At the beginner level, tennis is a very technical sport, but at the high performance level, technicals take a bit of a back seat, and movement leads the way. High performance tennis is considered to be one of the toughest sports in the world, due to the level of physical and mental fitness required. Unfortunately, too many people focus on the technical side of the game, as opposed to the physical. You can work on your technique all you want, but if you can't get to the right position, with the right footwork, and have the appropriate strength to accelerate, you'll have trouble succeeding. Clic ..read more

“The work starts at the bottom” Every tournament I go to, I look around to see if there are any other coaches, and unfortunately, a consistent theme is present. The lower the level of the tournament, the less coaches there are. The Level 1’s contain the most amount of coaches, and the Level 6’s & 7’s contain the least amount of coaches. In a way, it’s not surprising. The L1’s contain the best players in the country, the toughest competition, and the most amount of ranking points. The L6’s & 7’s contain the opposite. But the one thing people seem to forget, is that players don’t start a ..read more

Since before I began playing tennis 34 years ago, there’s been a huge debate in the tennis world about what stance coaches should have younger juniors use: open stance or closed stance. And it’s a great debate because each one has their clear advantages. The more traditional closed stance footwork is where you’re stepping in to the ball. It helps get your weight and momentum forward, creating a more effortless hit, with more power, and in the direction of your target. The modern open stance footwork is where you’re hitting with your feet more parallel to the baseline/net. Think of the athletic ..read more

When it comes to planning your training week, whether you’re playing a tournament on the upcoming weekend or not should always be taken into account. It will affect how much you practice, how much strength & conditioning you do, how many sets you play, how much time you spend on technical work, and how much time you spend drilling. If you manage it right, the player will be feeling confident, rested, and motivated leading into the tournament. If you manage it wrong, the player might be feeling tired and unconfident leading into the tournament. Each day might bring unexpected challenges lik ..read more

Growing up, one of the biggest inspirations I had each year was going to the Miami Open. Every March, my parents would take my brother and I to the tournament, and it was one of the most exciting times of the year. It was an opportunity to see the best players in the world, up close and in-person, learning and studying the best. We would marvel at how quiet Jonas Bjorkman’s feet were even though he never stopped moving. We would be amazed at how great Martini Hingis’ hands skills were to maneuver the ball around the court. We would be inspired by Agassi’s impeccable groundstrokes. And then jus ..read more

Because you can’t have at all.  You can’t always have a quiet and respectful environment, that also contains the best junior competitors in the world, while they’re going through puberty and their hormones are running wild. The best competitors live on the edge. They’re all in physically and emotionally, and considering that we’re dealing with kids, they’re all immature to some degree.  If they get upset, it’s going to be hard to always control it. If you can’t handle their emotional outbursts from time to time, you’ll have to reconsider the pathway your family is allowing your child ..read more

A tennis player spends approximately 80% of a match WALKING around. Not running and playing. Walking.  And when they’re walking, they’re thinking. Consciously or unconsciously, they’re thinking.  That thinking can either be a powerful tool, or a dangerous tool. The job of a tennis player is to obviously make it a powerful tool. A powerful tool that puts themselves in the best state of mind to perform well during the next point. When that point is done, they need to use the alone time wisely again, and prepare for the next point. And over and over it goes……until the match is done. The ..read more

Most families are stuck in a position where their child splits sets, they’re able to receive coaching, and they have no coach there. If you know me well, my thoughts are that the coach should be there. For most though, they’re not. So the parent is left as the de facto coach. What should they do? They’re not a coach, but here they are, with their child about to go into a nerve wrecking third set tiebreak (or regular set depending on the tournament), and are looking for guidance. Most parents put on their best coaching hat, and provide coaching advice such as play more aggressive, attack the ba ..read more

“A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t” - Jack Dempsey Michael Jordan. Tom Brady. Wayne Gretzky. Leo Messi. Lebron James. Steph Curry. Djokovic. Federer. Nadal. Phelps. Nolan Ryan. Tiger Woods. These are some of the greatest athletes of all time, and the most important thing they have in common is a “Champions Attitude.” Not a good attitude. Not a great attitude. A CHAMPIONS ATTITUDE. And there’s a big difference. It shows up when things are going against them. When they don’t feel well. When they’re hurt. When they’re tired, and when they’re facing adversity. They don’t back down. T ..read more

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Podcasts We have another special guest episode with Jonathan Stokke (full bio below) from the Baseline Intelligence podcast. If you haven't listened to the Baseline Intelligence podcast, and you're a tennis coach, parent, or player, you need to! Stokke has an incredible wealth of knowledge, from his experience as a junior and collegiate player, playing in the US Open, coaching in college tennis, and now a private coach with an amazing podcast. He's interviewed many incredible people like Paul Annacone, Brad Stine, Jessica Pegula, Gil Reyes, Lindsay Da ..read more