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.