Archive for the ‘Coaching’ Category
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Defeating “The Two Opponents” before you defeat; “The Player on the Other Side of the Net”
You have seen the draw, met your opponent and walked to the court to begin the battle. However, when you warm up to begin the match, you must first defeat two opponents before you can even begin to win the match against – the player on the other side of the net. Opponent #1 – [...]
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26 Characteristics of a Great Coach or Teacher
Think back to the great coaches and teachers in school or life who motivated or inspired you. What were some of their characteristics that made them special in your eyes and made you want to be like them? By no way is this complete, but here is a list of traits they often possessed, that [...]
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10 Tips to Review After the Match
Once a match is over it is extremely important to analyze what went on during the match to improve for your next match. Here are points to consider: What were your best strokes and plays during the match? What were their best strokes and plays during the match? What were your weaknesses in the match? [...]
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Creating “Likeable” Tennis Lessons
Make your tennis lessons “likeable” by avoiding these 4 undesirables. Lines – avoid having your students stand in lines and waiting for their next turn to play. Make it a “moving experience” by using cones, donuts and games so the players are purposefully moving. Yelling – don’t yell from across the net. Learn to coach [...]
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Adults “Just Wanta Have Fun”
Cindy Lopper sung a song “Girls Just Wanta Have Fun”. The same is true for adults. They play tennis because they “Just Wanta Have Fun”. They take lessons for the same reason. As a tennis professional you have to know how adults learn so they can have fun. Lets take a look at some of [...]
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Grips for Volleys
Choose the Correct Grip for Your Volley 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 [...]
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4 Stages of Learning
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 that it existed. Ex. I didn’t [...]
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Ladies Finals from Australia
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 [...]
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Andy Roddick loses to 6’6 Croatian in 5 sets but stands just as tall.
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 [...]
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Begin with the End in Mind
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 spin and the speed you [...]
