Francis Tiafoe and I Agree.

I’ve said for 20 years that tennis has a “tradition” problem. Making fans sit? Not letting anyone into the stadium except on changeovers? Give me one reason tennis needs more restrictions than basketball? One real reason? I can think of 2 words a fan cannot yell without ejection during a point: “Let!” And “Out!” and of course, obscenities. Beyond that I say make noise, get rowdy and bring tennis into the 21st Century. Francis Tiafoe is totally correct. This is something I believe John McEnroe and I also agree on. 

I’ve had times where I had to stand outside for 15-20 minutes while a good match took place inside that I’d paid over $100 to attend because walking into a 15,000 seat stadium (in the upper deck at Indian Wells Tennis Garden, the second largest tennis stadium in the world) would disturb players and other fans. Gimme a break! Poor little sensitive tennis players. If we allowed it the players would learn to focus the same way basketball players have learned to focus when shooting foul shots. And the fans? It’s no different than a movie theater. People will police themselves. If someone gets up too much, fans will get annoyed and speak out.

Now I’m speaking out. Let’s do away with all this “tradition” and let athletes who are paid millions of dollars learn to focus and let fans free of the imprisoning nature of tennis’ stuffy attitude toward movement.

See article below for more info on Tiafoe’s statement.

Article on Tiafoe’s opinion on how to bring more spectators to the greatest game in the world.

Stretching vs. Dynamic Warm-Up

Stretching is important. Very, very important, if you want to avoid injury and play better, more relaxed tennis. Tight muscles lead to nerves, which inhibit quality play under match pressure. There are two types of stretching:
Static & Dynamic.
Dynamic Stretching is movement-based, also known as, loosening up or warming-up before playing. Some examples are arm circles (shoulders), jumping jacks, light jogging, neck circles, wrist circles, knee bends, and various other stretches where you do not pause or hold in one place. I have a great battery of dynamic stretches for the legs, shoulders, arms, neck, and hips. I may not get to all of them, but I try to hit every major body part with at least 2-3 dynamic movements before going on the court. You should be especially aware of warming up joints and muscles where you have aches and are prone to injury. Do these stretches gently as they are not meant to be intense, but quite the opposite.
Static stretching is what we think of as more traditional stretches, like pulling your elbow behind your head, touching your toes, or pulling your arm across your chest in the crook of the other arm. You hold these stretches from 20 seconds to 2 minutes. They alleviate tightness and generally create greater flexibility in the stretcher. However, static stretching should only be done after you exercise, when muscles are warm and coming down from intense exertion. The ideal time is right after you finish playing. This prevents soreness and for me, it helps me sleep better as unstretched muscles ache more at night.
Ask any of our members who’ve had a major injury and they’ll tell you, stretching and strengthening is the key to staying injury free. For me, stretching is the top method and strengthening comes in second. So, right after you play, drop down and stretch your muscles for better tennis.

Gene’s Tennis Tip – February 2018

Doubles, the version of tennis most commonly played at the club level has a few basic strategy components that are decided before the match even starts. The main one is which side of the court (deuce or ad) the players on the same team will play on when the opposition serves. Many times this decision is last minute, with little or no thought given as the players say, “Well, I don’t care, I’ll play either,” followed by the other player repeating those words, then someone shrugging and taking the deuce side.

Basic rule: the stronger, more consistent backhand goes on the ad side and the stronger more consistent forehand on the deuce side. If one player is superior in both experience and skill, then typically, that player takes the ad side because the majority of game points (40-0, 40-30, & ad) occur on the ad side. Only one (40-15) game point occurs on the deuce side, so there’s less pressure on the deuce side for the weaker player. The player on the ad side needs to show consistence on the return of serve so that they make the opponents earn all game points with quality shots. Clear the net and keep the return cross-court.

 

The exception to these basic strategy rules is when a player is dead-set on playing one side. Let them play that side. It will keep your partner happy. Happy partners play better. If possible, be flexible about which side you play, as this will make it easy for you to play with different partners throughout your tennis life. Also, I recommend playing the side you like less sometimes for the practice, so long as you make your partner aware that you are not great at the deuce side, but would like to practice it if that’s okay with them. Most players (unless you are playing for money) are fine with this arrangement, especially at the club level. A good player placement strategy leads to happy doubles!

Sip ‘n Serve Tennis is Back for Winter session at Mcc!

Sip ‘n Serve Tennis is Back at the Marina City Club (4333 Admiralty Way, Marina del Rey, 90292) for the following dates:

 

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 9, 16, 30 & THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2017 ONLY!!!

 

Sip ‘n Serve will be held on court 1.  Cost is $25 per class or you can buy the series of 5 classes for $80.

 

Members of Mcc get the class for $15 / class or $50 for the series.

 

Class is 7-8:30pm with sippin’ to start at 8:45 in the Mcc Restaurant.

 

Come by and see friends, play tennis, and have a drink plus some chow.

 

Parking Note: Follow the yellow line to the guest parking on the first floor of the parking garage. Park there, exit the same way you entered, go to the left and up the stairs to court #1 which is on top of the parking. If the top level is full, you must drive to the bottom of the structure where there is lots more parking. Exit the stairwell and go up 1 ½ flights to the street. Turn right through the breezeway then right again and up the stairs just past shipping & receiving (where the bathrooms are) to court #1.

Gene’s Tip of the Month: October 2017

                Do you get annoyed when your friend asks to play tennis with you or “hit around”, but they are a 3.0 and you are a 4.0? What makes this scenario worse is when you can’t find another game with people at your level. Why not make a practice session out of it, without telling your friend? The secret is to first, limit your options. For example, decide that you are not going to lob or slice anything if those are your best shots. Instead, work on your topspin backhand and a flat, low forehand if those are shots you’ve always wanted to develop, but never work on in matches with players at your own level. Will you make more errors? Yes, almost certainly. Will you also get better at hitting those shots? Certainly. Will your friend be happy? Yes! If you really are considerably better, they will still be excited to play with you.

                Another way to get a solid tennis workout with a weaker opponent is to only hit to their strongest shot. Most players prefer the forehand. So, when playing with them, hit everything to their strength. It’s not a sound strategy for winning, but it will make the match more competitive. It also forces you to work on controlling the ball to a particular section of the court, the third most important mission every tennis player has. Limiting the area of the court you can use is one of the best ways to improve one’s game as evidenced by all the drills and practice games that require players to use only half the court. This also limits your ability to win through maneuvering. Instead you must outlast or “hit through” your opponent, which often times is the only way to defeat someone who moves well. This develops patience, one of the great attributes of any successful tennis player.

                There are dozens of ways to make a practice session with a weaker player exciting and challenging. Feel free to contact me for other suggestions for creating a challenging win-win. If you come up with other practice tricks in this situation feel free to post them to our Mcc Tennis Facebook page or email them to me at gdesrochers@seabreezemgmt.com.

Gene’s Tennis Tip Februrary 2017: Load-and-Transfer on the Volleys

Sure, everyone who plays a lot of tennis has heard these tried and true adages for volley form:  turn your shoulders and step into the ball.  These are vital to a good volley, however, something that I often see missed that is just as important as those two gems:  LOAD-AND-TRANSFER!

What do we mean by “load”?  Well, let’s use the forehand volley of a right-handed player as our example.  This player will want to turn her left shoulder toward the net and step into the ball with her left foot.  But what should the right foot be doing?  You guessed it:  LOADING.  In other words, before the step with the left foot, the player will want to transfer her weight and energy into her right foot and bend her knee slightly.  Then, as she steps, she will unleash the “loaded” energy from her right foot, up that leg, through her hip, and into the step she takes with her left foot (“TRANSFER”).  Timing this energy transfer to take place as the racket makes contact with the ball ensures that with a short stroke, bite can be imparted on the volley, creating a shot full of pizazz.  If no loading phase takes place and the player simply steps, then the player’s timing suffers.  The shot can be hit too early because all the weight has landed on the left foot too early, leaving no place for the player to go with her energy.  When this happens, control is lost and in many cases, the player takes a large swing in an effort to generate pace because that’s the only alternative left without the load-and-transfer.

So remember, practice loading on your non-stepping foot, then transferring your weight to the stepping foot as you make contact to keep your volley compact and give your shot the bite it so richly deserves!

Article on Tennis Balls

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/04/sports/tennis/which-tennis-ball-is-in-use-it-makes-a-difference.html?ref=tennis&_r=0

loved it!

Gene’s Tennis Tip July 2016: Tennis Tips from a high performance workshop at Mcc

Mcc played host to six tennis pros and USPTR Director of Development Brian Parkkonen for a weekend to train on the latest techniques and scientific developments in the game of tennis to get a Level 1 Certification to teach High Performance Tennis (focused on developing players for the Professional Tour and College tennis).  The course dealt with bio-mechanics, nutrition, mental and emotional development, tactics, strategy, and techniques to improve stroke production and footwork.  The certification included a written exam, a performance exam, and a testing portion to see that the coaches could run a high performance clinic or private lesson focused on match play.  The class touted the importance of working on particular aspects of the player’s development and having a purpose with each training session.  The five main areas that performance players concentrate on are:  1)Serve plus 1; 2)Return plus one; 3)Approaching the net; 4)Passing an approaching player; 5)Rallying from the baseline.
Recreational players can structure practice sessions in the same way, to focus on these major areas of match play.  Most everyone has a lot of practice with baseline rallies (#5), but the other four are often neglected by club and rec players.  A good game to play is works on #1 (Serve +1) and #2 (Return +1).  Here’s how it works:  Player A (server) serves to Player B (returner).  If the returner gets his return of serve in the court and then gets a second shot in the court, he wins a point.  If the returner does not put two shots in play, the server wins a point.  That’s not it!  If the returner gets two shots in the court, he now has one point, however, the point is NOT OVER.  From there, they play out the point.  If the server wins the point, then each player has earned one point and the score is 1-1.  If the returner gets two balls in the court, then wins the point after that, he gets two points and the score is 2-0.  Play this game to eleven or fifteen points with one player serving the whole time, then switch roles and play another game with the other player serving the second game.  This evens out the advantage the server has and makes each player focus on getting the first and second shots in play.  It also makes the server work harder to hit good serves because that is the only way for him to get ahead-make the returner miss.
This game is one example of return plus one and serve plus one focused practice.  This type of practice prepares you for match play, not just aimlessly rallying and because so much of tennis is about the serve and return of serve, it will give you reps on these vital strokes that rallying or even regular match play cannot duplicate.  See you on the courts!

Gene’s Tennis Tip April 2016: Crushing short balls to victory

Are you running into problems with unforced errors on shots that seem easy?  First off, eliminate the word “easy” from your vocabulary when it comes to tennis shots.  There are no easy shots and you should treat every shot with the respect it deserves by moving your feet A LOT, preparing the racket early, and watching the ball like it’s the best show on television.  One of my favorite drills to work on dealing with slower balls is to get out with your pro or another player with like intentions, and agree to help each other out by running this scenario:  You serve first on the deuce side, then the ad side.  The receiver (your partner) floats the ball back short and high (don’t you hate those!?).  You (server) come forward and work on putting that ball away by hitting it as hard as you can into the open court.  Play out the point from there.  You serve from the deuce side until the server wins five points, then serve on the ad side until the server wins five points, then trade positions and let your partner serve and do the same thing.  Of course, the ideal scenario is to win five points in a row, but in reality this rarely happens.  The returner should work on her defensive play by guessing (running to one side or the other) right as the server is about to put the ball away.  This puts pressure on the server and helps with anticipation.  After doing this twenty times, you should start putting the ball away pretty regularly.  If not, you need to visit a pro and work on your technique.  Do not hit drop shots!  You are working on power and placement here.  If you over-hit, don’t worry, you should be trying to hit harder than is comfortable and this is to be expected as pushing your limits is how you improve.  Good luck and good crushing!

 

Gene’s Tennis Tip: March 2016

Shadow Swing Backhand

People who play tennis for years sometimes lose sight of a simple, but fundamental truth about tennis: it is a SPORT WITH A MOVING BALL.  Yes, I know, you are saying, “Thank you, Captain Obvious.”  But, for beginners and those looking to improve, it is a good idea to keep this in mind.  Work on basic fundamental aspects of hand-eye coordination and athleticism, like catching.  What you are doing every time you hit a tennis ball is using the palm of your hand to control the racket which “catches” the ball and throws it back to the other side.  If you are having difficulty controlling or making good contact with the ball, I recommend going out with your kids or other players and playing catch.  Work on catching the ball with one or two hands on the side of your body, in the same spot as you would make contact with a tennis ball.  Think of yourself as a wide-receiver in football.  They are trained to catch the ball with their hands, not their bodies.  Do not use your body to “trap” the ball.  Catch it with your hand or hands only.

Another thing to practice is movement to the ball.  A great way to get better at movement is to do shadow movement and shadow swings.  In fact, this exercise can be done as an excellent warm up before you play a match.

Shadow Swing Forehand

Place 2 balls on the court, one on the forehand side and one on the backhand side.  Start in the middle of the court, then take a split step.  Now, pivot your feet and hips and turn your shoulders.  Then, take your racket ALL THE WAY BACK, move to the ball, and swing over the ball that you placed on the ground as if you are hitting it.  After following through, push off your outside foot and shuffle back to the middle of the court, making sure your toes are pointed at the net so you can move in any direction your opponent hits the ball.  Repeat this pattern for both the forehand side and backhand side 10-40 times per side, depending on how serious you want to be about improving your movement.

 

Set-up for shadow swing warm-up.