I am happy to announce we will move back outside on Sunday, April 3rd and continue through June 5th.
For more information or to register please click the link below.
Spring Tennis Information & Registration
Information on the Summer Camp will be released shortly. I am just waiting on a few more dates before I finalize everything.
It is critical to get the body to both rotate and elevate when hitting topspin groundstrokes. This video explains the concept in detail, the Welby Van Horn body balance positions and how to practice at home off the cone straight from the GreatBase Tennis curriculum.
I am happy to announce we will continue our Sunday tennis program through the winter months at Lakevue Athletic Club.
We will begin on Sunday, November 7th and continue through the winter months.
For more information or to register please click the link below.
I am happy to announce that we will be running our Fall Sunday tennis program at Fox Chapel High School beginning August 29th and concluding October 31st.
You can download the informational flyer here and register online here.
I am happy to announce that we will be back this summer for our tennis program!
Summer tennis this year will run for 9 weeks from June 14th – August 13th at Fox Chapel High School.
You can download the informational flyer here and register online here.
Here is a tip on how to use a sock with 3 tennis balls inside. I learned this from the late and great Vic Braden. It works and is a fantastic way to practice at home.
Program the swing and then toss to the swing!
I learned this from the legendary Coach Steve Smith. The shape of the swing on a topspin ground stroke goes high-low-high and inside-out. This is a critical concept to understand from the beginning because it sets the stage for an efficient stroke. Later on it also leads to the development of lag or use of the stretch shortening cycle.
The hips play a crucial role in transferring forces from the ground, up through the body and out into the racket. The role they play is a fundamental one in striking sports.
Here is a video of my 3 year-old son swinging a 26 inch racket two-handed. Without even knowing it he is learning how to use the hip in this manner.
Teaching is simply information transfer.
Winning in tennis is a by-product of skills. Tennis strokes are mastered by learning how to perform them and then practicing, a lot.
When learning a skill like the forehand practice is slow and deliberate at first. When a fundamental baseline of skill is established then speed is increased and technique adapts in response to situations presented in the game.
I have had success getting players to acquire skills at home during the pandemic with nothing more than a Zoom call, sometimes an Eye Coach, and a routine of a few minutes of daily practice. I am even finding strokes can be mastered quickly at home because the player’s attention is 100% on their performance of the skill instead of where the ball goes after they hit it. The convenience of practicing at home for just a few minutes each day also makes consistently showing up to practice easy.
Above is are examples of online coaching. If you are interested please reach out to me for more information. One great thing that has come from this pandemic is that my skillset has improved and adapted. I am a better coach. I have acquired more coaching skills!
A few weeks ago I began an experiment. I wanted to teach myself to play tennis right handed. As a reference I am actually left handed in all I do.
I wanted to do this experiment for several reasons.
So each night my 4 year old son and I head down to the garage and pull out the cars. I toss him some balls, he tries to hit me, he gets some coaching without knowing it and we have a lot of fun before bed. Once he loses interest I spend 5 minutes practicing with my right hand. Sometimes I practice with only a racket doing shadow swings and other times I use my Eye Coach (Coupon Code “SlezakPro” gets you a discount). My practice session is not long but I do it each and every day.
In a couple of few weeks I have seen tremendous growth. More importantly I have found out exactly how to speed up the process of acquiring a skill and it even works well in a pandemic.
I am not surprised by any of the things I learned. In fact it only reinforces what I have known as a coach for years. But I hope learning to play with my opposite hand in my late 30’s inspires youngsters to practice just a few minutes each and every day wherever and however they can.