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

• 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......
• 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......
• USPTA World Conference Update I flew into Ontario - CAL not Canada from San Jose, Ca. to attend the 2010 USPTA Nationals.  Drove to La Quinta and the temperature was about 115 across the desert.  Got to the  La Quinta Resort about 2pm and checked in.  This is a beautiful resort nestled against a......
• 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......
• 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......

• Losing myself? Not really... I follow this blog called The Hollywood Housewife, and recently she reposted a post called Mommy Style Goals. This particular post really caught my eye, because it was written before her daughter was born, and she listed some goals for herself for after the baby was born. The main......
• 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......
• 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......
• Lobster Elite Model 3 Tennis Ball Machine One of the best ways to practice tennis is to use a ball machine, but these can be expensive. If you have your own home court, or you play at a public court system where there isn’t a ball machine on site, buying your own is an option that many......

Tennis Ball and Grape Balloons.

Playing in Serbia on the red clay, Americans John Isner and Sam Querry showed heart and where American tennis still has a great crop of young players coming along.

In their first ever Davis Cup appearance, John and Sam lost their first matches as USA players.  That had to be nervous time – can you imagine playing for your country in front of thousands of cheering fans applauding every error you make and every shot the opponent makes?

Day 2 is the Bryan Brothers vs Serbia – oops, only Bob Brian (Mike had gotten food poisoning) and John Isner playing the top doubles player in the world for Serbia, Zimonjic and singles specialist Tipsarevic.  The Americans manage to pull out an incredible win.  At set point in the tie breaker, Isner is passed on set point at the net – Zimonjic had raised his hand and called Bob Brian’s serve “out.”  The umpire declared a let for distraction and the Americans somehow manage to win that point and the tie breaker and the match later on.

Day 3 Isner and #2 in the world, Djokovic – in Serbia, thousands of exuberant fans and on red clay.  John plays well in the first set but gets broken late in the first set to go down 0-1. 2nd set, John comes back to win, 3rd set, Djokovic wins and in a tie breaker, John wins the 4th set.  Djokovic is penalize a point in the tie breaker for hitting a ball into the stands.  This is his second violation and John gets a free point to go up 3-1 in the breaker.  John holds serve after a tight tie breaker to force a 5th set.

5th set Isner – now in his 10th hour of Davis Cup competition in the last 3 days and all in matches that count is broken early in the set.  The crowd goes wild.  John stays competitive throughout the set and goes on to SAVE 5 MATCH POINTS, before netting a forehand from the ad court on return of serve.

Awesome play from John Isner who played 4 years at Georgia, won the NCAA Singles Championships before going out out on the tour.  Way to go John…  He had lost to Sam Querry last week in Memphis in the finals and then teamed with Sam to win the doubles – he and Sam are a double threat in singles and doubles.

John showed so much composure and guts in this match against the crowd and the #2 ranked and 3rd best clay court player in the world behind Federer and Nadal.  John and Sam love to play tennis and will be a part of Davis Cup for many years to come as well as the ATP Tour.  This should be a super summer for both of these tall (6 ft 9″ and 6 ft 6″) American players.

We may have lost this week but we certainly have seen we have a couple of winners in John Isner, Sam Querry – not to mention the best doubles team in the world – the 30 yr old Bryan Brothers who will soon become the team with all the worlds doubles records by the time they think of retiring.

Thanks Americans, we are proud of you,
Ken DeHart

Photo Credits: Camino Z

• Aussie Land and Tennis Update #4 It is wet here and I have not had a chance to use my sunscreen in 7 days..... Cool, windy and wet - am I in San Jose??? Dan Santorum and I walked in the mist, wind and chill down Russell Street to Findley St and off to Rod......
• 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.......
• Winning in Practice, pt 1 "Practicing to win requires rehearsing the tactical situations you will encounter and selecting the correct appropriate response for that situation until you can execute these responses in the heat of match play" ...Ken DeHart Playing the Score Practice your singles and doubles match with altered scoring situations: Start all games......
• Congratulations to San Jose Junior Tennis /caption] For the 5th straight year, the juniors at San Jose Swim & Racquet Club in San Jose, California have dominated the summer South Bay League play. With outstanding performances by the boy's 12's, 15's and 18's, SJSRC has captured the best records in league play. There are also divisions......
• 10 Tips to Winning the Middle of the Match [/caption]As the match goes on analyze what has happened.  Ask these questions: What patterns do they use with their ground strokes to set up points? How do they handle pace and off-pace balls? Are they predictable with where they hit under pressure? Based on their grips, where are their power......

• 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......
• German Open Tennis Championship, Atlanta Tennis Championship, Nurnberger Gastein Ladies Tournament, Banka Koper Slovenia Open This week in Tennis featured two Women’s Tournaments full of up-coming talent and improving veterans, and two Men’s Tournaments with new talent fighting against some recognized veterans. The German Open Tennis Championship was held in Hamburg, Germany, featuring plenty of well-known players with some surprising results. Nikolay Davydenko was the......
• China Open and Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships This week in tennis featured one tournament for the women and two tournaments for the men, with all tournaments featuring plenty of big names and upsets. The women played in the China Open, while the men played in China Open and the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships. The China Open......
• 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......
• Mutua Madrid Open This week in tennis featured the same major tournament for both the men and the women. Both played in the Mutua Madrid Open, held in Madrid, Spain. The tournament was an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament for the men, and a premier tier event for the women. The men’s......

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

• 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.......
• 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......
• 3 Secrets to Winning Doubles, pt 1 [/caption] This is the first post of three consecutive posts on the secrets to winning doubles in tennis. Secret #1 "Tennis Talk" - What to say and when to say it! Before the match: Decide with your partner ahead of time if you want to serve first, receive first, and......
• 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......
• 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.......

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