Roger Federer

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 faster and bounces higher when the temperature is hotter and the air is dryer – like in Phoenix, Arizona.

Tennis balls become heavier when there is more humidity in the air, there is more drag on the ball and it travels slower through the air.

The term “heavy ball” refers to the amount of pace on a ball. It is the kind of ball the pros hit when they play.

“Pace” is the combination of spin and speed – like the pros hit.

“Racquet Back” does not refer to taking the racquet back but moving the outside foot near the ball toward the sideline.  This move opens the hip and the shoulder – which gives the appearance of “taking the racquet back”. It is not an isolated move with the shoulder.

“Ready Position” in tennis is similar to the position of a praying mantis as he prepares to attack his prey.

“The net” wins more points than your opponent.  Most errors in tennis are made into the net.

“Return of serve” should resemble an approach shot more than a ground stroke – especially for club players.  That is achieved by starting back so you can move through the return of serve.

“Footwork” – the pros average 10-12 steps between each shot they hit.

“Grip Tension” – the pros use a very light grip tension when they hold the racquet.  On a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the tightest, they typically use about a 2 to 3 grip tension level.

You only play 10-12 minutes in an hour and half tennis match – tired yet???

“Attention Deficit”- most error are a result of lack of attention rather than technical weakness. On a scale of 1-10 your “attention” level should be at 8-9 or 10. Attention levels of 7-6 or 5 will result in “unforced” errors. Attention levels of 4-3-2 or 1 means you will probably hurt yourself or someone else.

Photo Credits: Squeaky Knees

• 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......
• 12 Tennis Tips to Improve Your Game 1.) How to know if you are ready to start a tennis match?  As you warm up for the match, notice if you are able to see the spin on the ball before you meet the ball or if you can see a "yellow streak" into and out of your......
• 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......
• Ken's LA – USPTA Report Up at 4:30 to catch my 6 AM flight to LA this Sat. About 3.5 hours of sleep – but sleep is overrated anyhow, too much fun stuff to do in life! Tom Brennan met me at the LAX airport and off to a quick breakfast – if we can......
• 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......

• Additional Tennis Serving Tips 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......
• 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......
• More Tennis Tips pt 3 ... Continued from More Tennis Tips pt 2. This is part three in our weekly tennis tips series. Here are some more invaluable tips that will help you improve all aspects of your tennis game. You should swing your racket back until the point where the tip is barely......
• 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......
• 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......

Wooden Tennis Racquets

Usually about 20-30 San Jose Swim & Racquet Club members show up beside court #4 with their wooden racquets or select from the racquets Ken brings for them to use and get ready for a visit to how tennis was played in the past. At first they are a little unsure if that white tennis ball will really fit on that wooden racquets strings. After a few hits and misses, they are ready to “let the games begin”.

Match play usually consists of a game with the first to with a prescribed number of games the winner. The winning team moves up one court and the non-winning team moves down a court – then they trade partners with the two new players on the court and go at it again.

There are lots of laughs and excuses but play becomes quite good after an hour or so. Sometimes we keep score and sometimes Ken makes up the scores. At the end of the day there is a raffle with more prizes than participants, strawberries, whipped cream as well as an American tradition – pizza and beer.

It’s a Wimbledon and San Jose Swim & Racquet Club tradition.

Photo Credits: sflovestory

• 11 Ways to Improve Your Tennis Game at San Jose Swim & Racquet Club - Year 'Round... [/caption] The following are 11 ways to improve your tennis game at the San Jose Swim & Racquet Club: Private hour and half hour lessons. These lessons can include technical work and hitting with the pro during that time to see if the technical and strategy changes work. Semi private......
• 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......
• 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......
• “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......
• June Tennis Camp 20-24 & Summer Tennis Programs June 20-24 will be tennis camp week at SJSRC with Al, Reno and Ken. Each player will be video taped. We will do player performance reports and get you ready for our Junior Summer Jr Aces/Jr Challenger Camp 11-3 Mon thru Friday. You may do all or part of the......

• What Fantasy Football and Personal Finance have in Common This year I finally gave in to the pressure and decided to play fantasy football. In the past, I've skipped it because I never wanted to get in a situation where I'd have to choose between rooting for my favorite team and rooting for my fantasy team. I would like......
• Tennis Glossary pt3 Ace - This is a serve that the opponent is incapable of returning, to serve an ace. Ad - This is a shortened version of Advantage. Advantage - The player that scores the very first point after deuce is said to have had the advantage, because winning the next point......
• A Little Bit of Tennis 101 At first glance it may appear as if tennis is an easy game for you to learn how to play. You simply have to lob a ball back and forth over a pretty low net, right? Well sure, tennis really is not that difficult to learn but there is a......
• Rain Fouled Tennis for Sunday Up until Sunday, there has been a lot of great tennis which has been seen at Queen’s Club. The problem is that the rain came in and put a halt to the major finales. The weather reports had been predicting rain for some time which was why the Murray-Tsonga match......
• 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......

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.

• 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......
• 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......
• 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......
• 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......
• 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......

• 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 pt2 Net Cord - This is the cable that is responsible for supporting the net. Net Cord Judge - This is an official that is responsible for calling a let on service. This judge will sit up in front of the chair of the umpire on one end of the net,......
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• Review: Complete Conditioning for Tennis Complete Conditioning for Tennis is aimed at tennis players, tennis instructors and even coaches in strength and conditioning as well as other professionals in fitness. The new edition of this book is designed to provide a complete and total foundation of conditioning for the sport of tennis, including both training......
• Tennis Glossary pt5 Court - The length of the tennis court is 78 feet and the width of the tennis court is 27 feet when dealing with singles matches. For doubles matches, the length remains the same but the court is 36 feet in width. The court is divided along its middle with......

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 the PTR International Pro of the Year Award out of 14,000 pros around the world for my contributions to tennis.

On the 19th I will be in Kansas City to present a 4 hour course on “Strategy and Tactics for all levels of players” for the Mo-Valley USPTA Pros.

By the end of February, I will have all 5 of my DVD”s completed:  The Best of Ken DeHart, Defeating the Monsters in Your Mind, Myth Busting and Corrective Techniques, Intermediate Drills and the 3 Secrets to Championship Doubles and 13 Best Drills.  They will be available through my web site www.kendeharttennis.com

Visit my “In the Game” Blog on my web site for lots of FREE tennis tips about Doubles Formations and tennis tips.  Go to my web site and in the upper information bar, click on Blog.

I will be home early Saturday morning the 21st to teach the 10-11:30 adult drop in clinic and will be available for afternoon Saturday or Sunday lessons for players seeking lesson time.

Thanks for all your support and Happy Valentine’s Day!

Photo Credits: 1

• San Jose Swim & Racquet Club: February 2011 Calendar of Events Verdasco, Sampras,Hewitt, Monfils at the SAP *I have special employee priced tickets for the SAP. Contact me at kendehart@aol.com to get tickets for Mon night for the Sampras exhibition vs Monfils and Tues & Wed night with all the major players. Feb 14th Valentine's Day – Play with your Sweetheart......
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Playing the Score

Practice your singles and doubles match with altered scoring situations:

1. Start all games at love 30, 30 love, 30 all, 15-40 to experience the  pressure of being ahead, tied or behind with no room to play lose points.
2. Start all sets at 2 all, 3 all or down 2-4 and serving to feel the pressure of set scores that create no wiggle room for unfocused play
3. Play best 3 out of 5 tie breakers using the 10 point tie breaker used in place of a third set.  Use this in place of regular sets for challenge ladders and tie breaker experience (first to 10 points by 2 wins the breaker)
4. Play best 3 out of 5 tie breakers using the 12 point tie breaker used at 6 all in a set (first to 7 wins the breaker).

Situational Tactics

1. You can only score while serving.  If you lose the point the opponent serves until someone scores a point from that side of the court (deuce or ad court).  Like the old system of volleyball scoring, this situation teaches the players how to win while serving.  *Regular games and sets are played using this scoring or you may use some of the altered scoring scenarios from “Playing the Score” above.
2. Players must serve and volley both first and second serves.
3. Serves can only go to the backhand in both the deuce and ad courts, only to the forehand or into the body for a designated numbers of games to work on placement of the serve
4. Players only get 1 serve per point – no second serve.
5. All players must serve from the sunny side of the court each game.
6. Serving from the sunny side of the court, the servers must serve underhanded, side arm or some below the shoulder type of serve.
7. Servers must play with only a specific type of serve: slice, topspin or flat for a specific number of games.  This helps the players get lots of experience in practicing a particular type of serve.

Photo Credits: 1

• 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......
• 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.......
• 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......
• Davis Cup Report [/caption] 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......
• 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.......

• More Tennis Tips pt 1 This is another installment of tennis tips that will improve all aspects of your game. Armed with the right tennis playing tips, you really can improve all aspects of game play from serves to returns and back again. 1 - When Hitting Forehand, Lay Wrist Back Where the ball......
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• 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......
• 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......
• 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......