WOW ! What a game.

I really don't know what to say as I think I'm going through a writing slump, or have some sort of a block. Well whatever the case may be, my words won't do that game justice. To see us get down early and continue to fight back was awesome. You gotta love sports when you see a game like that one, to sit and watch both teams fight and play at such a high level. It was pure artistry that wasn't compromised by many penalties or mistakes. We were grinding from the beginning. Did you see Bobby Ryan, a Cherry Hill boy, introduce a few Canadians to the boards.

I was on the edge of my seat as we pulled the goalie and got all those shots at the end of the game. Then I jumped up and yelled when we scored the goal with 24 seconds left to send the game into OT. I didn't know that in international competition they go to 4 on 4 during the OT. The Canadians skill and speed seemed a little more at that point, with less men and more room on the ice. The game still could have gone either way. I really hope you all got to see and enjoy the game. I will soon not forget it, it was inspiring. Our team should be proud of themselves. They gave us quite a show.

We'll get together on Thursday and follow the the exact same schedule as last Thursday, which was snowed out. We'll start off in the same classroom at 245. Please remember to bring your sneaks and sweats, put them on before the meeting. Newbies need to stay and i'll set up the Tree and start some teaching after we all do the workout with Mr White.

Modern Tennis Was First Played On Fresh Cut Grass

In 1874 Major Walter Clopton Wingfield introduced his fellow Brits to the game that was to become lawn tennis. What Bud Collins describes in the video clip as "modern tennis." Notice how Collins describes the first court in the the clip. Think of the shape of an old coke bottle. I've always thought this was funny, as Coke was surely invented and branded around the same time period in Atlanta, Georgia. Your parents will know that the shape of a Coke bottle is iconic, and as famous as its lettering that your familiar with. Maybe its a 'Victorian' time period thing, it seems like it.

He had the court layout & its necessities patented and called the game, "Sphairistike," a Greek word referring to an ancient ball game. He believed such "Greek" branding was going to appeal to educated friends like himself, as they would have the leisure time to play the game. The necessities came in a box containing a net and posts, four bats (latter called racquets), balls, a mallet and a line brush. Enjoy the video clip, and remember the French origins of tennis described in a previous post.

Two of the recommended tennis racquets available on ebay now

Remember both racquets can be built up 2 grip sizes. Know thy grip size.

Head liquidmetal 4 racquet racket 4 3/8 NEW! Current price: $29.99 End time: Feb-27-10 21:31:37 PST Prince O3 Hornet Hybrid 4 1/8 Midplus Tennis Racquet Current price: $9.99 Buy It Now price: $39.95 End time: Mar-05-10 11:01:34 PST

Rocky Is In All Of US

This was the clip I spoke of earlier, Rocky training in the Russian wilderness for his Christmas Day fight with the mighty Soviet champ Ivan Drago. The men you see chasing him are the KGB, who have to watch the American to make sure no spying is going on. This was the world I grew up in the 1980's. Russia and America in a fierce 'Cold War.' Watch the other clip too.

In it Sylvester Stallone describes two themes that are easy to see in all the Rocky movies. The character of an underdog and the heart of a competitor. Rocky clearly showed both to us, and that's why it is a great movie. We've all been underdogs at one time, be it sport or life.

How we react to such situations and deal with obstacles is a true measure of who we are. Its where the learning, thus the learning about ourselves really happens. Remember Coach Wooden's quote from the 'Pyramid of Success.' "Success is the peace of mind which is the direct result of self satisfaction in knowing that you made the effort in becoming the best of which YOU are capable."

Underdogs and heart, always make for a good story/movie. I love being the underdog, as we may be such in a few of our matches this year. There is more satisfaction, win or lose, that is possible as an underdog. Don't forget Rocky lost to Apollo Creed in the first movie, but we know that didn't matter.

Its how Rocky fought knowing that it was nearly impossible for him to win the fight. He had to re-prove something to himself. Which each one of us is always doing at many moments in our life. The final scene, and the end of the the fight, it was obvious to the viewer, even in defeat that Rocky had really won something more.

He had re-affirmed his heart and pride to himself and the viewer. His spirit and soul shown so bright at that moment. It could make you cry if you see it at the right time. I may have. "Where's Adrian," with the fight over and the ring flooding with people, is usually that moment.

I've seen the first Rocky to many times, and if you haven't then you should. Its quite inspirational. Stallone wrote this movie himself after watching Chuck Wepner go 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali, a true feat. The movie studios weren't going to let him, a no-name actor at the time, play Rocky in the movie. He fought like heck to force them to, doing it at essentially minimum wage for a lead actor.

In the second clip you'll see Rocky running in Independence Mall and South Philly with crowds of people following him. These are both classic scenes from the first Rocky. Many a coach has had their teams, professional and amateur, get together to watch Rocky for inspiration before a big contest. This type of story is ever-present in our sports landscape, and this movie is the all time best representation of it ... i.e. Hoosiers, Miracle and The Natural.

We'll all be witness to another chapter of that same story on Sunday late afternoon(3pm), as we watch the underdog Americans take on the Canadians in ice hockey for the Gold Medal. It should be great live theater, as all competitors involved sense and react to the pressures of the moment. Who steps up and what will we see happen over 60 minutes of hockey at the highest level. So enjoy this game and get your homework done before it so you can really enjoy it.

Gross and Fine Motor Skills On The Tennis Court

This is a great clip defining two distinct motor skills and how they relate to tennis. He explains how you would switch back and forth between each skill during any given point on the tennis court. A terrific concept to get a feel for.

Enjoy your day off, a three day weekend, man you guys lucked out. Help mom and dad and shovel some snow, and feel those shoulder, arm, back and core muscles burn. Maybe do your neighbor's sidewalk too, cause such is a nice thing to do. AND its a good workout. Like Rocky 4, when Rock trains in Russia for the Ivan Drago fight, working out in the snow. Hey ! I just got an idea for a future blog entry. I'll find one of Rocky training in that harsh Russian winter, very appropriate for this winter.

FYI - History - The Origins of Tennis

The attached video is a 1 minute piece on the "Origins of Tennis." Its one part of many i'll show here on the blog this season. Tennis is a game that its historians believe was started as something like hand ball with a make shift net. It was a competition to a set number of points between two people.

Its believed that a tennis like game can be much documented and traced to France in the 13th century. Tennis had a sort of explosion of popularity within all walks of French life at the beginning of the 13th century. Tennis much like our baseball, wherein its exact time and place origins are still disputed. Germany, Spain and Italy have similar stories of tennis during the same time period, but their documentation only refers to nobility, religious types and the rich playing something like it. It lacks the other documented descriptions of the game that French historians have, which I'll note below.

French tennis participants would hit a make shift ball with their hands. The commoners played it on the streets in the same way. The monks played it in their monasteries. The monks latter got in much trouble because some played it too much. Which is where some of the documentation of its existence comes from, notes of the monks being scolded by there higher ups, for playing tennis and placing bets on their competition. The wealthy and titled played it in their complexes and castles.

The origins of the racquet are actually believed to be from this same time in France, as the well to do began to experiment with unique homemade gloves to hit the ball with instead of solely using their bare hands. This is an important point. The beginnings of glove usage, as an implement used by the player to help hit the ball better. With this fact, tennis historians agree that said place and time in France is where they have the most proof for the genesis of tennis. Remember this is not "Modern Tennis," but its roots which actually are what is referred to as "Real Tennis," and "Court Tennis."

I wish we had out workout and meeting today but the darn snow rears it ugly face again. So we'll try again next week. I'll tell you the exact day and time over the weekend. If you have any questions or issues, you all have my email. Please feel free to write and i'll be glad to help. Enjoy the video clip, as you'll also get a lesson on scoring. But remember newbies when you get to "40 - All," in a particular game, you then have to win two points in a row to win the game.

FYI - History - The Clown Prince Of Tennis

Mansour Bahrami, is seen here performing his hilarious tennis tricks/act for the crowd. His showmanship which he brings to the Senior Tennis Tour now, is much like what the Harlem Globetrotters bring to the basketball court. They both constantly travel around the world to promote their sport, and use tricks and humor to entertain. Mansour, a native of Iran, is one of the most unique professional tennis players of all time. He has carved out a much needed niche in tennis that is invaluable to promoting the sport and the Champions/Senior Tour.

The story of his journey to professional tennis is even more amazing. Mansour grew up dirt poor and was unable to afford a racket of his own. He had to fabricated tennis racquets with frying pans, dust pans and broom handles and played on make shift courts in the streets.

With these crazy racquets he invented, he discovered many tricks, that he'd then practice and perfected, along with his tennis game. He also noticed his fellow tennis playing friends would be highly entertained by his tennis tricks. Mastering these tricks certainly improved his hand-eye coordination. You'll see one where he serves with 6 balls in his hand.
Mansour wanted to play tennis, with real racquets on real court, but there were few tennis courts in Iran. It seemed a helpless battle, moreover young Mansour didn't give up and kept his dream alive by any means possible. The truth was he wasn't rich enough to play the sport at the tennis country clubs, inhabited by French expats and rich Iranians. After years hanging around a local tennis club, the members relented and allowed him to play. It was there, with a real tennis racquet, that he showed his high level of skill. His tennis career took off.

For a short time Mansour became a solid player on the men's tour and represented Iran in the Davis Cup (an all nations team tennis competition) Sadly this was the early 1980's in Iran, so after overcoming all those obstacles his progress was brought to an abrupt halt when the Islamic Revolution led to the banning of professional sport in Iran by their backwards thinking religious and political leaders. His dream of a professional tennis career seemed all but over. He still kept his dream alive, even being trapped with his family in Iran.

In 1988, things had settled down in Iran and many were seeking to leave, if they hadn't already. Mansour took his family and left for France. Working first as a tennis instructor in Paris. He tried to return to professional tennis, but it was at the ripe age of 33, a time when many pro tennis players are retiring. It didn't quite work out, he did play some doubles. But the direction of his life was about to change. At age 35 he was eligible for the Senior Tour/Outback Champions Tour. A new venue to play and promote the sport he loves, to a new audience.
Now in his 50's, still active on the Senior Tour, he battles against McEnroe, Sampras and Agassi. At each tour spot he performs his tricks and showmanship in separate exhibitions which pack the house. Usually with a top junior from the surrounding area, with the help of one of his fellow Senior Tour pros. What a story arc Mansour's life has. His story is proof that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. If your willing to give something up of yourself in the process. He gave an insane amount up.

I'll see all of you tomorrow for our meeting and our workout session. Those who are staying after wards for some teaching and introduction learning on the Tree, we'll be done by 4:45.
A couple of hilarious points against hall of famer Boris Becker, and an interview in German if anyone can translate. Watch how they slide on the clay.