Recent content by Trying to Slice

I would say don't assume anything about your players. Many will be super cooperative. Others, if you plan a drill just won't come unless there's a real coach. I try to get everyone in some kind of coaching session every week, but it's not always possible. ( helping them find good lessons...

Somewhat experienced captain here. I do have some practice only players. They aren't the strongest but the team means a lot to them. If they have a lot of travel they generally aren't a good fit for the team and it's a nice way to include them without them having to play with someone for a...

Yes don't expect to get the whole team together..I try to find the best local coaches but the indoor clinics are limited to six players normally with just one court. Those clinics work mainly on doubles , the coach sets up certain shots and we have to play points using certain targets to start...

Adding a bare $.02, my kids did sports, are both graduated, both have masters. The eldest was a swimmer, the training is grueling, in HS more than 10 miles a day.! She attended a service academy, just did IC athletics her first year. It's pretty exhausting and the kids got sick a lot from lack...

To answer your comment about the timing, I think he uses different vocabulary in that I'm mainly early when I shank it or something. He even coaches himself during his matches and he'll call out early also.. its entertaining.. The higher level players, more than 5.0 , really enjoy having an...

I am an older sort of beginner, 65 yo, playing about 6 years.I'm a 3.5 which is a beginner for our coach. I never had any ball experience of any kind,so gauging the trajectory, spin and bounce never registered as it was foreign to me. So this coach is really detailed about groundstrokes . I...

Oh the curse of the floaty high volleys! Its taken me years it seems to get a better volley. People have told me gently, when I asked, after they neatly put away my volley, that it was too high, or else I could see for myself it was too high. For awhile I worked on creating better angles...

I have 55 plus teams and we like to do practice of course with younger people. I noticed the 'senior player's are just slower. At collecting balls or whatever.. What drives me crazy is they run quickly onto your court to get the errant ball, after that then they walk very slowly back to their...

So we're merging players for this 40 plus team who live on different sides of town (1/2 of each) Most of them have a partner or two they are compatible with. A couple are brand new. Most of them are kind of intrigued with the idea of playing with new players... Everyone is well recommended...

Here's what happened--- so following your advice--- First I talked to her 18+ captain (who also had invited her last year to play 40+, but I had asked her a week earlier so I sort of had first claim for this year) Her 18+ captain is a friend of mine, but we are always on separate teams but...

Hi Cindy- some of our local pros have introduced the sponge balls so the adults can watch spin etc while they hit it back and forth to each other. (across the court sideways or else right up at the net as you can't get them that deep) One of our pros has a lot of 'wall drills' that he taught...

Ha ha! I had sort of that experience my very first team as a captain. I invited a player from the Sunday morning tennis group at the local HS, it was the first year of 55 and I didn't know how to find players. I was happy to find she was the right age but I didn't know that for so many teams...

Thank you so much to all of you who took the time to give me answers and clarity! I am really grateful to each one of you. I don't like to gossip about my players locally so it's great to have a larger more anonymous forum to seek opinions. Thanks for the letter Cindy, it is so nicely and...

I captain several teams from the 18's to the 55's. (3.5 level) Most of my players have played about the same length of time as me ( about 4 years ago we were 2.5s) My question involves one of my players who is in my 55 group. (that league just finished and now we are forming up the 40's. (I...