LEsson tips

[dannyjjang]

3 of my friends are planning to get lessons(not rich)(including myself)
should we get lesson from a low level coach(being cheap)
or high level coach($$$$)

OR STICK WITH TT FORUM(thats why i did for past year0

[TENNIS_IS_FUN]

what do you mean by low level coach? If you happen to know someone who plays relatively good tennis, he can give you a discount? I dont know what you mean by ($$$$), but the former CIF champion was willing to give me lessons for 25$ an hour...

[Bungalo Bill]

what do you mean by low level coach?..

I imagined a guy in an alley covered with newspapers covering him and a wine bottle next to him...:)

[Othello]

3 of my friends are planning to get lessons(not rich)(including myself)
should we get lesson from a low level coach(being cheap)
or high level coach($$$$)

OR STICK WITH TT FORUM(thats why i did for past year0

Higher prices don't necessarily translate to better coaches. In my personal experience it has been the opposite.
My current coach (who is excellent) is el cheapo, but I was very fortunate to have gotten a good deal.

[papa]

"You get what you pay for" might not apply to coaching in many sports. Although there are many many good coaches in tennis, there are also a lot who unfortunately think it a way to make a few bucks without much effort. I think the best thing to do is go "watch/listen" whatever coach you have in mind and see for yourself - any coach that is unwilling to have you observe a session is not worth his/her salt.

[shindemac]

Danny, I don't remember what problems you had in the past. Cause some problems you can fix yourself, and some a pro can easily spot and correct. The pro can also catch deficiencies in your strokes that you never knew you had a problem with.

As for the high-level vs low-level thing, that is pretty ambiguous. I think as long as they are both 4.5 or higher, or played/plays in college, then it doesn't matter. But if he is a varsity player in high school, then it is pretty iffy how good he is. Another option would be to let your friends take the lesson, and then ask them what they thought. If all he does is feed you balls and tell you to move your feet, then it may not be worth it.

[Jon Hampton]

Honestly, it's up to what type of player you are. Are you the type of player who improves naturally by hitting a lot of balls, or are you the kind of player that will re-enforce bad technique and need to be corrected on it? I am the first type of player...not to say my tehcnique is perfect, but at my current level (4.5), it's enough to to get by. So, if you're the second type of player, chances are, lessons with a pro are for you.

Question is, how much money should one spend? It's up to you, but I would suggest going with the higher paying pro if 3 of you are going to share the lesson, as this tends to negate the cost of the lesson. If you're just taking it by yourself, then I'd say go back to what I said above and figure out what type of player you are. If you're like me, you'll improve no matter how well the person feeds balls on the other side of the net.

Last of all, I'd like to say that for anyone here wondering if this or that pro is good enough for them, I always recommend making the first lesson a 1-set match. Sure, you'll get beat, the the answer is by how much? If you get beat 6-0 or 6-1 by both of them, then either one has the technique to chop apart your game and help you. If, however, one of them beats you 6-4 or 7-6, well then the answer is self-evident.

Good luck!

[shindemac]

LOL. I think Danny is a beginner, so the coach will beat him pretty easily.

I consider myself a 3.0/3.5, and I beat my friend 6-1, 6-0, 6-1. I lost the first game cause I wasn't warmed up, and I lost the penultimate game of the match cause I double-faulted twice. I think I discouraged him after this match. But anyway, does this mean I can coach my friend LOL?!

[jeebeesus]

Anyone think you can beat Lansdorp 6-0 6-0? He`s got a bum knee and on top of that he`s like about above 60 years old? Yet he`s taken the Sharapovas and Myskinas to slams.

Coaching is all about you and not the him. If he can take you to 5.0 whilst sitting in a wheelchair would`nt you still take him? Go figure.

[munk3y]

I stuck to TW and I've improved alot. Then I also started taking lessons, but thats more for the strategy and mental side.
What I'm trying to say is: why not use both resources?

[Roddick The Beast]

3 of my friends are planning to get lessons(not rich)(including myself)
should we get lesson from a low level coach(being cheap)
or high level coach($$$$)

OR STICK WITH TT FORUM(thats why i did for past year0I just hang around the courts and stalk the teaching pros! LOL Then I hit with them and get free lessons.

[Bungalo Bill]

3 of my friends are planning to get lessons(not rich)(including myself)
should we get lesson from a low level coach(being cheap)
or high level coach($$$$)

OR STICK WITH TT FORUM(thats why i did for past year0

Here is something to consider. As you know, I now live in Boise Idaho. I have been thinking about getting back into teaching tennis as a profession. Key word are "thinking".

So I called up Boise Swim and Racquet Club and wanted to hit with a player that hits the ball with good pace anywhere from 4.0 on up. I got setup with this guy and he had a onehanded backhand.

He has never taken lessons and is completely self-taught. His strokes where not that bad but because he has not been disciplined in making sure certain hitches or bad things don't enter his strokes, he had some hitches and bad things in his swing.

One of the things I "gently" pointed out (didn't want to be my normal "BB YOU MEANIE" self), was his backhand had to travel a long way before he got his hand down, going forward, and coming up to the ball for the hit. He had that big C pattern.

So I hit him high balls, low balls, fast balls, and slow balls. I hit them at his feet, in his sleep, and any place where he would meet (sounds like something out of Dr. Suess!). Anyway you got the picture.

I told him what I told Habib, change the hand pattern and he will be golden. To my amazement, he actually listened and started doing it. For such a simple move, he struggled with erasing his "normal" pattern for the "new" pattern. But when I hit those high balls, and low balls and anywhere he meets balls, his timing got a little better.

Sometimes a good coach may teach you something special on a certain day and for that we say HORRAY! But on the days you thought your coach was not so great, your coach may have been keeping you away from strokes you might hate.

THE END. :)

[Roddick The Beast]

Here is something to consider. As you know, I now live in Boise Idaho. I have been toying with getting back into teaching tennis as a profession. Key words are "thinking about it".

So I called up Boise Swim and Racquet Club and wanted to hit with a player that hits the ball with good pace anywhere from 4.0 on up. I got setup with this guy and he had a onehanded backhand.

He has never taken lessons and is completly self-made. His strokes where not that bad but because he has not been disciplined in making sure certain hitches or bad things don't enter his strokes, he had some hitches and bad things in his swing.

One of the things I "gently" pointed out. Didn't want to be my normal "BB YOU MEANIE" self, was his backhand had to travel a long way before he got his hand down, going forward, and coming up to the ball for the hit.

So I hit him high balls, low balls, fast balls, and slow balls. I hit them at his feet, in his sleep, and any place where he would meet (sounds like something out of Dr. Suess!). Anyway you got the picture.

I told him what I told Habib, change the hand pattern and he will be golden. To my amazement, he actually listened and started doing it. For such a simple move, he struggled with erasing his "normal" pattern for the "new" pattern. But when I hit those high balls, and low balls and anywhere he meets balls, his timing got a little better.

Sometimes a good coach may not teach you something that day and for that we say HORRAY! But on the days you thought your coach was not so great, your coach may have been helping you stay away from strokes you might hate.
THE END.Wow. I saw Habib's clips and they look good to me. I bet you would find a lot of flaws in my strokes. Too bad you're not from around the southeast.

My BH is my weakness too. When I first started playing (ten years ago), the BH was my best shot. It felt natural. I realized that the FH felt weird, and so all these years I focused on getting it to feel good and be effective. Well now it is. It's my best shot! Now that I have worked on the FH so much, throughout the years, my BH has been abandoned, and I find it difficult to get in the proper position to line up for the shot.

[Bungalo Bill]

Wow. I saw Habib's clips and they look good to me. I bet you would find a lot of flaws in my strokes. Too bad you're not from around the southeast.

My BH is my weakness too. When I first started playing (ten years ago), the BH was my best shot. It felt natural. I realized that the FH felt weird, and so all these years I focused on getting it to feel good and be effective. Well now it is. It's my best shot! Now that I have worked on the FH so much, throughout the years, my BH has been abandoned, and I find it difficult to get in the proper position to line up for the shot.

Habib is a good player. No doubt. But he can be an even better player. He has overtime got used to certain things which unfortunately need to be undone. Many coaches will just say, "you look great" and that is that. But I am of firm belief that there is something in everyone's game that can be improved on and for that I have a more critical eye. I just don't accept things as they are.

It is easier to learn the right way from the beginning then an inferior way and have to change later. Most players do not see the difference in an advanced players strokes vs. a professionals strokes. When comparing strokes like this it becomes more subtle and more difficult to find flaws. Most coaches do not extend the stroke into the recovery phase and how the player will reposition himself. The study of the stroke usually ends when contact is made and followthrough.

However, if you think I am decent at this, you should check out John Yandell, that guy sees things I am still learning. :)

[Roddick The Beast]

Habib is a good player. No doubt. But he can be an even better player. He has overtime got used to certain things which unfortunately need to be undone. Many coaches will just say, "you look great" and that is that. But I am of firm belief that there is something in everyone's game that can be improved on and for that I have a more critical eye. I just don't accept things as they are.

It is easier to learn the right way from the beginning then an inferior way and have to change later. Most players do not see the difference in an advanced players strokes vs. a professionals strokes.

When comparing strokes like this it becomes more subtle and more difficult to see. But if you think I am decent at this, you should check out John Yandell, that guy sees things I am still learning. :)I've heard of him before.

[Bungalo Bill]

I've heard of him before.

He posts here. :)

visit his site at www.tennisplayer.net (http://www.tennisplayer.net)

[TENNIS_IS_FUN]

where can i find the clip of habib?

[Bungalo Bill]

where can i find the clip of habib?

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=97315