hit more safe shots to you or if they’re impatient, it may cause them to try and some hit balls hard that they should have better played safely. Just because you have to hit virtually all balls back in tennis doesn’t mean you have to hit them all aggressively. Pick and choose your opportunities you’re your patience should result in more points. The best baseball players that flirt with the magical .400 hitting percentage each year are coincidentally some of the people who also lead the lead in walks. They have learned when to swing (hard) and when not to. We as tennis players would be smart to follow their example.

Best of Both Worlds

Uh, What's Spanish for Topspin?

There was a little known tennis match the other day, between 2 journeyman named Nadal and Federer. Um, okay… maybe that was understated a bit. Their latest match, for the championship at the Australian Open was at least for tennis fans—The Day the Earth Stood Still, II. Though this was the 19th time they have played, Nadal had before the match won 12 of the 18 previous matches which should have made him the clear favorite. However, Federer has won more hardcourt titles and also giving him the edge was the way he went through the draw including a 2 hour semi-final against Roddick versus Nadal’s 5 hour, 385 point marathon against Verdasco.

So all the stars were in line for Federer to match Sampras’ record of 14 grand slam singles titles, or so it seemed. Federer was expected to win. To show how much emotion and pressure he felt he wept on the court when it was over. Can you imagine Tiger Woods losing the Masters in a playoff and then crying at the awards ceremony (well maybe if the win meant breaking Nicklaus’ record).

This blog is titled “best of both worlds”, because both Nadal and Federer do things that assure they will both be 1 and 2 in the world for well into the foreseeable future.

Nadal’s strengths include a new and improved serve. Two years ago a returner could be aggressive and put away his 90 mph second serves. Now his first and second serve are kicking, or flat, into the body, or out wide - it’s why the best baseball pitchers are paid so much, it keeps the person at the plate (or at the return line) guessing and it’s harder to hit well.

Groundstrokes. When you see Nadal play, especially in person or when the camera gods warrant a ground view, you can see the massive spin that Nadal imparts on the ball. Spin hit slowly is nothing. Spin hit with tremendous power is called a “heavy ball” and it takes strength and the sweet spot of your racquet to return the ball. If Nadal hit flat he would be sending spectators to the emergency room in the first and second rows. However, because of the topspin he can swing like Barry Bonds on vitamins and the ball always makes it back into the court. When I would coach players at the high school level and if the ball hit the net (or tape), or if the ball went long, my advice was always the same—MORE TOPSPIN. Check out these players pics on this page - right before impact – think they are hitting UP on the ball? Do teen girls like the mall?
Hey, let’s not forget about the sensitive guy from Switzerland who has had a pretty good career for himself who has Tiger Woods’ cell number. Federer is fun to watch play. He like Nadal both play AMAZING DEFENSE and can turn a point almost lost into just another one for the highlight reel when they come up with an amazing shot – and they both do it with regularity.

But aside from their great defensive games—which club players never seem to focus on, is Federer’s ability to TAKE THE BALL EARLY. When you can take the ball in the court- versus behind the baseline, you are giving yourself more angles which can easily end the point in your favor. Also, once you hit it, you are also giving your opponent less time to react and then get to your shot. Combining that with the flatter trajectory that Roger hits and that’s why he was #1 for over 200 weeks until late into 2008.

Best of both worlds—Nadal’s spin, and Roger’s ability to take the ball early. The PGA has a commercial with pro golfers making amazing shots, and says “these guys are good”. But watching Federer and Nadal for any 20 minute period in any match and it’s “these guys are not good, they’re damn good!” True that.