Friday night is date night for Karen and I. Kameron is spending the night with his friend Jordon. I had gotten home first from the club and started to string 1 of the 4 racquets for the night. I turned on the TV and went to the Tennis Channel #411 and there it was – The Hit for Hati in Indian Wells.
Karen got home from the tax office and instead of going out to eat, we ate peanut butter & jelly so we could watch this special event.
*~*
Steffi Graff and Lindsey Davenport vs Martina Navratilova and Justine Henin – a collection of 50 Grand Slam Titles. They were wired for sound and Martina dominate the running commentary as the match was played out before a sold out crowd of 60,000 fans in an event put on by Larry “E” from Oracle. It was motivated by Roger Federer’s event at the Australian Open in January.
There goal $1,000,000 for the Red Cross relief fund.
Round 1 – Ladies Doubles
The tennis was awesome. Justin, who just a couple of hours earlier had fallen to defeat in the 1st round of Indian Wells was out there and loving being on the court with all these special players. Martina who is just 2 years removed from winning a US Open MXD title with Bob Bryan. Lindsey, who after 2 children is coming back to play World Team Tennis and Steffi Graff who has two children with Andre and plays little.
Great points - huge Steffi forehand, killer Lindsey backhand, angled Martina volleys and Justin’s amazing quickness and backhand. They laughed, tried not to be the first one to serve, talked about their children and were admittedly concerned about – not looking bad on the court.
Steffi said no tennis for her children – baseball. Martina said, “Why not, tennis is a great sport?” Steffi said the kids have not shown any particular interest in tennis at this point. What a waste of a talent pool! Steffi & Andre – got to be some great tennis genes in there.
Round 2 – Men’s Doubles
Rafa Nadal and Andre Agassi vs Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. Not as many Grand Slam Titles but some pretty awesome players and points. The tennis was a little more serious. Andre was a crack up with a running commentary of ‘Trash-Talking’ to Roger and Pete.
Andre would predict how fast he would serve and be within 1 mph of the speed he predicted. He joked about receiving Pete’s serve at a break point and joked that he had been there before. He challenged Roger, smacked a few winners pass both Roger and Pete and hit a couple of aces. The tennis was high quality and high energy.
Pete was quiet as usual until he finally told Andre he was going to add some humor – he imitated Andre’s walk and how he tucks his shirt – everyone laughed. Then – OOPS – Andre imitated Pete by pulling his pockets on his warm up pants inside out and saying he had no money to tip. THINGS GOT QUIET – there was an uneasy tension in the stadium and on the court.
Pete was visibly upset with the humor – everyone in the commentary booth sensed it as well. There were a few more barbs tossed back and forth. Pete told Andre he made it “personal”. At one point Pete served at Andre who was standing on the baseline while Rafa was receiving. Andre did not take well to that. Rafa and Andre broke Pete and on the change over, Justin “G” went down to the players on the side line and tried to “lighten up the mood” on the court.
The mood on the court the remainder of the match was – not as much fun. Roger did a great job – as the neutral Swiss – in trying to bridge the gap and bring the fun back. Finally Andre attempted to lighten things up a little but not with much success.
Roger and Pete won the match to 8 games. Nadal spoke little as did Pete. After the match, Pete and Andre gave each other a hug. Pete said, “I love you Andre,” but you never got the sense that things would be well between the two. Andre had written in his book about Pete being a bad tipper and Pete had not liked the comment then and had addressed it with the press and supposedly with Andre.
*~*
We were reminded about the true intent of the event and things got back on track as a $1,000,000 check was presented to Haitian Relief. Tony Bennett sang “Smile”, a song influenced by the great Charlie Chaplin. They showed scenes from Haiti and the coming of smiles as the Red Cross offered food and aid to the victims.
Karen and I never made it out on our date night – but she loved the tennis and seeing the best players having fun and for a great cause. I got my 4 racquets strung and hoped for dry courts on Saturday morning.
Both Players Back Formation When playing both players back, the serving team or receiving team both start together on the baseline. Reasons for the receiving team to stay back: 1. The serving team is too strong with the serve and it is difficult to return the ball past the server’s partner – fear factor.......
The Psychology of a Winner: Improving Your Practice They say practice makes perfect. I say "perfect practice makes perfect.” Practice is just the first thing you have to keep in mind when you're aiming for that win on the court. This begs the question then on how do you improve your practice? Look to the four tips below......
Aussie Land and Tennis Update #4 It is wet here and I have not had a chance to use my sunscreen in 7 days..... Cool, windy and wet - am I in San Jose??? Dan Santorum and I walked in the mist, wind and chill down Russell Street to Findley St and off to Rod......
"Underspin" the "Otherspin" Develop a Competitive Game with more Weapons In today's game "topspin" gets all the press. Everyone focuses how big the shots are, how much the pros use it and so most all the juniors and club players want to be like the pros. When you listen to the talk about......
Federer - Actions Speak Louder than Words Congratulations to Roger Federer on his success at Monte Carlo and at the French Open! We have all recognized his great qualities for many years now. What was so special at the French was to see how the fans reacted to his impending achievement. We as Americans are often quick......
Tennis Scoring A game of tennis starts with the service and ends when a player has scored 4 points, as long as they are also 2 points ahead of their opponent. Games are generally part of a set, which is a series of games played until one player has reached six wins,......
Tennis Tournament Preview: Roger Federer against Juan Martin Del Potro Roger Federer, World no.1 (-308) against Juan Martin Del Potro, seed 6 (+278) Roger managed to take care of our red hot favorite, Djokovic in only three sets, but are things going to get even more challenging against him when he goes up against Juan Martin Del Potro from Argentina?......
Review of Ty's Tricks by Ty Pennington Since tomorrow is July 4th, I've decided to take it off. There will be no blog post tomorrow which is why the book review is today instead of Friday. Have a great weekend everyone! If you're into do it yourself television, you've undoubtedly heard of Ty Pennington. He's been on......
More Lead Paint Recalls On Products Made In China. Here we go again - more products made in China have been recalled due to lead paint issues. Although this is a separate issue, it kind of goes along with my post about forced child labor in India and China, as what expense are we willing to pay for the......
Google to offer SDK for Android live wallpapers Random people ask to hold my Nexus One every time I pull it out, as I have walked around the show floor of CES. Most of these people know little about Android, but the first thing they always ask about is the live wallpapers. It might seem like a battery......
Playing in Serbia on the red clay, Americans John Isner and Sam Querry showed heart and where American tennis still has a great crop of young players coming along.
In their first ever Davis Cup appearance, John and Sam lost their first matches as USA players. That had to be nervous time – can you imagine playing for your country in front of thousands of cheering fans applauding every error you make and every shot the opponent makes?
Day 2 is the Bryan Brothers vs Serbia – oops, only Bob Brian (Mike had gotten food poisoning) and John Isner playing the top doubles player in the world for Serbia, Zimonjic and singles specialist Tipsarevic. The Americans manage to pull out an incredible win. At set point in the tie breaker, Isner is passed on set point at the net – Zimonjic had raised his hand and called Bob Brian’s serve “out.” The umpire declared a let for distraction and the Americans somehow manage to win that point and the tie breaker and the match later on.
Day 3 Isner and #2 in the world, Djokovic – in Serbia, thousands of exuberant fans and on red clay. John plays well in the first set but gets broken late in the first set to go down 0-1. 2nd set, John comes back to win, 3rd set, Djokovic wins and in a tie breaker, John wins the 4th set. Djokovic is penalize a point in the tie breaker for hitting a ball into the stands. This is his second violation and John gets a free point to go up 3-1 in the breaker. John holds serve after a tight tie breaker to force a 5th set.
5th set Isner – now in his 10th hour of Davis Cup competition in the last 3 days and all in matches that count is broken early in the set. The crowd goes wild. John stays competitive throughout the set and goes on to SAVE 5 MATCH POINTS, before netting a forehand from the ad court on return of serve.
Awesome play from John Isner who played 4 years at Georgia, won the NCAA Singles Championships before going out out on the tour. Way to go John… He had lost to Sam Querry last week in Memphis in the finals and then teamed with Sam to win the doubles – he and Sam are a double threat in singles and doubles.
John showed so much composure and guts in this match against the crowd and the #2 ranked and 3rd best clay court player in the world behind Federer and Nadal. John and Sam love to play tennis and will be a part of Davis Cup for many years to come as well as the ATP Tour. This should be a super summer for both of these tall (6 ft 9″ and 6 ft 6″) American players.
We may have lost this week but we certainly have seen we have a couple of winners in John Isner, Sam Querry – not to mention the best doubles team in the world – the 30 yr old Bryan Brothers who will soon become the team with all the worlds doubles records by the time they think of retiring.
3 Secrets to Winning Doubles, pt 3 [/caption] This is the last post in our series for tips to win doubles tennis. Secret #3 "Tennis Targets" Where to hit & when to go there! Serving as Simple as A-B-C: When serving, tell your partner where you plan to serve - both serves. For example A-B, B-C or......
Winning in Practice, pt 1 "Practicing to win requires rehearsing the tactical situations you will encounter and selecting the correct appropriate response for that situation until you can execute these responses in the heat of match play" ...Ken DeHart Playing the Score Practice your singles and doubles match with altered scoring situations: Start all games......
Both Players Back Formation When playing both players back, the serving team or receiving team both start together on the baseline. Reasons for the receiving team to stay back: 1. The serving team is too strong with the serve and it is difficult to return the ball past the server’s partner – fear factor.......
Australian Receiving Formation – Both Back - 1st Point of the Match **This UDF works well at club level play, USTA league play, junior and high school matches as well as college matches. This (UDF) Unusual Doubles Receiving Formation puts the receiver and partner on the same side of the court. One player is in the deuce court near the deuce......
Australian Open Update #2 This is my third day in Melbourne as a speaker and my first time to Australia. It has been an awesome experience..... Today I walked about 6 blocks from my hotel on Russell St down to the tram (trolley) which I took over to Hysense Arena. I am the......
Gulbis First Latvian to Win in ATP Ernests Gulbis defeated Ivo Karlovic on Sunday at the Delray Beach International Championships at Delray Beach, FL, on Sunday, making him the first Latvian to win a title on the ATP tour. Ivo Karlovic from Croatia, ranked at #33, was second seed and lost 6-2, 6-3 on his 31st......
The joy of Christmas is found in Giving Occasionally, when our pastor is away, he will ask me to step in and provide the sermon that particular Sunday. The post below is part of one such recent sermon The joy of Christmas is found in Giving (John 3:16) For God so loved the world, that he gave......
Venus Williams Manages to Defeat Her Sister Serena on the Courts In an important season ending tournament, Venus manages to advance but unfortunately has to leave her sister, Serena, behind. Venus Williams recently managed to defeat her sister Serena in a set of three matches, with scores of 5 - 7, 6 - 1, 6 - 0. The match occurred on......
The ATP World Tour Finals The ATP World Tour Finals in London set 2 tennis records, with 17,467 in the audience, making it the largest crowd to ever watch a match in Britain--2,500 more than can watch a match at Wimbledon's Centre Court. This also ranks as the biggest indoor tennis tournament in tennis history,......
Skier Profile for Lindsey Vonn Lindsey Vonn was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on 10/18/1984. Her hometown, however, is Vail Colorado which is where she got her start in skiing. She has been skiing for a total of nine years, and has claimed titles both as a junior and upon reaching adulthood as well. Lindsey......
Here are 7 questions you might consider before you start:
Is there 1 best grip?
What is the experience status of the player – beginner, intermediate or advanced?
What is the age of the player?
What is the physical strength of the player?
What are their aspirations as far as development of their game?
Will they practice new skills sets?
Do they want to change?
Which of the grips do I choose to teach:
Eastern backhand
Continental
Eastern forehand
Semi-western
Hybrid
You will need to evaluate several tactical questions to come up with the correct technical answer.
Here are 9 to consider:
Where is the position your opponent sending the ball from?
What is the height of the incoming ball you are receiving?
What kind of spin are you receiving?
What kind of speed are you receiving?
What is the position from which you are receiving the ball?
What is the position of the opponent as you send the ball?
Do you wish to stay in the point or finish the point?
What kind of spin are you going to send away?
What kind of speed are you going to send away?
Sample tactical situations you might be faced with – for a right handed player:
You are inside the service line and the ball you are receiving is coming to your right side but close to your body and between waist and chest high.
Options: Based upon the speed of the ball to be received you may choose:
Play a forehand or backhand
On a faster ball, use more of an eastern forehand grip to block or hit with some underspin into the open court
On a slower ball, use more of a continental grip, move away from the incoming ball to create better spacing and hit a short or sharply angled ball to your left
On a slower ball, use more of an eastern forehand grip, move away from the ball and play an inside out ball to your right
If the ball to be received were wide to your right, slightly below net height and barely reachable you may:
Switch to a heavy continental or even an eastern backhand grip to open the racquet face, maximize your reach and attempt to apply underspin. This would help to reduce the speed of the ball, apply spin to direct the ball back up over the net and reduce the depth of the ball if the opponent were deep in the court.
You may firm up the grip a contact to get more depth with the spin if the opponent were wide or inside the service line and you needed to send it back behind him.
You may try for a sharply angled volley behind your position, softer return or deeper return – based upon you skill level, their position, you position and luck.
As you can see, there are literally hundreds of tactical factors to consider in choosing the technical skill. It takes lots of practice balls to gain the experience to recognize the tactical situation you are in. It takes lots of practice balls to develop the technical skills to execute correct option available to you in that tactical moment.
In receiving the ball, you might consider 5 basic questions:
Who is sending the ball?
What kind of ball is being sent?
Where is the sender?
When will it get to you?
Why would you choose that tactical option?
In sending the ball, you might consider 5 basic questions:
Who are you sending the ball to?
What kind of ball should you send?
Where is the ball to be sent?
When should you contact the ball?
Why should you choose that tactical option?
The 5 tactical factors you must consider are:
Get the ball in play?
Determine the direction – cross court, down the middle or down the line?
Determine the depth – short, middle or deep depth?
Determine the spin – underspin, sidespin or topspin?
Determine the speed – soft, medium or fast?
Summary:
All grips are correct – based upon the tactical position from which you are receiving the ball and the tactical position you wish to send the ball:
Forehand:
Continental on a low ball
Continental or eastern of a ball above net high
Eastern or semi-western on balls above the chest or head high
Eastern backhand on low wide balls
Hybrid grip between any of he above
Backhand:
Eastern forehand or continental on low ball
Continental or eastern backhand grip on balls above net high
Eastern backhand or continental on balls above the chest or head high
Eastern forehand on low wide balls
Hybrid grip between any of the above.
These options are by no means complete – have fun and develop feel for the racquet and ball through practiced discovery with your professional.
The ultimate goal is to prepare the racquet face to receive then send the correct tactical shot.
Ken DeHart
PTR & USPTA Master Professional
USA High Performance Coach
2 time PTR International Pro of the Year
Wilson Premier Advisory Staff
4 time USPTA Divisional Pro of the Year
Ball Machines – Using them for Doubles Practice [/caption] Ball machines are great for practicing your doubles shots – if positioned correctly. 5 things NOT to do when using a ball machine: Do not place the ball machine on the baseline in the center of the court Do not have the ball machine oscillate from deuce court to......
Ken's Schedule for the Week of Feb 13-20 I will be in Hilton Head Is, SC participating in the PTR (Professional Tennis Registry) National Championships. All Adult and Junior Clinics are still on the week of the 15-20th either with Rudy, Jesse or Reno. I will be attending continuing education courses and on Sunday I will be awarded......
Do you know your Job Description for Doubles Positions as a Doubles Team? /caption]It is difficult to perform well at work, home or play, when you are not knowledgeable or confident in your job description. Too often players and partners on a doubles team are not aware or confident in their job description. Great teams like the Bryan brothers talk between points, keep......
4 Stages of Learning [/caption] Get the Competitive Edge with Ken DeHart Learning a new skill can be quite challenging. There are 4 basic stages we often encounter to take a new skill from unawareness to an unconscious performance level. Stage 1 Unconsciously Incompetent – I didn't know I needed to know that or......
“I” Serving Formation – Both Back /caption] **This UDF works well at club level play, USTA league play, junior and high school matches as well as college matches.. This (UDF) Unusual Doubles Formation puts the server in the center of the court to serve like a singles player. Their partner is standing directly behind them. The......
Autococker--The On Line Store For Paint Ball Stuff by Jake Fillopin Convenience in the shopping world is key to winning a new customer with the price of gas and running to the store that does not provide the variety a person looks for when wanting to purchase something. Autococker has a full line of paint ball supplies at......
100 Quick Tennis Tips pt 1 Here are 100 quick and easy tennis tips to get your game going. We're going to spread this list out over a couple of posts to keep it interesting. Tip #1 - Before you pick up the game of tennis, you should absolutely make sure to consult a physician to......
Wii Tennis Tips And Thoughts on Two Weeks of Wii I had previously mentioned that we got a Nintendo Wii. I have two weeks of playing time in and I have to say that it is a winner when compared to watching television. In fact, I'd take the extra step and say it might be equal to an aerobic exercise......
Midweek Roundup: Davy Crockett Edition "We have the right as individuals to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right to appropriate a dollar of the public money." - Davy Crockett My what a difference a couple hundred years makes! Imagine......
More Tips for Serving Here are some more useful tennis tips for improving your serving game. If you want to make improvements in your ability to serve, these tips will prove useful. Tip #1: Be a little off center after your serve. When you are serving wide to your opponent in order to......
This is one of my favorite tennis books of all time for 3 reasons!!! Here’s why:
A great history of tennis and the world in the 1920’s-60’s including World War I and II
Amazing “inside” story line about several of the world’s greatest players and their personal stories
It makes us aware that tennis in the 20’s & 30’s was huge in American sports. Tilden made over 1 million dollars during the depression and drew over 30,000 people to watch his matches – try that on for size….
“A Terrible Splendor chronicles the importance Davis Cup played in the world (it was one of the premier events and drew mass attention, participation and sponsors) of tennis. It follows the lives of Bill Tilden who dominated tennis for over 30 years and the great match – Don Budge vs Baron Gottfried von Cramm in the Wimbledon match in 1937. You will understand why it was one of the greatest tennis 5 set matches in the history of tennis – well before Nadal and Federer. One player was playing for his life with Hitler and his Gestapo’s watch his every move, on and off the court. The other, Don Budge played for the pride of his country.
Marshall does a great job of drawing us into this 1937 Wimbledon match as it is process of being played. Then he sets the storyline that allows us to understand the players, what was happening in the world, the tennis world and why this match had world wide implications.
I have over 2,000 tennis books in my collection and this is one of the top 5 – must read books if you love history, tennis and the story behind the scene. Pick it up and you can’t put it down. You will understand how tennis was one of the top 2 sports in the US during this time. These three incredible players will earn your respect and admiration.
Tribute to a Hall of Fame Teacher: Dennis Van der Meer Early in my career as a tennis teaching professional, I was living in Nashville, Tennessee and teaching tennis at the Sequoia Swim & Tennis Club. A friend of mine, Thay Butchee, the Director of Tennis at the Belle Meade Country Club talked me into driving to Sarasota, Florida to participate......
SJSRC Annual Wooden Racquet Tennis Social /caption]Each year, around the 4th of July and Wimbledon, SJSRC Director of Tennis Ken DeHart goes into his storage and pulls out a selection of wooden tennis racquets from his collection of over 2,000 old tennis racquets, gathers up some interesting books on the history of tennis, orders some white......
Congratulations to San Jose Junior Tennis /caption] For the 5th straight year, the juniors at San Jose Swim & Racquet Club in San Jose, California have dominated the summer South Bay League play. With outstanding performances by the boy's 12's, 15's and 18's, SJSRC has captured the best records in league play. There are also divisions......
Both Players Back Formation When playing both players back, the serving team or receiving team both start together on the baseline. Reasons for the receiving team to stay back: 1. The serving team is too strong with the serve and it is difficult to return the ball past the server’s partner – fear factor.......
GPTA Keynote Speaker I was invited to speak at the Georgia Professional Tennis Association's winter meeting at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Atlanta, Georgia. The club is the home of the famous golfer, Bobby Jones. They have a trophy room with all his trophies, pictures and memorabilia. There is even a statue of......
Tennis Ball Machine Advantages If you are looking for ways for you to significantly improve your techniques in tennis, then one of the best things that you can possibly to do is to invest in a tennis machine or tennis ball machine. This is a truly ideal device for anyone that is interested in......
Musician Profile for Isaac Stern American violinist Isaac Stern was born on July 21, 1920 and died on September 22, 2001. During his lifetime, he won several prestigious awards, including the 1982 Sonning Award and a number of Grammys. In addition to receiving recognition for his own works, Stern was also known to have a......
Tennis Glossary Continued Tennis Elbow - Tennis elbow is a name that is intended to describe a condition that can be caused by the strains which are frequently put on that joint in the course of playing the game of tennis, although that is not the only way to cause it. Tennis elbow......
Interesting Gadgetry Gifts for Men This year is all about high-tech gadgets and new toys to play with. Some of these gadgets appear to be so cool, but have little use, while others are gaining much interest among buyers. Buyers aren’t just getting these things for themselves, but they are also realizing just how......
UF vs FSU Joke Post Q: How do you get an FSU graduate to leave your house? A: You have to pay him for the pizza. Question: How do the Seminoles refer to the elderly? Answer: As Coach Question: What did the FSU Graduate say to the UF Graduate? Answer: Do you want fries with......
Learning a new skill can be quite challenging. There are 4 basic stages we often encounter to take a new skill from unawareness to an unconscious performance level.
Stage 1
Unconsciously Incompetent – I didn’t know I needed to know that or that it existed.
Ex. I didn’t know I needed to have a continental grip for a serve!
Stage 2
Consciously Incompetent – I have a hard time remembering to use that or do that.
Ex. I find using a continental grip difficult and forget to change to that grip to serve.
Stage 3
Consciously Competent – If I think about it I can remember to use that grip
Ex. I have to make a conscious thought to select my continental grip before I serve.
Stage 4
Unconsciously Competent – I can do it or use it without thought, it is just part of what I do.
Ex. Using a continental grip is how I always hold my racquet to serve.
While this is a simple example of the 4 stages of learning, it identifies why as a player it is difficult to make changes in our game instantly. It also shows why we as coaches must be aware of which level a player is at in attempting to make changes in their game and to be able to correctly assist them.
We often wonder why a student cannot make a change that we are working on. We need to find out if they even know the change needs to be made. We also need to determine how important they feel the change is we want them to make and do they want to make the change.
Two other factors to consider are:
What they will receive as a result of making the change.
What will happen if they do not make the change.
The stages in between, when the student keeps forgetting to make the change and needs to consciously think about the change before using it can take some time. It can be a frustrating period where the student has to think before performing. It was much easier to rely upon an automatic response they were using (although we felt it was in need of a change).
Results can be damaging as losses may occur to players they normally beat and performance levels can be inconsistent. Students are tempted to just go back to what they already knew and be satisfied with at least knowing what to expect.
With guidance and persistence they will reach the point where the changes become automatic and they will be prepared to perform with out conscious thought. From here they will be ready to look for new areas they can add to the list of unconscious behaviors that improve their level of performances.
Students may not always start at the “unconsciously incompetent” level. They may choose a skill they were aware of but had given up on and now choose to work on adding it as an “unconsciously competent” skill. They may also choose to modify an unconscious competent skill to move it to a new performance level.
Being aware of the 4 stages of learning may help students understand the road map to acquiring new skills or at least appreciate why the journey can be long or difficult. Awareness of these 4 stages should also helpful to instructors in understand where students are in the stages of learning and how best to help them along their way.
The next time you have to do something, determine which of the 4 stages you are at. You may find more patience from this awareness as you move through the journey off acquiring possession of new ideas, skills and techniques in your life.
Ken DeHart
USA High Performance Coach
PTR & USPTA Master Professional
PTR International Pro of the Year
Wilson Premier Advisory Staff
Ken's Schedule for the Week of Feb 13-20 I will be in Hilton Head Is, SC participating in the PTR (Professional Tennis Registry) National Championships. All Adult and Junior Clinics are still on the week of the 15-20th either with Rudy, Jesse or Reno. I will be attending continuing education courses and on Sunday I will be awarded......
“I” Serving Formation – Both Back /caption] **This UDF works well at club level play, USTA league play, junior and high school matches as well as college matches.. This (UDF) Unusual Doubles Formation puts the server in the center of the court to serve like a singles player. Their partner is standing directly behind them. The......
Little Known Facts That Influence Your Tennis Game /caption] The average length of a point in a match is about 4 seconds. The tennis court is 3.5 feet longer cross court than it is down the line – safer shot with more court space and less movement to recover-to the middle of “possible returns”. The tennis ball travels......
7 Tax Tips for Tennis Pros Ken and Karen DeHart along with Karen’s father have one of the largest family owned tax practices in Northern California. Ken does tennis and taxes and Karen does theater and taxes – how about that for a little right brain – left brain activity? Tax time can be a challenge......
The Psychology of a Winner: Improving Your Practice They say practice makes perfect. I say "perfect practice makes perfect.” Practice is just the first thing you have to keep in mind when you're aiming for that win on the court. This begs the question then on how do you improve your practice? Look to the four tips below......
More Tips for Your Tennis Serve Here are some helpful tennis tips that will give you some perspective on improving your serve. Remember that different tennis tips are going to help different players in unique ways. The true key is going to lie in your ability to try out different tips and techniques until you......
Tennis Ball Machine Advantages If you are looking for ways for you to significantly improve your techniques in tennis, then one of the best things that you can possibly to do is to invest in a tennis machine or tennis ball machine. This is a truly ideal device for anyone that is interested in......
100 Quick Tennis Tips pt 2 Here are 100 quick and easy tennis tips to get your game going. We're going to spread this list out over a couple of posts to keep it interesting. Tip #12 - When the ball is coming so fast that you are not going to get to it in time......
Learning How to Play Sudoku - The Beginner Guidance Do you recognize how to play Sudoku? Sudoku is an incredibly basic game to play as the game is extremely attractive. Moreover Sudoku is a extremely educational game that lending to skills of logic and problem solving. Here are some basic rules on how to play Sudoku so that you......
100 Quick Tennis Tips pt 3 Here are 100 quick and easy tennis tips to get your game going. We're going to spread this list out over a couple of posts to keep it interesting. Tip #25 - You are going to want to imitate the incoming ball's trajectory using your backswing. For example, if the......
I got up at 3:30 am here in Charleston, SC to see THE match from down under. My roommate was asleep, they wouldn’t let me access the TV in the bar – afraid I would drink them dry I guess. Little did they know I don’t drink. I went to the fitness center to watch the Ladies play on TV there – convenient, I also got to work out and watch at the same time.
The “Hour Glass of Momentum” continued its turbulent run again. Serena came out strong, but Justine with her “new” game in her admitted second career was hitting away on everything.
Serena has such strength to muscle the shots, stay so low and handle a variety of shots from any opponent. Justine has such amazing timing and agility that she can almost match Serena’s power. Serena starts off the match serving well and would eventually finish that way as well.
Justine, with her new approach to tennis is in the games but she chooses to no longer play defense and is developing the game she feels she needs to win the one she wants — Wimbledon. Justine has 5 or more break chances in the first set on Serena’s serve. She moves inside the baseline and goes big on the 2nd serves and did not make most of them.
Serena wins the first set and looks like she will win the match in straight sets – but wait, momentum is about to switch again. Justine runs off 15 straight points to win the second set. She continues to go for winners on second shots after hitting up the middle on first balls to neutralize Serena’s angles. She is laser sharp on her shots.
Bathroom break for Serena and out they go for the 1st 3 set final in a major in several years. Serena comes out still a little flat and falls behind on her serve. Justine is still going for the big returns and fails to break – mistake. Serena holds but Justine will break the next game with glimpses of her second set tenacity.
Unfortunately, she gets a little tight and the toss gets too low and she is broken by Serena. She will go on to be broken 2 more times as Serena takes momentum away from her and serves for the match with 2 aces and a final point that pulls Justine off the court and Serena hits into the open court to win her 5th major down under to tie with Margaret Court and bring her total Grand Slam titles to 12 and tie Billie Jean King in that category.
Serena plays 12 matches in the 2 week event and wins the singles and doubles titles. Pretty amazing – not since John McEnroe have we seen a player be so strong in both events – or even play both events.
Justine — off for 20 months and in just her second tournament has reached the finals of the first two tournaments she plays — playing a new style of tennis. She won the hearts of the fans and is more gracious and collected in her acceptance speech to the crowd than Serena.
What can we take away from this event?
The hour glass of momentum will always be there – it is just who can recognize it & control it at the right time. Be aware of it as you play your matches.
Your will to win is stronger than you game to win in most cases. It is OK to want to win strongly!!
How many of us will work to improve our game (you are never too old to add to your game – at 62 I have continued to improve my game)?
How many of us will risk losing to make the changes permanent in our game – Justine?
Get in shape to play the game – you can win with fitness (see Al Juodikis for his fitness program for you).
Love to play and you will always be a winner – play only to win and you will only be a score keeper.
It snowed here in Charleston this morning. I am off to attend another session on Quick Start Tennis for kids and adults – more ideas for you when I return to SJSRC on Sunday.
The Value of Tennis Rituals in Serving Rituals are automatic responses to a situation. In life we have rituals for getting up, driving our cars, eating and sleeping. In tennis we have rituals as well when we serve that help us to operate on an "automatic" or non-thinking level. The value of rituals in serving are many,......
Little Known Facts That Influence Your Tennis Game /caption] The average length of a point in a match is about 4 seconds. The tennis court is 3.5 feet longer cross court than it is down the line – safer shot with more court space and less movement to recover-to the middle of “possible returns”. The tennis ball travels......
7 Habits of Highly Successful Tennis Professionals 1. Be "Pro" Active Sure you have been teaching for years and may not need a lesson plan. But just as you would prepare to play a match, you still would need to review. So, have a game plan for your student or opponent and think about your last......
This will be my last update from Aussie Land... [/caption] Today was another great day and we finally had sunshine - yeah... I took the tram to Rod Laver and was able to get in straight away. Met with the Tennis Australia group that ran the Australian Coaches Conference and thanked them for making it such a great experience.......
Know Your Court - Terms Every Tennis Play Should Know Tennis Court—Where the game is played. 78 feet long - 36 feet wide for doubles and 78 by 27 for singles Love- Score when a player has no score 15- Score when you win the 1st point 30- Score when you win the second point 40 - Score when you......
Unexpected Winner at Sawgrass One of the most flawless and brilliant games this weekend was played by Henrik Stenson in the Players Championship in Florida. It was one of the richest tournaments played at a whopping $12.6 million. In the beginning of the day, Stenson was working with a five stroke shortfall behind the......
Tennis Skills: The Player's Guide Tennis Skills: The Player's Guide is a paperback tennis guide by Tom Sadzeck. This book easily follows the formula which has been successfully used in "Golf Skills", "Hoop Drills" and "Soccer Skills", and Tennis Skills: The Player's Guide is doing an excellent job of providing an in depth look at......
Grand Slam Tournaments in Tennis Should you happen to be a tennis lover, then you are probably already well aware of the four grand slam tournament events, and what each of these events happens to involve. If you are not currently aware of everything that tennis involves, then now is your chance to learn a......
Rafael Nadal to Pull Out of Masters Cup Giving reasons of fatigue due to his knee injury as the reason for the surprising action, the world's number one tennis star Rafael Nadal has decided to withdraw himself from the Tennis Masters Cup. The athlete stated that the decision is a very difficult one for him to make, not......
The Latest in Pro Tennis The number two world player, Roger Federer, beat Tommy Haas and got into the quarter finals in the French Open last week. This Swiss player was aiming right for the only grand slam win that he has not reached in his career. Serena Williams beat Aleksandra Wozniak to further her......
Ball machines are great for practicing your singles shots – if positioned correctly.
5 things NOT to do when using a ball machine:
Do not place the ball machine only on the baseline in the center of the court
Do not have the ball machine oscillate only from deuce court to ad court
Do not use the ball machine to practice only your ground strokes
Do not stand still after each of your shots
Do not return random shots of the in-coming ball
5 things TO consider doing when using a ball machine:
Place the ball machine off center where the opponent might be when making a shot
Have the ball machine direct the shots where the opponent might hit based upon their position on the court or particular tendencies of a know opponent
If you wish to have the ball machine oscillate, have it direct he ball within the options available if it were playing from that position in a rally.
After each shot recover to a new position on the court based upon where you place your return of the ball then recover quickly based upon where the next ball is coming from the ball machine.
Direct each ball you receive back toward an intended target. Aim for a direction and depth using the appropriate spin as you send the ball back over the net.
There are many options to consider in planning your practice to improve the quality and effectiveness of you practice time with the ball machine.
5 things to consider when PLANNING your practice:
Getting advice from someone on how to adjust the ball machine and how to vary deliveries of the ball
The length of time you want to practice – half an hour or an hour based upon your goals, shots you wish to work on and conditioning level
Having a friend join in with you to practice volleys off your ground strokes, lobbing off your volleys when at the net or alternating hitting after a certain number of shots or pattern has been completed.
It also helps when it comes time to pick up the balls when the machine is empty so you can spend more time hitting. That may include taking turns putting balls in the machine while either of you are hitting then rotating turns. Consider serving all the balls that did not make it over the net when you do have to pause to pick up the balls to work on your serve as part of your practice.
Write down drills you create or ask your tennis professional to suggest some drills that would be good for your singles game.
10 options to make your PRACTICE PRACTICAL:
Select real singles targets using the 4 squares on the opposite side of the net. Square 1 is the deuce service court, square 2 is the space behind the deuce service court, square 3 is the space behind the ad service court and square 4 is the ad service court. This will help you with the direction and depth of your intended target and make your practice more practical.
Even though the ball machine is set to send the ball to you as a ground stroke, practice moving forward after your initial shot to play a half-volley and then moving in further to play a volley or two.
As you play shots moving in toward the net, select targets for direction and depth that you would actually use if your opponent were on the baseline where the ball machine is located and your were attempting to capture the net.
When you get to the net, recover back quickly and retreat back toward the baseline as though you were put on total defense by your opponent. Pause to make a shot from your position and then retreat further back until you choose to advance forward again.
Vary the speed of your shots. Use the 3 speeds mentioned in other articles: level 1 is slower and has lots of spin, level 2 is a rally speed and level 3 is as hard as you can hit – without missing.
Vary the spin of your shots. Use varying degrees of topspin and underspin to improve your weapons in match play.
Vary the frequency of the shots delivered by the ball machine. Allow little time between shots or too much time like an opponent who plays softly and slowly with their returns.
Vary the spin of the shots delivered by the ball machine to help you learn how to receive different shots that may be difficult for you in your matches.
Limit the number of shots you make without pausing. Hitting 3oo balls in a row just because that is how many the ball machine holds is not effective not efficient practice. After about 40 or 50 balls, use the remote and turn off the machine and reset some feature of the ball you are receiving – change the direction of the in-coming ball, speed, spin or depth of the ball.
Change your targets often. Practice enough returns to specific targets until you feel comfortable with that target then move on to a new target that demonstrates your ability to control the direction, depth, spin and speed of your returning shot.
Ask your tennis professional to use a ball machine in your next lesson to see how it can be used effectively in your practice session. Ball machines are great ways to permit repetition in receiving particular balls and learning a response to that ball. Ball machines also assist in developing confidence in your strokes so you can use them in match play without having to think about “how” to hit. This will allow you to focus more on the strategy of “where” to direct your shots and enjoy playing the game – TENNIS.
by Ken DeHart
USA High Performance Coach
PTR & USPTA Master Professional
Grips for Volleys Choose the Correct Grip for Your Volley [/caption] Here are 7 questions you might consider before you start: Is there 1 best grip? What is the experience status of the player – beginner, intermediate or advanced? What is the age of the player? What is the physical strength of the......
Begin with the End in Mind /caption]When you begin a point, you need to start with the end in mind.... where do you want the ball to go? You have to select a target. Once you have selected a target...down the line, down the center, cross court or an angle, you can begin to choose the......
Ken DeHart Presents "Strategy and Tactics of Tennis" at Missouri Valley USPTA USPTA Master Professional, Ken DeHart was the kick-off speaker at the 2009 Missouri Valley USPTA Conference at the Homestead Country Club in Kansas City, Missouri. Ken presented a 4 hour continuing education course on Strategy and Tactics to more than 80 tennis teaching professionals and high school coaches attending......
Present Yourself for the Win - Posture and Attitude Whenever we enter into a competition, our greatest opponent can be ourselves. We will misguide ourselves into thinking we are doing something we aren't. For many, when faced with the realization that this is happening, will bridge the gap and improve greatly as an athlete and player. The one thing......
Little Known Facts That Influence Your Tennis Game /caption] The average length of a point in a match is about 4 seconds. The tennis court is 3.5 feet longer cross court than it is down the line – safer shot with more court space and less movement to recover-to the middle of “possible returns”. The tennis ball travels......
100 Quick Tennis Tips pt 3 Here are 100 quick and easy tennis tips to get your game going. We're going to spread this list out over a couple of posts to keep it interesting. Tip #25 - You are going to want to imitate the incoming ball's trajectory using your backswing. For example, if the......
Tennis Ball Machine Advantages If you are looking for ways for you to significantly improve your techniques in tennis, then one of the best things that you can possibly to do is to invest in a tennis machine or tennis ball machine. This is a truly ideal device for anyone that is interested in......
Top Tennis Tips from the Pros in Tennis The first thing that you are going to want to understand is that pro players are on a completely different level of playing in comparison to amateur players. Still, this is absolutely no reason for you not to look at pro players and take advice from them on how they......
Even More Tips for Serving Here are some more useful tennis tips for improving your serving game. If you want to make improvements in your ability to serve, these tips will prove useful. Tip #1: Serve well enough that you can control the rally. One of the more popular axioms that has to do......
Tips for Serving Here are some more useful tennis tips for improving your serving game. If you want to make improvements in your ability to serve, these tips will prove useful. Tip #1 - Vary your procedure when you are serving. You are going to want to vary your procedure as well......
Andy’s match was a sports psych’s dream. Andy played a deliberate style early in the match but the 20 year old opponent is very smooth and athletic with a dream backhand. It appeared early on that Andy was not serving his best. He had been well around the 70% mark and lots of free points coming into the match. His arm today seemed a little dead.
Sure enough, he called for the trainer who did some deep tissue work to loosen it up. The players are limited as to how many times they can be treated for the same injury, so at some point, Andy had to decide if he could continue or retire. Questions to consider include: can I finish the match, will I further damage my shoulder, how will it affect me in my next tournament in San Jose – the SAP Open? Much to his credit, he changed tactics and stayed in the set.
As we have all experienced when playing an injured player, it can affect our game as well. We mentally start wondering if he can finish or attempt to change our game to see if we can take advantage of the injury. That will usually affect the non-injured player more than the injured player – and it did. When we quit worrying how we are playing and just hit – we do well and that is what Andy begin to do – hit the ball flatter and put the opponent on his heels.
Andy worked his way through the 3rd and 4th set. The pain killers he had been given seemed to numb the pain and he began to serve stronger as he went along. Whey – it’s 2 sets each now and the next change is about to occur. At 2 all in sets now, Andy takes a deep sigh of relieve and goes back to his old style of play, more spin and less aggressive. Cilic realizes it is now or never and begins to come out of his shell. Andy has 40-love on his opponents serve in the first game of the 5th set and lets is get away. Now Cilic breathes a sigh of relief. Andy is upset, letting it get away like that but does not go on the attack again. He reverts to the way he played the 1st and 2nd set and Cilic is too fast and has too good of hands. He handles Andy’s spinner shots and puts him on the run again.
I am on the couch pulling for Andy – but at 4-2 with Cilic serving, it is not up to Andy. He has let himself get behind and it is up to the Croatian to win or lose at this point. He serves big and pulls off the upset – his first ever major semi-final.
What can we get from the match? It is easy from the couch to see what to do and listen to the advice of the announcers. On the court, we have all felt and done what Andy did tonight. But his determination not to give up when others have been retiring in this event this year points to how much of a fighter Andy is – just like his Wimbledon match with Roger last summer. 14-16 in the 5th set.
Andy did a great job playing with what he had to play with. He adjusted his game, moved in to take second serves inside the baseline and just go for shots. It is easy when you are down – you are losing anyhow. When we get even and realize we can now win, there is a tendency to back off and hope the other player will lose. The difference is slight, hardly noticeable to some spectators, only those of you who put yourself on the line and play league play would know the feeling.
What Andy and we experience is an article I wrote about on my blog site called the “hour glass“ effect. Just like and hour glass, the person on top has only a few thoughts crossing their mind. The person on the bottom of the hour glass has all the thoughts coming down on them – too fast, bad equipment, shouldn’t lose to this player and etc. Finally with time is about to run out on them, the person on the bottom decides to – just go for it, don’t miss, go in, it doesn’t really matter – they just begin to have one thought only. The fear is gone. The player on top now has switched to the bottom of the hour glass and all these thoughts begin to creep in – I could win this set, game or match, never defeated this player before, my next opponent is … it doesn’t matter, this player now has all the monsters in his mind. The momentum has switched and the hour glass was turned over several times in this match.
Good on you to Andy. We hope he did not injure his shoulder to badly. He is 9 and 1 in 2010 and off to a good start.
Hit for Haiti - A Hit - Almost [/caption] Friday night is date night for Karen and I. Kameron is spending the night with his friend Jordon. I had gotten home first from the club and started to string 1 of the 4 racquets for the night. I turned on the TV and went to the Tennis Channel......
Review: A Terrible Splendor by Marshall Jon Fisher [/caption] "A Terrible Splendor" by Marshall Jon Fisher Review by Ken DeHart This is one of my favorite tennis books of all time for 3 reasons!!! Here's why: A great history of tennis and the world in the 1920's-60's including World War I and II Amazing "inside" story line about......
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas everyone! It is Christmas morning and Kameron just got up to see what Santa left in the stockings hung by the chimney with care. The cookies were eater except for a few crumbs, the milk is gone but for a small amount in the bottom of the glass......
The Hour Glass of Momentum in Tennis Imagine you have an hour glass in front of you. The top half of the hour glass represents the momentum in your tennis match when you are winning. The bottom half represents the player who is losing. The person who is winning has a wealth of information available to them......
Andre Agassi – the player, an interview and book signing 2009 [/caption] We have all heard and even seen parts of Andre Agassi’s new book “Open,” the book is a “Best Seller.” Excerpts from his book have been in Sports Illustrated, People Magazine and hundreds of other publications. He has been interviewed on the Tennis Channel, major network channels and the......
Tennis Scoring A game of tennis starts with the service and ends when a player has scored 4 points, as long as they are also 2 points ahead of their opponent. Games are generally part of a set, which is a series of games played until one player has reached six wins,......
Reader Tip: Pay Your Bills as They Arrive Andy sent me a tip by e-mail the other day. This isn’t long enough to be a reader story, but I think it’ll be useful advice for some GRS readers. Andy says he’s learned that if he pays his bills as they arrive, he feels a lot less stressed than......
Thanks to Roddick Everyone Wins at China Open This weekendâs China Open was a competitive test of skills for the players that participated and although Andy Roddick won, at the end of the day, it was the people affected by the earthquake early this year that took home the gold. As a gesture of goodwill, Roddick donated $25,000......
First Day of the Australian Open In the first day of the Australian Open in Melbourne, Andy Roddick, who recently won the Brisbane International and took the first major win of the season, defeated the Netherlands' Thiemo de Bakker 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. A rain delay interrupted Roddick's match during the second set as the Hisense......
Mastering The Mental Game of Tennis Tennis is a game that is played primarily in your mind, even though your body is running back and forth on the court. Many of the top players in the game have devoted volumes to the subject of mental tennis, but these tips can be distilled down into a few......
Ball machines are great for practicing your doubles shots – if positioned correctly.
5 things NOT to do when using a ball machine:
Do not place the ball machine on the baseline in the center of the court
Do not have the ball machine oscillate from deuce court to ad court
Do not use the ball machine to practice only your ground strokes
Do not stand still after each of your shots
Do not return random shots of the in-coming ball
5 things TO consider doing when using a ball machine:
Place the ball machine in the deuce court near the singles side line
Have the ball machine direct the shots to your deuce court alley
If you wish to have the ball machine oscillate, have it direct the ball to your deuce court alley and then toward the center service mark in the deuce court as though you were pulled wide to return a shot and the next ball was directed up the middle to your center of the court.
After each shot recover to a new position on the court to keep your feet in motion simulating real match play
Direct each ball you receive back toward an intended target. Aim for a direction and depth as you send the ball back over the net.
There are many options to consider in planning your practice to improve the quality and effectiveness of you practice time with the ball machine.
5 things to consider when PLANNING your practice:
Getting advice from someone on how to adjust the ball machine and how to vary deliveries of the ball
The length of time you want to practice – half an hour or an hour based upon your goals, shots you wish to work on and conditioning level
Having a friend join in with you to practice volleys off your ground strokes or lobbing off your volleys when at the net. They can even practice poaching on every other shot that comes out of the ball machine and you can practice switching after the poach.
It also helps when it comes time to pick up the balls when the machine is empty so you can spend more time hitting. That may include taking turns putting balls in the machine while either of you are hitting then rotating turns. Consider serving all the balls that did not make it over the net when you do have to pause to pick up the balls to work on your serve as part of your practice.
Write down drills you create or ask your tennis professional to suggest some drills that would be good for your doubles game.
10 options to make your PRACTICE PRACTICAL:
Select real doubles targets: deep cross court to square #2, short underspin or heavy short angle shots to square #1, down the line toward the net players alley or lobbing high and deep to square #3 over the opposing net players head.
Even though the ball machine is set to send the ball to you as a ground stroke, practice moving forward after your initial shot to play a half-volley and then moving in further to play a volley or two.
As you play shots moving in toward the net, select targets for direction and depth that you would actually use if your opponent were on the baseline where the ball machine is located and your were attempting to capture the net.
When you get to the net, recover back quickly and retreat back toward the baseline as though you were put on total defense by your opponent. Pause to make a shot from your position and then retreat further back until you choose to advance forward again.
Vary the speed of your shots. Use the 3 speeds mentioned in other articles: level 1 is slower and has lots of spin, level 2 is a rally speed and level 3 is as hard as you can hit – without missing.
Vary the spin of your shots. Use varying degrees of topspin and underspin to improve your weapons in match play.
Vary the frequency of the shots delivered by the ball machine. Allow little time between shots or too much time like an opponent who plays softly and slowly with their returns.
Vary the spin of the shots delivered by the ball machine to help you learn how to receive different shots that may be difficult for you in your matches.
Limit the number of shots you make without pausing. Hitting 3oo balls in a row just because that is how many the ball machine holds is not effective not efficient practice. After about 40 or 50 balls, use the remote and turn off the machine and reset some feature of the ball you are receiving – change the direction of the in-coming ball, speed, spin or depth of the ball.
Change your targets often. Practice enough returns to specific targets until you are confident with that target then move on to a new target that demonstrates your ability to control the direction, depth, spin and speed of your returning shot.
Ask your tennis professional to use a ball machine in your next lesson to see how it can be used effectively in your practice session. Ball machines are great ways to allow you repetition in learning how to hit a shot. They also assist in developing confidence in your strokes so you can play them in match play without having to think about “how” to hit. This will allow you to focus more on the strategy of “where” to direct your shots and enjoy playing the game – TENNIS.
by Ken DeHart
USA High Performance Coach
PTR & USPTA Master Professional
The Value of Tennis Rituals in Serving Rituals are automatic responses to a situation. In life we have rituals for getting up, driving our cars, eating and sleeping. In tennis we have rituals as well when we serve that help us to operate on an "automatic" or non-thinking level. The value of rituals in serving are many,......
Serve and Volley or Rush and Crush Formations These players love to get to the net at any cost, hit strong volley winners and overheads. Don’t be afraid of the charging team. Reasons for the serving team to use this formation: 1. The serving team is both good volleyers. 2. The serving team has good overheads and likes......
5 Winning Keys to Lobbing, pt 1 1. Lob with a Purpose – there are two main reasons to lob: 1. To win the point 2. To get out of trouble The Offensive Lob Offensive Lob is designed to win the point. 1. Aim point - about 10 feet over the opponents head - hit quickly......
Australian Receiving Formation – Both Back - 1st Point of the Match **This UDF works well at club level play, USTA league play, junior and high school matches as well as college matches. This (UDF) Unusual Doubles Receiving Formation puts the receiver and partner on the same side of the court. One player is in the deuce court near the deuce......
A Handful of Strategy... [/caption] When you are involved in a match and need help deciding what to do, look to your hand for the answer. Make a fist and then follow these simple directions: P = In Play Stick up the thumb - the most important part of the hand which stands for......
Golf - The Best Instruction Book Ever! Are you looking for some simple golf tips that will help you smash the ball farther and harder than any of your pals? Are you looking for a way to generate the most power from your swing, or to stop three putting? The book "Golf - The Best Instruction Book......
More Tips for Your Tennis Game These tips should help you improve your tennis game in various ways. Combine them, or try different tips one at a time until you're happy with the results. 1 - Learn how to vary the length when you make a backswing. You need o learn how to tailor the......
13 Quick Tips for Better Tennis There are a lot of tennis tips and tricks floating around out there, but many are complicated and complex, and not at all easy for you to implement on your own without a dedicated trainer to walk you through them. The following article is designed to go over some quick......
5 Tips for Getting Started in Tennis Beginners who are just learning how to play tennis are most definitely going to face quite a large amount of frustration because it takes a lot of time, patience and practice to really get the hang of the sport. The most important thing that you can do to make this......
Tennis Glossary pt6 Error - This is a shot that did not manage to make it across the net, or that landed out of the court, and this will result in a loss of the point. Face - This is the racquet's flat area, one that is formed by way of the strings......
Today was another great day and we finally had sunshine – yeah… I took the tram to Rod Laver and was able to get in straight away.
Met with the Tennis Australia group that ran the Australian Coaches Conference and thanked them for making it such a great experience. I went to the players tunnel and saw Roger Federer off to workout in the fitness room as well as Todd Martin, Del Potro and Justine.
I went out to the outback courts to watch some others play. Robin Sonderlin who would win the first two sets then drop the next 3 – 6-4, 6-4 and 6-1 to a Spainard in 4 hour match. Think we have all been there – done that, hate that feeling. Watched James Blake beat the Frenchman – Clement, 7-5, 7-5 & 6-1. Blake recently left Dunlop and went to Wilson’s Federer frame. I talked to Kelly Jones, his new coach about James and he is in his best condition and excited to play.
Talked to Melanie Oudin from Atlanta that did so well at the US Open. She was out practicing with her coach Brian DeVilliers and working on his serve before she plays today at 4:30. Met with 2 former Association Coaches from Holland – Frank and Canada – Louie and discussed the difference between a coach and instructor as well as what makes a good coach. Stopped to talk to Li Na the #1 player from China whom I met on the flight from Sydney to Melbourne. Her match was postponed from today to tomorrow. We discussed how it affects her planning in preparing for the next match and her eating.
Went into Laver Arena to watch Roger Federer play Igor Andreev from Russia-he hits a really heavy ball (combination of spin and speed). He beats Roger in the first set 6-4 but Roger wins 6-2 and is up 5-4 but loses his serve and must win it in a tie breaker. Roger turns it up another level and wins 6-0. Rogers forehand sometimes goes on vacation – without him. He moves and you can’t hear him move, like a Ninja in daylight.
Tonight we will see Aussie Alicia Molik vs Julie Coin. Alicia un-retired and is doing well. She won the first set and the Aussies are going wild, she is up 5-2 and and and loses the set and the third. We have all been there – done that. The Monster of “I could win this” ate her up. She got tight and the shots lost depth and speed. Now we are watching Tsonga play in Hisense Arena against Stakhovsky from UKR. Better leave, it is 12:31 and I have to pack to leave in the morning after and early morning workout.
P.S. Richard Gasguet, France, and Youzhny on Margaret Court. Youzhny, #20 seed, wins from 2 sets down and cramping to win in 4 hours 40 minutes and 5 sets.
Earlier today I was at the Wilson booth when Justine Henin came by to sign autographs for Wilson – huge crowd of adults and kids. She is very patient with everyone. More camera crews there – could hardly see her.
Took the players transport back to the hotel earlier today and rode with famous Aussie player and coach, Tony Roche, and Sophie his player who lost in qualifying but is in main draw or doubles. He will be back in the US in March at the Indian Wells Tournament. He gave me his cell # and I may try to get him to come to San Jose for a PTR workshop and speak at the San Jose SRC.
Wayne Elerdon, the Canadian speaker and I walk up Russell St to Lygon St and find a good Italian Restaurant with sidewalk cafe style. Lygon St is just like Willow Glen and Los Gatos downtown with trees, sidewalk cafes and shops. It is next to Melbourne University which I had visited earlier in my trip.
Hope you have enjoyed my updates from Australia.
My next adventure is to North Carolina at the end of the month for an Enrichment Program put on by the USTA to update 20 of us on Quick Start Tennis for young players and working with Recreational Coaches.
After that we have our NorCal USPTA Conference where Mike Barrells of England who is here with me this week with speak on PTR for Kids and Jorge Capastany from Michigan and I will present on “Drills, Coaching, Player Development & Error Detection”, the first weekend of Feb.
Feb 10th Kameron and I leave for Hilton Head, SC. He will be my hitting partner for the PTR Nationals and week long Symposium for teaching pros on every possible aspect of teaching and coaching with 800 pros from the US and 50 plus foreign countries.
See you soon, keep it dry – I am ready to get on the court.
Ken DeHart
SJSRC Director of Tennis
PTR & USPTA Master Professional
PTR Professional Development Week [/caption]Each year the Professional Tennis Registry host PDW on Hilton Head Island, SC. This week is filled with continuing education opportunities for PTR and other tennis industry leaders at the home of the Professional Tennis Registry on Shipyard Racquet Club in Shipyard Plantation. This week, 5 PTR Master Professionals were......
Tribute to a Hall of Fame Teacher: Dennis Van der Meer Early in my career as a tennis teaching professional, I was living in Nashville, Tennessee and teaching tennis at the Sequoia Swim & Tennis Club. A friend of mine, Thay Butchee, the Director of Tennis at the Belle Meade Country Club talked me into driving to Sarasota, Florida to participate......
Australian Open Update #2 This is my third day in Melbourne as a speaker and my first time to Australia. It has been an awesome experience..... Today I walked about 6 blocks from my hotel on Russell St down to the tram (trolley) which I took over to Hysense Arena. I am the......
Australian Open Coaches Conference 2010 250 Aussie Coaches seated in Hisense Arena with the roof retracted and you get to present on the court that the top players in the world compete on..... Great feeling. Looks like an invite back next year to speak again. Sold all my DVD's and had requests for more.......
Ken DeHart Presents "Strategy and Tactics of Tennis" at Missouri Valley USPTA USPTA Master Professional, Ken DeHart was the kick-off speaker at the 2009 Missouri Valley USPTA Conference at the Homestead Country Club in Kansas City, Missouri. Ken presented a 4 hour continuing education course on Strategy and Tactics to more than 80 tennis teaching professionals and high school coaches attending......
Woods Presents to Singh Trophy Tiger Woods stood posed, along side him the trophy for the Chevron World Challenge. It was a sight that was all too familiar, but there was a twist. Tiger Woods was presenting the trophy to the contest winner Vijay Singh. Ever since the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods has not played......
United States Eliminated from Davis Cup In the first round of the long-anticipated Davis Cup tournament, the US is already out of the running marking the first US first round elimination since 2005. The American team was going after their 33rd Davis Cup victory, but Serbian Novak Djokovic didn't allow it to happen. With the......
Round 4: Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open Championship Here is a look at the play by play and some of the highlights of the fourth round of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open Championship! Chad Campbell unfortunately came up empty for the third time in his career during a playoff on Sunday while golfing in Las......
International Tennis Federation Champions Nadal and Jankovic The International Tennis Federation has named Rafael Nadal and Jelena Jankovic as their world champions of 2008. Nadal stepped past Federer in the Wimbledon final win, and he is the first Spaniard to achieve the honor of men's world champion. Nadal also won the French Open title in 2008, his......
Related Posts 
Both Players Back Formation When playing both players back, the serving team or receiving team both start together on the baseline. Reasons for the receiving team to stay back: 1. The serving team is too strong with the serve and it is difficult to return the ball past the server’s partner – fear factor....... 
The Psychology of a Winner: Improving Your Practice They say practice makes perfect. I say "perfect practice makes perfect.” Practice is just the first thing you have to keep in mind when you're aiming for that win on the court. This begs the question then on how do you improve your practice? Look to the four tips below...... 
Aussie Land and Tennis Update #4 It is wet here and I have not had a chance to use my sunscreen in 7 days..... Cool, windy and wet - am I in San Jose??? Dan Santorum and I walked in the mist, wind and chill down Russell Street to Findley St and off to Rod...... 
"Underspin" the "Otherspin" Develop a Competitive Game with more Weapons In today's game "topspin" gets all the press. Everyone focuses how big the shots are, how much the pros use it and so most all the juniors and club players want to be like the pros. When you listen to the talk about...... 
Federer - Actions Speak Louder than Words Congratulations to Roger Federer on his success at Monte Carlo and at the French Open! We have all recognized his great qualities for many years now. What was so special at the French was to see how the fans reacted to his impending achievement. We as Americans are often quick...... 
Tennis Scoring A game of tennis starts with the service and ends when a player has scored 4 points, as long as they are also 2 points ahead of their opponent. Games are generally part of a set, which is a series of games played until one player has reached six wins,...... 
Tennis Tournament Preview: Roger Federer against Juan Martin Del Potro Roger Federer, World no.1 (-308) against Juan Martin Del Potro, seed 6 (+278) Roger managed to take care of our red hot favorite, Djokovic in only three sets, but are things going to get even more challenging against him when he goes up against Juan Martin Del Potro from Argentina?...... 
Stumble
Reddit
Digg
Del.icio.us
Propeller
Ball machines are great for practicing your singles shots – if positioned correctly.
