Tom Brennan met me at the LAX airport and off to a quick breakfast – if we can find something open at 7:30 AM around the UCLA campus. Oh well, Starbucks will work with yogurt, banana nut bread and green tea.

They are remodeling Paulie Pavilion so parking is challenging but Tom and I walk to the court area and meet the USPTA board members. We wait for my presentation time to go on court while renewing old friendships as other teaching pros arrive. 11:30 arrives and I am on one of the stadium courts to speak on “50 Best Tips for Players, Coaches and Pros”.

Presentation went really well and I sold several of my “Best of Ken DeHart” and “50 Best Tennis Tips” DVDs. Stayed to watch Chris present how to use Cardio Tennis on court. We see Darren Cahill, Ryan Harrison and Justin Gimblestob come by the courts. It was reported the Djokovic was in town doing a promo for Head and at the tournament as well yesterday.

Lunch is the next adventure – chicken salad and tea. But the best is the fellowship of the other pros as we trade stories, best ideas for teaching and strange things that happen at clubs. One pros son finished the year as the #1 player in the country in college – Steve Jackson who played #1 for USC.

Next the tournament – Mardy Fish vs Ryan Harrison in the semi-finals. Mardy is #8 in the world and Ryan is 19 years old and in the semis!!! I predict bad first set for Ryan, good early part of the second set – but Mardy wins. Mardy won but Ryan won the second set with some spectacular 2nd serves and groundies. The 3rd set goes to a tie-breaker and Mardy wins 7-4 as Ryan made some early errors and Fish played the breaker – like an experienced pro.

Gimblestod interviews Mardy after the match. Mardy said the first set was the best he has played all year. He was impressed how Ryan hung in there fought. He had beaten Ryan last week in Atlanta 6-2 6-4 but Ryan played much better today.

Great serve and never lost his nerve. Movement by both players is very athletic, quick and provided great tennis for the crowd this year. Ryan will move up to about 84 in the world with 2 straight semi final finishes.

As we are leaving the stadium, we stop to talk to the 2 Tennis Channel broadcasters, Leif Shiras and Justin Gimblestob. Leif had heard my presentation on court earlier and said he really liked the simple tips from the “50 Best Tennis Tips”. He like DAN and DAD which were acronyms for what shots to play – Defense, Attacking or Neutralizing and the job description of the net player in doubles – Distract, Attack or Defend.

I got his address and told him I would send him 2 of my DVDs from today’s presentation. Pretty impressed that the “big guys” paid attention to what was going on – on the teaching court.

Wayne Bryan – father of the fabulous Bryan brothers was the MC for the introduction and interview of the players. He and I talk as we watch the doubles semi-finals. We talk how to talk to players, keeping instruction simple yet motivational.

He asks about Kameron and his tennis. Told him about the team matches and club tennis the young boys are all playing instead of tournament tennis. Told him about Kam’s matches, love for the game and his recent theater performances in “Distracted”with Karen and “Hairspray” as Corney Collins.

Tom takes me back to the LA Airport for my flight home. Got there early so I had some FISH & CHIPS at Gladstones in the airport – $20 plus for that one. Did help a couple from Queensland, Australia figure out how to order a beer at the bar – looking for the nearest thing to an Aussie beer? Sam Adams?- I don’t drink so I wasn’t much help but could speak some Australian since I was in Melbourne to speak at the Aussie Open the last two years. I think they also tried a Budweiser – I apologized for that one even though I did not recommend it.

Time to fly home and get ready to teach Sunday at 7:30.

—- OOPS missed my flight!!! Looks like a long night in the LAX airport and home at 9:30 am Clinic at 10 am.

All the best back to my friends in San Jose.

Ken DeHart
SJSRC Director of Tennis
PTR & USPTA Master Professional
www.kendeharttennis.com

• 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......
• Ken at International Hall of Fame No I did not get inducted.  I am here to speak at the New England USPTA Conference on the "50 Best Tips for Players, Coaches and Pros" which is my newest DVD for anyone who wants to improve their game. Got into Providence, RI at midnight and drove thru fog......
• 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......
• 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......
• Day 2 with Ken at the International Hall of Fame Up early in NewPort to visit all the beautiful old homes in the city.  I take tons of pictures - even as I drive down the narrow streets, some with cobblestones.  The homes are from the 1700's and 1800's, big homes with awesome colors.  There are parks with huge trees......

• Review: I’m with Fatty: Loosing 50 Pounds in 50 Miserable Weeks by Ed Ugel I just finished the book I’m with Fatty by Ed Ugel. I have to say, it is an entertaining read, but there were times when I was uncomfortable. Call me old fashioned (which no doubt I am) but there are some things you just don’t talk about, let alone share......
• Which Saxophone to Play? Are you thinking about picking the saxophone up for the first time? The person who invented the saxophone to begin with, a man named Adolphe Sax, drew up plans for a total of fourteen different types of saxophones. There are at least eleven different types of saxophones out there, with......
• The Captain Has A DeathWish As much as it saddens me to post this...I have to. I am convinced that my husband has a death wish. It's nothing crazy to most. He doesn't do extreme sports, or play with guns, or anything really physically dangerous. What he does do is text CONSTANTLY while he......
• What I Learned In My 20's: The Transition Years Now that I am starting the last year of my 20's, and am older and wiser then I was when I began this decade, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on what being in my 20's has meant to me, and maybe shed some wisdom to those......
• Hiddenbrooke Golf Course Hiddenbrooke Golf Course is located in: Vallejo, CA Phone:  (707) 558-1140  Website: http://www.hiddenbrookegolf.com/ Course History: The legendary golfing great Arnold Palmer designed this course and it offers a wonderful challenge for all players. From the dramatic changes in elevation to the tricky greens, you'll have loads of fun at this......

Got into Providence, RI at midnight and drove thru fog and rain to New Port – got in about 1:30 am.

Got up early to go to the International Hall of Fame.  It is awesome- walking down the street in New Port and suddenly there is a green canopy that tells you – YOU ARE HERE.  Turn left and you face the famous grass court and horseshoe area viewing area established in 1881.

I walk thru the entrance and by the pristine grass court wet with the morning dew to the entrance to the actual Hall of Fame.  Of course I have to go thru the shop and buy about $100 worth of Hall of Fame merchandise that I cannot live without.  I also join the Hall of Fame as a member for $50 – so I can go thru the museum whenever I want (once ever 3 years when I get up here again).

The museum is up the wooden stairs with carpet on the steps announcing where you are.  It is an incredible experience to see all those inducted into the Hall of Fame (Agassi is the next to be inducted).  They have amazing artifacts about tennis from the beginning of tennis time – racquets, old time clothes, trophies, pretty much everything in the world of tennis. There is sections that honor all the great players individually, by each major tournament and Davis Cup championship.  Just to see it all is a day long adventure into tennis history.  I took about a million pictures.

I attended a 4 hour course on Tennis Business Management for Directors of Tennis, had a cup of clam chowder on the deck overlooking the grass court and museum and admired the old tennis buildings and thought about the history of tennis played here.  The last time I was here, Karen and Kam were with me.  Kam hit on the grass courts (age 5 I think) and wished they were here again today with me.

Two more education courses to attend today.  One on strategy and one on continuing to grow professionally thru continuing education by two great speakers.  There was a party after at the “Court Tennis” center where they had a demonstration of the original “court tennis” played.  It is indoors, with tiny long racquets and a balls that bounce very little and are served off a sidewall and overhanging roof.  This is how Henry the VIII played the game and was watched by all.  Amazing game with a combination of squash, indoor tennis and rules???  Got some great pictures I will have to post later.

Tomorrow – I get to visit down town and take pictures of incredibly beautiful old homes and say “Wow” lots of time to myself.  I love history – one of my 3 majors in college. I speak at 3 tomorrow and have an hour and a half time slot to present the 50 Best Tips.  I will attend 5 other presentations to continue my education as well.

Tennis – what an amazing game it is….

Thanks to all of you,

Ken DeHart
SJSRC Director of Tennis
PTR & USPTA Master Professional
408-892-3806 cell
www.kendeharttennis.com

• 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......
• 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......
• 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.......
• Ladies Finals from Australia [/caption] 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......
• 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......

• Tennis Glossary Continued Here is a continuation of the tennis glossary of terms that we have been working on for some time now. Serve- The initial shot of each point in a game is called the serve. While behind the base line of the court the player is required to first toss the......
• ATP World Tour: Robby Ginepri The $519,000 ATP World Tour 250 in Indianapolis, United States of America, running from the 19th of July, 2009 until the 26th of July, 2009 on hard court surfaces. More information can be obtained through http://www.atpworldtour.com. Results for Sunday, the 26th of July, 2009: Singles Final, R Ginepri of the......
• Classic Album Review-Hank Locklin "Country Hall Of Fame" Greetings from Asheville, where good music is always found on the turntable, in the CD player, or in the MP3 player. Today's Classic Album Review looks back at a 1968 effort from McLellan, Florida's Hank Locklin. Hank had been a regular in recording studios since 1948, and had scored 9......
• Back 2 School Bingo Play Online Bingo NOW Why is Back2School Bingo the coolest growing online bingo community? Back2School Bingo is the Bingo that gets back to the basics of online Bingo! We take every opportunity to guide you as you play a large selection of tantalising 90-ball games. Back2School Bingo Play Online......
• A Little About Dulcimers A dulcimer is a fretted instrument that most commonly includes three or four strings. The fretting is usually diatonic and spreads along a fingerboard attached to the instrument's body. It became popular in old-time American music in the 1800s. It is believed to have been brought over from Scotland or......

Ken presented a 4 hour continuing education course on Strategy and Tactics to more than 80 tennis teaching professionals and high school coaches attending the course designed to assist pros and coaches in teaching strategy and tactic to all levels of players.

The course addressed the importance of balance and footwork in allowing a player to be able to produce efficient and effective  strokes. World class players average about 10-12 steps between each ball they contact during a point.  That number of steps typically decreases in groups of 2 steps with lesser players.   The progression continues downward to a beginner player who averages about 2-4 steps between shots.

Once a player understands how to produce their particular strokes, the player needs to recognize the available targets on the court they can aim for during a point.  The player must also determine the correct speed and spin to use in producing the shot based upon their position and the position of their opponent.

Using the concept of 4 target areas on the tennis court, the 4 squares on the tennis court (square 1 being the deuce service court, square 2 the back court area behind the deuce service court, square 3 being the back court area behind the the ad service court and square 4 is the ad service court).

These target areas combined with using 3 speeds with which to send the ball to the target, (level 1 being the slowest and spiniest of the shots, level 2 being the rally ball speed and level 3 being the hardest they can hit the ball with out missing) players select the target and speed or spin that is the correct tactic for the position they are in and the position their opponent has taken.

Ken presented drills the coaches could use to allow a player to practice these tactical skills where the coach calls out the correct choice for the player initially.  As the player becomes more familiar with the concepts, the player will make those judgements and call out the appropriate target and speed before the ball contacts the court on their side of the court.

A call made by a player after an opponents ball contacts the players side of the court will put the receiver of the ball in a difficult position.  In this position, the ball often eliminates several options of the receiver and the player will appear to have to rush to produce the shot.  This typically causes the player to over-hit the ball based upon their position in the point and experience “unforced” errors.

Ken also addressed how to play the 4 doubles positions on the tennis court and what would be a typical job description for each of the 4 positions, before as well as during a point.  The more difficult positions being how to move when your partner is moving to the ball or learning to move when you are not the hitter.

Several “unusual” doubles formations were presented to demonstrate how doubles teams could compete against a stronger team or to change the momentum during a match.

Examples included:

1. Starting both players on the deuce court side of the baseline to begin a match.  When the server serves the ball into the deuce court to start the first point of a game, whomever returns the ball will then become the deuce court player for the rest of that set.
2. Playing an “I” formation where the server’s partner straddled the center service line in near the  service line in a crouched position.  When the server directed the ball to the opponents service court, his partner would stand up and move left or right in a pre-determined direction to distract or intercept the return of the receiver.  The server would move in the opposite direction to cover the open court created by his partners forward movement.
3. A similar position would be with the server’s partner kneeling in front of the baseline and directly in front of the server.  When the server served to the opponents court, his partner would stand up and have at least one chance to control the point for his team.  The server would move to cover the open court left by his partner.  This is best used when the receiving team is able to keep the return away from the stronger net player due to a weaker serve.  This position gets the stronger or more aggressive player into the point for a least one shot.
4. The Australian position puts the server and server’s partner on the same side of the court.  The server on the baseline near the center service “hash” mark and his partner halfway between the service line and the net on the same side of the court, i.e. Both on the deuce court side or the ad court side.  The purpose being to redirect an opponents strong shot to a different area of the court on the return of serve or to set up an alignment that favors the serving teams forehand or backhand.  This can also a done with both players on the same side of the court but both on the baseline, i.e.: both on the deuce court, the server serves from the deuce court then moves over to the ad court to play their stronger backhand strokes or forehand if the server is a lefty.
5. Both players back when serving or receiving allows a timid net player or weaker server or returner not to get their partner killed at the net.  It also takes away the net player as a target by the poacher at the net and permits the both back team to move toward the net together on a short ball.
6. The conventional  one up-one back position is the most vulnerable of the positions and least likely to benefit a weaker team.  Try unusual formations to take away an opponents strengths and to create some confusion to allow your weaker team to get a chance at the match.

Ultimately, Ken encouraged the pros and coaches to develop a system of communication with their players that was both truly meaningful and measurable.  A system that when a command or suggestion was given to a student it would allow both players to truly understand what was expected and how it was to be measured by both parties.

Telling a student to move their feet does not tell them how much to move or in what direction or for what intent.  Asking a player not to hit the ball so hard is confusing – so hard as what? Using the 3 levels of speed allows the player and instructor to determine more precisely what is expected.  Don’t grip the racquet so tight has no meaning unless you have a system that explains that there are different levels of tension to use, like on a scale of 1-5, use level 2 tension.  This is more meaningful and measurable by both the player and coach.

Stopping to ask the audience what they liked best or thought was their favorite tip of the day is key to getting your students to identify what they relate to best from your information.  This technique is key to  keeping the audience involved so you are not just “telling”, they are responding with what they are learning  and a reminder of key information that happened earlier so it does not get buried by the most recent information.  This method is also vital in determining how students learn; auditorily, visually or kinesthetic when teaching.

The USPTA Conference also included exhibits of major tennis industry manufacturers like Wilson, Head, Prince and several other industry information providers that could assist pros and coaches with their business.  Meals were provided by the conference committee at the Homestead Country Club and an Awards Dinner was held that honored the most outstanding performances by Missouri Valley tennis professionals this past year.  These included pro of the year, player of the year, coach of the year and several others.

The well attended conference was also treated to presentations by world renown Jack Gropple and several knowledgeable area tennis professionals.  In the evenings there were drills for the attendees to participate in including a Cardio Tennis Shootout. The shootout allowed the pros to showcase their ball feeding skills to targets both on the court and above the net in 60 seconds.

The winners of 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place were recognized with the winner received an opportunity to represent their division in the finals at the September USPTA National Conference at Marco Island, Florida.

Congratulations were in order for Gary Trost, Bunny Brunning, Kendall Hale Kevin and Laura and all the Missouri Valley USPTA pros for such a great conference as well as all the pros and coaches who attended this years conference for 2009.

• Defeating “The Two Opponents” before you defeat; “The Player on the Other Side of the Net” [/caption]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......
• Little Known Facts That Influence Your Tennis Game [/caption] The average length of a point in a match is about 4-7 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......
• One Up and One Back Formations When teams play this formation, they can be the easiest to beat – if you play smart. This formation leaves lots of holes in their defense and can make their net player a target for the other team. Don’t be afraid of the net. Reasons for the serving team to......
• Drop Shot – The Weapon of Choice With the game going to power, bigger and stronger players, the drop shot appeared to be the forgotten shot in tennis.  At one point in his early career, even Roger Federer chose not to use this questionable tactic in his match play.  Now, it is a signature shot for players......
• 5 Winning Keys to Lobbing, pt 2 Welcome to part two of 5 Winning Keys to Lobbing. Below are tips three and four. 3. 5 Tips on where to Lob 1. Always aim lobs  over the opponents backhand side (notice if they are left handed) 2. Few players have the strength or timing to power a backhand......

• 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......
• 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......
• Tennis Glossary Finale Umpire - The umpire is the top official of a tennis match. Seated in an elevated position on the side of the court next to the net, the umpire is tasked with announcing the score whenever a point is made, and holds the final say over any and all questions......
• Tennis Racquet Racket Review Having the right tennis equipment is a vital part of improving one's game. Sure, experience and skill are the most important part of playing well, but with the wrong equipment, a good player can easily have trouble winning matches. Everyone is going to have different requirements when it comes to choosing......
• Tennis Profile for Rafael Nadal Rafael Nadal was born on June 3, 1986. He is a Spanish tennis player that has been regarded as the No. 1 ranked men's tennis player in the world since August 18 of 2008. He has already won five Grand Slam Singles titles and won the 2008 Olympic gold in......