Check out my latest interview

Check out my latest interview with Francis Stewart on volunteering with the Marty Fish Foundation.

Internal memory of good shots

In the game of tennis, instructors always provide tons of corrections for our strokes whether it is follow through, hit the ball earlier, utilize more spin, turn your shoulders, rotate more. The list goes on! However, there is an alternative way as an instructor  that I try to help my students develop good technique and well formed strokes. I always point out immediately when a student has produced a shot that was well formed. After that I tell that student that they should internalize and remember how they hit that shot and try to replicate that shot. Sometimes, it is easier for people to understand what you mean by a shot when you point out when they have done the shot correctly.

Tennis tip: choke up on the forehand

Don't get me wrong, I'm a fabulous coach but sometimes even I can learn how to fine tune my coaching. The other day, I had the privilege of receiving an interesting tip on teaching forehands from esteemed coach Hector Henry. He saw my kids struggling to hit forehands and advised me to have the kids choke up in the racquet and put their fingers through the neck of it, he told me that it was easier for them to grip the racquet that way. He also pointed out that I should tell them to hit the ball over his head in order to get them to hit under the ball with topspin. I tried this suggestion with my kids and low and behold, they were able to connect with the ball, hit the ball out in front and over the net. Coach Henry told me that I should also then have them gradually move their hand down the racquet as they got more comfortable hitting the ball. This was way I had never considered actually telling my students though intuitively I knew beginner students had more success when they gripped the racquet higher up. 

Teaching tennis to young children

Teaching tennis to young and developing children is sometimes like being an occupational therapist; it involves explaining to kids how to do a fine motor related procedure in a way that is understandable and doable. Good tennis instruction entails assisting kids with motor planning. Sometimes just telling a kid what you need them to do doesn’t help the child produce the desired outcome. For instance telling a kid to follow through may not make the kid follow through but telling them that they have to keep swinging until the racquet is scratching their back and actually doing a complete swing with them will help them comprehend how to follow through. Telling them that they should catch the racquet with their other hand also helps them understand how to follow through. These instructions are better because they give the person a clearer picture of what follow through actually means in physical terms. After all what does the word follow through mean to an 8 year old? As a tennis instructor sometimes it is best to see your self wearing the hat of an occupational therapist. How can you make the action you want the child to do more manageable and understandable for them?

Quickstart tennis regulations

How slow is too slow? The newest USTA trend is to scale down tennis for younger kids. Some of the regulations include using smaller racquets, orange green dot or red balls and playing on shorter courts. While I see that there are benefits to this type of structure for certain kinds of kids, I wonder can things be too slow and too small for some kids who still fall into the ten and under category? My team competed in the 10 and under junior team tennis playoffs. During this tournament a regulation was in place where everyone was required to use a racquet that was 25 inches or less. Yet, this regulation wasn't reinforced throughout the season and many of the kids who are on the older, taller, stronger end of the spectrum play with 27-inch racquets in their practices and matches. One of my students was particularly perturbed by having to use a 27-inch racquet. It was evident that she was having a hard time because the 25-inch racquet didn't afford her the power she was used to with the 27-inch racquet. Another coach told me that one of his players was naturally powerful had a hard time adjusting to the smaller court. While I do see the benefits of using orange or green dot balls for learning to execute strategies such as serve and volleying, I wonder if for some kids there isn't a point of playing on the smaller court. After all, once they hit age 11 they will be able to play on a larger court with yellow balls. So why waste a year making artificial adjustments to your game? I think some kids feel the need to hold back and not fully utilize their power and then are hurt when they play higher age groups and push instead of hitting through the ball. But, is playing 12 and unders at age 9 the best alternative?

Check out my latest blog talk radio interview

Here is the link to my latest blog talk radio interview. http://tobtr.com/s/7660855 The interview is with Barry Goldsmith who got inducted into the college coaches Hall of Fame. Barry discusses the ins and outs of college coaching as well as what motivates players to do better and factors that breed success.

Check out my latest interview

http://tobtr.com/s/7630087

New style of giving tennis lessons

As I was teaching a lesson the other day, I realized that the structure of tennis lessons has changed tremendously. It used to be that lessons consisted of drills with endless feeding of balls and students waiting on line and repeatedly hitting the ball with the instructor shouting out feedback. If the students were good, they were treated to ten minutes of king of the court at the end of the lesson. Now, the way lessons are taught has changed tremendously. A large portion of lessons is filled with students rallying back and fourth with one another with an instructor observing and offering input. The rally’s are directed – students are instructed to either hit back and fourth crosscourt or down the line or sometimes alternating between one and the other. I used to be opposed to this activity during a lesson. I figured that allowing kids to hit back and fourth would lead to pure chaos and very little learning. But I realize now that the opposite is true. By having the students hit back and fourth it allows them to be constantly active during the lesson and appreciate how the technical feedback that they receive can apply to their own tennis game. I also used to be skeptical that kids under aged 10 would be able to sustain a rally. I now realize that that is not true. Even students as young as age 6 can maintain a rally as long as the standards are constantly modified. For example, instead of asking the kids to rally from the baseline, perhaps having them rally service line to service line first is advisable. Or instead of asking them to hit 10 strokes in a row back and fourth, have them aim for 5 strokes. Good luck in implementing this technique in your lessons. If you want to learn more about how I teach, check out my website www.elftennis.com

Being the stronger player on a doubles team

Sometimes when watching competitive doubles you will see a sharp contrast in the levels of the two members of a dynamic doubles combo. Often people joke that the stronger player will carry the weaker player and thus the weaker player will attain a win that he or she isn't deserving of achieving. This sentiment couldn't be further from the reality of what goes on in matches like the above. In a lot of matches where one player is considerably stronger than the other one, that team ends up losing to the more well balanced combo. Here are some ways that the as the stronger player on a team you can ensure that you lead your team to victory and your partner shines. First- always hit to the weaker player even if it doesn't make a difference for you- maybe you can handle both the stronger and weaker player on the team but your partner might not be able to. The weaker player is less likely to be able to handle your shots and therefore will hit to your partner's strong side. In addition, work on setting up your partner. Figure out what they do best and make sure they are in a position to do that. Some people love to volley- - so hit hard forcing shots to give them a volley put away opportunity. Always try to cover for your partner Anticipate where they are going and make sure you get behind them or in front of them to cover for a miss.

How to practice serving

Believe it or not, even a tennis master like me needs to practice. After getting broken a few times in a match, I decided that I needed to practice my serve. Since it was a warm New York day and I didn't have anyone to play with I headed to the outdoor courts to work on my serve. I'm working on getting a new grip for my serve, the continental grip. I tired to structure my practice session so tat I could maximize the spare hour I had. Here's something I recommend when practicing to make your session most effective : use an abbreviated serve. Don't bother with the windup when working on a new grip, toss or swing. First, focus on getting the grip and toss and contact point right. After you have mastered these aspects of your serve, work on using your body- specifically your legs- in developing a faster serve. Finally, after you have mastered these aspects, add in the windup. Witt this type of practice regimen you will find that it is easier to make corrections and adjustments in your serve. If you try to work on too many aspects of your serve at once, your serve will falter.

One On One Doubles Interview

Check out my most recent interview with Ed Krass, creator of One On One Doubles. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/sweetspottennis/2015/03/19/interview-with-ed-krass-one-on-one-doubles The interview discusses the rules of One On One Doubles, the benefits of playing One On One Doubles, and the creation of One On One Doubles. This is one of my best interviews. Very lively and spirited discussion. Enjoy.

How to play One On One Doubles!

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Ed Krass, the creator of One on One Doubles. One on One Doubles is a singles game where players must serve and volley on their serve and all shots are played cross court. After the interview with Ed Krass, I decided to try introducing one on one doubles play to an intermediate student of mine. At first, it was a struggle for the student to successfully serve and volley, he often missed volleys and got caught while on the run. Here were some key factors that helped him execute the serve and volley plays successfully. First, an abbreviated serve was necessary for him to move into the net quickly. Second, split stepping when he got to the service line and putting his racquet up was vital to successfully hitting winning volleys. Furthermore, taking off immediately after he hit the serve to head to the net was a key factor in producing winning volleys. In addition, understanding the early contact point for volleys helped him successfully win points. For more information on One on One Doubles, go to www.oneononedoubles.com. For more tennis tips go to www.elftennis.com

Putting one on one doubles into practice: tennis instructional tips.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Ed Krass, the creator of One on One Doubles. One on One Doubles is a singles game where players must serve and volley on their serve and all shots are played cross court. After the interview with Ed Krass, I decided to try introducing one on one doubles play to an intermediate student of mine. At first, it was a struggle for the student to successfully serve and volley, he often missed volleys and got caught while on the run. Here were some key factors that helped him execute the serve and volley plays successfully. First, an abbreviated serve was necessary for him to move into the net quickly. Second, split stepping when he got to the service line and putting his racquet up was vital to successfully hitting winning volleys. Furthermore, taking off immediately after he hit the serve to head to the net was a key factor in producing winning volleys. In addition, understanding the early contact point for volleys helped him successfully win points. For more information on one on one doubles, go to www.oneononedoubles.com. For more tennis tips go to www.elftennis.com

My latest interview about being a tennis pro for celebrities.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/sweetspottennis/2015/03/08/interview-with-kyle-owens-on-being-a-tennis-pro-for-and-with-celebrities Check it ou.

Tennis Instructional Tip: when and how to slow it down in a match

There are times during a tennis match, where it is to your benefit to slow down. In certain circumstances, it isn't productive to rush through your shots. Let's say you are about to hit a shot on the run on a clay court. If you rush to hit the shot you are likely to mis slide. In addition, if you don't stop after you have positioned yourself to hit the shot, you will also most likely produce an error. Furthermore, you can balance yourself while hitting a shot on the run by placing your non dominant hand on your hip.

Interview with Mack Baker on being a junior and collegiate tennis player

Check out my interview with Mack Baker on being a junior and collegiate tennis player. http://tobtr.com/s/7371511 The interview discusses junior competition, junior training, coaching and more. Get an insider's perspective on the world of junior tennis.

My radio show

I host a show on blog talk radio. I interview tennis coaches, tennis players, sports psychologists, and tennis manufacturers on all aspects of the game. To find me go to http://www.blogtalkradio/sweetspottennis There you can find my previous interviews with Mike Barrell, President of Evolve 9 and an expert on child development. Daniel Hayward, a quickstart tennis coach, Chandler Lewis, territory manager for TGA and David Kochman on being a junior tennis parent. Stay tuned for future interviews.

I'm back

For a while, I was blogging at http://esthersontennis.wordpress.com. But now I'm back. I'll be posting tennis instructional tips, tennis videos, links to my interviews and blogtalk radio and much more. I'm pleased to be back on blogger and hope that all of you will continue to read my work. Intriguing, captivating, and informative pieces are coming.