What is a drop shot?

• The drop shot is a ball struck with underspin and a soft touch that takes all the speed off an incoming shot and delivers is over the net so short that the opponent has difficulty sprinting from the baseline to retrieve it.
• It is designed to make the ball land short in the deuce or ad court of an opponent so it will bounce 2 to 3 times inside the service court.
• This shot forces the opponent to sprint forward to the net in an attempt to retrieve this no-pace ball – on the dead run.
• The sender of the shot moves forward into the court as well to cut off any attempted drop shot back while reducing the angles available by the person running the shot down.

What is the best surface to use a drop shot on?

Clay courts and grass courts are the best surface to use a drop shot on but it is being used more on the hard court as well by all level players.

4 Times to use the drop shot:

1. Against opponents that stand deep behind the baseline.
2. If the opponent is pulled wide off the court and out of balance.
3. To change the rhythm in a point.
4. Great shot to use to fatigue and opponent by bringing them to the net then lobbing over their head, forcing a lot of vertical court coverage.

It is not a good idea to drop shot when:

• The ball is deep in your court.
• The ball is struck particularly hard at you.
• The opponent is near of inside their baseline and in a balanced position.

Who on the pro tour best utilizes the drop shot?

• Fabrice Santoro
• Andy Murray
• Roger Federer

How to best defend against the drop shot?

1. Keep your opponent deep in their backcourt.
2. Keep the ball high as well as deep.
3. Play closer to the baseline to reduce the space you have to protect against the drop shot.

Best Drills to work on the drop shot?

1. Stand near the service line  and have someone feed you a soft short ball and you try to drop it over the net with enough underspin to make it bounce 2-3 times inside the feeders service court.
2. Put a basket or target half way between the service line and net.  When you partner feeds you the ball you try to drop in into the basket with backspin of either your forehand or backhand side.
3. When warming up with short court tennis, use the drop shot to keep the ball in play and slow down the rally so you can “feel” the ball and get a lot of shots in play so you can warm up.
4. The drop shot also will help you develop a chip shot, slice shot, spin volley, return of serve and a defensive shot to keep you in points when out of position.

Conclusion:

The drop shot is a “must have” shot for beginner and intermediate level players who wish to defeat players with “pretty” strokes and more experience.

It is the perfect shot for high school players who are playing on a team for the first time and do not have consistent deep strokes.

It is also a keeper for club players who want to keep their opponents off balance.  It is an important shot to grow your tennis game and add new “weapons of mass confusion” for your opponent.

It is used more and more by the professionals and advanced players as an option to just keeping the ball deep and allowing the opponent to run side to side for shots.

It is considered one of the “ugly” shots in tennis – mostly by the opponent who has to try and continually run it down in their matches.  Add the drop shot to your game to become a winner at your level of play.

Personal Note:

As an all-court player, I use the drop shot to keep my opponent off guard and destroy any rhythm they might be trying to establish.  I use it often as an approach shot against strong baseliners.  It works great against players who are slow afoot or ones I am trying to fatigue. I also use it to bring baseliners to the net where they feel uncomfortable and then lob over the head.

Like most shots it will take practice and time – but it can become one of your weapons of choice in situations.

Ken DeHart
PTR & USPTA Master Professional
USA High Performance Coach
Wilson Premier Advisory Staff

Photo Credits: JCtennis.com

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I have a question regarding how to counter the inside out forehand. I’m a 4.5-5.0 player with an all court game, with a two handed backhand. Lately, I have been having trouble with one high level opponent who grew up on clay courts. Typically, we rally a few strokes and then my opponent starts hitting inside out shots to my backhand from his backhand corner. I typically return the balls cross court trying hit shots to his backhand, but given his position and the fact that I’m hitting while on the move this becomes increasingly difficult and I find myself moving further and further out to my backhand side as he cranks heavier and ever more angled shots. The point usually ends by my hitting a short ball and my opponent hits a winner to the (now) open court.

I have 2 specific questions:

1) If I want to control of the point by hitting a backhand down the line, what key reference points do you suggest for hitting a ball with heavy topspin on the rise with a two-hander?

2) I can change the rhythm of the point and get some more time by hitting a slice. What’s the best way to hit a slice on a ball with heavy topspin?

If you’ve got any other expert tips I’m all ears!

Handing the Inside-Outer

Options:

1. When you get into a situation where your opponent starts going to your backhand and you are still running around to hit your inside out backhand, play the ball “inside in” or down the line to force him to move back to the deuce court so you can get your next shot back into his backhand.

When we work with players and tell them to play an opponent’s backhand, it only means for a few shots.  If they start running around their backhand too far, go to their forehand to open up the backhand again.  They now have to hit their backhand on the run which often produces a weak return that lets you begin to control the point.

When your opponent starts to pull you outside your comfort zone on the backhand side, add height and spin to your recovery shot to buy time and re-establish your position – renegotiate, as he is dictating the deal.

2. If you choose to play a backhand down the line, remember you are changing the direction of the shot (COD – change of direction) and that is best done on a shorter ball not a deeper ball. You need to plan on contacting the back of the ball with lots of upper motion and racquet acceleration to avoid the ball reflecting out into the alley.  A slow or tentative swing will cause the ball to reflect wider off your strings.

It is best to be moving forward into the shot as your hit it on the rise.

3. Slice is king to neutralize the ball and buy time. Just got back from the US Open and watched how often the pros slice on heavy deep balls (Nadal, Federer and Roddick etc).  They force the opponent to wait on the ball to arrive and the underspin makes them really have to pay attention to be able to execute another aggressive topspin (most end up hitting it in the net).

You will make a few errors as you add new shots to your game but remember the idea is to have “Weapons of Mass Confusion” for your opponent.

Ken DeHart
SJSRC Director of Tennis
PTR & USPTA Master Professional

Photo Credits: CORE-Materials

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Hit for Haiti

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.

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Ken DeHart and Jazz Playing Tennis Balls

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

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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.

We listened to Bruce Elliott, top bio-mechanist in the world, speak for 3 hours on all aspects of how to serve, correct the serve and then watched him improve Melanie Oudin’s serve. She is the sweetheart from Atlanta who reached the Semi’s at the US Open.

Migel Crespo, ITF Research Officer, based in Spain talked about what to consider before you start feeding balls and how to make subtle adjustments when coaching – including learning not to talk too much.

Ray Ruffles, the famous Aussie Coach of Mark Woodbridge and Woodford, talked about the game today, where he sees it going and what he sees on the players today.

Off to the outback courts to see the players practice and some matches. 

Saw Venus hitting, spoke to the Bryan Bros, passed Andy Roddick in the hall in the players room and Djokovic walked by as well.  Dan Santorum and I were courtside to talk to Melanie Oudin and her coach, Brian DeVilliers one of our long time PTR friends.  Melanie is doing well and a very engaging young lady to talk to.

Special news as we were finishing the Coaches Conference from Craig Tiley.  Roger Federer had called him to say “We need to do something to help the people in Haiti.”

Sunday, in a never before done event on Rod Laver Arena,  Federer, Roddick, both the Williams sisters, Samantha Stosur will play exhibitions and the public will be invited to Rod Laver Arena to help raise money for the people in Haiti.  Kids will be free and adults will be charged $10.  The pros will match the monies raised by the spectators.

Watched Djokovic lose in an exhibition match to local 17 year old Aussie, Bernard Tomic in 3 sets and Verdasco defeat Tsonga at Kooyong which was the former site of the Australian Open. I was fortunate to visit the newly refurbished club last night for dinner and to admire the old time pictures of past winners and trophies.  The club started in 1879 -wow..
Did some sight seeing as well to the highest building in Melbourne and lots of local sites. Beautiful churches and very multi-cultural city – very friendly.

Later in the evening we had a speakers dinner at South Park, one of the largest malls in Aussie land. Thanks to Travis Atkinson, Manager of Coach Development and Tess.  Great time to talk business, what is new in tennis with 8 of the speakers at the conference.  Lots of topics including the newly proposed World Cup Tennis to replace Davis Cup.

Looking forward to seeing the exhibitions today and more of the city.  Will keep you posted.

It’s raining here today for first day matches – but with 2 main courts with roofs – no worries we will have tennis – unlike at the club with the rain you all are getting.

Guess I will go to the Stadium and hang with the players – tough life, but I got to do it.  Nice to have the special badge.

See you soon,

Ken DeHart

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• 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......

• BNPA Paribas Open This week in Tennis featured the continuation of the BNPA Paribas Open for both the men and the women. This two-week tournament is a premier tennis event that features the top players on both sides in both singles and doubles play. In Women’s Play, Kleybanova upset Flavia Pennetta. Kleybanova then......
• Andalucia Tennis Experience, Family Circle Cup, US Men’s Clay Court Championship, and Grand Prix Hassan II This week in tennis featured multiple tournaments for both the men and the women. The women met up in the Andalucia Tennis Experience in Marbella, Spain and the Family Circle Cup, held in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. The men competed in both the US Men’s Clay Court Championship, held......
• Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington D.C. This week in tennis featured the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington D.C. This men’s tournament was joined by the two women’s tournaments of the Mercury Insurance Open (San Diego, California) and the e-Boks Sony Ericsson Open (Copenhagen, Denmark). The Men’s Legg Mason Tennis Classic featured plenty of big names,......
• BNP Paribas Open This week in tennis featured multiple tournaments in the same location, with some of the world’s top players in action. The women competed in the BNP Paribas Open, held in Indian Wells, California. The men played in the exact same tournament, the BNP Paribas Open held at Indian Wells. The......
• Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters Tournament and Fed Cup Semi-Finals This week in tennis featured the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters tournament for the men, held in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. The women competed in the Fed Cup semi-finals, with the finals to be held in November. The Women’s Fed Cup semifinals proved to be interesting in both the World Group semifinals and the......

My first visit to Australia was awesome.

I enjoyed speaking to the 250 participants in Hisense Arena and being on the Australian Open court.  Everyone seemed to like my presentation on the “20 Best Games for Strategy and Tatics” and I sold all my 70 plus DVD’s I took with me. I now have 7 different DVD’s out there and 2 more on the way.  I also gave my “Today” handout to most everyone and access to my website for additional free information.

I walked all over Melbourne – the University, tennis bookstores looking for more books to add to my 2,000 book collection, the sidewalk cafes for lunch and dinner, taking the trolleys or Trams to Rod Laver Arena, seeing the old stadium at Kooyong with 40 grass and 20 clay courts.  I enjoyed time with Dan, Wayne, Mike and Frank as we talked and ate our way thru the week.  Other speakers Miguel and Bruce Elliott were delightful as well.

Most of all I enjoyed the staff at the conference that were delightful – Tess, Travis,  Ryan, Patrick, Belinda, Rob and more.  Very delightful and made the Conference special as well as making us feel at home.

It was incredible being in the players area and standing next to Roger Federer,  Del Potro, Justine,  Melaine Oudin, Li Na, Baghdatis and all the coaches that I got to talk to just being in that area – Kelly Jones and Brian DeVilliers.

It was great just to roam around the grounds and see all the players up close as they competed – Sonderlin, Blake, Federer, Hewitt, Serena, Roddick and all the fans walking about.  First it was in the cold and rain the last two days in the sunshine of Australia.

All the best,

Ken

• SAP OPEN in SAN JOSE - Milos Wins - So Do We at SJSRC We had a great tournament in San Jose this year, the SAP Open - the 2nd oldest pro tournament in the country (since 1888).  Run by Bill Rapp and the SAP Open Team - Bill is a former teaching pro in San Jose who has shown remarkable promotional skills with......
• 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......
• 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......
• Ken's Tournament Preparation Blog /caption]It is tournament time again for me. As a tennis teaching professional, I seldom have time to really prepare for a tournament like the pros – of course, I don't and never have played like them. So when I planned to play in the USPTA Nationals on Marco Island, Florida......
• 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.......

• Best Portable DVD Player For Kids This is a wonderful day that you are looking for a portable DVD player especially for your kids. You could see your kids with great joy, when you show this special DVD player for them. They will jump like any thing. Also, it even helps yourself too. Because your kids......
• 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?......
• Upcoming Tennis Tournaments for Men and Women The Tennis world can easily rejoice, as the new season has started. After only a few weeks of relaxation for the world’s top players, the ATP tour and WTA tour are back and in full force. Both the men and women jump in feet first, with the men featuring three......
• Sam Querrey Manages to Clinch Olympus Tennis US Open Title Sam Querrey managed to clinch the men's title for the 2009 Tennis Olympus Tennis US Open with a 7 to 5, 6 to 3 round for a 16 defeat over Bjorn Phau while playing the final series event at Pilot Pen Tennis in New Haven. This was the final season......
• The SAP Open, The ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, The Brasil Open, The Open GDF Suez, The PTT Pattaya Open The only true way to describe this week n in tennis is busy. The men competed in three different tournaments: The SAP Open in San Jose, the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, and the Brasil Open in Costa do Sauipe. The women competed in two different tournaments: the......

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

• 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......
• 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......
• Racquet Mail: How to Change Grips Quickly at the Net [/caption] Racquet Mail: Now on the 2 tip you mentioned to change to bh grip with the hand holding the frame of the racket and that it is a mistake to change grip with the hand holding the grip. Why is that? I saw you pulling your shoulders upwards in......
• Ball Machines – Using them for Singles Practice 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......
• 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......

• 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 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......
• 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......
• Money Saving Tips when Planning for a Move The following is a post from staff writer Crystal at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff, where she writes about finding the balance between paying your bills, saving for your future, and budgeting in the fun stuff along the way. In honor of Daniel’s big move last week, I have been......
• 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......

We as Americans are often quick to build up a champion then decide they have won too often, and that it is now time for them to lose.  How many times have you pulled for the underdog just because the other player has won enough in our minds?  That is one of the several reasons we become Dallas Cowboys or Los Angeles Dodgers haters.

What is great to see is not only the greatness of Roger Federer but people around the world still like for the guy to win.  Even the finalist at the French said he hoped Roger could win his Career Slam.  Seldom do you see someone continue to win, be on the verge of breaking records and the majority of people still pull for the champion instead of the underdog.  Did you see the amount of celebrities in attendance at the French Open from other sports?

Congratulations to Roger on his Career Slam (1 of 6 to achieve this title), winning the French Open, and being presented his trophy by another Career Slammer – Andre Agassi.  Most of all congratulations on being a winner that has earned the appreciation and respect of tennis fans around the world.  The action of the audience and tennis fans tells you what a true champion and person you are.  Their actions speak louder than words.

Photo Credits: y.caradec

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

• USA - Umbilical Cord Stem Cells Increasingly Stored in Private Banks for Autologous Use Stem cells from umbilical cords are increasingly being stored in private banks for autologous use. "Newsweek" added to the debate writing about Dallas Hextell, who at the age of  8 months  was diagnosed with cerebral paralysis, a condition normally caused by serious neural damage due to oxygen deprivation in......
• Davis Cup World Group Semifinals and Bell Challenge This week in Tennis featured the Davis Cup World Group Semifinals and Playoffs for Men, and the Bell Challenge for the women. The Bell Challenge was held in Quebec City, Canada while the Davis Cup was held in multiple locations. Both tournaments were the first tournaments held after the recent......
• Mail Bag: A Vast Array of Textual Remarks [/caption] Like the title?  I'm just trying to please the elitist snob that sent me an e-mail stating my vocabulary was on par with a grade schooler.  Thankfully, I don't write this blog to try and sound like a graduate of an Ivey League school, nor do I think it's......
• What is Buddhism? What is Buddhism: Whether to call Buddhism a religion or philosophy is often debated. Buddhism teaches nothing about God, has no official scripture, does not attempt to explain the meaning of life, and its founder is not considered divine or even divinely inspired. However, Buddhism does express opinions regarding salvation......
• Federer Wins BNP Paribas Open Roger Federer defeated Victor Hanescu in round 2 of the BNP Paribas Open last weekend in Indian Wells, California. They finished 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-1, with Hanescu offering much more challenge for Federer in the middle of the match and fading pretty quickly in the end. Hanescu, a Swiss......