With 25 Years of teaching experience Roger has a wealth of tennis knowledge

At MyTennisLessons.com we have are fortunate to work with some highly experienced tennis pros who are not only willing to help out students but fellow and aspiring tennis coaches as well. Roger, an accomplished tennis coach in Alexandria, VA, has a wealth of knowledge to share considering he has been teaching tennis lessons for over 25 years. We feel that it is important to promote an open marketplace of ideas for instructors and Roger has been kind enough to offer advice to prospective tennis instructors.

Roger’s “Gain the Advantage” teaching tips:

• Before hitting, encourage your student to take a minute to swing the racket in its cover using the forehand, backhand, and service motions.  This short warm-up will loosen up the body and make the racket feel lighter when initially starting to hit balls.
• When introducing the serve to a beginner, practice having the student throw balls from the service line into the proper service court using an overhand throwing motion.  Continue to teach the mechanics of the serve from the service line to keep the student’s focus more on the proper movements and less on just getting the ball over the net.  Using the shorter distance to the service box from the service line, as opposed to initially attempting serves from the baseline, will allow the student to gain more confidence in the serve.
• When introducing the backhand, explain and demonstrate both the single and double backhand strokes and grips, break down the pros and cons of both, and allow the student to experiment with both strokes before choosing the more comfortable approach for them.
• For a new player looking to rapidly improve their game, stress the importance of stroke repetition to establish muscle memory by practicing the footwork and swinging motions without a ball and by drop hitting to practice ground strokes.  At the beginning, emphasize this approach over trying to play full court or hitting balls off a backboard, which require more precise timing and will be less productive at this stage.
• Be flexible in how you communicate information to your students.  Because each of your students processes information differently, it’s important to adapt your teaching style to accommodate the various learning styles of your students.  You will be more effective if you are able to grab their attention, make learning fun, and motivate your students to achieve their goals.

- Roger C. is a tennis instructor with MyTennisLessons located in Arlington, VA. He is an extremely active pro working all over Northern Virginia and has taught for various tennis establishments and tennis teams. His over 25 years of teaching experience and extensive playing background come through in each of his lessons. Visit Roger’s Profile for more information.

The answer requires a little math and depending how serious of a competitor you aspire to be, the weather also needs to figure in to when your racquets should receive a tune up. Of course other considerations need to be explored like, where do you store your racquet? Do you keep it in the trunk of your car without a bag or do you keep it in a nice bag in your closet or even without the bag? The closet is best for it will keep your strings at a steady tension however if dust is on your racquet when you pick it up to play you should have it restrung before you play an important match then.

In the trunk is a different scenario altogether. If it is very hot like it gets here in Austin your strings will stretch and lose a lot of tension. In some cases as much as 5 pounds of control can melt away in your car. So a tip for you is to do your best not to store your frames in the trunk.

Now, lowering the tension will give you alot more power but, as with a trampoline, the strings can get too bouncy and your shots will begin to fly all over the tennis court. In perfect conditions, you should have your frame(s) restrung as many times a year as you play per week. Example: If you play 4 times a week you should have your frame(s) you use restrung 4 times a year. Divide it out evenly.

Also in the cold months the more serious player should lower their tension by about 2 to 5 pounds depending on playing style and more importantly just how cold it gets in the winter. I like the easy rule of: a pound of tension for each layer you need to wear to play tennis outside. Follow these simple guidelines and you will perform at a more consistent level during the year, but nothing takes the place of sound technique and fitness you gain from taking lessons from a quality tennis instructor.

- Jack A. is a tennis instructor with MyTennisLessons located in Round Rock, TX. He is well known in Plugerville and Round Rock as being a top tennis pro who is known to get the most out of any player, whether a beginner or experienced player. His 25 years of teaching experience and professional playing background certainly go a long way. Visit Jack’s Profile for more information. 

Going into the 2012 season the tennis rankings were far more settled. Djokovic was coming off a historic season, Nadal was snuggly in second, Federer was gallantly sitting in third, and Murray was sadly in fourth. Fast forward a year and there are currently four different holders of four different Grand Slam titles. Things are wide open.

Djokovic is still the odds on favorite to take the Australian Open for the 3rd successive year, especially with Rafa Nadal not featuring. This is probably a good place to discuss the ever worrying condition of Mr. Nadal. He pulled out of the Australian citing a stomach bug that didn’t allow him to properly train for the start of the season. Riiiiiiigggght. Come on Rafa, your knee issues are the worst kept secret in tennis. There’s no need to blame your deteriorating career on a tummy ache. He and his camp claim his famous knees are fine but I’ll remain skeptical until I see him complete an entire season without any setbacks.

If there is anything that is as predictable as Nadal’s Aussie withdrawal, it’s Federer’s persistent presence. As each year passes I, and pretty much everyone else, keep expecting Federer to finally take a backseat to these young guns, but he just keeps on winning. Though he finished 2012 with a loss to Djokovic in the ATP Finals and hasn’t won anything since Wimbledon (which is kind of a big deal), you can’t count him out. When the semi-finals of a Grand Slam roll around expect that stoic look and perfectly placed headband to be present. If I were Roger I’d go hard for that US Open title this year and call it quits while on top. Nothing more badass than a man going out on the top of his game (see Steffi Graf, Bjorn Borg, John Elway).

There are two stories in particular that get me jacked up for the 2013 season. I’m probably not the only one who is predicting a budding rivalry between Djokovic and Murray. For a while now I’ve been waiting for Murray to really announce his arrival and he officially did with his capture of Olympic Gold and win at the US Open. These two players came up at the same time, are buddies off the court, and are in the absolute prime of their careers. They have always played tight matches, while Djokovic has the slight advantage 10-7 in the head-to-head match-ups. They have however, split their last 4 matches against each other. There’s no reason this match-up can’t turn into a Open Era rivalry similar to Bjorg vs McEnroe, Agassi vs Sampras, or Nadal vs. Federer. Their time is now, and I expect (no, I demand!) some epic finals in 2013.

Secondly, could we please see someone from the ever growing “rest of the pack” step their game up? The last time I watched someone outside the big 4 compete in a Grand Slam final was 2008 when Tsonga lost to Djokovic. Sure, sports are built on star players but the lack of parity in tennis is shocking. Don’t get me wrong, I love watching the ridiculous level of play on display when the the big four go at it but where is the next big thing? With other sports I’m always excited about who the young up and comers are, who the next prodigy is. The anticipation of that superstar is often the best part, but it seems as though there hasn’t been anyone as of late that has really caught my eye.

There are some unbelievably talented players in the top 10, notably Tomas Berdych, Martin Del Potro, and the aforementioned Tsonga. The 8 players directly under the 4th ranked Nadal however, have an average age of 27. For a tennis player that is usually the tail end, or completely out of your prime. I don’t see any of these guys in top 15 making the so called leap as Murray and Djokovic did back in their early 20’s. Are players like Ryan Harrison or Milos Raonic ready to take the next step into becoming established players on tour? I will definitely be keeping an eye on 20 yr old Austin, TX native to see if he can improve on his current #68 ranking and some promising 2012 results. Though I’m hoping to see Harrison in the top 25 sometime in the near future, fully expect Raonic to continue to ascend up the rankings. Already #15 in the world the hard hitting Canadian is someone to watch going forward. Hopefully we’ll not only see some new faces in 2013 make some noise but continue to have the old ones play at such a monumental level.

1. Learn a New Technique – by taking at least one lesson a month in the area of your greatest weakness, you can turn that weakness into a strength, come this time next year.
2. Play With a Racquet That Fits You – sometimes something as simple as the type of racquet you are playing with can completely change the way you play your game.
3. Practice Your Serve – Improve your serve by committing to hit at least one bucket of balls a week.  Focus on your placement and spin serve over power and in a twelve month period you should see a dramatic improvement on the consistency and control of your serves.
4. Invite a New or Weaker Player to Play With You  - While everyone loves to play with people who are the same level or better than them, playing with a weaker or new player also has its advantages.  By inviting a new or weaker player to play with you, you’re not only spreading good karma, but you ill also work on improving your ball control.
5. Try Out a new Off Day Sport or Routine – Look at your tennis game in general, and ask yourself, outside of your form, what can you do to increase your performance?  If stamina is an issue, try something like cardio tennis.  If you are looking to improve your swing, yoga can strengthen your core and increase your flexibility, leading to a better swing overall.
6. Stay hydrated – by drinking lots of water before, during and after your game and eating foods with high water content, such as cucumbers, celery, citrus fruits and melons.  Choosing these foods will allow you to finish your game strong and keep you from having a heavy stomach that weighs you down during your game.
7. Use Sunscreen – while this goes without saying, many of us forget to put on sunscreen until after the fact.  Over the years, this can not only age you, but also be detrimental to your health.  Keep sunscreen handy along with the rest of your tennis gear.  Look for brands that are water and sweat proof.

MTL wants to hear from you.  What are your 2013 resolutions? How are you going to accomplish them?

]]> http://mytennislessons.com/2012/12/25/happy-holidays-from-mytennislessons/feed/ 0 http://mytennislessons.com/2012/12/18/wozniackis-impersonation-of-serena-racist-or-all-in-good-fun/ http://mytennislessons.com/2012/12/18/wozniackis-impersonation-of-serena-racist-or-all-in-good-fun/#comments Wed, 19 Dec 2012 05:54:34 +0000 Katie http://mytennislessons.com/?p=7081 Continue reading →]]> Caroline Woziniacki’s impersonation of Serena Williams, has been scrutinized in the press over the last few days.  Which begs the question, where does the line stop between making a statement on the court, just for fun, and being offensive?

While tennis at one point, may have been traditionally seen as a more conservative sport, that image has been long gone for quite some time.  Tennis players for the last two decades have consistently year, by year pushed the envelope by making statements with the types of clothing they have worn to tournaments. Players such as Roger Federer and Tommy Haas recently had a little fun with Brazilian tennis fans by showing up to a tennis match in Brazilian soccer uniforms and proceeded to play tennis-football with an oversized tennis ball. And it’s not uncommon for tennis players to impersonate or poke fun at other players.

So what is different this time?  Wozniacki’s joke, while it may not have offended Serena, as evident from her twitter postings, definitely offended other people around the globe.  At the end of the day, I think the issue lies deeper.  Serena Williams has been criticized by the media in the past for her body, and had this not happened, perhaps this joke wouldn’t have offended so many people.

That being said, we are all willing to take jokes from some people we are close to and not accept as funny the same joke from another person.  Had Wozniacki never played a prank on any other tennis player or been in a different forum, something more serious than the Gillette Federer Tour, it could reasonably be seen as offensive.  However, one of the things tennis fans love to see is bantering, pranks and silliness between tennis players.  Where is the line between having fun and just going too far?  Let us know your thoughts, we want to hear from you.

Finding the perfect tennis racquet is like eating fast food. Sure, you’ll be happy with your racquet when playing great on the court, but once that greatness stops, it’s like the following 30 minutes after devouring that big mac—you feel like crap. Do you blame the racquet when losing a tennis match? Do you blame the Big Mac for making you feel crappy after eating it? The answer should be no. You’re the only one to blame. So let’s take a few steps before that epic fail on the court where you decided to smash your racquet on the ground– and now you’ve landed on this blog post because you are in need of a new one.

There is one main question you should ask yourself prior to searching for that perfect tennis racquet– What are you looking to get out of your tennis racquet? Now this doesn’t mean “I’m looking to become a great tennis player and win more matches”. It simply means, “What element of my game could improve more with the purchase of the right tennis racquet?” There are many elements to choose from. I would break these down into 3 main categories. Power, Comfort, and Control.

Power: A powerful racquet will be easily maneuverable, offer a larger sweetspot, and provide some added reach.

Comfort: A comfortable racquet should be for the player who cares how it feels when hitting the ball. Many times comfort is very important to people with previous injuries such as tennis elbow.

Control: A racquet with control usually lacks power, but allows the player to swing more aggressively and provide the feel needed to place the ball in the court.

This week I’m going to recommend a few tennis racquets for beginners that will help you to take your game to the next level. That is, if you take a few tennis lessons for beginners first!

Beginners (NTRP 1.0 – 2.5): Beginner racquets are typically a bit larger in size and will allow players to return the ball with power. A racquet with a larger head size will be forgiving when you don’t hit the ball in the sweetspot.

Tennis Racquets for Beginners:

Power­­: The Babolat Overdrive 110 is a great starter racquet that generates power even with a slower swing speed. As it mentions in the title, the racquet is 110 square inches and is classified as an oversize racquet that weight 9.9 ounces strung. The ridiculously large sweet spot helps you place the ball deeper in the court with little effort involved (though you still need to move your feet and make contact with it!). The Overdrive is also a great choice for the doubles player looking to get that extra “oomf” out of their volleys and overheads. If you’re looking to add some power to your game, this racquet will do the trick. (Price: $189)

Comfort: The Wilson BLX Tempest Four is a 110 square inch racquet weighing in at 8.7 ounces (pretty lightweight). It’s ideal for the beginner seeking to place the ball deeper in the court. The open string pattern provides a very comfortable feeling when making contact with ball. The added length gives you that extra reach at the net and when serving the ball. Don’t be surprised when a bit of power comes from your next forehand with this winner! (Price: $179)

Control: The Head YOUTEK IG Speed Lite is a great racquet for players looking for more feel and control. The head size is 102 square inches and weighs 9.8 ounces. At both the net and the baseline, players will find pinpoint accuracy with this comfortable stick. Generating spin is very easy thanks to the string pattern and stringbed. This controllable tennis racquet will lead to more consistency and confidence as you run your opponent around on the court! (Price: $159.95)

For The Price: You can’t go wrong with spending $30 on a quality Wilson tennis racquet. The Wilson BLX Coral Reef is a 110 inch 9.9 oz racquet ideal for the beginner to intermediate level player. It has a large sweet spot that helps you to stay consistent from the baseline. This lightweight racquet will allow you to be agile and quick as a cat at the net. If you don’t mind the pink color, for this limited time price, the BLX Coral Reef is definitely a buy. (Price: $30)

If you’re in need of a new racquet, now would be a great time to buy. For the next few days, Tennis Warehouse has free shipping on all of their racquets! Be on the lookout for my next post on tennis racquets for adult intermediate players.

This post is the first in what will be a regular series, in hopes of highlighting the benefits of consistent tennis play. You can’t expect to gain these benefits from playing only one time, can you? I know my mother used to find out every last detail about my activities growing up. As a kid I couldn’t stand it (Mom, my athletic cup isn’t too tight!), but I now understand that she was just making sure I was going to get the most out of my experience. That’s why we feel it’s important to give the tennis novice an inside look on what to expect with tennis lessons from MTL. Use this info as a topic of discussion with a spouse, with other parents, or your own son or daughter.

I’ll argue that the accountability tennis requires has even greater benefits for kids. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that there are few parents or kids who enjoy being around a kid that blames everything on others. Simply put, it’s not an admirable trait. As far as team sports go, basketball is my favorite. I do however, remember the car rides home from middle school Park and Rec basketball games. Three players from the same team riding in the same car, gossiping about and singling out a teammate that “blew the game”. When playing a tennis match a kid can only blame himself for a bad play. It is only you that can make the wrong decision, or the right one at that. This a wonderful character builder.

For the better part of 20 years, Lyon has been a part-time tennis pro and spent most of his time in a mortgage banking and real estate sales career. When the real estate market collapsed in 2008, he needed money and put teaching tennis as his first priority. However, not having cultivated a consistent clientele over the years, his income was spotty.  “Then I got a call from MTL.” says Lyon, “As opposed to having a day of two, maybe three lessons, my schedule was soon close to completely booked. While I don’t make as much per lesson with MTL than my usual fee, the split they gave more than made up for what I would have made without them (zero). Considering my circumstances, it was a Godsend.”

Lyon teaches full time now.  “I make excellent money. My previous career is an afterthought, only noted when I talk to old friends whom relate their latest war stories of stress and unhappiness.  I highly recommend MTL to any tennis pro that is responsible, wants to make money on a part time basis, or is possibly thinking of transitioning full time into teaching.”

Lyon has been what we like to call a Poster Instructor of MyTennisLessons. He responds to emails and phone calls in a timely manner, shows up on time for his scheduled tennis lessons, and provides a great tennis learning experience on the court with his clients. We have received great feedback from customers and would recommend Lyon to any player in the D.C. area who is looking to learn tennis or take their game to the next level. Feel free to check out more about Lyon here. 

For those instructors looking to receive more customers, supplement their income, and have a similar instructor experience as Lyon, be sure to check out our Instructor Application and apply today!.

In a time when newfangled equipment, revolutionary medical practices, and extreme workouts are the norm, it is understandable that players across all sports are achieving things once thought impossible. I’m inclined to believe that because of these changes players have had to adapt their game, not the other way around. Tactical strategists like Michael Chang, Andre Agassi, and John McEnroe have been replaced by heavy hitters such as Djokovic, Del Potro, and Berdych. Because of the aforementioned modernization of sports, players are hitting the ball harder than ever, transforming tennis into a “who can hit it harder” baseline game. In an interview with Men’s Journal, McEnroe attributes the use of lightweight rackets, and subsequently quicker rackets speeds, as the reason for the new pace of the game. He even attests that if players back then, such as Bjorn Borg, would have been able to take advantage of such technology they would have hit the ball just as hard. Some people however, do not believe that racket technology is the only factor contributing to the high powered tennis exhibited in the modern game.

Yannick Noah, the 1983 French Open Champion, came under fire for his comments regarding steroids, specifically in Spanish circles. In 2011 he wrote a not-so-subtle editorial in the French Newspaper Le Monde, in which he suggested Spain was suddenly a tennis powerhouse because of the use of “magic potions”. Apart from blanked statements from Noah, concern that radiated throughout tennis after the Armstrong allegations, may soon turn into genuine panic. Luis Garcia del Moral (pictured above), the doctor banned by the US Anti-Doping agency for orchestrating a “team wide doping program” for the US Postal Service cycling team, was also the owner of the leading tennis academy in Spain, TenisVal academy. He also worked with top players Sara Errani, Dinara Safina, and David Ferrer, who have since publicly distanced themselves from del Moral and his academy once word of his ban surfaced. To say that Noah and others were barking up the right tree would be an understatement.

Though many, including Rafa Nadal, would point to stringent drug testing throughout the season to silence critics, cycling has proven that methodical testing does not necessarily translate to a clean sport. In light of the Lance Armstrong decision some of the top tennis players believe that their sport could use an anti-doping overhaul. Andy Murray was quoted as saying “A lot of (testing) has been urine, not so many blood tests. I think tennis is a clean sport, but the more we can do to prove that all the time is good”. Roger Federer also came out just last month claiming that he has not been tested as much as he once was in the early 2000’s and would like to see more test put into place.

History has also shown that the sport has not been particularly strict when positive tests do occur. In Andre Agassi’s autobiography he explained that he failed a urine test for crystal meth in 1997 but the ATP dismissed it and did not enforce the 3 month ban. Though this was not steroid related, it is unsurprising the sport was unwilling to tarnish one their biggest names with drug allegations. Players such as Petr Korda and Greg Rusedski, both former (as well as brief) top 5 players in the world, have tested positive for steroids in the past. Though these players were disciplined, they did not receive full suspensions nor were these positive tests brought to the public’s knowledge until months afterwards.

It’s clear that steroid use was, and may well still be, happening within the sport, but the ATP claims to have put the necessary test in place to combat it. Just by looking at the numbers however, it is abundantly clear that the ATP could be doing far more. It is publicly stated that the ITF (International Tennis Federation) in compliance with WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) spends approximately $1.5 million on steroid testing every year. That might seem like a lot, but when you consider that the ATP doled out nearly $50 million to the top ten earners this year, that figure seems paltry. Compare that to the amount of money Texas spends on steroid testing for high school sports, $6 Million dollars over two years, and the ITF’s figure is laughable. If Texas is willing to utilize $6 Million out of its states budget you’d be inclined to believe the cash cows that are the ATP, WTA (Women’s Tennis Association), and ITF would splash the cash to ensure they are doing everything possible to combat the use of steroids. Apparently not.

I believe former US men’s tennis player Todd Martin put it perfectly when he said stricter steroid testing is “the only way to begin to cut that gap down between the science of cheaters and the science of testing, and even then, I don’t know how much it’s going to be able to be caught up with”. If players on and off the tour are even acknowledging there might be a problem then the ATP should act accordingly, even if to simply quell growing speculation. On one hand it’s naive to think that there is no doping going on in tennis, but on the other there is no concrete evidence to suggest there is any problem at all. At the very least, the Lance Armstrong case should be a warning to professional tennis; to the passive observer there may not be a problem, but ten years down the road you never know who’s going to start digging.