Tennis

How do you define a great practice session?

Attitude, intensity, and fun: The key to a great practice session

The answer to this one, for me, is pretty easy. I would define a great practice session as any practice session where the players that you're involved with have great attitudes, they work at a very, very high intensity rate with focus, concentration. And during that time frame, at the same time, they find a way to balance all that with having some fun in what they're doing. And then finally, in the last portion, let's see if we can also add to those things that we're adding some new skills, improving areas that we want to improve, whether that be focusing on our strengths because maybe we're closer to a competition, or whether it's developing some of our weaknesses because we have a little bit more time and a training block to work on some areas that we want to focus on and try and get better within our game. But always, first and foremost, Attitude and Effort, A&E, those are the two biggest things.

A great practice session would be one where players have a good attitude and work hard, while also having fun and working on new skills.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/rixws6guqs3x46dn8vr6.vtt

Defining a great practice session is quite simple for me. It involves players with positive attitudes, working at a high intensity with focus and concentration. They also manage to have fun during the session. Additionally, it's important to use the time to add new skills, improve areas of weakness, or enhance strengths depending on the upcoming competition or training block. However, the two most crucial elements are attitude and effort. These factors, represented by A&E, are the foundation of a successful practice session.

How big should a player hit their neutral rally ball? (% of their max)

Unleash Your Power: Hit Every Rally Ball as Big as You Can

Great question and obviously in today's modern game Power is at a commodity. So you want to learn to generate as much power and maintain as much power as you possibly can on your basic rally ball as early as you can, while you're developing your game as a junior player and into your later years, I like to use a drill that I call as big as you can for starting out a lot of drilling. Spend about 5 minutes to 8 minutes. Literally hitting every ball as big as you can. I say sometimes as heavy as you can, but as big as you can without missing and without losing your balance on balls, very important to maintain your structure, your position and good quality mechanics and ball striking while you're doing this. But you spend about 5 to 8 minutes literally. Hitting every ball as big as you can without missing that. Being said, you're gonna miss more than you normally do doing this drill and then one of the things I like to try and do is once you've done this, then I asked players to carry that over into the next drills that they're doing and try and maintain that pace as much as they possibly can that just helps create and generate a greater comfort zone at a higher ball-striking level and doing that on a regular regular basis, generally will lead to you being more comfortable with a higher pace, and intensity, and heaviness on your basic rally ball. Good luck.

To generate more power while playing, use a drill called "As Big As You Can" for 5-8 minutes, where you hit every ball as powerfully as you can without missing or losing your balance. This will help you become more comfortable with higher intensity and pace on your basic rally ball.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/zafg65kd6zh7tnwsa20w.vtt

In today's modern game, power is highly valued. To develop your game as a junior player and beyond, it's important to learn how to generate and maintain power in your neutral rally ball. One drill I recommend is called as big as you can. Spend around 5 to 8 minutes hitting every ball as big as you can, focusing on maintaining your balance and good mechanics. It's crucial to avoid missing and to maintain your structure while doing this drill.

Keep in mind that you may miss more than usual during this drill. After completing it, try to carry over that pace and intensity into your other drills. Consistently practicing at a higher level of intensity will help you become more comfortable with a higher pace and intensity in your basic rally ball.

Good luck with your training!

What books do you recommend all tennis players read?

Top book recommendations for tennis players: from philosophy to history.

Great question, and an easy one for me to answer, actually, the first two books. I always recommend to guys are a book called The Dow of poo, which is spelled ta 0, but pronounced Dow is written by Benjamin Hoff. It's actually not a book about tenants about the philosophy of taoism, but if you read it with a tennis players mind, you can see how it applies perfectly to what you do in tennis. I've recommended it to many many guys in tennis. Including back in the day, Pat rafter, who to this day, still talks about what a great book. It was secondly, and it leads in perfectly to a book called thinking body dancing mind, which is also a sports psychology book written about and from the basis of taoism. So that's another one that I love. There's another called in the pursuit of Excellence. Great book written by a guy named Terry orlick. I also recommend just about anything. Written by dr. Jim Lehrer kind of the the first guy to really get involved in sports psychology in tennis and then if you want to go the other direction and some books that aren't necessarily about the psychology of tennis or how to perform better two of my favorite books. Just on tennis are a book called a handful of Summer's by Gordon Forbes. Gordon was a South African guy who played on the tour back in the 50s and 60s and Basically wrote about all those experiences traveling all over the world when he was 18, 19, 20 years old. And it's an amazing book. And then the book that I came across recently in red and really loved is a book, called a terrible Splendor by John Fisher, which is about one of the greatest matches. In the history of tenants that was played in 1937 Davis Cup. Tie between Don budge and Gottfried Von kramm of Germany. Read all those out. Keep you busy for a while. You can come back and ask me again later after that. All right. Enjoy.

I recommend The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff, Thinking Body Dancing Mind, and In the Pursuit of Excellence by Dr. Jim Loehr, A Handful of Summers by Gordon Forbes, and A Terrible Splendor by John Fisher as great books to read to gain insight into tennis.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/rgkvw5i8xmdaqq0xv8nt.vtt

I recommend several books for tennis players to read. The first two are The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff and Thinking Body, Dancing Mind which both explore the philosophy of Taoism and how it applies to tennis. These books have been highly recommended by many tennis players, including Pat Rafter.

Another great book is In Pursuit of Excellence by Terry Orlick, which delves into sports psychology. Anything written by Dr. Jim Lehrer, a pioneer in sports psychology for tennis, is also worth exploring.

If you're interested in books that aren't specifically about tennis psychology, I suggest A Handful of Summers by Gordon Forbes, which recounts the author's experiences traveling and playing tennis on the tour in the 50s and 60s. Another captivating read is A Terrible Splendor by John Fisher, which tells the story of the legendary 1937 Davis Cup match between Don Budge and Gottfried Von Kramm.

These recommendations should keep you busy for a while. Feel free to come back and ask for more suggestions in the future. Enjoy your reading!

What’s most important when transitioning from a grass court to a hard court?

Mastering the transition: Grass to hard court with ease!

To be honest, the transition from grass back to hard is a pretty easy one. As you're going back to a surface where you don't have to worry about bad bounces or losing your footing, so you go back to playing your regular style game from grass to hard. The transition from hard court to grass court is much more difficult as the bounces are much different and the play overall is different. But grass to hard, pretty easy transition. Just play your normal game, focus on the things that you do well, and enjoy yourself. That is it.

The transition from grass court to hard court is an easy one. Just focus on the things that you do well and enjoy yourself.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/smbbra2qrolzadmj8nit.vtt

When transitioning from a grass court to a hard court, the most important thing is to simply play your regular game. Unlike the challenges of transitioning from hard court to grass, going back to a hard court is relatively easy. You don't have to worry about unpredictable bounces or losing your footing. So, focus on the things you do well, enjoy yourself, and play your normal game. That's all there is to it.

What are some ways junior tennis players can improve their mental game?

Mastering the Mental Game: How Junior Tennis Players Can Improve

First and foremost, I think that you have to practice mentally. When you're training, you have to sit down with your coach and come up with things that you both feel that you need to improve the mental side of your game and then you need to apply those during your practices. Just like you would practice, hitting a forehand or backhand. Hand volleys or a serve. You need to practice the mental aspects of the game. And the best way to do that is during your training time, practice, mentally, focus on doing things that you want to do. Remain calm, remain positive, do the things that, you know, are going to help you to perform better when you're actually playing matches. Secondly, there is a plethora of great sports psychology books that you can read specifically about tennis. Also about other sports or in general about sports psychology. So, sit down and read, give yourself a chance to study and become a student of what it takes to be a better mental competitor on the court. For me, those are the two first things that you can do especially with Junior players. So as coaches, we need to facilitate that mental practice. And then we need to encourage our players to reach out and do some reading, find some areas that they can gain some knowledge in themselves and then discuss with you as the coach.

To improve mentally in tennis, practice with your coach and read books on sports psychology.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/bt42kmlps1heja7ad6n0.vtt

To improve their mental game, junior tennis players can take a few important steps. Firstly, it's crucial to practice mentally. This involves sitting down with a coach to identify areas that need improvement in the mental aspect of the game and then applying those strategies during practice sessions. Just like practicing physical skills, mental aspects should be incorporated into training. Focus on remaining calm, positive, and executing the desired actions that will enhance performance during matches.

Secondly, there are numerous excellent sports psychology books available, specifically tailored to tennis or other sports in general. By dedicating time to reading and studying these resources, players can become students of mental competitiveness on the court. This knowledge will provide valuable insights and techniques to enhance their mental game.

Coaches play a vital role in facilitating mental practice and encouraging players to explore relevant literature to gain knowledge and discuss insights with their coach.

For junior tennis players, these steps of practicing mentally and studying sports psychology can be highly beneficial in improving their mental game.

What are some key tips to improve the forehand volley?

Master the Forehand Volley: Compact Swing & Proper Grip

Hey, I think there's a number of key elements to the forehand volley or volleys and general a couple things. First of all, it's a very compact swing. So when you taking the racket back the backswing should not go past your hip pocket on either side. Another very important factor that I think is overlooked, especially nowadays is the grip. Most people think they're holding and Continental grip when in reality They're much closer to an Eastern forehand grip and that leads to a much more closed racket face especially on the lower volleys. That Continental grip allows you to have the open racket face when you make your turn and you want the racket face to be open. So that the bottom edge of the racket is leading through the swing, the Vale on both sides but we're talking about the forehand volley is a slightly high to low. Low swing rather than a low to high swing and you should be imparting a little bit of backspin on the ball, so you can look for those keys. Make sure you're trying to get a little bit of backspin on the ball. You're generally trying to absorb Pace when you're hitting a volley and that's one of the reasons that you want to have that racket face. Open a little bit, make a compact turn. Use your shoulders to take the racket back, a little bit more without really using your hand or your arm to do such. And then a very Compact punch with the racket head finishing on the same side of your body that it started on not across your body. Hopefully, those things help. You can also try and find some video of, some of the best volunteers. I would go back farther in time. And look for guys, like Stefan, edberg, Pete, Sampras Boris Becker and use those guys as a guide for how you want to create your volley in your game. Good luck.

The forehand volley requires a compact swing, an eastern forehand grip, an open racket face, backspin on the ball, shoulders to take the racket back, and a punch with the racket head ending on the same side of the body it started on. Look for videos of prominent players such as Stefan Edberg, Pete Sampras, and Boris Becker for guidance.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/rxx01dvlsqxyfe8brjl3.vtt

To improve your forehand volley, there are several key tips to keep in mind. Firstly, focus on maintaining a compact swing. When taking the racket back, ensure that the backswing does not go past your hip pocket on either side.

Another crucial but often overlooked aspect is the grip. Many people mistakenly believe they are using a Continental grip when they are actually closer to an Eastern forehand grip. This leads to a more closed racket face, especially on lower volleys. Using a true Continental grip allows for an open racket face, with the bottom edge of the racket leading through the swing. The forehand volley should have a slightly high-to-low swing, imparting a bit of backspin on the ball.

When hitting a volley, you want to absorb pace, so having an open racket face is important. Make a compact turn using your shoulders, rather than relying too much on your hand or arm. Finish the swing with a compact punch, ensuring that the racket head finishes on the same side of your body that it started on, rather than crossing over.

Additionally, it can be helpful to watch videos of skilled volleyers for guidance. Look for players like Stefan Edberg, Pete Sampras, and Boris Becker from earlier eras. Use them as a reference to shape your own volley technique.

Good luck with improving your forehand volley!

Swimming

Strength

Triathlon

Photography

Track & Field

Nutrition

Physical Therapy

Running

Pets

Cycling

Podcasting

HealthCare

Musculoskeletal

Hockey

First Responders

Integrative Medicine

Chiropractic

Cross Country Skiing

Adaptive Sports

Climbing

Mental Health

Surfing

Military

Mind Body

Scholars

Criminal Justice

Liquor

CrossFit

Golf

Soccer

Pickleball

Hunting

Public Speaking

Venture Capital

Coach Advice

Form & Technique

Tactics & Strategy

Training

Mental Toughness

Brad Stine became a USTA national coach Sept. 15, 2014. Prior to joining the USTAPD, Stine founded and operated the 360 Tennis Academy in Fresno, California. In his career, Stine has worked as a personal coach for such players as Jim Courier, Sébastien Grosjean, Andrei Medvedev, and Mardy Fish. He was also a successful collegiate coach with the Fresno State men's tennis team and led the Bulldogs to their first-ever Top 20 NCAA Division I national ranking. Stine's primary responsibility is to assist in the development of the top prospects at the USTA Training Centers as well as at other locations, as well as assisting USTA/USTAPD coaches and players in a better understanding of clay-court development.