Subscribe to Our Free
Monthly Newsletter for
Tennis tips, and great
deals on tennis products!
Email
Name
Then
Don't worry -- your e-mail address is totally secure.
I promise to use it only to send you
Best Tennis Products Prices!.
What every "good"
tennis player should know when learning how to play tennis!
Learning to become a good tennis
player may not be as difficult as
you may think. Well how would you
define good? Is it good enough to
beat your neighbor or best friend?
Or, maybe to be the best at your local
club or
tennis facility.
There
are ways for you to
get better. You are however going to
have to make a commitment of time.
The question is, are
ready to make that commitment?
It is
going to take time and the effort to hit a
lot of balls. If you're anything like me,
you want instant gratification, so the key
is to achieve small victories in specific
areas.
Knowing however, that you will get
better
every time you set foot on the court and
practice. Sometimes you may not see it, you
may not feel it but, you will
improve!
In the event that you want even faster results, you may want to
seek help from a
professional tennis instructor or even take a class at your
local community college or Adult Education Center.
Local
Parks & Recreation Centers sometimes
offer tennis programs for adults
and/or youths in order to learn to
play or become a better
tennis player.
Even if you are just learning how to
play tennis, the practice that you
put in now will pay off in the long
run. It not only pays off in
learning a new skill, you will also
be getting some exercise in the
process.
After almost forty years of playing,
teaching and competing I have
found out that it's all about
hitting balls. Well, that may sound
too simplistic, so let me explain.
:
The 10,000 Ball Club
My
first coach, who was my brother-in-law
played tennis and gave me some advice after
he saw my passion for the game.
He told me that after I hit 10,000 balls I
would be ready for my first tournament and
become a good
tennis player.
While hitting 10,000 balls may seem like a
lot, it really isn't. But, for a young
aspiring player it sounded like a challenge
that I could achieve.
There was one catch to it though. Every ball
had to have a purpose. In other words, I had
to know where I was trying to hit every
ball. Consequently, I decided to use a wall
at my local park to learn how to control
where the ball was going.
This turned out to
be a tremendous help, not only then, but afterwards also. Using
that wall was a way to learn quickly how to become a better
tennis player, instead of using a
ball machine, which at that time I did not even know
existed.
The wall I found
out, never missed, as long as I continued to hit it there and it
turned out to be the perfect practice partner.
Shortly after hitting those 10,000 balls I
played in a local tournament and I ended up
winning it, which inspired me to continue
playing and developing my game.
Tennis is a very technically demanding
sport. What I mean by this is that you are
trying to hit a small round ball with an
object (the racquet) extended from the end
of your arm towards a flat surface (the
court) over an obstacle (the
net).
This is going to take much hand-eye
coordination, practice and skill to learn.
But don't be disheartened it can be done.
When I first became a tennis
player I fell in love (no
pun intended) with the
sport. I had played
baseball, Football, and even
basketball. I never even
thought of playing tennis.
Partly
due to not having any "heroes" in
the sport. Let's face it especially
as far as boys are concerned, we
idolize sports figures. It was true
when I was a boy and it is even more
so today.
Becoming a tennis
player got me away from the "jocks" in the
other sports who weren't better than I was
anyway, but who were so afraid that I would
be better than them that they had to promote
themselves as being better with "trash
talking" and "put-downs".
Don't get me wrong I liked all of those
sports but none of them had the allure of
tennis. No more getting hit by pitchers,
knocked out by linebackers or dislocated
fingers from a basketball.
You see, the other sports that I played were team sports.
I enjoyed them and learned a great deal playing them. But, they
each had one similar component. I needed other individuals in
order to have the team win.
Tennis, on the other hand gave me the opportunity not to
depend on someone else for my success.
It makes the player take
responsibility for their own actions, good or bad. It also makes
you reach deeper inside of yourself to find that peace that is
going to enhance your abilities.
You can see this in many of the top professionals today. It is
very difficult if not impossible to become a good tennis player
with a "football player" mentality.
Have Fun
While
You
Exercise
Are you tired of going to the gym? Maybe you jog or just walk as a way of
keeping fit.
I'm here to help those people and as many people
play this game that can get you in shape and
keep you in shape. You can do all of this while
making great friends and establishing great
relationships.
Where I teach
tennis very few of the individuals that come to
my clinics or events knew each other before they
joined. This however not stopped them from
coming every week and learning a new stroke or
competing.
In fact, some
of our tennis players travel past other parks
and clubs to join us and to learn the game.
Making a Comeback
The
fact is that tennis is undergoing its' biggest resurgence since
the 1970's and that more and more people are coming back to
tennis after not playing for years has inspired me to establish
this site.
There are many
possible reasons for it's comeback, more accessibility to
courts, more television coverage of worldwide professional
events and the spirit of competition that it brings while
participating.
Whether you are a coach, a beginner, an advanced tennis player
or just a weekend warrior, we are here to provide a "one-stop"
shop to get you started or back into the game for all of your
related items and
gear.
From
Tennis racquets
to
shoes and from tennis vacations to
lessons, we have everything to make playing
tennis a great experience. We are creating
this community in order to expand and
increase participation for the sport of a
"lifetime".
Develop a Plan for Learning Tennis
If you are just starting out I
have put together a list of items that you are going to need:
Tennis court, wall or backboard or a practice partner
Lots of
determination
Time to practice
Tennis:
Fun at any Age
Tennis
is a sport that unlike so many team sports one
can begin at any age. At a community park where
I live the average age of the more than twelve
players is eighty.
They look forward to coming out three times
a week to compete against each other and
some of the "youngsters" (anyone younger
than 65) and they do pretty well for
themselves.
I applaud them for their energy, effort and staying power. What
they lack in skill they otherwise make up for in tenacity.
Now, I have seen some of these
individuals who never pick up a
racquet until they are in their seventies or even their
eighties do quite well in their development. And I for one
believe that it helps them to exercise their bodies and their
minds, which is and added benefit for anyone no matter the age.
This photo was taken in February 2009 after
a tournament for 10 & under age group.
Melissa (left) age 9 won the finals match
over Jasmine age 8 (6-4, 6-4).
Both players since that time have entered
numerous tournaments and are doing very well
in their age division. I might add that both
are excellent students in school.
I would have to admit however, that
learning how to play tennis can be
frustrating at times, but It's been said
that "a bad day on the
tennis court is better than a good
day at work"
Keep
your eyes on the lookout for these two players in the
future. They are going to be special players in the future.
I look for both of them to one day play on the Women's Tour.
They are that committed to the game and
they have parents who support their love
of the game!
Which brings me to another
point. Your child needs a good support system. You are your
child's best advocate when it comes to whether they will
make it as and become a good tennis player.
There are no guarantees, but
there is one thing is for sure, they will not make it
without your support.
It's Never too Early (almost)
Parents often come to me and ask "what's the
earliest age that I should start a child
learning how to play tennis"? I tell them
not to push them into tennis, but rather
introduce them to the game. You can find
more answers to questions in our
FAQ
page.
Children will play, so expose them with
learning how to have fun with the ball and for that matter
all types of balls. Only adding the racquet later and let them
experiment with hitting balls.
Later, as they progress
and the young tennis player learns how to count and know what
they are counting, then introduce them to hitting and counting
the number of times they hit the ball.
I have a student that is five
years old and I have been working with him for about a year and
a half. I truly believe that he is a "diamond in the rough".
He did not come to me with any
innate ability to hit a tennis ball, but through constant
repetition and slow and steady progressions, he has become a
good little player for his age.
In fact, he plays with the
advanced group where I teach and is quite competitive.
He is an example of why I tell
parents to just let your child try it out and see if they like
it.
Probably the most talked about issue among
tennis professionals today is Quickstart
tennis.
This is something that has been around for about four or five
years now but the United States Tennis Association has really
begun to add it as part of their 10 and under tournament
program.
We actually offer a Quickstart
program where I teach.
We use a graduated court and
tennis racquets
for children ten years old and under. After all of the other
sports such as basketball and baseball have been doing this for
many years, so why not tennis?
Of course, just like most things, it
has its drawbacks but it is a start for
tennis facilities to increase not only
participation for kids in tennis but also
having the our
tennis players achieve success quicker
than if they had been playing on a
full size court.
If
you are a pre-teen or teenager take heart,
there is still hope for you to learn this
game. As a matter of fact sometimes it's
easier to learn at that age because there
are a lot of the issues that kids that are
much younger.
One of which is hand-eye coordination. Even
though I have seen in a few instances where some pre-teens have
very little hand-eye coordination, overall it is generally not a
big problem.
One of the other positive factors that I have experienced from
teaching youths of this age group is that they usually have
better focus and a longer attention span.
This allows for more information to be retained
for a longer period. Understand however, that these statements
are generalities and does apply to all kids in that age group.
They are based solely on my many years of
teaching experience in dealing with hundreds of kids become
better
tennis players.
There is Hope!
So, let's get back to the first statement that was made at the
top of the page. You came here probably because you want to
learn more about tennis or you want to learn how to play the
game better.
Well, remember the 10,000 ball club? Tennis
no matter how you cut it, it is going to
take hitting thousands and thousands of
balls. There is no way around it. Even if
you hire the best
coach or are a gifted athlete, it's
going to take this kind of effort to achieve
any goal associated with learning the game,
much less becoming a good tennis player.
So,
if that is bad news for you then maybe
tennis is not the game for you. However,
even if it is bad news, understand that
every ball that you hit puts you just that
much closer to your specific goal as a
tennis player.
Now for the good news.
There are resources to help you learn
everything about playing tennis. First, do
you remember what I said about getting a
good coach?
Well, a good coach can accelerate the process along your
journey. And make no mistake about it. becoming a "good"
tennis player. is a journey.
Getting the Right Equipment
As a tennis player you need to invest in
quality tennis gear. Sometimes you can
borrow a racquet or even pick up a good deal
from garage or yard sales.
These
racquets usually come from former tennis players that don't
play anymore or have decided that the sport was just too
difficult for them to invest their time and energy.
While the
racquet is the most important piece of equipment that a
tennis player will need, investing in a good pair of
tennis shoes is probably the next thing that you want to
focus on and of course, the proper
Tennis Clothing.
Most people believe that you can just go
out and play in any old pair of sneakers or
even running shoes. Well, you can but take
it from me, you don't want to take the
chance of injuring your ankle using the
incorrect type of shoes.
Okay, so you've gotten all the basic gear and you're ready to
play. How about the balls? Will any old tennis ball do? One
thing to remember is that the tennis ball is quite a unique part
of the game.
Unlike most other sports like basketball or
football, tennis balls wear out (by design I
believe) and lose their bounce thus making
them of no use to the individual.
Well, you can still play with "dead balls" but
as soon as you meet with someone who has a brand new can and you
try to use them you will definitely notice the difference in the
bounce, thus you will not have the correct timing.
Learn how to become a Tennis
Player Here
Resources for you to learn
how to play or even if you
have been at it for a while,
you can search here for
ideas and advice to improve.
Tennis Racquets
The single most important piece of equipment
that you need when learning the game
Tennis Clothing
Why not dress your best for
your playing experience?
Tennis Shoes
You may or may not know that
there are shoes that are
made specifically for tennis
Are you a Tennis Player
looking for gear?
Your gear is a very
important aspect of the
game. It can really make a
big difference in your
performance. Everything from
racquets to bags and more
Find a Coach
Are you a tennis player
looking for a coach located
close to you? The right
instructor can help elevate
your game to the next level.
Pro Shop
Before you search all over,
visit here to see if you
have paid too much
Tennis Lessons
Whether you are a serious
junior player, a club level
player or just a beginner,
you can benefit from taking
a lesson
Find a Court
Whether you're looking for
Local parks or hotel
resorts, hard courts or clay
courts, find out the
advantages and
disadvantages of all the
surfaces.
The latest Tennis news
See where your favorite player is playing
this week. Learn the latest scores and who's
in and who's out of the latest tournament
Tennis Schedule
Find out where you favorite
player is playing this week!
Follow the major and not so
major professional tennis
tournaments
There
are ways for you to
My
first coach, who was my brother-in-law
played tennis and gave me some advice after
he saw my passion for the game. 
The
fact is that tennis is undergoing its' biggest resurgence since
the 1970's and that more and more people are coming back to
tennis after not playing for years has inspired me to establish
this site. 
Tennis
is a sport that unlike so many team sports one
can begin at any age. At a community park where
I live the average age of the more than twelve
players is eighty. 
Keep
your eyes on the lookout for these two players in the
future. They are going to be special players in the future.
I look for both of them to one day play on the Women's Tour.
If
you are a pre-teen or teenager take heart,
there is still hope for you to learn this
game. As a matter of fact sometimes it's
easier to learn at that age because there
are a lot of the issues that kids that are
much younger. 
So,
if that is bad news for you then maybe
tennis is not the game for you. However,
even 
.