A brutal game that teaches core values

Let's talk about the dark side of tennis .


For the spectator or recreational player, looking from the outside in, a tennis match appears to be a calm battle of skills. For the players involved, it's quite mentally and physically brutal. Not convinced ?


Read 4 quotes below, that confirm the barbaric nature of this game.

"Winning is about taking your opponent's heart out and squeezing it until all the blood has come out, even the very last drop. There are no prizes for a funny loser".
-Pete Sampras

"Tennis is not a gentle game. Psychologically , it is vicious. That people are only just beginning to come to terms with this fact illustrates how big a con trick has been perpetuated on the non playing tennis public
-McEnroe "A rage to perfection".

"Tennis is a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of tranquility"
-Billie Jean King

"People don't seem to understand that it's a damn war out there."
-Jimmy Conners

Are you convinced yet ?

Those that continue enjoying this game, can receive value. At the recreational level, there are calorie burning benefits, plus it strengthens your heart & reduces heart disease (Cleveland Clinic study).At the competitive level, it is a life skill and core value builder .

Enough said . Here is what i'm talking about.

1) Courage : few other sports require kids to confront and question an opponent who is cheating.

2) Honesty: this is one of the only sports where you can call your opponents shots. Can you imagine a Little League batter , calling balls and strikes ?

3) Sportsmanship: since there can be cheating , situations can become uncomfortable . Kids get the opportunity to learn coping skills.  

4) Integrity: there is always the potential for "retaliatory bad calls" when there is cheating. This gives players the opportunity to do the right thing , despite their opponent's actions.

5) Commitment & Excellence:  becoming good , requires a lot of training,self discipline, and delayed gratification. You can't quit because you feel like it. You can't give less intensity because of a long day at school.

By teaching core values, tennis is a vehicle to become a better person. Winning is a big part of this game , but every loss can be a victory if you tune into the life lessons being offered.

This type of pain must be avoided

My son  Nicolas had his first tennis related cramp at 9 and a half in the summer of 2010. Luckly it was post match and happened in the car, on the way to his sister's match. It did take 3 hours of moaning , and plenty of bananas, salt and Gatorade, for him to completely recover.  He later confessed to spilling the water and being to shy to step off the court and refill his jug. I found that alarming since it was mid summer and 95 degrees out.

We had him drink more and thought he was cured , but  it happened again during an indoor match in January 2011. He had just won a hard opening match, then cramped up in his next round. After lots of howling on the couch , he was finally able to get up and leave after 2 hours of intense pain.

I started doing research and came across an electrolyte replacement , which works nicely:

http://lovingthebike.com/cycling-nurition/loving-the-bite-make-your-own-sports-drinks

He started drinking this before and during his matches, and was cramp free for most of the year. Then  the sectionals came in August 2011 . It was a hot and humid day and he was starting to get absentminded about his hydration, and eating habits . He's not a great eater, or drinker to begin with and needs constant encouragement.
Well, he cramped at the end of the first set, and had to be carried off the court. That was disappointing because this was his first major national level tournament.
He was fine after his usual post cramp time recovery routine, and even managed to win a couple of rounds in consolation.


Now we know a thing or two....
1) It was brought on by hot and humid weather, but could happen in the winter too.
2) Competing in several back to back matches would be a factor
3) poor eating and hydration habits
4) His playing style was to "push" and 20 ball rallies were common
5) Often he would play kids twice his size
6) genetics ( I had cramps during my career but not frequently)
7) his sister Mary ( age 9 1/2) eats and hydrates well and has no cramping


Armed with this background info I was able to structure a plan ....

His pre match diet consists of  potassium rich foods ,and dried apricots are his favorite.
http://www.algaecal.com/potassium-foods-list.html

Water was not enough (could lead to hyponatremia, in which you lose actually lose minerals).
Nick carries a large jug of our home made sports drink : http://lovingthebike.com/cycling-nurition/loving-the-bite-make-your-own-sports-drinks and has to drink 5 oz every 15 minutes. Sometimes I let him have Gatorade.

In August 2012 he made the zonal team for USTA New England. It was very hot and humid  up in Malvern Pa. He played 3 days straight back to back singles and doubles matches. On the fourth day after winning his doubles match, a cramp started and he had to default his singles match. We gave him salt tablets http://www.trisports.com/saltstick.html , and the cramping stopped within 20 minutes. On the 5th and last day he lost in the third set to a player of equal ability , but without any cramping.

Fortunately there was a trainer & nutritional speaker,  that gave on site presentation called  "hydration and post match restoration & recovery". He mentioned using chocolate milk as a post match recovery drink. My kids love it !


If you participate in high energy sports and are prone to cramping you have to be very diligent and stay on an anti cramping regimen. No fun being in pain !!

Here's an excellent article :

http://www.tennismadesimple.com/10 tips to help players succeed during the summer months.pdf

Do you need an all court game ?

  Both my kids are ranked in the 12 and under  USTA New England Division so I get to see a good amount of junior tennis competition. I'm not impressed with what I see : big forehand & backhand , marginal serving skills , no spin other than topspin, weakness in the front court area , no finesse ( brick hands), and poor skills at closing off the point. 

It all starts at the junior level. I've seen many matches in 12's where both players cannot hit the ball hard enough to win outright . The only tools being used are shot tolerance ( how many shots it takes to make the opponent miss). loops and drives are used to create angles,  and get the opponent  out of position.  However no one can capitalize on these opportunities, and the match becomes an mental and physical endurance test. The serve is just a "put the ball in play" shot. Overheads are pretty neutral , with no pop

 Fast forward a couple of years and our two players are now in the 14's. They hit hard and do a lot of run around forehand. If there is a short ball they will come in and volley, but it is evident that this is not a natural strategy. The angles are created with ease. There is some hesitation but more opportunities to closed off with a swing volley from the mid court. Overheads have a bit more pop. There is rarely a slice, off pace shot or drop shot.

What I'm getting at here is that more tennis is being played from the back court with rarely more than a big forehand. One reason is the racquet technology , which has evolved to a point where , a passing shot  can generated with greater pace with a graphite racquet vs a wood one . That puts many of today's would be net players at a deficit right away.

Check out Nastase vs. Ashe -1972 US open final. Notice absolutely every point is won or lost at the net.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf4wrrpzdYc
I'm not suggesting you serve and volley every point , because that would be an impossibility in today's game.


Another reason for the continued success of the baseline generation , are the size and strength of today's players, and the tremendous topspin and power they generate off both sides. That makes these players more effective from the baseline rather than the net. It is hard to hit an offensive volley effectively, when the ball you're about to hit is spinning at 4000 rpm of topspin.

With so many two shot combo ( big serve & forehand) base liners around I still don't see the end of the all court player.  My favorite is Federer and I see many more like him on the way.

My kids have shot up in the rankings ever since I've worked on a more all court approach . I've set the foundation for an all court game , and I know this will help them be more successful.
 I suggest you do the same. Work on your net game so you can... creep into the net especially when you hurt your opponent. Then get up to the ball and finish off the point. You'll get lobbed a lot, especially if you are short, so make sure your overhead is in good shape. Throw a surprise serve and volley occasionally. Hit a moon ball looper and if your opponent let's it get up too high, or hits a short reply, creep into the net and finish off the point. Practice your touch shots ( angles and drop vollies). Throw in an occasional drop shot and come in behind it , daring your opponent to pass you on the run. Slice the ball in addition to hitting heavy topspin.  Practice your serve to specific targets , so your opponent has no choice but to set you up with a weak return.  

5 Strategy Tips you can't afford to miss

Have you been following the French Open? For the next few weeks this is the tournament to watch. It is the only major ( of the four) that is played on red clay. This means longer rallies and more strategic play . Power is not as effective here as on a hard court, since the ball bounces slower. Good clay court specialists, posses a combination of , endurance , patience and strategy.
Strategy ?? Oh that little ingredient is pretty important. You know why ?
Ever lose to a player with ugly strokes ? He didn't look as good as you, but strategically he was better.
It comes down to hitting every ball with a purpose. Here are my 5 quick strategy tips :

1) TRIM THE FAT
 Reduce your unforced errors. Hit hard enough to keep the ball in play, without over hitting. You win by hitting the ball in the court one more time than your opponent. Eliminate out balls by adding spin and aiming diagonally (you'll be aiming over the lowest part of the net , into the longest part of the court.

2)SPACE INVADER
Aim into opponent's open spaces. That will wear em down and make it hard to hit effectively on the run.

3) GEOMETRY 101
Try positioning yourself in the center of opponent's best 2 shots.
Aim more shots cross court (diagonal) , rather than down the line (straight) since the court is longer on the diagonal....plus the net is lower

4) USE YOUR WEAPON
Have you determined your strongest shot ? If it's the forehand then move around your backhand to hit more forehands. Are you a strong volley er? Then look for ever opportunity to get to the net. Do you have good cardio fitness ? If so, make your opponent hit a lot of ball.

5) IDENTIFY OPPONENT'S WEAKNESS
Below are some examples & what to do in each case
-Weak net game : give em a short ball and bring them to the net
-Weak forehand ( backhand): hit 75% of shots to that side.
-Uncomfortable with shoulder high balls (short person) : hit moon balls
-Hates to bend (tall person): hit low balls (slice)
-Slow or out of shape: hit angles or drop shots to run them around

Let me know if you find these helpful !

Playing in windy conditions ?

Playing with wind on the court is like traveling to a far away place. Those who know the laws, customs and traditions can quickly apply for and eventually enjoy full citizenship. Those who don't will have to settle for a student visa.

Here are a few tricks I've used to leverage the wind :

1) PLAYING WITH THE WIND 

-get your first serve in ( don't try and blast your 1st serve since the wind will compromise your first serve percentage). You don't want to be left with a second serve, on an important point or risk a double fault  ( due to a sudden wind gust)

-hit more topspin (helps keep the ball from sailing out)

-aim cross court (court is longer)

-come to net more often ( wind helps your approach shot & will slow your opponents passing shot , giving you extra time to react.

-if you have a kick ( heavy topspin serve ) use it to serve to your opponents backhand . The wind will amplify the height of the bounce.

-when lobbing a net player, aim your lob high inside the service box . The wind will carry your lob deeper. 

2) PLAYING AGAINST THE WIND

-hit flat to penetrate deeper into the court

-use drop shots ( even a bad drop shot can become difficult to return)

-lob into the wind ( the wind helps prevent your lob from going out , and makes an overhead more challenging for your opponent)

-use a looser strung racket to compensate for ball wind resistance

3) PLAYING WITH A CROSS WIND

-aim into the crosswind so the ball will be blown back into the court

 Hope you like these tips  ! Please sign up for my blog.

Cooling down a hot opponent

Has anyone been watching the great matches this past week at Indian Wells , Ca ? It is a masters tournament, called the  BNP Paribas Open (previously the Pacific Life Open). Just saw , my man Federer come from behind and win a 3 setter .

Have you ever been on the receiving end of an opponent that's firing on all cylinders ? They hit lines, winners, and even out steady you. I definitely have.

My first instinct, was to try to raise my level of play. Most players think that way , but the problem is you started with your A game , and now you have to switch gears to a strategy that your 2nd or 3rd best at.
I've found that lowering your opponent's game is easier than raising yours. Obviously, your level of play will determine how many of these "game lowering" strategies you can implement.

Start with identifying your opponent's weakness (backhand, high forehand, volleys,overheads)  and hitting the majority of your shots there.
Next you have to get the ball out of your opponent's strike zone ( which is between waist and shoulder). Make 'em hit above the shoulder by mastering the "moon ball" (hitting your opponent a steady diet of looping balls, gives fewer  attack opportunities and angles, and forces longer rallies). Hit slice (under spin) to keep the ball low. Making the ball bounce lower and slower will change the rhythm. Nobody likes to play against a junk artist and rhythm changer.
One final strategy is to make your opponent play from an uncomfortable court position. Most heavy hitters prefer to stay on the baseline. Bringing your opponent to net ( on your terms) by using a drop shot, forces him to beat you with from the net. Next time try these and let me know how it goes.

If you like sweets, read this...

I usually eat healthy. Many crave sweets (simple carbohydrate snacks) . I prefer nutrient dense foods like, salad, lean protein, nuts, sprouted wheat bread, and fruit. These foods make me feel , peppy, energized, mentally sharp, and emotionally calm.

 I'm not a nutrition Nazi, I swear.  Seeing sweets makes me want to indulge a little. Sometimes a lot. I'm a former  ice cream and chocolate consumer . 10-15 minutes of euphoria quickly turns into , irritability, anxiety , and low energy. Basically I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck ! Several glasses of cold water help to revive me. 

 How does sugar affect you ? If you process sugar better than I do, you’re lucky. The average American eats 152 lbs of added sugar ( not created by nature), a year. I know…it’s hard to avoid sugar totally since it’s in just about every processed food.

Eating too much sugar can affect your tennis game and your life. Simple sugars , found in white flour, candy, and soda do provide quick energy , but you do crash fast. Your energy level plummets, and sluggishness follows.

I’ve found eating complex sugars (whole grains, pasta, fruits) help maintain better energy level .
The USDA recommends 40 grams of added sugar or less per day.

Check out sugar content ( from fitsugar.com). Wow!! Might actually be able to stay within daily limits

Slice of chocolate cake 30 g

1 oz. Dagoba organic dark chocolate 12 g

1 chocolate chip cookie 7 g

6 Oreo cookies 20 g

1 Starbucks chocolate hazelnut biscotti 10 g

1 Krispy Kreme glazed donut 13

20 plain M&Ms 9 g

1/2 cup serving of vanilla ice cream 21 g

10 oz. Coffee with 1 packet of sugar 2.8 g

12 oz. Coca Cola 39 g

12 oz. ginger ale 32.4 g

12 oz. Sprite 38 g

Quick ways to evaluate sugar content:

*Sugar should be the 4^th listed ingredient , not the first. 

*Under the carbohydrate section, compare sugar grams (carbs from sugar)  to carbohydrate grams (carbs if there were no sugar added)  

Carbs should outnumber sugar carbs by at least 3 to 1.

HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup)

Found research that this yucky ingredient (found in most processed foods) actually leaves you hungry. That’s true and I can relate to this, so stay away !!!.

 No problem for me since it also makes me ill.

Davis Cup facts

Last weekend the first round of Davis Cup, 2012 was played. Basically, a country takes its top male pros and forms a team. 5 matches are played using 4 different players. There are 2 singles matches, a doubles match, and 2 reverse singles match (same players compete but swap singles opponents).

The Davis Cup started in 1900, and is now the world’s largest annual international team competition. This year's event takes place over 4 weekends (February 10-12 First Round, April 6–8 Quarterfinals, Sept 14–16 Semifinals, November 16–18  Final .130 nations entered in 2011.The World Group has the top 16 teams competing in knock out elimination.

The remaining teams are put into regional zone groups. Upon achieving good results, the lower teams can get future promotion into a higher Zone Group or The World Group. The US has won 32 titles and Australia 28. In 2011 Spain beat Argentina for the title. For many pros it is a national honor to play. They are financially compensated.

The world group has the following ranked teams:

1)  Spain 2) Serbia 3) Argentina 4) France 5) Czech Republic, 6) USA 7) Croatia, 8) Russia 9) Germany 10) Kazakhstan 11) Israel 12) Sweden 13) Italy, 14) Canada 15) Switzerland, 16) Austria.

Here is the draw: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Davis_Cup

After this weekend, Spain, Austria, France, USA, Czech Rep, Croatia, Serbia and Argentina,  all advanced to the quarterfinals ( played April 6th)

The US had a good 5-0 victory over Switzerland. Go USA!! They next face France in the quarterfinals, in April. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!!

Prepared to fail

Sorry for not posting in a while. This nasty 7 day head cold has got the best of me.

I want to address fear of failure.

Ever had an experience where you’ve trained for a particular “crisis” and you know what the “appropriate response” is?  

You’re not 100% confident using this “appropriate” tool, so you resort to the old familiar, “safe” way of handling things.

The “safe” way makes you feel comfortable & secure.  But , “safe” is not getting the successful results anymore.

As the “crisis” unfolds, you're coming in second. A last attempt at the “appropriate response” is made. Now it is just too late. The damage has already been done.

 Last week Nicolas my 10 year old, played a 2 hour "crisis" match.

Gabe his opponent had the same playing style as Nicolas. Ten to thirty moon ball rallies were the norm. Gabe won the first set 6-3 in this manner, it became clear that he was the better pusher.

 In the second set Nicolas out hit Gabe using consistency and angles to go up 5-0. Nicolas then gets less aggressive.  The whole match, he is unwilling to take  high moon balls out of the air, and finish the point at net, using his overhead & volleys.

We’ve gone over this particular “put away” script many times. Nicolas has used it successfully in other matches.

Gabe fights back to 5-5. Nicolas starts being more aggressive and after a few unlucky points, looses the game to go down 5-6. In the final game Nicolas is pounding the ball from the back, and Gabe is in the corner moon balling back. This unfolds point after point.  Nicolas makes attempts to be more aggressive but is unwilling to exercise his “put away” game and eventually looses 5-7.

In tennis and life the right decision will, take you out of your comfort zone. Fear of failure, prevents us from making that decision, even though we know in our head it is the right one. At least from a strategic point, there will be no regrets for the looser.

Worst anger management issue !

The 2012 Australian Open is coming to an end  and we are down to the finals. Last night I watched a spectacular quarterfinal match between Clisters (WTA #14) and Azarenka (WTA #3). It was a hard fought , all out physical and mental struggle. Azarenka finally prevailed in 3 sets. My man, Federer lost to Nadal in 4 sets in the semis. The time lag make it difficult to watch . Nadal will play the winner of the Murry –Djokovic match. Hope Murry can beat Djock !

Most professional tennis players, do play with class, sportsmanship, and composure. The losing player usually displays respect for oneself and “tennis” in general.

That was not the case with Baghdatis’ opening match against Warinka.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM02295xo88&feature=related

OMG , did he have to do all 4 racquets ? He wound up with a fine and still lost the match in 4 sets. Surprised he didn’t get defaulted.

I must confess, to having of few episodes but nothing close to a Baghdatis moment.

Back in my college tennis days, I threw my racquet into the fence, and it accidentally hit the post and cracked. .My 10 year old son Nick cracked one last month in similar fashion. He now has to work off the replacement cost. Those darn fence posts, they always ruin things….

Last summer, I flung my racquet over the fence and got it stuck in a tree.  No harm done thankfully.

Anger management is a handy skill. Timothy Galloway, author of the 1974 all time best selling mental tennis book, The Inner Game of Tennis,  advises counting to 10 slowly until the moment passes. Don’t know if it works but worth a try :).   

What's keep you from improving ?

Is there something in your way?

There are definitely more opportunities to develop today , than there were when I started …

You can get knowledge and connect online instantly with tennis experts all over the world, usually for free.

In most areas, there are plenty of free outdoor courts available.

If you network with the right people, you’ll find indoor court time is affordable…

There are excellent deals on equipment since the industry has become price competitive.

So make the time, and take advantage of what this great game has to offer.

Connect, reach out and commit. Make a plan and stick with it!

No one is responsible for your success but you!

Australian Open anyone ??

Last Sunday , the first major of  the year began….
Hard to imagine that in the not too distant past this event was referred as “ the little slam that could”….
Initially it was played on grass & dates back to 1905. It was originally called the Australasian Championships, and fluctuated between 5 Australian and 2 New Zealand cities. It wasn’t officially a major till 1925. In 1927 the name changed to the Australian Championships.
Back then, Australian grass courts were so popular, that thousands of them were scattered throughout the nation. Australia was a major tennis powerhouse, second only to the US. Three majors (Australian, US Open and Wimbledon) out of four were being played on grass.
 In 1968 it was finally coined the Australian Open, and a year later moved to a suburb of Melbourne called Kooyong.
By the 70’s hard courts began taking over grass, as primary surface. The Aussie tennis machine started declining. The era’s big names (Conners, Borg, McEnroe, Navratilova and Evert) avoided the tournament because of the remoteness, the inconvenient dates (around Christmas and New Year's Day), and the low prize money.
In 1988 an effort to revive the slam started. It was permanently moved to Flinders Park (later renamed Melbourne Park) .A new national tennis center facility was built. It features two stadium courts with sliding roofs (for extreme heat and rain).The tournament experienced a renaissance and top players and fans returned making it more popular than ever before.

The 2010 Australian Open achieving the highest ever single-day day/night attendance record for any Grand Slam tournament of 77,043 and an overall attendance of 653,860.

Current 2011 singles title holders are ATP: Novak  Djokovic , and WTA : Kim Clijsters.

To win this slam, one has to endure extreme heat and a weird “down under” schedule with plenty of night matches.

Pete Sampras famous tennis quotations

Today I took my book of tennis quotations and found a couple by Pete Sampras. This guy knows a thing or two about this game ...14 Grand Slams, 6 consecutive years & 286 weeks at no.1, 64 singles titles, 43 million in prize money.

YOU THINK he was competitive ?? Read on ...

Winning is about taking your opponents heart out and squeezing it until all the blood has come out, even the very last drop. There are no prizes for a funny loser.

 Pete Sampras

I don't know why, but I love the dog eat dog nature of tennis. It's real, it's brutal and there's no hiding place, it's like a one-on-one street fight. I love the intensity that comes with knowing you walk off the court a winner or loser. It's daunting but very exciting. There's no one to blame except yourself, no one cares who comes second.

 Pete Sampras

Part Three: Pro tour primer

Step 3-ATP World Tour

Trying to keep things short and simple....

In my last two posts we covered Futures (low or non ranked pros) and Challengers (middle ranked pros). Playing on the ATP World Tour is the benchmark for making it. Total prize money varies from $400K to over $6 Million.

The tournaments in order of importance are: 250s, 500s, Masters 1000s, Barclay's World Tour Finals and the 4 Grand Slams (Australian, French, Wimbledon & US Open). The overall ATP points for winners range from 250 to 2000.


The ATP Tour 250 is a series of 40 tournaments, played in North America, Europe, Asia, Middle East, Australia and New Zealand. Draw sizes are 32 for singles and 16 for doubles. The points awarded range from 12 points (1st round looser) to 250 (winner).

The 500s consist of 11 tournaments held in the North America, Asia, Europe, Middle East. Main draw Winner receives 500 points. Draws sizes vary from 32, 48 and 56 for singles and 16 and 24 for doubles.

The Masters Tour 1000 is made up of 9 tournaments:  Indian Wells, Miami, Monte- Carlo, Madrid, Rome, Canada, Cincinnati, Shanghai, Paris. Draws are 56 and 96 for singles and 24 for doubles. Winner gets 1000 points.The Barclay's World Tour Finals ( December)  features the top 8 players competing in a round robin format. Winner takes home 1500 points. A rank of 50 and up gets into main draw.  A rank of 150 and up gets into qualifying.
 Grand Slams, are the most important tournaments of the year for notoriety, prize money and points. Slams are 128 draw and offer highest number of points (2000 for the winner). The 4 grand slams are: Australian Open (Melbourne-late January), French Open (Paris-late May), Wimbledon (London-late June) and US Open (New York-late August). Pros need to be ranked 100 or better to get directly into a grand slam. To enter qualifying a ranking of around 250 or higher would be required.

Part Two: Pro tour primer

Step 1-Futures 

A recent statistic went something like this… “95% of all Futures players don’t make it to the top”. None the less, their hopes and dreams start here.  Winning loads of ATP points and a getting a world ranking is the driving force. The draw size for a $10,000 Futures is 32 Main Draw, 128 Qualifying Draw. In a $15,000 Futures, there is a 64 Qualifying Draw and 32 main draw. The top 8 qualify for main draw. Each main draw win receives ATP points. The venue is on 5 continents (40 countries). There were 477 men's and 459 women’s futures tournaments, in 2011. Competition is fierce and not much prize money is offered .

A standard 15K Pro Circuit Futures tournament such as one in The Costa Mesa, Ca awards the winner - $1,959 (27 ATP pts) , Runner Up - $1,350 (15 ATP pts) , Semifinalist - $720 (8 ATP pts), Quarter finalist - $435 (3 ATP points), Round of 16 (1 ATP pt) - $300, Round of 32 - $176.25 (0 ATP pts) .

Step 2 –Challenger Tour

For aspiring tennis professionals, this is the springboard to fame. An ATP ranking is required to get in . The higher ATP ranked players skip qualifying and are admitted directly into the main draw. Players ranked from 71 to 400 competed in 149 Challenger tournaments in 2011. Both the main and the qualifying draws have 32 players. Prize money ranges from $35,000 to $150,000. A winner can average 80-125 ATP pts, a finalist 29-45 ATP pts, a semifinalist 15-25 ATP pts, round of 16: 6-10 ATP pts.

ATP rankings are based on the previous 52 weeks of play. Earning 400 points would rank a player around the 100 spot. Earning 200 points obtains a rank near 200. With 100 points the ranking would be about 350, and 50 points generates a ranking of around 500.

Next post , is on the ATP World Tour

Part One: Pro tour primer

During a recent lesson, the subject of pro tennis came up. That brought back memories of my college tennis days and competing in Satellite tournaments (now called Futures). Just how tough is the road to a successful pro career ?

 Collegiate, national, or top sectional experience, is needed  for building the foundation. First you play qualifying events (called Futures), so you can get into the main draw and win a match. A main draw win, gives you that coveted ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) point. That gets you a top 1500 world ranking, and a chance to get into the next stage (Challenger Tour). A wild card (WC) is another way of landing into the main draw. These are awarded to up and coming players.

You’ll need seed money of $100,000/year for at least 3 years to cover living expenses and also business expenses ( travel , hotel, equipment, court & coaching fees). Those without means, sleep in vans or park benches (just kidding !). Sometimes there is free lodging. Well at least there’s money to be made. That wasn't always the case
In 1955 Tony Trabert (former World No. 1), received a $75 gift certificate for winning Wimbeldon. Current world no.1 Novak Djokovic got $1.4 million for his 2011 Wimbledon title. In 1960 former world no.1, Margaret Court, received an umbrella after winning the 1960 Australian Open. Kim Clisters, current world no.12, won $1.9 million for her 2011 Australian Open title.

In next post I’ll be covering the next level of tournaments: Futures & Challengers

Common beginner issues

This week was the start of winter session 2 . Shea, a 13 year old girl was the only beginner in my Saturday junior group. She just moved here from California. The though of a warm climate makes me jealous. But here we are, enjoying a January, 50° day , playing outdoor tennis in Southbury.  No snow in sight so far. How awesome is that!

Shea has a cheer leading and dance background, but little experience with ball sports. She needs work on her depth perception, ball spacing , and hand eye coordination. She has the potential to catch up. Just being honest here. There is usually hope for everyone in Shea's situation. Well, not exactly. Believe it or not I actually did have to tell one client, to quit. I know, I know, it is usually the client that fires the tennis pro. But this was the exception.

 Here are some general issues, and solutions. Remember this is only a basic beginner checklist.

1) Framing or completely missing . To avoid this, track the ball ( on the seams) with eyes, into center of racket. Pulling the head up off the ball can also cause this.

2) Hitting too high. This is a racket pitch control issue. To make the ball stay lower , keep the pitch of racket ( a.k.a racket face) level (parallel to the net) upon contact.

3) Hitting into the net. Usually cause by improper ( downward or level ) swing shape. The correct swing shape is low to high. Racket starts below your waist , finishes above your shoulder.

4) Hitting out of bounds. Result of hitting too hard, or too high. Hit softer, and aim diagonal ( court is longer diagonally) rather than straight. Also see (2).

5) Getting crowded by the ball.  To create more space, hit the ball without a bounce or back away from the ball .

By the end of the hour Shea was more comfortable and could sustain a basic mini rally. She started smiling & relaxing. Later I received a text from her mom that made my day : "Shea loved the tennis lessons and u! She said when class is over, she wants privates as well. Thanks 4 making her feel comfortable.... Yuppie, I'm relieved she liked the lesson . At this age you can't force kids into anything they don't want to do.

Where is the music ?

The 2012 January Tennismadesimple winter session is off to a good start.  .Wow !! I've filled my Sunday 8 am cardio tennis class for 5 weeks. Yes ...I'm good at convincing my clients to wake up early, for a high energy , calorie burning, music blasting tennis workout!
This class is in it's third year. Everything is going smoothly. Got lesson plans , footwork ladder, and the boombox...(it's no fun without this).  Being late is not an option so I leave plenty of prep time. My alarm clock rings , and I'm right on schedule. After loading my ball cart I'm off. Upon arrival, I realize the boombox was left home and there will be no music.
My clients were very understanding , but I know they really look forward to playing to the beat ....

It took me a long time to become a Cardio Tennis music lover. There were two issues that needed to be resolved. 1) Don't tennis players require silence to concentrate ? 2) How could I instruct with blasting music ?. After teaching my first music filled class (summer 2010), the opposite was true. It turns out everyone played a better,  more relaxed game. Plus, when I need to instruct out loud, the remote allows me to regulate the volume.The $500 Bose boombox was a great investment. The joy it brings,priceless !

Luckily, this post does have a happy ending. 15 minutes into the class, a women's boot camp was starting, next door. So we had music after all !

Music does work wonders for any workout activity.  It lifts you up, relaxes your blood vessels, lowers your blood pressure and releases endorphins & oxytocin. But don't just take my word for it .After some online research, here are my favorite quotes from the experts:

 1) Music can lower your perception of effort by as much as 10 percent by tricking your mind into feeling less fatigued during a workout and also encouraging positive thoughts (Karageorghi)

2). As the researchers wrote, when “the music was played faster, the participants chose to accept, and even prefer, a greater degree of effort.” (2010 British researchers study)

3) “Humans and song birds” are the only creatures “that automatically feel the beat” of a song.( Nina Kraus,  professor of neurobiology at Northwestern University in Illinois)

How to instantly evaluate your game

With every start of a new year, it is a good idea to take an inventory of your shots. A great way to do this is with the CPP formula.

*C stands for consistency. Ask yourself... how many shots in a row can you hit without making an error ?
*P stands for placement. Do you have the ability to place the ball consistently in certain areas of the court?
*The last P stands for power. Do you have an offensive shot that can hurt your opponent, when the opportunity arises ?

So the sequence is CPP, and you can't learn P before C. If you try to hit with too much power without first mastering consistency you lose :(.
If you have C (can hit it a million times down the middle short) you're at the mercy of your opponent.
That was the blueprint to evaluate your game . More on this later .

big THANKS and welcome everyone !!

 Hello everyone! 2011 was a great year. Met a lot of new and experienced players . Had many fun hours teaching Cardio tennis, and doing junior lessons. Felt we got a lot accomplished and saw lot's of improvement. Let's plan on continuing and making 2012 even better. Let's talk tennis, health and fitness and life issues. Yes, we're gonna talk about life here too ! Many thanks all my clients for your support . I couldn't have made it through 18 years of teaching without you . To those that I've never met , "welcome aboard" !