Start The Season Working On Consistency - Control Your Mind And Body And You'll Control The Ball

I had Nick read this article to the team before practice on Friday. The article described Collingswood's tennis team prospects for the up coming season. In it Coach Topeka specifically talked about consistency and working on the little things during practice. He spoke to his boys about ball control and how it is unnecessary to over hit. He reminds his boys that they don't need to serve a 100mph. These are all things that I've had us work on since our beginning. I imagine all coaches are running their practices along the same lines. So take heed that you are doing pretty much the same practice as everyone else.

I now remind us for the hundredth time that we warm-up our serve at 70% power. I understand young men, heck probably all men of any age, love to serve the ball as hard as they can, from the first moment on court for the day. This will lead to shoulder problems. I see many trying this and I hope this article and now blog post will hit home my point.

The Inner Game of Tennis - A Chapter From The Most Read Tennis Book Of All Time

I want you all to read these 6 pages. The information seen here about the mental aspect of tennis will be invaluable to your success this season. In varying degrees, we all know how to hit a tennis ball with ease and success, when we don't feel the pressure of a match situation. The information below will help you feel the same thing you feel in practice, that can often be fleeting in matches. Ego, nerves and confidence can ride a roller coaster during any given match. Point by point concentration is a point I've touched on before. This clarifies that point anew.

You will learn how to gain a mental edge in your tennis game. You'll learn about the two selves. You'll hear about confidence and how to avoid losing streaks related to points, while grabbing winning streaks and not letting go. I've been waiting for the right moment to present this information to you and I think the time is now. This is the most read and printed tennis book of all time. I will ask for your reflections on Monday. Enough said, start reading now.

DOUBLE CLICK EACH PICTURE TWICE TO ENLARGE IT SO TO READ MOST EASILY

Remember The What & Why Of Our Anarobic & Aerobic Workout For Tennis - Clearly Reasoned By Dr Jack Gropell

We had a good practice today. I had to reel us in a few times, but I remind you with the videos below why we do what we do, without the ball. Remind yourselves where we finished last season by looking at the newspaper clipping here. This is the first time the boys team at PVI, your tennis team, finished the season ranked. To be the first to do anything for your school should be enough incentive to put a soild effort each day at practice. We have much to gain by working hard and always thinking of the bigger picture.

I know it isn't that fun to hit balls and run in the cold. Not everything we always do will be fun. I knew that and tamed some of our activities. We know if we arrive at the end of the season and what we think will happen doesn't, that won't be fun either. We have a simple and realistic goal. We won a playoff match last year, and our goal is to win two this year. If we win two playoff matches, we will play for a NJSIAA Sectional Title, the first in your school's history. We sit at a very reasonable 60/40 possibility of winning that match. Each moment from now until this match we can increase that percentage. We could also decrease that percentage with time wasting shenanigans. We are better than that, and its my job to hold us to a representative standard. Never forget, the harder you work, the luckier you get.

The All Important Service Toss

I found a cartoon book called 'Snoopy's Tennis Book," and thought I'd add it to the blog for a little variety. Please watch the short video on the service toss below. (2min) I took an excerpt from a previous post about the service toss. This is the only shot we control, and frequently when we are tightening up in a close match our toss will fail us, affected by nerves. See the form of Venus Williams in the picture above. She is holding those fingertips to the sky with the ball already released. Her chin is up and her eyes looking at the ball.

Notice the target dot in the video that he uses to practice the toss. Please hear where Brad recommends to start the toss and where to release the toss. Remember put a very little bit of pressure on the ball with the forefinger and thumb of your toss hand. Notice Brad holding his toss arm up after the release of the ball. See his eyes and head still held up after the release of the ball. Notice where he holds the tennis ball in his hand. It was great to find this new training aid product, on brad's "square hit" website.

When we all do this simplest task perfect, I am certain that you'll see how it can increase your service percentage, while giving you a certain piece of mind.

Head Still, Eyes On The Ball & Bend Your Knees.

Good practice today. These are two points which I have stressed before. I saw some today adhering to such and some not so much. These are two points that we all need to refresh as tennis season begins and we adjust to playing again. I have played the sport a long time and know that these two points are things I have to concern myself with after any layoff.



We need to remind our knees that the tennis season began.






We need to remind our head to stay still and keep our eyes on the ball
as the tennis season begins. See the 1 minute video for further explanation.

http://paulvitennis.blogspot.com/2010/02/head.html - original post link

'Friendship' and 'Team Spirit '

This is what I spoke of before our practice yesterday and on Friday. 'Friendship' and 'Team Spirit.' See the circled areas below. Read each and truly grasp their meaning. I expect these two descriptive definitions will continued to be followed by all members of the team. John Wooden's formula for team success, seen below, is what I have followed since day one with the team. His 'Pyramid of Success,' worked quite well at UCLA, so I think it'll work quite well here. It worked last year. 'Loyalty' will be the next talk. These three words and what they mean, go to the core of who I am as a person and how I approach coaching.

http://paulvitennis.blogspot.com/2010/06/video-essays-coach-wooden-pyramid-of.html

This is the blog post I wrote in June '10 which described his recent passing. and The post also includes a biography video of his amazing life. Three short videos.

Don't forget to scroll down and see yesterday's blog post if you hadn't already.




DOUBLE CLICK TO ENLARGE THE PICTURE TO BE ABLE TO SEE AND READ IT.

An answer about the forehand grip which was asked during practice today & some time appropiate Saturday evening jazz

We've had two good practices to kick off our season. So I begin the blog anew and describe what I think important for the beginning of our journey. A well conditioned athlete can cut down his risk of getting injured. When you get tired, you run a greater risk of getting injured.

The cardio conditioning, stretching and footwork is the foundation of our sport. The running helps our leg strength while enhancing our quickness and releasing more happy dopamine to the brain. The stretching helps our limbs to re-acclimate their tennis flexibility needs. We all worked with resistances bands today. If you have been to a PT and done some rehab you know what I am speaking of. We'll continue to use the bands throughout the season. A good idea here is three sets of 10 done slowly with a suffice range of motion.

I have always felt that paying attention to these three aspects is part and partial to why we haven't had any injuries in my three years with the team. I also feel that proper footwear, which I insist on you wearing, helps too. During practice today I noted our perfect injury record, so I am worried I may have jinxed us. I now feel we need the power of the entire team, acting as one, to negate my words.

See Jim Burns knocking on wood in the picture to the right. He did this during our playoff match with St Joe's Metuchen when one of our matches was turning in our favor. He observed the favorable turn and said, 'We have this in the bag." I was shocked what I just heard uttered, and being superstitious I then asked him to go to the nearest tree and knock on it. SO everybody please help me out and knock on wood right now.

See the eastern forehand grip description below. This was taken from the book 'Tennis," by Pancho Gonzales, my favorite tennis player. His bio video(Feb'10)was one of the my first blog posts.

http://paulvitennis.blogspot.com/2010/02/pancho-gonzales-tennis-history.html

I took about 10 pictures on that glorious day in Metuchen, but sadly I think I lost many of them during the recent tornado. We will continue to work hard each and everyday, wherein we can all experience the same success we had last year, and then some. "We will work on the little things to make the big thing happen." This idea is taken from John Wooden's Pyramid of Success which you can find on many blog posts here.

If I find the pictures I will post them. BUT KNOCK ON WOOD NOW. Our ability to avoid a jinx, is each and everyone of us knocking on WOOD, right after they read this!! If one person forgets, who knows what may happen next.

This picture and the circled area is the exact place on my hand where I turn the racquet down, from the serve grip to the eastern forehand grip, and up from the same forehand grip to the volley and overhead grip. We've noted this important movement in practice many times. Enjoy Dexter Gordon and the rest of your weekend.