Hit the same/Mentally tougher

Tennis is such a fickle sport. You can “own” one opponent but never be able to beat half the players that opponent is able to beat. Why is that? Everyone always runs to look at the draw to try to evaluate players based on their results on paper, and say things like, “Oh well, this #125 must be good, he beat the #35 last week”, or say things like “I always beat that kid, how does he win all these matches and I don’t?” It happens in the pros too, just not as often because the best in the world are, well, the best. When the level is so high, and the players so established in their training, techniques and fitness levels from an early age, a lot of the times the outcome of the match is solely based on the mental state of being, physical preparation and those outdoor indoor conditions of the time of play. Sometimes player’s games just don’t match up well against one another, causing this great divide between being able to beat two players in the top hundred, or being in the top 10 and being able to beat everyone.


Look at this years Medibank International warm up tournament in Sydney, right before the Australian Open. We will take Serena for example, although cases might be abundant on both sides of the draw. Quarterfinals, Serena Williams vs. Caroline Wozniacki. Nobody bet on Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki to win the 09 Australian Open, many bet on Serena Williams, marking her clear favorite of that match. Of course Wozniacki is up and coming and Serena is a defending champion of many slams and a veteran of top rankings. Wozniacki could have beaten Serena, after all she had three match points to close out the match at 6-5 in the final set. Doesn’t mean Wozniacki played a lot worse, or can’t beat Serena, it just comes down to experience, nerves and those varying states of being. Serena ended up losing to Dementieva, who beat Safina to the trophy. Moving on to Australian Open. Where is Serena and where is Caroline Wozniacki? Wozniacki lost to Dokic 3^rd round and Serena is in the finals again. Perhaps the stage is bigger during Grandslams and not all the young players can compose themselves like the past champions, evidenced by the lack of underdog winners. It must be frustrating, knowing you can strike the ball no worse than today’s Slam winner, hold match points, but be unable to convert. Patience is a virtue, those who find themselves and beat their inner demons, come out on top in tennis. Because they all look good striking the ball.


So what is the punch line of this observation of juniors at the draw and close pro matches where the champions pull out the victory? More advice for kids! It is true; anything can happen in sports, so stay positive and don’t give up until the handshake. Seeing that someone can never beat a particular type of player may give away hints of what type of players they struggle against most. It’s good to be observant and strategical, it will teach you to think on the court. Playing a high seed at a big tournament probably does mean that they have a lot more match experience, but not necessarily wins. Work on your game, develop your strengths and learn how to play in all types of conditions against all types of players. No experience is a bad experience in sports as long as you learn from it. Most importantly train yourself to be mentally tough. If this observation means anything, it’s that if you hit enough balls, you will be good enough to play with the big shots. But to be a big shot, you’re going to have to be mentally tough and experienced.

Read Serena’s Interview from Australian Open on mental tennis:

http://tennisinfoblog.com/me-against-the-russians-serena-williams-australian-open-interview

To Retire, or not to retire?

Global warming, summer in Australia, fact is, the heat was overbearing this year. We watched the players struggle, and we were sad to see the several retirements amidst really great tennis. Jie Zheng retired against Kuznetsova after hurting her wrist on a fall. Victoria Azarenka retired due to dizziness and sickness in her match against Serena. And Novak Djokovic retired against Roddick. Notice, all three were visibly unwell.

Kids retire for the wrong reasons sometimes. Some hate to lose so much they convince themselves they are unable to go on and retire. Others are really unwell and hate to lose so much, the more positive ones, walk side to side in hope of a miracle until they lose 6-0 in 15 minutes. Retirement should be monitored in kids. Pros would never retire because there is so much on the line for them, but they also care enough about their health and their full year jobs, to retire if they really can’t go on. Kids need to find that balance. Got an injury mid match? Playing on it will only make it worse? Retire! You don’t want to develop problems when you have years ahead of beating up your body. Feeling sick, be rational, no one needs a hero, but sometimes it is better to play through it. Don’t feel sorry for yourself, and you will see a clearer picture. Losing badly? All of a sudden an old injury is seemingly aching when you keep missing those forehands long? Try to slow down and figure out why you are playing the way you are and how to win more of the points that you win. Don’t give up. Its only going to break your character and your mental training and you will never be able to play up to your potential.

Check out Djokovic's defensive remarks against players that accuse him of gamesmanship:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7853238.stm

Check out Federer's comments on Novak's retirement:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/7853693.stm

Check out Azarenka's retirement and what her opponent had to say:
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=3860412

"Me, Myself" and I

No, its not that movie with Jim Carrey featuring a whole 10 seconds of Anna Kournikova and no it is not the confession of a narcissist. It is news from the sports retail world. It is the name of Adidas's new ad campaign.

“The new Adidas philosophy of Me, Myself is inspiring to me because it shows women as individuals; that we are all athletes in our own right and that we all have things that we do differently whatever level of athlete we are,” said Ana Ivanovic about her new Adidas campaign that is going to be in print and broadcast. That campaign is called “Me, Myself’ and features text that explains the 30 minutes that athletes need to themselves to peak. "Ana, 30. Thirty minutes of 'me' time - it's what I need before I can meet my next challenge. Impossible is nothing." This sounds like a very good and inspiring campaign.

I really like the sound of this campaign. It’s a good example to kids, who often forget about what their 30 is all about. Unfortunately that can be a lot of things from brushing their teeth twice a day, to writing out flash cards for an exam, to stretching before and after practices. Taking away from this particular campaign, I think this will serve as a great reminder to kids particularly about their 30 mins of stretching before and after tennis. So many juniors skip this step because it is “boring”.

Newsflash, sports are about routine, at least in preparation. Unlike many truly routine sports like gymnastics and swimming, tennis at least is a game with many interesting nuances and unlimited time to turn things around, to ploy game plans and dissect opponents. But those opportunities don't come to those that don't take preparation seriously. Take some time to figure out your 30, Me, Myself.

If you have any questions regarding the charity, or how to donate tennis racquets, visit TennisRacquetsforKids.org

Barney, Big Bird, Polly Pocket, Tennis Coach

One of the hardest things in this world happens to be holding the attention of a 3-6 yr old. They are little bundles of energy and curiosity, and their minds tend to jump around and their thoughts scatter and they often forget what it is that they were doing a moment ago. A scary reminder of old people with memory problems. Nevertheless, accurate!

To grow good tennis players, kids simply have to start playing as kids, even better if they’re still toddlers. It takes millions of tennis balls and good coaching to lay the foundation right. A house with bad foundation crumbles, right? Sports aren’t any different. But a sport like tennis is pretty routine and mundane in some ways, and how on earth can it hold the interest of a little kid, repeating the same motions time after time, over and over again? Of course, there are group clinics for the Pee Wee class, where seven kids line up in a chaotic row and wait their turn to try to hit the occasional giant foam ball while a coach tries to fix their grip and show them the motion while keeping the other kids from turning their frames into weapons. Fun, yet not very productive. It is pretty important to take things into your own hands, parents…or take some private lessons, they will get more balls hit and more attention will go towards tennis, as in the actual fundamentals of the game. These kids are like little sponges, they just need to be constantly redirected and given correct things to imitate from day one.

Now, clearly, this can’t be a serious 30 min. – 1 hour lesson. Kids are not mature enough; they don’t have enough skills to try too many different things. Teaching little kids is like working on the cartoon network, if you want results. I can’t even begin to name the characters I have played to teach, I’ve dressed in neon colors and sang Barney songs with text like “bounce, hit”, pretended I was Spiderman for the little boys that had to hit the fireballs the basket spat back over the net, or played games like capture the money with various stages that granted a fake money reward for 3 shots hit correctly and over the net. This creative approach to coaching kids, may seem a little crazy from the side, but it is the most productive approach. It may drain the coach of energy, but it stimulates the kids to learn to do things correctly, it gets them used to routine and gets them to understand that hard work and productivity are rewarding, and fun! Not all kids are the same, not all kids like sports or show extreme athleticism at such a young age, and that has to be considered. There is an interesting understanding of the average American kid in Eastern Europe, and that is a kid who does fifteen things but not a single one well. Or there is the opposite understanding that Eastern European kids live out the one single dream of their parents with no back up what so ever, be it school, violin, or swimming. For some kids its worth to wait longer and find out what they are most inclined to be better at. For other kids it’s important to direct them early on so they develop the skills they need to be great. Both are a risk. Ultimately both develop children in a positive way.

So parents, if you’re thinking about raising tennis players, serious ones, here are some tips.

Spend time with kids yourselves; no one will make them understand how to work productively like you can.

Find a good coach who will focus on setting the right grips and technique off the bat. Poor technique is the hardest thing to fix.

Invest money in private lessons; your kids will improve faster.

Have them play often. It doesn’t have to be a lot while they are little, but often.

Work with your kids off the court by developing their eye hand coordination. Have them bounce tennis balls on their racquets and do some running, catching and throwing ball drills. Clearly, tennis is not ballet, but stretching your kids when they’re still little, will help their muscles become more flexible and athletic to handle the excess of exercise later on.

Don’t be afraid to get creative. The world is changing and our kids respond to a lot of things at a faster and more colorful rate. It takes more of everything to stimulate them, but kids will always be kids, make it a game and they will respond and learn faster than by force. Don’t burn them out.

Do not forget that kids are your greatest investment in life. Don’t be afraid to have them do something seriously from an early age. Especially sports. Athletic careers aren’t long lasting, thus they simply have to start early.

Support your kids, but don’t succumb to their every whimsical protest against taking something seriously. What they pick up at their most critical learning stages will stay with them for life.

If you have any questions regarding the charity, or how to donate tennis racquets, visit TennisRacquetsforKids.org

The Australian Open 2009

Our new year is in progress, as well as our very first Grand Slam. Don't forget to watch the coverage on Espn2 throughout most of the morning, evening and night, as well as visit the official website for up to date scoring, draws and interviews.

Any guesses? It is a race to the number 1 spot for several players on both sides of the draw. Plenty of inspiration to give it their best as well as a hefty monetary reward and an eternal engraving on a trophy. Hopefully a beautiful semi final of Murray/Djokovic, Murray/Federer or Nadal/Djokovic, Nadal/Federer. On the women's side, my bet is with a Serena Williams/Jankovic final as I am pretty sure they want to add this to their resume pretty badly.

A Moment in History

The 2009 Inauguration was disputably the most moving political event of a grand scale in a while. It was clearly a historical moment that was one of a kind and one for the books. I think in this time of difficulty that America is facing, having this overwhelming feeling of patriotism, change and hope is the only way to move forward. Of course, some people may not see it that way, as politics are divided. However, the outcome is ultimately inescapable and everyone needs to be on the same page more now than in a while. A lot of people criticized the expense of the event we watched just yesterday, but it simply couldnt have been done in a simpler way. Despite its cost, the event had to be rich and beautiful and elegant, because it marked a new era in history, it stood for a lot of different things to a lot of different people and it had to be noticed. It screamed greatness, change and hope. In our world of tennis, there are also heroes of the day. Tennis is as much a part of life where it concerns questions of gender, race, nationality, patriotism. In many ways, American tennis has been elevated to unprecedented heights by the Williams sisters and here is what they had to say about this great moment in history.

Source: Tennisinfoblog.com

Q. Big night back home for Americans with the inauguration. Can I ask you what that means to you? Also, early hours of the morning tomorrow. Will you try and wake up and watch it?

SERENA WILLIAMS: This is an amazing moment for American history. Even yesterday, the United States being Martin Luther King’s birthday. To have his birthday and Obama’s presidency fall so close to each other. This morning I was watching on the TV before I went out to play. I looked at my arm, and I literally had chill bumps.

I’m a big fan of African American history, learning my roots so I can be a better person. You just look at all the things that we’ve come through. Now to have this opportunity in less than 24 hours is amazing.

I don’t know, I’ll probably record it. I need my rest for this tournament. But it’s definitely something that I probably will look at.

Q. Is it inspiring for you and your sister? Do you feel in some ways yourself and Venus have done in a sporting sense what Obama has done in a political sense?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I definitely think myself and Venus has opened up a lot of doors, being the first African Americans to do so much in tennis. But I never really look at that. I just look at trying to stay focused.

At the end of my career, I always thought I would go back and kind of dwell on that, because I don’t want to get complacent and be like, Oh, I did this, I did that. It can become easy to become complacent with nine Grand Slams and counting (laughter).

Also: tune into a video conference with the William's sisters provided by Espn.go.com

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=3846053

The KEY to a great two handed backhand...

The two handed backhand is a pretty compact shot that doesn’t require a huge backswing, or differs greatly in technique among too many players, but is often the weaker shot in comparison to the forehand (which is hit solely with the dominant hand). Why is that? Perhaps, the dominant hand is often the very problem.

The key really is simple. You have to hit tons of shots with your non dominant hand in order to develop a world class backhand. It is a misunderstanding to some point to think of a one handed backhand and a two handed backhand as the same stroke. One handed backhanders have a much larger and looser motion and use a lot more of their core and dominant arm to create spin and power. The best two-handers in the world barely use their dominant arm to create spin and power on their backhands. We completely overuse our dominant hand in tennis, with forehands, slices, volleys, serves and overheads all being hit with one arm. For those of us whose non dominant hand is underdeveloped, the tendency is to mostly use our dominant hand on the backhand as well, when in reality, the non dominant hand should be the main guiding force.

How do we develop our non dominant hand? Like everything else, we hit many more tennis balls and we practice it. You can get fed baskets of balls to the backhand side where you use the same grip, prepare with both hands, but hit the ball with your non dominant hand. You can also, incorporate it into your daily warm up, starting with mini tennis all the way to the baseline, alternating between two handed backhands and (lefty) forehands if you’re a righty (vice versa for lefties). This will ensure that you get a better feel for the ball and the wrist action necessary for your non dominant arm/hand in the complete stroke. Practice hitting both angles, through the court and lobs to feel the variety. Now, tennis players know that nothing happens overnight. This is really something that should be taught from an early age on and blended into a daily routine. Practice makes perfect and this really (REALLY!) helps!

If you have any questions regarding the charity, or how to donate tennis racquets, visit TennisRacquetsforKids.org