For many players, the game of tennis is a passionate road trip through years of personal triumphs and failures. Whether it’s to achieve athletic greatness or simply to socialize and escape a hectic lifestyle, it's a way to promote better health. Although playing tennis is not a cure-all from health problems, it definitely sets the stage…

Don’t bother spending a lot of money on gym memberships or fancy workout machines. One of the best pieces of exercise equipment is staring back at you when you look in the mirror. It’s not only free, it’s something that you already have. Without any added weight, your body can provide all the resistance needed for a functional strength-training workout. It’s also…

Have you ever been nervous enough to worry about an upcoming match? Have you ever been so nervous that the game seemed more difficult than it does when you practice? One way to improve your performance when your mind seems to be full of worry is simply to “relax”. You don’t want to relax your mind, just the muscles in your body. You will find that most of your worries will stop once your body…

One of the most common phrases yelled out on a tennis court is “Watch the ball!” This is often the result of a player attempting to focus his mind and concentrate on the match, not necessarily because he is mad for not keeping his eye on the ball. However, it is true that controlling your eyes on a tennis court can help you control your mind. Allowing your eyes to drift can cause your mind to…

Reaching your best playing level is your main objective, but if you can’t do it consistently, you still have work to do. To aim for consistent results with your game, begin by establishing consistent habits. Players who play the game within themselves, that is, the game they know they know they are capable of, develop strokes they can count on in practice. You…

Like many other teaching pros, when I look for a youngster’s potential talent in tennis, I look for three things – the desire to win, a good attitude, and most important, good footwork.…

Loose some extra poundage and see what happens. Whether a pro or a twice-a-week enthusiast, every player needs a proper exercise program to play his or her best tennis. It will strengthen your muscles, build up your stamina and, combined with a few warm-up routines before matches, greatly reduce the chance of muscular injury. And of…

Coaching and teaching juniors can be a very rewarding experience. However, one thing I did not expect when I began my teaching career was how much time and…

What is percentage tennis? It means that, in any given situation, you would use the shot that has the greatest chance of success. Especially at the junior levels, playing the percentages is one of the fundamentals of successful tennis. Another way to look at percentage tennis is to play in a way that will make the most of your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. All to often, I see…

There are a lot of questions surrounding strength training, especially where children are concerned. The risk of injury is probably the primary concern of any parent or coach who has a child entering strength training programs. Many parents and coaches are hesitant to begin strength training with juniors for fear of damaging the bones and possibly stunting…

When I was younger, I had no idea the human body was so fragile. How can tennis be so demanding? It’s really not until you begin to develop some skills. Ironic, isn’t it. The better you are, the harder it is on the body. When you watch the pros, they appear to breaking the biological laws of physical movement. But have you noticed that some pros seem to disappear…

Sometimes having a great game isn’t enough. You may be an excellent player, but you won’t get the most out of it if you don’t eat the right thing at the right time. There are three distinct stages in every tennis player’s match play agenda: before a match, during a match, and after a match. Your nutritional needs are different for each…

When you walk on the court, do you feel tired or heavy? Do you take a long time to get warmed up? Are you resting well at night and feeling refreshed the next morning? If you have answered “yes” to the first two questions, and “no” to the third, it could be a sign that you’re not fueling your body with the right foods or the right…

Tennis is a passion that dedicated players refuse to give up on. Many choose to combat the heat and continue playing during the hottest of summer months.…

The ability to play tennis at a high performance level is an acquired skill that takes years of experience to master. Acquiring the ability to teach the game with a high degree of skill can be just as difficult. In fact, helping other players to develop their skills can be more difficult than developing your own. Just because you were a better than average player doesn't mean that you have…

More and more parents and coaches are introducing their kids to the game of tennis. As a certified tennis instructor, I’ve never been responsible for teaching so many children at such a young age.…

Instruction, coaching, and lesson taking are factors that should not be taken on a whim. I can’t stress enough the need to plan out each step of your instructional method. Lessons are the cornerstone to improvement in tennis.…

If the serve is the most important shot in tennis, getting it back should be your next priority. The service return is not just another ground stroke. Matches are won and lost with service returns. If your opponent has a booming serve, this is when you’re most vulnerable. So, developing a consistent service return is…