Overcoming your Tennis Everest - a message for the aspiring tennis player

I left this comment for PJ (roadto45tennis.com) and World Tennis Congress organizer today in response to his post about recent setbacks.

Background: I came in contact with PJ way back in 2012 leading up to the first Tennis Congress. He was very nice and we had a nice long chat about NY’s Total Tennis vs other tennis academies. I stumbled upon this blog again the other day and so surprised to see his note about recent health issues and struggling with getting to NTRP 4.5. I hope this message finds you and your readers well, PJ!

My USPTA Tennis Coach Biography

I started out as a 3.0 USTA player.

Over a decade ago and picked up tennis late as a teenager. Climbing the next rung on the later was also my tennis life’s goal. My road too was paved with many hurdles, setbacks, multiple tennis injuries and heartbreak losses at USTA championships.

But right here I want to stop and say -
If a (small 5’5 Asian) guy with big dreams in his mid-30s can play the best tennis of his life – every person reading this blog can get there too! And become reigning DC Open 4.5 singles champion

The late, great boxer Muhammad Ali once said…

”Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.”

How to improve the quality of your tennis practices

Deliberate Practice makes Perfect

While being a tennis instructor working with students or just someone's hitting partner with a stranger out at a local park, you would surprised how many casual tennis players just "go out and hit". They are out there several times a week and take lots of lessons, but just seem to repeat the same mistakes.

Here's a very great article regarding Deliberate Practice - how the pros focus and improve much quicker than the ordinary player.

So if your goal is to improve your game everyday and make better use of your time on the tennis court - read on:

1. Smart use of Time.
   
   Showing up and being good on your word - whether for a lesson or to meet a friend - is a reflection on your character. Toni Nadal once said to Rafa, "if you are not 5 minutes early, then you're already late". This is the respect and courtesy you should always show. Of course if an emergency comes up, notify your partner ASAP.
   
   Be efficient with how you structure practice time. Simulate game timing as much as possible. Have an adequate warm-up session at half-court (2-3 mins), work rally balls, approaches, and volley/overheads (4-5 mins). Then take 6 serves from the ad and deuce courts (2-3 mins).
   
   One common mistake beginners make is that they spend far too much time being too isolated in their practice. They may spend 20-30 mins hitting short court and an hour serving one type of serve without the right mental targets and understanding the purpose. You need to translate those skills (ex: using topspin, enough racket head speed, work angles for half court tennis) into a real match.
   
   For serving, if you do not have the proper serve grip, toss and learn the basic serve fundamentals - it is a waste of time to try to hit a whole hopper of your hardest 1st serves. If only 2/10 actually land in the service box, you are depending on luck rather than dependable technique.


2. Be prepared mentally
   
   When we show up hungry and eager to play, the brain will absorb a lot more. Too many times, when I've taught tennis lessons, the student may be there physically, but not above the shoulders.
   
   Just arriving at the court is not enough - especially if you need another 5 minutes to put on your shoes, run to the restroom, whatever it is... At least one other person is counting on you to fulfill your part of the bargain when you go out there.
   
   At a minimal level, be mentally there. Constantly checking your cell phone at every changeover means you're lacking focus. If your mind is elsewhere, you will not be 100%. Save the extra long chit-chat for the water break or afterwards, so someone else can use the court.
   
   Whether it is changing grips, putting on sunscreen, or hydrating - do this before arriving! Ideally, you should have done a bit of dynamic stretching too so you can play your best. This is most important when playing indoor tennis and time = money.


3. Share your goals, start with a quick game plan
   
   Have in mind when you start a list of goals you want to work on when doing drills.
   
   You should have at least one or two areas they feel they want to improve. Share this with your hitting partner. Collectively agree on certain elements you wish to drill on during the hitting session.
   
   If necessary, adjust the drills to suit the other players' skill level. Most of the time they will not be very good at feeding consistently or pin point accurate, so give the necessary margin of error.
   
   It is a waste of time, to just jump right onto the court and start slapping balls from the baseline. It is about progression. Start with half-court; incorporate top spin, volleys, footwork. If you're lazy from the service line, it will only amplify when you move back.


4. Establish rhythm and consistency first
   
   Nobody likes hitting with someone who just wants to belt balls for winners. Especially off the first or second shot when feeding, do not immediately try to hit winners.
   
   Get into a groove, perhaps work on cross-court shots first before hitting all-court. Let your partner know that you want to get at least 3-4 balls in play before either player should try to win the rally. Otherwise, you're just picking up most of the time instead of grooving solid technique.


5. Work on ALL parts of the game - alternate between offensive and defensive roles
   
   Both players should get a chance to be on the 3 phases: attack, neutral and defense.
   
   Hitting inside-out forehands against a slice backhand is one way. Playing medium pace passing shots against a volleyer at the net is another. Working on a good lob is a complimentary to the other person hitting directed overheads consistently. The key word is consistently. If one or the other is uncooperative or flaky, you will not produce quality - remember it takes two!
   
   Please do not just stand on the baseline the entire time! Practice feeding each other volleys, overheads, and even transition shots in order to improve.


6. Practice and simulate real game play. Give Feedback!
   
   After about an hour or so, try to incorporate some serves and returns into the drills. It can be a live ball drill or play a few points with one person feeding underhand or tiebreakers with the serve.
   
   Whatever it is, just make sure at some point to incorporate the practice shots into a real point situation. Just working on pieces of the game in total isolation can be dangerous; it must fit into the bigger picture when you start playing. Otherwise you may let the rest of you game go idle.
   
   Finally at this point, you can also play a full set. If both players are roughly the same level, be competitive and do your best to use what you learned. It is not about winning 6-0 when one is clearly better. But instead, try building small improvements on the weakest parts of your game, so it can be a fair and enjoyable challenge on both sides.

Have fun, be mindful of the experience for all players, and work each time on forming good basic habits that will translate into winning tennis! Enjoy!

Ball Line Calls in Tennis ... Being Human

I'm writing this article because recently it has come to my attention that the "bad line call" is in fact a part of tennis. Everyone who has ever played tennis regularly has missed line calls at some point in time...

Both on the ones that were actually out (whether on a serve or on the sideline/baseline) but we played anyway AND when we made inaccurate out calls on balls that were actually in. But we made in good faith with our less than "Shot-Spot-perfect" eyes.

Yes. You are, I am, we all are H-U-M-A-N. It happens....A lot actually!

Nobody is perfect, nor faultless (Players nor Officials)

Just look at this: 2013 Australian Open Challenge Statistics compiled after this year's Grand Slam tournament. At the Top Professional Level of tennis in the ATP and WTA, the players themselves, were wrong more than 2/3 of the time (about 70% of the time, the challenger was incorrect).

Remember, there are only a very limited in the amount of challenges available per set, so you can assume that they challenged because they genuinely felt unsatisfied with the ruling made on the court.

What is maybe more interesting is how often the Officials were wrong. Even when you have officials on every line and highly-paid umpires, they were actually "Caught" by Shot-Spot being wrong about 25% of the time, and those points had to be overturned or replayed. Just for the record, that was (at least) 189 times during that tournament alone where the officials were wrong, to be precise, according to the Australian Open website.

So that means that even these are paid and trained officials during the average match are missing about 1 or 2 calls per match at a Grand Slam. And yes, this is when those players are actually playing for millions of dollars AND Wimbledon is on the line =)

Therefore in amateur matches and local pick-up games, you can expect to have a few missed calls (both in the caller's favor and sometimes a mistake in NOT calling and against their favor). If we make all calls in good faith, then for the most part, it should even out in the end. Or at least not effect the final outcome of a match...

What we do and how we react to this is the important part.

You cannot immediately over-react and assume your opponent is a cheater. Getting mad or upset or rattled about one bad call is a mental weakness.

You should assume they made a mistake and not a deliberate one. If it happens continually, then go ask for a line judge. It helps free up both players to hit the ball and not worry as much on making every call perfectly.

The USTA code of tennis says you can challenge or ask for a confirmation on the call from your opponent, but without an official there watching it is your Opponent who has the Right to make the call on his/her side of the court then you should accept it and move on. Important: *If you didn't see the ball land and space between the line and the ball, you should always assume it was in.*

3 Behaviors of Successful Tennis Players

Sportsmanship

1) Do Not be Lazy.

If you have a goal, a dream, a passion to be the best - you cannot be lazy. There are no superstars in the world that can stay #1 in any sport if they sit back on their laurels. Really - try and name one. Can you imagine how much work, diligence, and struggle plus sacrifices they had to make to get to #1? It is not such a sexy topic, and we'd all like to imagine success can come cheaply or free - but I can tell you it doesn't.

Look at Messi. Look at Federer. Look at LeBron James.

At some point, they had to humble themselves and ask themselves if they love it enough? They had to grind harder, train longer, and keep their faith strong. Through pain, through defeat, through pressure - they came a long way in their journey to the top of their own mountain.

"Hard Work" is not a miracle pill you can pay $3 to get a daily fix.

2) Do not be Rude.

Smart or dumb, we owe it to our fellow man to extend him a fair challenge. To prove worth on an equal playing field. Ours should not be to judge, when we ourselves are imperfect.

Extend common courtesy of politeness. Respect cultural and social differences. Give the other person the benefit of the doubt before we cast the first stone.

Being "Rude" or "Lazy" are completely deliberate choices we have control over.
These should be 4-letter words in any tennis student's vocabulary.

Only Human.
Also just because the stars have riches and/or fame, their private lives should not be our public tabloid fuel. There is a great price that comes with great power/fame/wealth...but however envious or upset or disturbed we are about their status, we need to remind ourselves that they are human too.

Being greeted in a sincere manner goes much further, than expecting them to behave as circus animals on a stage for you at every moment in public.

3) Seek to understand from others.

Open your mind. Try to know yourself, know the terrain, know your enemy. Do not be afraid to ask for help or advice.

Figure out what went right or what went wrong, after every match. Watch replays from pros.

Learn. Grow. Think Beyond. Never think you know everything, never think someone new cannot show you something new.

Winning is not good enough. Never stop learning or trying to get better.

"Seek excellence in all endeavors"...as my HS Calculus teacher would say.

Rain Delays - the Bane of Tournament Tennis

Canada's Week of Rain

Have you seen all the rain that Toronto and Montreal got this week? It threw off the schedule so badly that most of the players had to play 2 matches on the same day to get into the quarterfinals. They are doing everything they can to squeeze in the men's and women's semifinals late at night.

Also with a 2+ hour rain delay that occurred at the tail end of the first set in DC at the Citi Open, it really put a damper on the TV guys who were probably showing replays of semi's the night before. Many fans who attend the ATP Finals are older, have kids/families and time is scarce so generally those long delays mean when play finally starts back up, only about 3-4 rows of people actually can stay for the conclusion.

A similar rain delay happened to me back at the 2009 Nadal vs. Djokovic US Open Final where there was a long delay that made me miss my flight back home. But like a true fan, I had to watch Rafa seal his last major to complete his career grand slam. I've also watched him playing through steady rain in Paris at the French Open, with just a baseball cap on while others were scrambling for their ponchos, umbrellas and many even for the exits. My opinion: it's worth getting a little wet to watch a legend.

Let's not beat around the bush - Rain Delays suck.

Fans may not come back or want to wait it out, and your TV crews will try their best not to show an empty stadium.

What happens when the weather drys? How do you fit 5 days of tennis into 3 1/2 days? Should there be an extra day of rest between the semis and finals? Is playing under a roof good or bad?

Back-to-back 3-set matches (up to 6 sets in 1 day)

Playing 2 back-to-back matches on same day is NOT the same as playing best of 5 match. Also players have to get back on the very next day usually to play again without the usual day off break. The next opponent you face in the 2nd match could have had a hour less of match time and an extra hour of recovery time. All of that matters in these rapid fire situations during the summer.

Mother nature is now deciding when players must play again

So as they are mentally preparing for a match while trying keep their body temperatures and heat rate up if they feel like they might go back on soon. They are waiting in the players locker room or lounges for the call to play. Having been there in those locker rooms, and I can tell you it can be pretty stressful game of "get ready and wait".

Rain-checks: Monday Finals

This is not ideal as Sunday Finals are the norm and get much higher viewers. But as the US Open has gotten in the last 3 out of 4 years, the rain delays during the 2nd week have eaten into players ability to count on their matches starting on time.

It is important the needs of the players be put of paramount importance. In the past, players such as Nadal have completed (and I believe rightly so) that they have been pushed to get on court and play even when the conditions are too wet to proceed. I know that it is tough financially to delay play, but if tennis is to be played at the highest level, you cannot push the players beyond safety limits in favor of court time or air time.

I am a firm believer that when both players agree to postpone, then the tournament director should oblige them.

Having a roof is another option, but I feel like it changes the dynamics of the game. Wimbledon is not suppose to be an indoor tournament, but for much of the Grand Slam and even the Olympics, many important matches and finals were played in that controlled environment.

Whether the players feel that is better than getting rain delayed is a good question.


What do you think? Post your comments below!

More tips for USTA recreational tennis players dealing with the rain and compressed schedules...

There are no free "Let's" or "Re-do's" in life. Make it Count.

You can't count on second chances.

Conditions are never going to be perfect and time will keep ticking away while you wait. Don't waste your opportunities. Have a game plan.

All you can do is prepare...

Well that and Work hard. Train well. Eat healthy. Pray. Keep fighting. Earn every point. Celebrate your wins. Try to learn from your losses. Then do it all over again.

In a nutshell, that's the life of a tennis grinder. That's my life.

Tennis: Merits of Sport

The optimist in me says Tennis is the great equalizer, the great meritocracy of sport - it's code and ideals are suppose to be based on the performance of the better man that day. Rich or poor, young or old, fat or thin - the law of the court determines your fate at the end of the match.

If you have shortcomings in health or in character. Tennis will expose them. It reveals Sin and makes them pay.

• Ever eat a Big Mac and drink a super-size Coke before exercising?
• Want to quit smoking but still stay thin?
• Enjoy alcohol too much sometimes and regret it later?
• Habit of partying too late before a big match?

Trust me - tennis will tell you to your face.

You don't need to appear on Biggest Loser, or buy nicotine patches, or go to AA to get instant feedback that you're doing something wrong to your body. :) Try to seek moderation in all things...

Even to get mentally tougher, feel more confident and learn self-discipline in your daily routine.

Play enough tennis, and you'll learn quick enough. Or for the stubborn enough, pass out trying to fight Biology and Tennis.


The price of true glory will come in blood, sweat and perhaps some tissue damage.There is No way to Buy yourself what is truly worth attaining.

Read the rest...and hope it will inspire you

Choosing a Tennis Wife: The Hot Model vs. the Pro Player

This is a purely fun editorial piece of writing...if you don't like it, post your comments below as to why (no worries - I'll moderate them later anyway, hehe)



Choosing a Tennis Wife: The Hot Model vs. the Pro Player(TypeB/TypeA)
+ Compare pros and cons of the wives of Andy+Pete/Agassi+Roger

Lets start with TypeB first because it's just more fun :o)

The Hot Model:



Exhibit A (Andy's wife) - Brooklyn Decker
...ok yeah, after you go look at all the sports illustrated swimsuit pics, please come back... :)

Alright, back? Well obviously she's very hot and probably as close to a perfect 10.  Andy's obvious very proud of her accomplishments according to one of his tweets:

“So happy/proud of my wife… the new cover for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue!!! Unreal… so excited!!!!!”

We don't blame you Andy! Ok, what guy wouldn't be happy? =) *Big ear-to-ear grin by my male audience*

Ok SO WHAT if she admits she doesn't play tennis and doesn't care to learn (video from Letterman); she's a good enough model that I sure wouldn't care.

She can make you forget all about tennis and you don't mind that you lost...in a few minutes.

Exhibit B: (Bridget Wilson Sampras) - Pete's wife [and better half]
Look, lets be honest - those kids aren't getting their good looks from Pete's genes =)

Bridget is a hollywood actress (Sonya Blade from Mortal Kombat and a few other movies since then).  A great mom and perfect choice to raise the family. Seems very nice and nurturing.  Pete doesn't like the fact that critics said he couldn't win a major after marrying her - so he won the US Open in 2002 and retired (told you I could do it).

==

Next: TypeA wives or players who want a mate who truly understands them because they've played professional tennis, know how much hard work goes into it and most of all won't complain that they're spending too much time on the tennis court.

Not as flashy perhaps, but in 10-15 years will probably not matter *that* much anyhow.

Agassi's Wife - Steffi Graf [Tennis Legend]Perhaps the best female tennis player of all time - 22 Grand Slams, and Calendar Year Gold Medal slam...4 majors and Olympic gold in 1988.  No man or woman has ever done this.

She's athletic, smart, and has a strong German personality. I think this was the right choice for Agassi (much better than Brooke Shields, imho). He can still share tennis in his post marriage life (2001+) and won the 2003 Aussie Open.

He describes how lucky he is to meet her in 1999 at the winner's ball in his book "Open".  I think it's great they can share their jobs/lifestyles without compromising.  I hope it's not too much tennis for the kids though!

Agassi has openly wagered that his kids would easily beat Sampras' kids and I would put money behind that one.

I think that some of the post retirement tennis racket sales he and his wife tried to push out with Head had mixed results, but it's great they are still involved with tennis so much.

Exhibit B:
Roger Federer's long time girl friend and now wife (with 2 kids): Mikra

Swiss pro tennis player from the Czech Republic, who retired because of injury in 2002.

She had known Roger for many many year before he became famous. I think Roger is still over-qualified for so many women, but he's a loyal guy so we applaud him. I don't think you'll find much on her however judging from her wiki entry. So something is to be said when you're identity is mainly as "Roger's Wife" - something that Steffi does not have to worry about.

However, whatever makes him happy I guess - and hopefully he still has the ability to win a couple more majors before doing his swan song.

Finally we have Rafael Nadal - who apparently has a gf in Spain...but of course also recently did a music video with Shakira. Mad props! - even though he looks a little ridged and posed =) Apparently the girl has really good moves and the hips to go with them, so I'd go with it.

Although most guys' knees only get weaker in that spot, somehow his knees and health got better after those few months off and we'd all like to think she had something to do with it right?

He's only 26 so I would say go have fun man!

Among Fans, Friends and Foes - The entourage of tennis...

They are the people who surround you when you are a professional player...love 'em or hate 'em, you always find a few of each in your life at any given time.


The Fans

Avid fans, Smart fans, spectator fans, rude fans, passionate fans...Most enjoy or play the game.  Some may not even understand the rules but love to just watch.  In reality though, few of these spectators will ever understand the agnoy of having to scale pro tennis mountain of training and competition on a daily basis.

Fans are out there to be entertained.  They buy their ticket so that they can live vicariously through their heroes on center court. The masses surrounding the world's #1 player. The lazyboy quarterbacks who shout orders as they could do better know only how to project their wishes/fears onto you.

However, in good times there a many, but in bad times those same "fans" who embraced you as their prodigal son with the joys of victory but do not appreciate the difficulty of losing and the recover process it inevitably entails.  Nobody remembers who won the silver medal.

I for one who appreciates all the spoils of Victory: the trophys, the titles, the accodates, lavish accomodations and the fan base that comes to marvel. I too like to peek and watch agasp at great shots when they can be executed. But the reality is in these long, unglamorous and often torturous hours - day after day, week after week that pays the exorborantly cost of that success.  It is a price infused with an inflationary marker, that requires a higher return rate with every year of age.

FriendsYour comrades in arms, your practice partners, your support network. They breathe the same air, hit the same balls, run across the same smoodering asphalt every summer as you. It may be your Davis Cup teammates or simply your neighbor down the street. They motivate and energize you for the next battle. They travel with you from tournament to tournament; they have tennis in their blood as well.

They may one day face you in a tournament, but off the court they will always be your ally and your confidants of battle.  It is important to have many friends, as the road of tennis fraught with many hurdles and land mines - it is important to have a strong core of supporters helping each other during those rough patches.

Foes
It is ironic that a clash between such titans as Roger and Rafa, that it seems these two know each other better than anyone else in the world.  Even among his Davis cup teammates who share with him the glory and joys of a nation - how can they Truely understand Rafael...at a Viseral Level; unless they have engaged him for over 5 hours in an epic Wimbledon final.

Only your greatest rival can truely appreciate your pain, your sorrow, your triumphs and your dreams - because it is shared in a glatorial bond. So intertwined are your fates and yet one mans glory must come at the other's destruction.  When we raise a hand to acknowledge: "we who are about to die...salute you".

To play for such high stakes at such slender margins; it taxes a very deep part of your soul. Maintaining that consistency match after match, tournament after tournament, season after season is no easy task.

Force-feedback and channeling energy

It's important to correct bad habits immediately. This can be something as simple as dropping your head on the serve or not properly preparing your footwork to hit a down the line forehand, or it can be a poor decision such as trying to hit a drop shot when your opponent is quick and already creeping inside the baseline.

The first phase of this correction process takes a good amount of self-awareness and understanding the basic foundational knowledge of the game.

The second phase is immediately halting that bad action - getting pissed off, yell out at yourself or hitting yourself. Andy Murray punches his strings until his knuckles start bleeding. This is the same principle of Pavlov's dog (ring bell and the dog barks). Negative stimulus for bad actions *immediately*.

The third phase is realizing what the proper decision or execution should have been.  When you move well, earn short balls, and execute to finish a well constructed point, you need to pump your fist (Nadal) or yell out "come on" (Hewitt) so that you re-enforce good habits. Anything you can do to reward yourself immediately for the right choice.

*Important* This is a very tricky technique to apply mainly because sometimes people get too caught up in feeling negative for bad Results (I lost the point), rather than acknowledge that either your opponent actually hit an amazing shot.  Actually in this case, you should applaud your opponent's good shot (recognition of excellence that you should strive for) and also so you don't punish yourself for possibly playing a good point but just had a bad result or an unfortunately net cord made you lose the point.  If you are not careful, you can actually over-compensate and start removing Good habits too*

Lastly, this enforcement technique requires a fairly high pain threshold and good sensitivity and self-awareness in your tennis mind and body.  I am not advocating that every player go out there and punch their strings if they hit a double fault (you would need a lot of bandaids and your game might suffer from a bleeding fist, as you'll need many hours of training and re-conditioning to achive the proper serve).

Anger (and anger-management)
This topic goes to the sports psychology of the John McEnroe blow-up and how doing so actually helped him use this emotion (not always detrimental) to take him out of his current mindset and focus that anger toward winning the next point.  Getting really angry is normal, it is human.  Some channel that Energy though into smashing rackets with all their hate or cursing to the heavens/their box/themselves. This is not helpful, and although it may unleash some of your pent up hostility, it does not address the source of the problem nor provide a solution.

Controlling intense emotions (Anger) and transferring them to positive actions.
What you must learn to do is to control/channel that intense hatred or anger into something positive.  Example: "I swear I am not going to hold back on my 2nd serve returns anymore!" Yell this to yourself, either in your mind or scream it out loud if you need to.  But it should be jarring enough of an action to force change and gives your mind and body feedback for your actions.  Sometimes I'll jettison a few old balls into the stratosphere for good measure in practice.

Hate Losing, Failing with all your heart and soul...associate that with Pain
Pete Sampras has also revealed in his biography that during one of his early Grand Slams he had played really hard to reach the Finals and upon doing so, simply loss out of having reached his goal of a final and being satisfied with what he had already achieved.  There was no incentive or drive to win one more for the title. He had lowered his expectations so that he wouldn't feel disappointed.

However, immediately after this final, he felt a great sense of regret, pain, frustration and sheer anger at himself for being content to "just get there" (complacency).  He made a note of how terrible he felt that night, made the loss as memorable (painful) as possible to himself, and swore to never let that happen again...so that he would never feel so self-betraying again.