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Green Book Doubles

The story told in Green Book is a story tennis doubles partners should pay attention to. In their own different ways, the pianist Dr. Don Shirley and his driver/body guard Tony Lip ended up making each other better people because of their partnership. They started as unique individuals. They ended up being a unique team. It also underscores how different styles can work together to form good teamwork, sometimes in unexpected ways. So, when mastering doubles on the tennis court, some important life lessons. Learn to understand one another. Communicate with each other. Don't hold your partner accountable, hold yourself accountable...and your partner should do likewise. Stick it out together and see how you grow as a team. Never forget this important quality in doubles that was also obvious in the story of the Green Book: All great partnerships are about bringing the best in each other! It doesn't get any better than that, right?

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Travel Beyond

An often overlooked aspect of becoming a better tennis player is this: Travel outside your immediate area to compete. We've all heard the expression 'big fish in a little pond'. So you're dominating 'drop in' at your local tennis pond. Don't you want to find out how good you can be? Dive into a larger tennis lake. You'll learn to tennis swim since your little toes can no longer touch the bottom. It will be more challenging, it's where the expression 'sink or swim' was first sputtered while someone was spitting out water. It's basically to go beyond your geographic zone in order to challenge your comfort zone. Whether or not you succeed in tennis lakes and oceans, you will have achieved a worthy goal of finding out how good you really are. Go beyond. Travel afar. And when you return, just think of the exciting tales to tell when you get back to 'drop in'!

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Party Party

A part of getting older is there are some perks that have been well earned. One of the perks is the right to be old fashioned, and one of my old fashioned beliefs is this: It's not necessary to celebrate every single point we win. Save the self appointed cheerleading act for big moments. An amazing shot. A big break point converted. Winning the match point. 'Cmon!!' and 'Yes!' after every point is overdoing it. It also lacks class if you're acting like you're about to dance to Kool and the Gang when your opponent is your personal road kill. Are you someone who swerves your car for helpless chipmunks, or do you step on the gas? Cmon, show some class! It's great to self motivate, but when you get carried away, you're not the only person you're motivating. You're motivating your opponent! Do you think they're enjoying being your personal party piñata? Save some of your cheer for after the match, as even though I'm old fashioned, I'm not so old that I can't recall 'Celebrate Good Times.... C'mon!!'

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Butterflies and a Roly Poly

It's not unusual in a pro tennis match for a player to delay serving because a spectator was returning to their seat. The pro was distracted. I recall a time in a league match where my partner and I were playing an opponent who had quite the noisy grunt. It didn't seem to bother us, but a player on the next court was very annoyed. She was distracted. Cell phones ringing, sirens in the distance, a swim meet near the tennis courts, you name it, there's no shortage of things that can have focus unravel like a wayward yo-yo. My 5 year old students have taught me that it's best to not worry about distractions. They take their eye off the ball because they saw a butterfly. Ball pick up took a minute longer because there was a roly poly bug on the court that required a rescue. So, learn from the little ones. We all get distracted. We all lose focus. It's not a matter of losing our focus. It's how quickly we get it back! Besides, it's not every day you can be playing an important match and also take time out to save a tiny roly poly.

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On Court Coaching

I have mixed feelings about on court coaching for the women's pro tennis matches. It can be interesting to listen in on what the coach has to say to the player on the changeover. Often times it sounds not much different than what we might say to our team mate if we were providing counsel. 'Keep fighting for every point. She has a big forehand, watch out. Get some first serves in, ok? Believe in yourself. Oh, and keep fighting for every point!' While I'm all for simplicity, I believe competitors should be able to figure things like that out for themselves. I also think it's curious that the women pros need this assistance when coaching is strictly forbidden in tennis recreational leagues for players like you and me. If anyone needs coaching, it's us! In the final coaching analysis, the main benefit of on court coaching may be this: If the player loses, it's not entirely their own fault!

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Now, Not Later

Most-- if not all of us--want to improve our tennis and be at the top of our level, or even move up if possible. But, one of the biggest mistakes any player can make is getting ahead of yourself. We start thinking about 'later' when we should be thinking about 'now'. Focus on the shot you are currently hitting. Concentrate on the point you are currently playing. Deal with the foe you are currently facing. I've had protégés who are more concerned with their future than their present. 'How can I get my rating higher?' 'How can I get to play better players, play on the best teams, become a great player?' The best place to start on those questions is to stop thinking about them. Train and practice as much as your life style allows. Trust what you've practiced when you're actually competing. Enjoy the challenge of good competition. Focus on 'now' is how to have a better 'later'.

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Passion

There are so many ways to look at becoming very good at tennis, it can be challenging to point to any one reason. But, like all great competitors, let's try! The best reason is in the word 'passion'. Do you have a passion for practice? Do you have a passion for tough competition, and a passion for facing pressure? Do you have the passion to get back on the court after a horrific defeat? Do you have a passion for the perfectly timed shot, the well played point, the down-to-the-last point tie-break? Do you have the passion to share your passion with partners? Your passion for all of this is what will sustain you through all the tennis you will experience, and one ought to be grateful for the experience. Best of all, by possessing great passion, you will have something in common with all great competitors.

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Over And Over Again

As with most anything we want to excel at, the path to mastery of tennis is embodied in this challenge: 'Over and over, again'. This simple phrase is not that simple. Over and over is repetitive. It can be monotonous. Drudgery. Yet, it strengthens your skills in so many ways. Over and over will refine your strokes from unpolished and unreliable to shiny and trustworthy. You will have built stamina, both physical and mental. Your body will be built to last, and if your brain can endure the numbing tedium of training, it can handle almost anything. Watch Rafa play. You don't think he has mastered over and over? He's the epitome of over and over even before his ball toss! So, you yearn to hold a trophy above your head? What's the thing you have to master? Cmon, focus!! Over and over. And after that, over and over, again. Only then can you find out if you have what it takes.

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O Canada!

As a lifelong tennis player and fan who has followed the game for 50 years, I have a very important question: What's going on up in Canada? Canada has the strongest contingent of up and coming tennis stars of any nation in the Western Hemisphere. Maybe in the entire world! Have these players been learning to play tennis on ice skates? Does the sport of curling help them improve their topspin? Are there igloos up there big enough for indoor tennis courts? Another thing is this flock of Canadians (reference to the beloved goose) have last names like Shapovalov, Andreescu, Raonic, and Aliassime. Not a Brit or even a Francois among them. Maybe immigration is ok? The United States should try to figure out why Canada is having this impressive success in what no one would call a winter game, and try to replicate the results. I now have a new plan to improve my tennis. I'm having Canadian bacon for breakfast. Since Federer still has game, some Swiss cheese to go with it.

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Coaching The Unique You

Tennis is an individual sport, even in doubles. Your partner may take some shots that were coming your way, but when you are hitting the ball, it's up to you, right? The unique individual, the one and only you. When competing, 2 important questions are, 'What am I doing well? What needs work?' If I'm your coach, I want to know that. To be your good coach, I need to know that. So, to help your coach be a better coach, don't simply show up for a lesson. Tell he or she what you want to work on. Pick a couple of areas to emphasize, and never say 'I want to work on everything'. 'Everything' can't be squeezed into your hour long session! As your coach, my only concern is your tennis game. You as an individual, so the coaching should be not be 'off-the-rack' but custom tailored for you. Even if we want to work on the 'basics', it should be the basics that are uniquely yours. After all, aren't you one of a kind?

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Territorial Claim

Over the many years I've played tennis there have been many changes, but the biggest has not been an advance. It's been a retreat from the net to the baseline. Of course, there are many reasons, too many to review in a few paragraphs, but I'll offer this one as a big one: Tennis players don't practice their volleys enough. It's like anything else we do. Neglect it, and it atrophies into disrepair. So, if you're one of the players who still enjoys hitting a ball prior to a bounce or 2, you will have an advantage of a versatile game, with more ways toward your win. Think of the tennis court as territory, as any piece of land that is contested is simply that. Your goal is to own as much of the territory as possible, not just that moat behind your baseline. Become a skillful volleyer and you'll own the territory up to your side of the net. Become a great net player and you know what comes next? Your opponent will think you own his or her side of the net, too! I better work on that. Ok, ready position, racquet in front.....

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Focus Like A Squirrel

Coaching little kids how to play tennis can frequently provide unique and memorable moments. A class of 5 year olds were all trying to hit the ball with the sweet spot when they noticed a little squirrel making its way along the top of the fence. The little animal nimbly navigated the fence top balance beam until it reached a point where leapt into the branch of a tree. It provided a perfect teaching moment. I asked the children if the squirrel showed good balance so it wouldn't fall off the fence. And then I explained that the squirrel had something everyone of us need when playing tennis: Focus! The kids smiled when I said 'let's focus like that little squirrel!' The kids upped their focus, and hit more shots on the sweet spot. Focus is important to all tennis players to make the most of what we've got, so don't forget this: If a little squirrel with its little squirrel brain can focus, we should, too. And, if that doesn't work, just try saying 'bounce hit'!

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Can't Keep The Lead

When my proteges discuss competition with me, sometimes this comment is uttered: 'I don't play as well when I'm ahead. I have a hard time keeping the lead.' The truth is this comment simply reveals our human nature. When I'm behind, or facing adversity, if I don't have a sense of urgency, the larger question should be about my effort. If I'm ahead, it can be normal to have a drop in focus and intensity. A lead has sometimes been called a 'cushion'. Ahhh, doesn't that feel comfortable? Therein lies the danger. We are enjoying a cushion at the same time our foes are tenaciously battling back. So, this is what I tell my protégés: In tennis, no lead is ever kept. If you're ahead 3-1, the next set score will be 3-2, or 4-1. Leads aren't 'kept'. Leads expand, or contract. If you don't play with the same urgency when having the lead as when you're behind, it begs this question: Why bother getting ahead at all?

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Mutt Versus Top Dog

One of the biggest challenges in competitive tennis is when we're the 'underdog'. When we are 'unseeded' and playing a high 'seed'. It's a bit like a tennis version of a dog show. I'm against the big time pedigree, and who am I? I'm the mutt! Fortunately, tennis isn't scored like a dog show, and this is how it's possible for mutts to have their moment: The match starts at 0-0, so compete for every point. How hard is it to be a scrappy player when you're a mutt? Your top seed pure bred has his snoot so high in the sky he may not have even picked up the scent that you aren't there for the show. You're there smelling a big upset! Also, don't forget this important detail: Have you ever had a bad loss? A galling defeat? Guess what? You were the kennel favorite and you lost to a mutt! We've all had bad losses. When you're playing the highly touted big seed, be his bad loss. Remember, you have this huge incentive: Do you want to be a mutt forever?

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Quit? Never, Ever!

Whether from a qualitative or quantitative perspective, Roger Federer is amazing. When we look at his game, he sets the highest standards the sport has ever seen. His technique is so superior, he doesn't 'manufacture' power. It's a by-product of his technique. And, the highest criterion for any athlete is this: He makes the difficult look easy. Quantitatively, he owns almost every competitive tennis record there is. But, rather than rehash every one of his numbers, perhaps the most remarkable number in Federer's remarkable career is this: 0. As in zero. In a pro career that started before 'Y2K', and nearing 1,500 official singles matches, Roger Federer has never retired from a single match. Never. Ever. His record for finishing matches that he starts is 100%. He's even the best ever at never quitting. I just hope I didn't jinx him!

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Coaching Your Kid

So, you want to coach your kid how to play tennis. The following can be helpful: Don't be their only coach, or their head coach. Find the tennis pro you want to be the coach. You can assist, but not with the coach. And don't coach the coach on how to coach. If you think that's truly necessary, you have chosen the wrong coach, or they have the wrong assistant coach. Got it? Good. We also broke the record for most uses of the word 'coach' in one paragraph. That should prove how competitive I am! In coaching your kid, remember the 'journey' metaphor. Basically, it says it's a process, it takes time, and while your desired destination may be 'GOAT' rock, enjoy your journey since you may not reach that rock. If you don't know that metaphor, then google it. Google 'GOAT', too, while you're at it. Got it? Good. You are now the assistant coach for your kid. You may not even be good at tennis yourself. In that case, start by praying your kid's athletic genes are either maternal, or if your Dad was an all star at cricket, perhaps the genes skipped your generation. Here is the drill you must master as you embark on your quest: Be on opposite sides of the net, but only 9 feet from the net. Just hit the ball gently back and forth. The goal is for your shots to land in front of one another. Develop the skill to have 20 shot rallies over and over. If for any reason you power up on your forehand and blast it in your kid's direction, you not only don't understand the drill, someone should call social services and report you. As you succeed in rallying from short distances, you go farther back--gradually--and lengthen the court. Eventually you will be rallying baseline to baseline. Well done, Coach Dad! You know what lengthening the court is? A journey in itself! You haven't gotten very far, you can even see where you came from. Take one more look back, so you don't forget where you came from. And don't forget to google that 'journey' metaphor. Got it? Good!

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Treasure Amidst Clutter

When we think of 'pack rats', we think of someone who saves so much stuff, one can't find the treasure amidst all the clutter. But, there's another area we can be pack rats: In the space between the ears. I was asked about a match I played many years ago where I was getting crushed by the number one ranked player in an 18 and under semifinal. The guy was tall, long, impossible to pass. Way back in 1971, serve and volley was how the best played and he had it mastered. It wasn't that I was playing poorly. It was simply his strength--net play--was better than my strength--groundies. Even worse, this advantage existed point after point, game after game, and I was down 1-6, 0-2. In the back pages of a strategy book is this strata-gem: when getting smoked, you've got nothing to lose. So I got my, um, rear end off the baseline and came to net behind every ball. This guy had never lost to me, but maybe he was shocked to see me near the net. Or maybe he hadn't had to try a passing shot in a long time. Or maybe he couldn't understand why I just didn't give up. Sometimes we should remember that it's not which strength is stronger, but which weakness is weaker. His baseline play was weaker than my net play. As for that space between the ears? It's where that treasure known as 'never give up' exists amid the clutter.