New coach, new tennis

[Number1Coach]

Originally Posted by tball2day

Nor mine, I am not drawn to any of the trash. And there has been so much of it on here lately.

As you put it so eloquently before Misterbill....Yawwwwwwwwwn.

Your last word explains American tennis YAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWN

[Number1Coach]

Originally Posted by Chemist

I respectively disagree. I wanted my kids to learn to play like Roger Federer and Pete Sampras. I wanted them to develop good characters, behaviors, disciplines, respect (to coaches, parents, and yes too their opponents as well), work ethic, honesty, good health, confidence...; I wanted them to meet good friends; help school win the states; get into the best college... from tennis training and competition. Obviously your goal for your son is a lot different than most of the parents. I may be wrong but you seem to be a parent or a coach who wanted to develop a "bad boy" who wins at all costs, who becomes Big Mac if so lucky or just another Donald.

The kid we played at the OB Borna was very aggressive on the baseline but had the ability to hit a drop shot in the mix of a intense rally or coming foreward you were expecting a brutal approach only to see a transition of soft hands a drop shot leaving my player with a broken ankle ,

so to the original poster this new coach has a lot to add to her game that will help cause these kids at the OB are the best in the business "jrs" and their variety was incredible .

side note Borna and Db were in each others faces with the fist pumps and com ons as were Bornas team on the bleachers and after the match they as well as Borna came up and said great player good job and they meant it ,they were a class act and had a grip on high competition .

[Number1Coach]

Originally Posted by Chemist

Fist bumping toward your opponent in junior tournament may be called a point penalty. Yes, you can do it, but turn your body and pump toward the back fence and NEVER to your opponent's face!

Really WHY ? in football they are in your face , base ball , basketball , hockey , even softball , seems in tennis its don't of offend little Johnny or sara their therapist said it could really affect their future ,

Dont mean to be sarcastic but really we are so on eggshells in the tennis world and we wonder why its dying in the uSA and I am not advocating being rude ,or name calling but competitive fire which is lacking desperately.

You ask anyone who would you rather watch Nadal vs Djoke or Sampras vs Fed and you place it in a Davis cup setting and I know what crowds I want to be around ?

[Bash and Crash]

Man, I would love to see Fed vs. Pete in their prime that would be some sweet all court tennis.

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by Number1Coach

Andfor and the rest of the posters Serena and the rest of the ATP and WTA players need to be more in your face , Com'on's , verbal energetic ect . for the sake of tennis we need it more alive out there , Not way over the top but as close as we can get ,,

To all that have watched my player compete the first thing you enjoy if his fire , no quit attitude ,in your face play , even some subtle trash talk which I make sure does not get out of hand , but like i said for the sake of our sport we need warriors full of fire !! think about a house on fire or building or even a car on the road "everybody's" attention is drawn to it , we need fire on the courts .

So I welcome Serena's so called disrespect . just my opinion .

Even Serena and Nadal don't do that much any more

[andfor]

Originally Posted by Number1Coach

Really WHY ? in football they are in your face , base ball , basketball , hockey , even softball , seems in tennis its don't of offend little Johnny or sara their therapist said it could really affect their future ,

Dont mean to be sarcastic but really we are so on eggshells in the tennis world and we wonder why its dying in the uSA and I am not advocating being rude ,or name calling but competitive fire which is lacking desperately.

You ask anyone who would you rather watch Nadal vs Djoke or Sampras vs Fed and you place it in a Davis cup setting and I know what crowds I want to be around ?

Why? First there's the rules, the code and the heritage of the game. Second, you compared tennis, an individual sport to typically/often unofficiated and for the most part self-officiated game to teams sports that are always officiated.

I do get your point. In the pros they get more leeway in many areas than the juniors and for good reason. Selling tickets. Sure the game needs more passion. But experts coaching the game know that managing your emotions on an even keel, maintaining a positive mindset and high effort level, focusing on the process versus the outcome have proven results. Do players need to express passion and emotion at key moments? Yes, in moderation. Is negative emotion OK when making a mistake to show your opponent that error is uncharacteristic, sure, on occasion. Balance is the key. This is why we see so many pros act similarly.

Acting like a football player in a rage on the tennis court will not help a player think and win.

[andfor]

Originally Posted by sureshs

Even Serena and Nadal don't do that much any more

See my post above. Over the years they've learned. Get to high or to low in a match and bringing the mind back to a balanced point is not that easy. Once the light switch is tripped, in tennis it ain't that easy to just switch it back.

[Number1Coach]

Originally Posted by sureshs

Even Serena and Nadal don't do that much any more

think about the history of tennis and other sports , who is the newest most exciting, controversial player , who making a commotion ,Tiger woods coming on the boring PGA and has the talent has the fire has the intense fist pumps He single handedly lit it up , Dennis Rodman and stupid hair colors and nose rings , Leyton hewitt ,Ray Lewis entering the stadium , Chad Ochocinco , The NBA has to many to name but my point every so ofter tennis has a gladiator type show up and even the non tennis fans take note .

We have a sport that is in need of life and is dying before our very eyes and we should all hope that some new exciting players show up .

But really let stay on point the Op talked about what should be done about their player what are your thoughts about the drop shot or off pace approach shots?

[Number1Coach]

Originally Posted by andfor

Why? First there's the rules, the code and the heritage of the game. Second, you compared tennis, an individual sport to typically/often unofficiated and for the most part self-officiated game to teams sports that are always officiated.

I do get your point. In the pros they get more leeway in many areas than the juniors and for good reason. Selling tickets. Sure the game needs more passion. But experts coaching the game know that managing your emotions on an even keel, maintaining a positive mindset and high effort level, focusing on the process versus the outcome have proven results. Do players need to express passion and emotion at key moments? Yes, in moderation. Is negative emotion OK when making a mistake to show your opponent that error is uncharacteristic, sure, on occasion. Balance is the key. This is why we see so many pros act similarly.

Acting like a football player in a rage on the tennis court will not help a player think and win.

I agree with you completely and don't get me wrong i am not advocating WWF here just more life in a sport that when your watching a jr match or being at a cemetery is not much of a difference then some of these over cautious refs and parents need to allow the emotions to fly a "bit" more .

I do believe in moderation but I have been in arguments with a ref who told my player he couldn't pump his fist towards me , I immediately told my player and you keep it up and told the ref that she was way out of line and a couple other parents jumped right on my side in approval of the excitement they were seeing on court and encouraged it .

we talk having fun on court the player does something great and congratulates him or herself with a fist pump and they are told Dont do that please be boring and don't show any happiness.

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by Number1Coach

think about the history of tennis and other sports , who is the newest most exciting, controversial player , who making a commotion ,Tiger woods coming on the boring PGA and has the talent has the fire has the intense fist pumps He single handedly lit it up , Dennis Rodman and stupid hair colors and nose rings , Leyton hewitt ,Ray Lewis entering the stadium , Chad Ochocinco , The NBA has to many to name but my point every so ofter tennis has a gladiator type show up and even the non tennis fans take note .

We have a sport that is in need of life and is dying before our very eyes and we should all hope that some new exciting players show up .

But really let stay on point the Op talked about what should be done about their player what are your thoughts about the drop shot or off pace approach shots?

The kind of comments players made in the past will simply not fly any more these days.

[andfor]

Originally Posted by Number1Coach

think about the history of tennis and other sports , who is the newest most exciting, controversial player , who making a commotion ,Tiger woods coming on the boring PGA and has the talent has the fire has the intense fist pumps He single handedly lit it up , Dennis Rodman and stupid hair colors and nose rings , Leyton hewitt ,Ray Lewis entering the stadium , Chad Ochocinco , The NBA has to many to name but my point every so ofter tennis has a gladiator type show up and even the non tennis fans take note .

We have a sport that is in need of life and is dying before our very eyes and we should all hope that some new exciting players show up .

But really let stay on point the Op talked about what should be done about their player what are your thoughts about the drop shot or off pace approach shots?

Not sure why you think the game is dying. Tennis participation levels are still very high in many parts of the world, including the U.S. The economy likely has more to do with your perception.

Back to the OP's point. The kid needs some variety. I like the ideas her new coach is putting out there. Really should not change her results, if it does it may only be short term. Long term she'll be better for it. The key is to know when to use the variety. If she has a consistent base game now and can pound the ball, 14 is the perfect age to add some dimension to her game.

With girls I've seen too many one dimensional college girls. Even at the high end I've seen them taken to pieces by opponents who have the variety to keep the ball out of their strike zone and keep them off balance with variety.

[BMC9670]

Originally Posted by Number1Coach

we talk having fun on court the player does something great and congratulates him or herself with a fist pump and they are told Dont do that please be boring and don't show any happiness.

This is an important distinction...and perfectly acceptable. Many times I have watched a pro match live or on TV and gotten goose bumps when a player is on fire and has the crowd into it. The celebrations are directed inward and/or to the crowd. You're right, it adds excitement to the game.

However, I'm seeing two trends in the juniors, and by juniors I mean 10s and 12s as that's where we are at this point: 1. fist pumps and "come on" on opponents unforced errors. I see it at non-critical points and even on double faults. 2. Excessive celebration - too often and too much.

The first trend is just bad etiquette, and yes, I think tennis should have some etiquette. The second trend is not smart because it leaves a player with no where to go emotionally. If the player is celebrating every point and every opponent error, they have no way to pump themselves up when they need it - a break or a winner on an important hold, etc. Often pros will say they won by playing the big points well, or lost by their opponent playing the big points well. Young players need to learn how to work the momentum and manage their emotions - both up and down. Tough to do when they are screaming as loud as they can on every stroke and fist pumping every point.

[Bash and Crash]

my student, my student, my student........oh wait what was this thread about.

[jigglypuff]

Originally Posted by andfor

Not sure why you think the game is dying. Tennis participation levels are still very high in many parts of the world, including the U.S. The economy likely has more to do with your perception.

Back to the OP's point. The kid needs some variety. I like the ideas her new coach is putting out there. Really should not change her results, if it does it may only be short term. Long term she'll be better for it. The key is to know when to use the variety. If she has a consistent base game now and can pound the ball, 14 is the perfect age to add some dimension to her game.

With girls I've seen too many one dimensional college girls. Even at the high end I've seen them taken to pieces by opponents who have the variety to keep the ball out of their strike zone and keep them off balance with variety.

I find this hard to believe, you cannot truly use variety to change up the game against a good aggressive power hitter. The ball is coming too hard (flat and fast) or deep/heavy to effectively use variety as a way to go on offense.

[andfor]

Originally Posted by jigglypuff

I find this hard to believe, you cannot truly use variety to change up the game against a good aggressive power hitter. The ball is coming too hard (flat and fast) or deep/heavy to effectively use variety as a way to go on offense.

It can be done. I'm not saying change the baseline basher into a slice and dice serve and volleyer. Throwing in a slice, a high heavy or a drop shot in appropriate situations works. Variety can also be done through momentum management, applying base game/consistent play or playing offensive/going for it based on the score and what happened during the previous point subtly creates variety and can keep an opponent off balance with them even knowing what's hit them.

[klu375]

Originally Posted by jigglypuff

I find this hard to believe, you cannot truly use variety to change up the game against a good aggressive power hitter. The ball is coming too hard (flat and fast) or deep/heavy to effectively use variety as a way to go on offense.

You are clearly not watching Radwanska-Wickmayer match on TC right now.

[10ismom]

Championship point for Radwanska

[lala28m]

Originally Posted by jigglypuff

I find this hard to believe, you cannot truly use variety to change up the game against a good aggressive power hitter. The ball is coming too hard (flat and fast) or deep/heavy to effectively use variety as a way to go on offense.

Arsenal of weapons? Errani, Radwanka, etc do it all day long. If you can get the ball back in play off of a power shot, you can create the play that you want. The issue is, there is always someone, somewhere that can out-hit you. Also, some days your power shots are just a little off, keep going out. At that point you need those other weapons, but you can only use if you have them.

Serena is the ultimate example. She absolutely has all the weapons, which is why she is such a dominant force in women's tennis. Great net player as well as power hitter. Put her against another amazing power hitter (Sharapova?) and we all know what happens. What a great mover all together.

[Number1Coach]

Originally Posted by andfor

Not sure why you think the game is dying. Tennis participation levels are still very high in many parts of the world, including the U.S. The economy likely has more to do with your perception.

Back to the OP's point. The kid needs some variety. I like the ideas her new coach is putting out there. Really should not change her results, if it does it may only be short term. Long term she'll be better for it. The key is to know when to use the variety. If she has a consistent base game now and can pound the ball, 14 is the perfect age to add some dimension to her game.

With girls I've seen too many one dimensional college girls. Even at the high end I've seen them taken to pieces by opponents who have the variety to keep the ball out of their strike zone and keep them off balance with variety.

I believe EPSN replaced NCAA tennis with college girls bowling OUCH !

[lala28m]

Originally Posted by klu375

You are clearly not watching Radwanska-Wickmayer match on TC right now.

Well, this made me turn my tv on thanks