Mental Toughness

Mental toughness, how can I improve it? What is it? What defines it?              There are a lot of books written on the subject. While spring training at Hilton Head with Salve I ran met Matt Curraco, head of the Ivan Lendl mental toughness department at Lendl’s tennis and golf academy on the island. Ivan, one of tennis’ hardest workers and toughest competitors of all time told Matt one simple thing to keep in mind.

“What’s that,” I asked. Tell us the secret I’m thinking.

 "90/10, he said." Control your 90% of the court and your opponent controls 10%. So many players and coaches focus on their opponents and not enough on themselves. He then took us through a workshop on mental toughness asking each of us to write down what their ideas where on what competition means to them.

Answers on competition ranged from skill matching, relaxed aggression, playing your best, giving your best effort, mixing it up, etc., etc., etc. And then we needed to define our games (baseline, all court, attacking, retriever, etc.). After defining your game you then need to do rituals that keep you mentally and physically ready.

Physical rituals include jumping up and down before starting a point, shadow swinging a correction, quick feet before the point starts and then a split step when your opponent strikes the ball, holding the racket loose in your hand so you can react faster with more racket speed, taking in water on breaks, and so on.

Mental focus includes staying in the moment, not over-loading your brain with commands, playing your game, hitting your targets, staying aggressive, and allowing yourself to play so that you get the most out of what you do.

The team gained much by thinking of the 90/10 rule. It’s simple, easy to apply and frees you up to be yourself. When that happens you truly are competing. You are not giving yourself tons of commands and admonishments. Each shot gives you feedback that your unconscious can process far better than your conscious self. Ask yourself to make an adjustment, visualize it, feel it and then trust yourself to let it happen. You’ll be amazed when you role play yourself as confident, fast, consistent, etc. Even if you don’t believe it, if you act it, you start to believe it. Funny, that reaches far beyond tennis.

How to eliminate net errors from your game

What is the most common error made in the game of tennis? The answer is hitting the ball in the net. Why? The answer has four parts: players don’t get to the ball early enough so they clip the ball out in front without having a solid foundation to hit the shot, or they are in position, but then open up too early and take their eyes off the ball, the swing (wrist related) is too vertical, or the aim too low.

             Start your warm-up focus with split stepping (hopping in a ready position on the balls of your feet) and then adjusting quickly with small adjusting steps to the ball. Your shoulders and racket should be prepared to strike. If you don’t get to the ball early enough you will be out of athletic balance and have to improvise the shot. Hey, that’s okay if you have to do it. We don’t always get in perfect position. If that happens just get the ball back in play without trying to make a low percentage shot. This solves one of the causes of net balls, positioning.

            Another reason why we hit the net is we take our eyes off the ball, lifting our head up. The result is a quick flick off the ball dropping it into the net. There is only one ball on the court. Take care of it. I know it’s very interesting to look at the opponent. Looking at the opponent will not help your shot in the least. That doesn’t mean you don’t have a sense of what he/she is doing. It means that you are keeping your head down during the strike till you finish the shot. Try keeping your head down or up if a serve/overhead till the ball goes over the net. You will absolutely be amazed at the quality and cleanness of your ball striking.

 

           

A good way to keep your eye on the ball is to point to it on the serve, forehand, overhead, and forehand volley. Keep the non-dominate pointing hand on the ball through the strike with your eyes (head) fixed on the ball. This should eliminate clipping and hitting the ball early into the net.

            Another problem players can have is closing the racket face too much at the point of contact. This can cause miss-directs and net shots. There is so much brush on the ball that there isn’t enough forward movement to drive the shot over the net. The solution to this problem is to get the racket head more behind the ball and extend a longer horizontal swing path (strike zone) through the ball. When you make that correction you will have a better feel for the ball and a cleaner hit.  

            Many players still hit the net even though their swing path appears correct. That player has to image a target above the net rather that looking through the net. This player needs vertical lift to create arc on the shot. Try getting your racket one foot below the point of contact as you swing low to high at the ball. This should give you the lift you need to clear the net. Sometimes you aim low to the net when you are faced with passing an opponent. At those times hitting the net is better than hitting long because you are trying to force the opponent to hit up.

            In summary, split step, get to the ball early, keep your head down, stay turned on the shot, and swing low to high. That should do the trick. I know that’s a lot to remember. Start with getting to the ball quickly and build from there one step at a time.

Playing Mixed Doubles (more tips)

1. If you are the woman serving to the deuce court (the forehand court) do not serve the ball wide. This does two things, it takes your partner out of the point (wide balls hit to the opponent's forehand create wide angles on the return and worse, ally shots past your male partner (nauseating). This doesn't allow your partner to be an effective poaching machine especially if he is not very mobile. You will create a hybrid form of singles, bad idea. Serve "T" to the backhand (if you've got the control). Your partner has a better chance of volleying the ball for a winner and you won't get outflanked by the return angle cross court. It will be driven near your area of position.

2. If you are the woman serving to the ad court, facing the guy returning, it might make sense to move way out to the left of  the baseline and serve near the doubles ally and serve inside out to the returners backhand. This will avoid the forehand weapon of the receiver (usually the guy is put in the ad box to decide more of the ad points, right!). If you hit to that big forehand your partner may get a ball slammed in his chest. Yes, I've had that happen to me and that starts another story about sportsmanship--particularly when you have different levels on the court. It's not socially prudent to take free shots at players set up by weaker levels on the court. It's not sporting, in the same way that shooting a duck in the water isn't much fun, treeing a coon with a bulldozer or fishing with dynamite. Worse than that would be if the man slammed an easy second from the other guy into the woman at the net. If you serve wide in the ad most of this can be avoided. By serving over wide near the ally this will most likely result in a forehand for you the woman server. Another great reason all by itself.

3. If you are the woman or man in the back court position yourself try to hit as many forehands as possible. This is much easier to in doubles than singles because you only have to cover your half of the court. If your backhand is the best shot then position yourself for as many backhands as possible.

4. If there is a player who is dominating the net on every return you make then you should lob the ball over that player to take away that offensive position. Many times poachers fail to follow the ball back and you or your partner can take the next ball out of the air and hit behind that "over-the-net-reaching" raising havoc in your return games. Another play is to hit right at the player and force a slow draw with their racket which can produce hack nubs and weak returns if not an error. Unexpected shots usually produce the best outcomes even if not intentionally delivered.

5. On the other hand it may make more sense for the server to hit serves that he or she wants to be returned to them come to them because of their weak net partner. Knowing that most receivers in the deuce court will hit wide returns of serve cross court, I may intentionally hit to their forehand to set myself for the next shot. It keeps my partner more at home as well. She will have to cover the ally when I serve. This keeps the bigger diagonal open for me to cover. Serving down the middle could create a rip right at her catching her by surprise by sheer speed alone. I don't like my partner surprised. I want them confident and in control. Level should be a concern when placing shots near your partner.


Write me if you have any questions about these or other mixed doubles strategies.

Tennis Etiquette

Here are some basic tennis etiquette rules to follow:

1.The server calls the score before the first serve. The receiver remembers it. Please do not say second serve or call the score again before the second serve. It's annoying. No one's memory is that short.

2.  Don't over-rule your partner in doubles on a call unless you're damn sure an error has been made. This creates communication problems with your partner and you become part of your opponent's resource for questioning your team's calls.

3. Never take a point you don't deserve (your opponent called your clearly out ball good). It's cheating if you know for sure that you hit a ball that landed out. Serves are an exception to this rule because you don't want to dictate the flow of play calling on your opponent's side of the court.

4.. Call the close ones good if you're not 100% sure they're out. Your opponent gets the benefit of doubt.

5. When you hit a ball to your opponents in doubles avoid "hinders" by allowing them to hit without:
yelling commands to your partner, hitting your racquet against the ground (beating it like a tom   tom), scuffing your feet (creating a squeaking noise of hideous proportion), dropping your racquet, and pretending their ball to be out by body language and then casually returning it.

6. When going out to your court avoid doing so when people are playing a point or about to start a point. Wait till their point, better game, is over. Ask to pass after a point is better than moving across like cattle in an art gallery. And then thank them for granting you access to your court.

7. Talk quietly between odd games if you must. That is when you may take a quick drink. No one wants to be disturbed when playing their game of tennis. Be considerate.

8. Applaud your opponent's great shots rather than blame your miss on faulty technique or equipment, injury, eye's, and any other excuse.

9. Start a match with new balls if you can. In tournament play the winners keep a new can of balls.

10.  Regarding breaks: you get about 20 seconds to get a point going, you get 90 seconds on the odd games, you get two minutes between sets. Rushing play or delaying play is not appreciated or fun. A three minute bathroom break is permitted once on a change over or at the end of a set. That would then take care of the injury time-out if you need it.

11.. Shake hands first with your partner and then with your opponents at the end of a doubles match.
      Say something positive regardless of the outcome. Again, don't make excuses.

12. Switch sides with your partner on the odd games. That's a great time to communicate positively.

13. Bring an extra racquet in case you break a string. It keeps play flowing.

14. Get to the club 15 to 20 minutes early and take care of money and reservations before you play. After you're done playing it's nice to socialize a bit before you leave. Avoid running out the door like you've robbed a bank after a loss.

15. Never use the lobby area as a forum for complaining: the courts aren't bright enough, the water is not cold enough, those people bothered me, my partner played terrible, etc. etc. etc.

16. If you lose track of the score try to remember the points as they happened with the other player(s).
If neither player is willing to concede a score or play deuce, then you should flip a coin to see who's score shall be played.

18. Do not reach over the net to hit a ball unless it has already bounced on your side of the court. If you don't wait then you lose the point.

19. Do not demean your opponent by celebrating point victories in an offensive manner. Especially if your opponent has made an unforced error and then has to watch you behave like a child.

20. Avoid a "circus atmosphere" (laughing loudly, making a comment after every shot, etc..,etc..,etc.) on your court which disturbs all the other courts. Everyone likes a circus but you don't have a tent over your head so be quiet.

21. When someone is hurt. Try to help them. Give them time to recover. Wouldn't you want that treatment if you were hurt?

22. Do not bring little children as spectators on the court who can't defend themselves against a miss-hit during a match with other adults. They also tend to get restless and distracting.

23. Don't use the net as a coat rack. Anything on the net becomes part of the net once play has started.

24. If you disagree on a call with your partner the ball is good. Maybe a good reason not to disagree.

25. Don't wear yellow clothing on a tennis court. It's hideous and screens the ball. Worse, is to wear a Kelly green shirt with yellow tennis balls on it. Keep some sense of respect for the game.

26. Never swear. It's a Lady's  and Gentleman's game.

27. Wear tennis shoes. Do not mark the courts with running shoes or hurt yourself
with weak lateral support. If your shoes leave black marks stop playing and get the right kind of shoes.

28. There is no such thing as good or bad players. There are different levels of the game.
You should be willing to play up or down (within reason) or at level. That's the way it is.
Of course you want to challenge yourself as much as possible.

29. Never try to over direct a partner on the court. Games aren't fun when your being told what to do all the time. That doesn't mean you can't work together as a team and discuss positioning
or strategy. Just try to fit as best as you can with whom you are playing. That way you'll be a better team. Avoid trying to make your partner your dream of perfection.

30. White is the traditional clothing color of tennis which started in England. It is still the primary
color to wear. You can't go wrong wearing white. Remember to wear what a lady or gentleman would wear. It's nice to respect the game.

31. Avoid wearing strong scents on the court. They give people headaches and are distracting.

32. Never use your cell phone on the court unless there is an emergency.

33. Never equate your value with winning or losing. The game stands alone.

34. Look for quality of play rather than results.

35. Stow your water bottle in your bag when playing. Open stuff gets knocked over.

36. Never take another first serve if there was but a brief interruption on the court.

37. If a ball comes in play from another court only call a let if it interferes with safety on the court.
It is not sporting to call a let behind a player hitting an easy smash so you won't lose the point.

38. Never hit a kill shot point blank at a player. That is not sporting. Especially if they have conceded the point with body language (they have turned their back to you).

39. If you are levels above others it is nice to keep some balls in play so that you both have some fun.


 

Train to be a champion.

Serious Tennis Players,

This is a training schedule that I've put together based upon the Pat Etcheberry tennis fitness program. It takes dedication because you have to make yourself put in the extra time to condition yourself for tennis. It is not for the faint of heart. Make the conditioning program your personal fitness program. You can always adjust it and work in new exercises, drills, and conditioning methods that address the shoulders, legs and core regions of the body for tennis. If you're not sure how to do an exercise look it up on YouTube or ask the instructor at the gym.

Tennis Training Program for a Champion

We seek a program that builds strong, light and fast creatures with quick recovery ability. We need to be strong in the shoulders, have a strong core and very quick in the legs. There you have it: the perfect tennis player. Well almost: you have to be mentally tough which really means not being too tough on yourself so that your unconscious can be allowed to function. It’s amazing when you trust yourself—your racquet will too.

For working out I recommend doing it every day for at least forty minutes. Take Sunday off: go for a swim, miniature golf, golf (a great way to spoil a good walk), hike, drink lemonade and read the newspaper. Treat yourself to fun rest on that day.

Workout for three sets of 10-12 reps that challenge you and move up in weight when it gets too comfortable.

Upper Body

Dumbbell bench press: push upward with weights, pronate wrists outward, weights touch. You are lying on your back on the bench.

Dumbbell shoulder press: you can stand or be seated, push weights above head and then return to shoulder level. Exhale when pushing up. Inhale when returning.

Dumbbell shoulder pullover-to strengthen serve: lay down on bench, the weights are extended back behind your head, even with shoulders. Lift them up above your chest and then return to parallel to body. Careful no to lift too much weight.

Medicine ball forehand and backhand twist: rotation on right and left side of body with medicine ball.

Triceps extension: pushing down from a standing position, lift up to chin, then, push arms down straight, keep good balance, isolate your arms in this exercise.

Biceps curl: hold for a brief moment at the top of curl and release slowly down. You can stand or be seated.

Band exercise—row, overhead, 45 degree angle: take a stretchy band and extend arms above your head, straight, then pull both arms out to shoulder level, keep elbows slightly bent.

Neutral stance/open stance with weight: swing with a light weight. This works trunk rotation for both forehand and backhand. Swing your form of a tennis swing with the weight in your hand. You can also do this with a medicine ball with two hands. Use tennis footwork as you do it. Include the serve, volleys, return of serve, and overheads in your workout.

Reverse hyperextension: lay down on stability ball on a bench, facing down, grab bench with arms, and lift legs up to level with back and then lower.

Wrist curl: forearms facing up on top of legs. You can use a barbell.

 

Lower Body

Front Lunge: One leg out, bend to ninety degrees and push back. You can do this exercise with dumbbells in your hands, with your hands down by your sides. Keep knee from going past your toes.

Side Lunge: Same, but more out to side. Keep both feet facing forward during these lunges and your back straight. You can lunge "around the clock" with your legs as long as you keep bot toes forward and back straight. Add dumbbells for more challenge.

Single Leg Lunge: face a high placed barbell, set a small bench behind you, place the top of one foot on the bench, then, grasp the barbell and place behind head on shoulders, then, do knee bends on one leg. After that repeat the routine on the other leg. Don't let the knee go past ninety degrees on the bend.

Squat on Balance Pad: keep your balance. You can use a barbell for extra challenge. Do knee bends with the weight on your shoulders, while on the balance pad.
 

One-foot Balance on Balance Pad

Leg Extension: extending legs out (works quads) from seated position.

Leg Curl: Lay face down on machine, curl legs up to lift weight. Works Ham Strings.

Leg Press: pushing weight with legs while on back.

Jump Ups: Bend knees down and jump up as high as you can and lift arms to the sky as you do it. Helps vertical lift. You can do this with a medicine ball as well.

Calf Raise: lift heels up and stand on balls of feet and then release back down. You can do these with a medicine ball or dumbbells as well.

 

Agilities

Warm-up:

Sidestep side to side, front foot overs only side to side, back foot behind only side to side, dynamic stretches, shadow open stance forehand backhand swings with one foot step outs only, same with neutral stances (remember the cone drills we did), shadow serves, stretch lunges, shoulder band stretches, and you’re ready to go.

On a court start in the middle of the service box and for 30 seconds tap the singles sideline with your racquet and then the center service line as fast as you can. This will spike your heart. Record the result, rest 30 seconds and repeat two more times. It takes two and one half minutes but it burns. Try to improve your scores. It will show you if you are in shape. You should not go down in the third run if you are in shape.

 Another drill for thirty seconds is to start at the center of the baseline and run to the sideline….(three feet up the sideline; you are cutting down angle here) and swing over a marker (cone, ball, water bottle etc.) and then return to the middle. Do this as fast as you can. Rest for one minute and then try going the other way (backhand if you started on the forehand) and record that result. This will show you if you are quicker moving to the left, right or the same.

 For running (less is more). We need quick explosiveness. We play hard for a few seconds and then have fifteen seconds before starting the next point. Day one work for an easy run (not jog) for one minute and then run a little harder for a minute for twenty minutes not including the warm-up and stretch down. Day two run fast for 15 to 30 seconds and then rest for 15 to 30 seconds. Gauge your own body and how it feels. Day three run at a constant swift pace but doable for the entire journey. This type of running will best condition you for tennis.

 You design your own program:

It might look like this………..

Sunday: Special time off

Monday: Upper Body/ Court Agility

Tuesday: Run

Wednesday: Lower Body

Thursday: Run

Friday: Total Body/ Court Agility

Saturday: Run

 It doesn’t take much to make gains with fitness if you make it “short and sweet”

You’ll feel great and look good in the mirror. Play tennis when you can.

Coach Pease

Etcheberry Tennis Fitness Coach

 P.S. You tube search Etcheberry footwork drills and the other gym work if you’re not sure what exercises to do. Everything is right there on film. You don’t need an expensive gym to stay in shape. Heck all you really need is a couple of milk cartons filled with sand (small ones and big ones). I'll add more videos for you in the future.
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x20t9lSebh4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ03OKVjNE0
http://youtu.be/nqXf1Ee1_sQ
http://youtu.be/tXSHMEMvKqM
http://youtu.be/yka4o_BprTc
http://youtu.be/JtGXM9Br_pQ
http://youtu.be/n8zDHozYQgQ
http://youtu.be/ImmZfBtYvR0
http://youtu.be/qZAjSkF0ji4
http://youtu.be/8XpYZotVZOY




 

Tennis Playing Styles

There is the counter-puncher: the player who keeps balls in play with adequate pace bout does not over-power their opponent. They wait patiently for opportunities and win points by their attrition or by given opportunity. This is a cautious but opportunistic type of player. There is the retriever: a player who gets the ball back but doesn't supply much pace. They often add height to the ball with little spin. Other names for this player include, pusher, and moon-baller. Their lack of pace drives you crazy and if they are consistent and fast enough they can beat anyone, especially on clay or outside in the wind for their ball becomes a knuckleball that becomes difficult to time. Then there is the aggressive baseline, this player hammers the corners until he/she gets an opportunity and then hurts and finishes. The serve and volley specialist is someone who constantly rushes the net and puts quick pressure upon his/her opponent. Few players do this anymore but if done well it will blow people away.
  We all start off as counter punchers that develop our game styles based upon our speed, power, and natural talents. Game styles choose you rather then you selecting your game style. Success in competition with play selection develop the ultimate player. Develop a solid all-around game first and then specialize as needed to win your matches.

Tennis Equipment

 There is an art to the game of singles and it starts when you get ready for your match. It starts with all the off court training you do, your diet, rest, and equipment. It includes researching your opponent's game either in the warm-up or mentally before you step on the court. You should have a good idea of what you do well, what your opponent does well, and what gives you both a problem. You should have the right equipment to boot.
    Let's hit equipment first. I like to have five racquets of the same model and grip freshly strung and ready to go. Bill Tilden also had five. At first you might think--"hey, I don't use five racquets in a decade." Two should be of tighter tension, two of medium, and one of lower tension. If you break a string you still could be in trouble. Conditions change, people change, and racquet tensions change during a match. Broken strings are no big deal but broken tennis hearts are the worst. Don't let that be an obstacle. Get the equipment right. Hell, call me and I'll give you a deal on racquets. I can't believe how people will spend over $2,000 plus on tennis court time and memberships while at the same time be so cheap as to play with a racquet worth $40.00. That's nuts. Give up a few plays per year and get at least three decent sticks to use in battle. What about strings? If you swing big enough go with big banger (Savage has a great crisp feel). If you don't then go with Wilson NXT or Sensation. Try putting Big Banger in the mains (a little less tension) and then the NXT Max or regular in the crosses. It's that simple. I like 55lbs in the mains and 59 in the cross for hybrids with the BB in the main (allow 4-5 less with the mono filaments because of the stiffness. That's with small mid size performance frame. If you use big rackets then add a few pounds to your tension. What about shoes? Get shoes that fit. That's number one. How many? Two, one for each foot. Seriously, get three pair and rotate them just like racquets. Think about it. These are your racing tires. Don't play in beat shoes. It's just as bad as beat strings and racquets. It's not crisp and fresh and it "stinks." What about socks?  Socks--got to go with Thorlo. Those things will last for years. I have manged to wear out toes on those things but theirs not many people who've suffered that fate. After that I like to layer with Wilson socks--a thinner over sock which fill out the shoe. Shirts--if you play on the grass you're supposed to wear all white, if you're in your tennis club wear a comfortable shirt that doesn't scratch. Personally I like a thin cotton tee shirt or tech shirt (it drys quicker) And I like it to fit right--not like a tent or like a 1950's tight tee with a pack of cigarettes tucked in the sleeve. Logos, don't like them because I don't liked being branded.
 Over- Grips--go with the Wilson Pro Grip for a sticky feel unless your playing in the steaming heat (it gets slippery) in which case you should go with Tournagrip (the blue one that absorbs moisture). I've never used powder but I will if I ever need it. The under grips on most frames are great until you use them a few times. Get use to changing grips fast when needed. Flipping pro grips over will save you some coin and the underneath side provides a unique sandy feel which can be preferable when your sweating like a pig. The underside of Tournagrips are not as good as the top side (which is tough to tell when you take em out of the pack) but beats a worn top side hands down. There are a few people who still you gauze (sticky slippery mesh) who have played since the seventies. There's not many using this product anymore. It went out with BlueStar tennis strings.
  Rackets--There are so many out there. Your game demands you have the right one. I like the Wilson line. The Pro Staffs are great for feel and control while the new juices are powerful beyond belief. Light isn't always right because you have to generate more speed to get the same power. Heavier rackets provide easy power.

Beginning Forehands

 How do I get started? Let's go to the beginning. The game today uses a progression with balls that helps you develop the correct technique. If your you're a little one (age3-4) start with a foam ball. If you get hit in the face it won't traumatize you for the rest of your life. The rackets start at 19 inches and progress up to the standard adult sizes. These balls are fun to hit and are easy to control. The next ball up is the red ball. Use that in the mini courts designed by the USTA or just use the inside service box/ or one half service box using the alley. Then there is the orange ball for the ten and under players that use a 3/4 quarter court; then the green dot on that court, then the green dot on a full court, and then the regular court with regular yellow balls. I use the colored balls in my adult classes and have found that players develop better strokes with longer rallies which creates far more enjoyment. As the players improve I work expose them to higher level balls and they develop at a faster rate then the traditional yellow ball.
  The first thing you need to learn is how to rally (hit the ball back and forth over the net allowing one bounce). If you are right handed you will hit forehands on the right side of the body and backhands on the left. The right side (for a right handed player) is usually the easiest at first to learn. I like to have players start sideways to the net (left shoulder pointing to the net for the right handed). Put your left arm parallel to the net. This gets you turned and set. The right hand should be in front of the body (palm down). The tip of the racket is pointing to the back of the court. From there I would have you turn your body forward pulling the racket forward to the contact point (racket parallel to the net and square the ball to the strings). Your weight is shifting slightly forward, your hips have rotated square to the net, your left foot is a little to the left of the plane of the back right leg. This allows loading of the hips and angular rotation to occur. When beginning it's usually best to start the racket in the down position to get the low to high feel of the swing which produces topspin. After you develop the feel for that I would then add taking the racket back in a compact looping motion as for some this timing can be extremely difficult. Learn to walk before you run, right? Make sure you keep both hands out in front of your body. Self toss a ball out in front of yourself toward the net step a little with your left foot and bend that knee. As you turn into the ball rotate your hips foward and pass the racket to the contact point (waist high in front of your left knee). You should pull the racket so it lags behind the hand. Nick Bolletterri calls this "the slot." In April's TENNIS Macci did a nice job outlining the modern forehand. He calls this movement of lagging the head "the pull" and then when you finish out in front you "roll" the head to the left side of the body where the left hand hand and arm have rotated around to the left and corral or capture the racket into your left hand. Chuck Kriese in The Science of Coaching Tennis describes the shoulders as swinging from "Mike (the front shoulder) to Ike" (the back shoulder). In the neutral stance shot where you step forward I believe you should master keeping the back foot down for balance and control until such you master the basic mechanics. Then you can "go with the flow" as Ed Krass down at the College Tennis Academy in Tampa would say. When you swing comfortably the hips come around to square into a ready position.

Tennis Conditioning For High School and College Players

Order of priorty (Five S')

Sound Fundamentals
Strategy
Strength
Speed
Stamina

     Since these qualities are not mutually exclusive you can start working gradually in all departments of your game. Tailor your training to where you need the most work while still developing your strengths to higher levels. This will make you a better player starting today. The title of this post is conditioning so I will focus on strength, speed, and stamina related to the art of tennis.

     Strength training reduces injuries and improves performance if done correctly. I had the opportunity to train under the wing of Pat Etcheberry who is regarded as one of the founders of modern tennis conditioning. His passion and motivation to help players be the best is contageous.
If you follow this program you will have a stronger court presense and the physical skills necessary to play the game at a high level.

1. Start your workout with a warm-up. Do abs first--lower, obliques, and then upper.

    Ride the bike or jog as well if you wish. With any lifting do a few easy ones first.

    When done stretch down after your workout is finished. Work opposites: ab/lower back, bi/tri, quad/ham, chest/ lats.

    on the same day.This gives you maximum benefit. Reduce body fat if you have imbalances. Improve muscle development if you have imbalances. Inhale before you work exhale as you push the weight. 

2. Types of exercises:

    If you are not sure how to do an exercise ask the trainer for assistance or google it to see the form so you know what the heck you are doing.

    Chest (all interchangeable) 

   1 Barbell Bench Press

   1 Dumbell Bench Press

   1 Pushups

   2 Incline and Decline of Bench Presses

   2 Flyes

   3 Incline Flyes

   3 Cable Crossovers

   3 Dips

     

  Back (Lats)

  1 Lat Pull Downs

  1 Behind the Neck Pull downs

  1 Seated Cable Rows

  1 Pull-Ups

  2  Bent Over Barbell Rows

  2 Bent Over Dumbell Rows

  2 T-Bar Rows

  2  On-Arm Dumbell Rows

  Shoulders

1  Barbell Military Press

1  Dumbbell Military Press

1  Push Press Jerks

2  Front Raises

2 Lateral Raises

2 Bent-over lateral raises

2 Cable Lateral raises

3 Standing Flyes

3 Upright rows

4 Barbell Shrugs

4 Dumbbell Shrugs

5 Rotator Cuff Prone Postion

5 Rotator Cuff on side postition

Triceps

1 Triceps Push Downs

1 Triceps Pull Downs

1 Skull Crushers

1 Triceps Kickbacks

1 Bench Dips

2 Barbell Triceps Curls

2 Dumbbell Triceps Curls

2 One-Arm Triceps Extensions

Biceps/ Forearms Exercises

1 Barbell Curls

1 Dumbbell Curls

1 Preacher Curls

1 Incline Dumbbell Curls

1 Concentration Curls

2 Reverse Barbell Curls

2 Reverse Dumbbell Curls

2 Hammer Curls

3 Behind the Wrist Curls

3 Reverse Wrist Curls

Legs/ Interchangeable

1 Squats

1 Leg Press

1 Dead Lift

1 Leg Extensions

1 Leg Curls

2 Standing Calf Raises

2 Seated Calf Raises

2 Reverse Calf Raises

3 Jump Squats

3 Power Cleans

4 Power Steps

4 Lunges

*****Perfect your technique in the weight room. It's not how much you lift rather how you lift it and why!  You only have to do one exercise from each numbered group.

Muscles need 48 hours to recover from same exercise. Vary your exercises.  Use the X+ method.

When you can add three more reps to each set then go up in weight five pounds. Never MAX out. Estimate your max based on most you can do for 7 reps. Add a few pounds in your mind, that's your max. Maxing is not good for tennis. You need fluidity which is seldom talked about. I would never come close to a max. You should do three sets of each numbered exercise. Remember you should chose one number for that workout as more would be too much.

You need at least three days per week in the gym to make gains. You can go up to six but need more experience for that. Three sets of each exercise in general rule to follow. If you want buff go with four. Allow yourself about one hour for each workout except on the combined body day where you will need closer to one and one half hours.

Safety Tips

Use a spotter/ go with a friend

pick up weights when done

drink water

use good form

breath right

do not drop weights

dress correctly

remember what you're doing/ records

When you're in season two days per week will maintain what you've built.

Stability Ball Exercises (abs) and Medicine Ball exercises (great for trunk rotation and stroke strength and lunges) will develop your core strength and should be incorporated into your strength training Again--google the exercises and the form.

March should look like this--or what ever month you begin your strengthening. As you go into your season you should modify your workouts to fit your playing schedule so that you give yourself time to rebuild muscle. This is called tapering. Short sets with a few reps near the higher end of weight keeps you explosive. This entry did not include your on court practicing which should also follow a taper schedule.

Monday Gym

Wednesday Gym

Friday Gym

Saturday Gym/ Distance Run or Substitute a Full Match

Sunday Rest

  

Singles and Doubles / Serve and Return

Serve Strategy Singles

Deuce First Serves:

First Serves-Slice very wide middle of the box. This moves your opponent completely off the court. You now have many options with your next shot. They include hitting behind your opponent, hitting wide to the other side, angles, approaches, etc.

Now that you've set them up with this pitch then go flat down the "T" the next time you serve, or to the body. Slice can also be used on any of the above pitches.

Deuce Second Serves:

"Kick T" to the backhand, "topspin to the backhand," and "slice wide deep." Those would be my selections and in order of percentage but you may have to modify based upon opponent and your serving ability.

* If you plan to serve and volley going to the body or down the T reduces the angle of return.

Ad First Serves:

"Flat Wide, Flat Body, Flat T, Slice Body, Slice T." I would say flat wherever but this order would be percentage.

Ad Second Serves: "Kick Wide" is the best to get to the player out of court, followed by topspin wide, then slice to the body, and perhaps topspin or slice down the T.

Return of Serve

Deuce Court First:  return wide balls cross court, extra wide down the line because that is actually cross court by your outside the court positioning.

Return middle balls down the line for a "natural change of direction" which in effect is like a cross court for the body.

Ad Court First: 

Use the same format as above for wide, extra-wide, and middle balls.

Deuce and Ad Court Second Serves:

Use the same formula as for the first serve if your opponent has a challenging serve. If it is not as challenging then you may now hit the ball wherever you want based on your opponents best shots, your best shot, and how you want to set up the point.

Doubles Serves

Deuce First: Go extra wide and put the first volley down the middle or go down the T and volley wide or middle depending how your serve was returned. Use slice or flat for these serves

Ad First: Same as Deuce.

Deuce Second: "Kick T is best, then slice or topspin to the body." Avoid wide easy serves. They are the toughest to volley.

Ad Second: "Go Kick into the body or kick wide, then topspin body or slice to the body." Try to avoid hitting to your opponent's best return on the second serve.

Doubles Returns

First Serves

Deuce: wide goes cross court, middle goes through the middle but avoiding the net man.

Ad: wide goes cross court, middle goes through the middle but avoiding the net man.

*Adjust your back-swing shorter (hit through the ball, avoid putting too much work (spin) on the power line). Use your outside leg, drag the inside toe, and push off the outside leg as you move as you hit (dynamic movement) the ball and then finally the inside leg crosses over. This keeps your balance and uses your body to leverage the ball. There is no stepping into the ball here! This is a dynamic open legged shot that takes as much practice as serving.

Second Serves

Use the same strategy as above but it the serve is easier for you then you may 1) Increase your swing 2) Move closer 3) Go to the net after the return 4) run around your backhand and attack with your forehand 5) Chip and charge.

Returns in General ***********

Make sure you jump up in the air when your opponent hits the ball. It you don't you won't have a chance to get to the balls. Use the outside leg for power. Cross overs if needed. Adjust your swing and still follow-through all the way.

Mixed Doubles is a sport in it's own right. Is it televised? I think I saw it once for ten minutes. It's probably the least televised sport in the world, right next to archery. Lately we've had a resurrection of the sport in Falmouth. Not since the eighties has there been so many mixed doubles combinations hitting the courts. What is mixed doubles? It's when a man and women play doubles against the same combination. It's one of the few sports that place men and women on equal footing at least more equal the average pay scale for men and woman except at the US Open. You won't see a woman share a boxing match, a hockey game, or football game, etc., except at cookouts. Okay there are some exceptions in Alaska.

When I think of women's equality in tennis I think of Billy Jean King. Together we instructed a Domino's Pizza tennis clinic in Dedham and shared a  USTA high performance coaches certification in Chicago. In Domino's team matches players would switch in and out as in a basketball game. Today, on a professional level there is World Team Tennis which has has seen a rebirth from the seventies with teams like the Boston Lobsters and the Philadelphia Freedoms (enter Elton John). A colleague and former US Open Quarter Finalist named Bud Shultz is the coach for the Boston Lobsters. Bud still has a hell of a serve and volley.  The USTA now has mixed leagues where players play in leveled matches. In 1892 the first National Mixed Doubles was played at the Newport Casino in Rhode Island. That predated the first Wimbledon Mixed which was played in 1913. So you could make a case that the United States officially instituted the sport of mixed doubles. Mixed doubles is the classic Friday and Saturday sport of tennis clubs across the country.

I remember watching Eli Nastasi (one of the most talented shot-makers in the history of the game) and Gabriella Sabatina (turned model) play Ferdi Taygen (a Boston and Falmouth resident) and Barbara Potter (Potsy). Nastasi was the worst sport I've ever seen on the court but that's why people loved to watch him play. You'd never knew what he was going to do or say. Taygen, was ranked number in the world in Mixed doubles at the time. When he retired we would share a hit from time to time here at the Sports Center and he would unlock secrets of the game and recant a few tour stories. He never let Nastasi get to him.

Mr. Van Alan who founded the Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport recently passed away designed the "No-ad" or  the Van Alan Scoring System (Vass) scoring and tie-breaker which is used by many high school, college, and recreational players today as a means to keep matches on schedule and stop the non-ending deuce stalemates. We use Mr. Van Alan's no-ad in our our Friday night mixers which sometimes include, heaven forbid, two men against a man and a women or the other way around. In a mixer anything can happen and it usually does. If the match is even it doesn't matter who plays whom. You can't have a good match if it is uneven. Levels of the game are important.

There are certain rules of decorum for mixed doubles at the club level--a man shouldn't never try to take a woman out with a put-away, a woman can blast the guy and that is humorous, the man always serves first (this is to insure the team wins the first game), the woman's serve should be broken (strangely softer serves often present more difficulty for the men), it's okay for the man to to poach madly at the net and steal easy points, the man should claim most of the over-heads, the man must always be supportive to his partner and never yell at her; I suppose the converse is true but I've never really seen that happen, having a sense of humor makes things more fun (don't take it too seriously because that will only hurt your chances; you have to stay relaxed), and give your partner a kiss on the cheek at the end of the match regardless of how lousy either of you played because you must remain chivalrous at all costs. It's not okay for the man to ask the woman to sit down on the bench and let him finish the rest of the game by himself. If the woman is has a knee brace on and has had a hip replacement it's not okay to hit aces by her unless she has aced him several times.You must be more of a lady and more of a gentleman. After-all it's a gentleman's sport. It's okay to win but not win badly.


"What do you do if you're serving and have a match point against your grandmother?" This was a question asked to me by Adelaide Cummings, the phenomenal tennis legend and writer from West Falmouth.

"I don't know," I said. "What?"

"You ace-a," she said.

Here's another one she asked. "How many tennis balls fit in the service box?"

"I don't know."

"Six hundred and fifty, don't you think you could serve just one in?"

That is a great way to lighten the load after a double fault. You'd better read your audience first.

This weekend the Sports Center will be hosting a Mixed Doubles Tournament that begins Friday evening and ends Sunday with the finals. Late Saturday afternoon there will be a social mixer for all players in the tournament. Hopefully no Eli Nastasi's will show up. If they do we'll have to throw them into the penalty box  to the adulation of the locals.

Timing

What is timing? Timing is everything. With it you can counter the toughest shots, adjust to your opponent, conditions, develop new levels of the game, and play with confidence. Without it you miss-hit, lodge the ball in the middle of your racket, hack-nub winners, hack-nub errors, and eventually lose your confidence. Timing is the ability to stroke a ball over the net with your desired outcome consistently over time. It's effortless outcome management. It's how an eight year old can hold down a rally with an accomplished adult player and maintain equal shot quality despite strength differences.

Other terms that travel with timing include smoothness, consistency, easiness, and fluidity. They describe the qualities of good timing. Smoothness is the ability to have your body flow with a steady motion from the ready position,  the take away, loading, releasing, and finishing the shot. Consistency is the ability to repeat that motion over the course of a rally or point. Easiness and fluidity are required for good timing.

Many players have  basic swing patterns down but lack smoothness. The best way to fix that problem is hold the racket looser, like a bird--not so tight you kill it but don't let it go. In doing so you will allow your body to react in a kinetic chain (the sum of the body parts put together creates the optimum result). When you trust your racket it will trust you. That's when hitting gets fun. Another thing to look for is your preparation (the take back loading). This should be done in a continous manner with no sharp hitches (despite some hitches I've encountered some people can't play without them and they are critical for their timing). Most solid strikers do not possess hitching characteristics.

Players who catch the ball in the middle of their racket (at the throat) when swinging look around and wonder what happened to the ball. That's when I tell them it went to the Bermuda Triangle. When they finally discover it lodged in their racket we all have a good laugh. That's an example of bad timing. The good thing about that bad timing in this instance it teaches you to distance yourself from the ball. Rally practice will develop your timing to higher levels. Striking a ball repeatedly with better players or the ball machine will hone your strokes and  timing. Timing is something that's borrowed from your hitting partner. Better players will give you better timing. A coach can hit you balls to help you smooth out your swing and eliminate hitches and fundamental errors. That will improve timing. Give yourself time for those corrections on the practice court to show up in competition.

Old habits die hard but an old dog can learn to hunt if he's hungry.  If your shots aren't technically sound they're not going to produce desired outcomes. Play those shots with care. If you hack a ball over the net for a winner raise your hand or racket to your opponent in acknowledgement. They appreciate it and it sends a message that you're a sportsman.

Recently Rafa was playing in the finals of the Davis Cup representing Spain against Argentina. Jaun Martin Del Potro was his 6'5'' opponent, a big strong guy who hits with the old fashioned (like Federer) eastern forehand grip. His strokes were powerful fastballs delivered from both wings. Rafa has the timing and defensive skills to heavy topspin and placements form all over the court. It was just good enough to best Del Potro in the fourth set tie-breaker for the match. Del Potro who is making a come back from injury played extremely well and cried passionately after the loss in Seville amongst a rowdy Spanish crowd. He pounded balls from corner to corner without much margin over the net or inside the court. He had to blast past the Spaniard. Very difficult on red clay to put a ball away. Many times he did. Until it came to fourth set when Rafa stuck the sword into the bull.  If it had been played in Argentina on a hard court would the result have been different? Yes the result would have been different. Most probably Argentina would have set up a hard court allowing Del Potro's flatter ball to run through the court.  Argentina did not have the home court and Rafa would put Spain on top of Davis Cup for the second year in a row.

Del Potro took the ball early (close to the baseline) and pushed Raffa around. The trouble was Raffa was too fast to the ball and simply returned too many shots with margin and Del Potros risky but good timing was not enough that day. That was the only timing he had to beat Raffa and he did the best he could. 2012 will be an interesting year with this guy back in the line-up on the ATP.

There was an example of different timing styles--one who hits heavy spin and sometimes flat and the other who hits very flat all the time.  One plays close to the line and takes things early while the other can play deep and send back enormous topspin balls that kick up into your shoulders or flatten it with tight spin when the ball is short.

How can you best develop timing? When you warm up start off easy. Hit balls that go slow and to your hitting partner. As your rallies develop pick up the pace gradually. When you have difficulty hitting a ten shot rally slow down and work at that level. This will give you great timing and you'll being training smart.

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