Miscellaneous
Q.Hope you can give me some good advice............................
I am a 16 year old living in the
south, I have played tennis and soccer (not any more) and have had reasonable
success at tennis reaching quarter finals etc of junior tourneys, basically I
had always had a club coach, two years an Australian guy moved to our
association and he had a good background and from then he changed a lot of my
strokes and gave me goals to achieve, I was ranked high 30s when he arrived in
my age group, in two years i have now moved to be ranked in the top 5 16s
nationally and have beaten guys above me in the top five and recently reached
the final of the national indoors 16s....I competed also in the shell age early
this year in Sydney and doing well in this event, from mid year i decided i
really wanted to give it a go and lucky my coach has given me the drive to do so
he also spends lots of court time with me and now I am top man in the southern
region and will play no 1 in the national teams event in January.
A.Hi Stephen, you are really in
trouble. Environment is so
important and if you don't have understanding (from parents) in that environment
you are really up against it. I would have a word to your coach to perhaps
involve the State/national coach in discussions with your folks. Is there a
family that you could board with? You've got to find a way to keep your
"realistic" dream going.
If your parents are
totally off the idea try and find other people in the new area. You should be
playing men's tennis about now so maybe that level will challenge you. Use your
coach to find solutions (he will be able to sort some kind off compromise out,
Im sure of it) think of this though as a reality check. on average .8 of an age
group makes pro in any given year in australia. there are 150 ish tennis
countries + USA= 50 countries. you are ranked 5 in 16s. your world ranking could
be around 800. but there is a 5 to 8 year swing from young pros to old pros. as
a young pro coming in you are on paper ranked about 5000 in the world if your
level is constant in future age groups. pros ranked 200 atp make less than a gp doctor and there
careers last about 5 full years on average. I would still go for it and I don't
mean to discourage you but that is my take on it. Work hard and go for the dream
for you as a person and if you turn out good enough to be a pro well and good.
Finnish school and use school to develop character and languages because you
will need them if you have to survive on the tour. Heaps of luck and let me know
how things turned out with the olds. I really hope I've been a help. cheers brad
Q.Hi for a school project we are doing sports studies. I am
doing tennis and one of the questions we have to answer is what muscles are used
in tennis? do you know the answer?
A.Hi I get
school kids asking me this question all the time. The answer is simple,
"all of them". I think your teacher wants to know how they work
together. Basically by flexing your muscles from the big ones in your legs
through your torso and eventually going out to your fingers (grip) you end up
with a chain of events that create a lot of power. Its really the job of the
athlete to build the muscles up so they don’t hinder the natural flow of
events. You could swing a really heavy thing a couple of hundred times then wait
till the next day and see what muscles hurt, that will surely tell you what
muscles you predominantly use. I hope I've helped
Q.My 6-year-old son loves hitting the ball and beats down
the wall of my study, which inevitably drives me to distraction.
Fortunately we are moving house and we hope to put up a wall for my boy to
practice on by the drive. This won't have anything behind it and I was
wondering if you could advise me about how wide and most importantly how
high the wall should be to give my boy a fair chance at practising his tennis
skills. Thank you very much and I look forward to hearing from you.
A.The simple rule is "as big as possible. Failing that. A wall that is 2.4 meters high & 5 meters wide is about ok. Again bigger is better. You can put an extra meter of plywood above the wall easily enough instead of building a higher wall. Painting an opponent or other tennis themed targets on the wall is a nice touch. Good luck Brad
Q. Just read your article regarding young pro's etc.... My son is 15 nearly 16 playing local Sat morning comp.(we're both past it now!), Vic junior pennant, Inter-association comp., and selective tournaments. He's now planning to move to ... with his doubles partner, all going well. He wants to keep playing and moving forward. Couldn't agree more with you about TA. and the need to focus on improving junior ranks with increased tournament play for those ready to step outside the usual SAT comp. and maybe those that aren't quite there yet) I have said to my son that all the coaching and social comp. In the world will not win you tournaments without tournament match play under your belt. This is the business end of tennis that sorts out the stayers. However it has been hard to select appropriate tournaments in Victoria. I have advised him to set out a goal sheet and calendar of the major country tournaments then fill the gaps with the "gold level" tournaments which are worth points. (I think that’s how it goes) He has a good and supportive coach but you feel very much like you are doing it on your own and there is insufficient support/advice/encouragement out there unless you are a budding Leyton or Roger. The situation is even worse for girls as there are less of them and the drop-out rate after 16 is enormous, (where are all the female coaches & role models for young would-be pro's) unless you have by this time already established good results and ranking in tournaments. Yes more late-bloomers!! My daughter was very geared up last year with some great and scarily consistent results, but tournaments were a lonely chore as there were not many other girls she knew competing. It was all I could do to keep her going. She has lots of potential, however with Yr 12 upon her, she now feels her age is a problem and wonders sometimes if it has been worth it. I struggle to keep her positive. I'd like to see coaches at local levels getting together (I'm sure they do sometimes) with their higher standard protégées (and I don’t mean potential Leytons - just those that compete at a good standard and are keen) and bus them to statewide tournaments to compete as individuals but under a 'team label' within a team-like atmosphere. Surely this is better than each individual player struggling at the beginner Tournament entry level doing it on their own. (not to mention the parents too). Would do it myself if I weren't so busy working to pay for all the coaching, tournaments, racquets, strings, runners, club fees, ball fees, entry fees, hotels, motels, trains and the petrol to get there etc............(Yes, I do sleep too) How about shaking the tail of TA by having the TCAV step up to the mark and throw some challenges at TA. with regards to junior tennis in Australia. Thinking outside the square works for me sometimes, so how about less political wrangling and more innovation support and positive energy being put into junior tennis by those who work daily at the 'coalface' - the coaches. I'm sure Lleyton will back that up with a resounding "Come on!!" Just thought I'd put some thought on paper. Regards Single working mother of two tennis hopefuls.
A.
Hi
..., Gosh where should I start? Your letter is indicative of so many parents
that I talk to. TA bleeding parents without reinvesting those funds to create
the next Lleyton. It’s so sickening and incredibly frustrating. Look I don't
even know if your kids have a chance but the guidance is not there to let them
set tell tail bench marks that would spell out the cruel story. Most kids by the
time they hit 18 have achieved the most they will ever achieve but a hand to
guide them into an appropriate path wouldn't go a stray. I write my ideas down
and post them on the web so no one can accuse me of not saying anything and to
maybe motivate TA to reinvest but I fear its in vain. I
wrote a letter to our (WA) president outlining the perceived shortcomings and
the lack of adequate roll models at "close to elite level" she said I
had a lot of complaints but no solutions. I mean don't they pay heaps of
well-paid crew to come up with solutions. As you can imagine no consultancy fee
was discussed. I know my sarcasm doesn't help your kids but I’m helpless. Lets
hope the pen is mightier than the apathy. Keep in touch. Look what you've done,
gone and fired me up again! Cheers Brad (certified advanced tennis coach)
Q. I am a middle aged adult player who discovered tennis quite late, but over the last 5 years have developed into quite a reasonable (Intermediate) club player. I am trying to go the next step and reach a more advanced level of player, which I think is in my reach (and so does my club pro) with some more work. I have regular access to a practise wall, and have used it with some success this year to develop more consistency for ground strokes on both wings, develop a slice backhand to go with my regular (sort of) topspin backhand, and develop a more powerful topspin forehand using a semi-western grip. I was wondering if you could make any suggestions on how to make good use of the time I get to spend hitting against the wall. Thanks...(good site by the way)
A. Hi Henny. Did you read http://www.thetenniscoach.com.au/ct_knocking.html. get back if you need more help. one other thing "get fit/er". cheers brad
Q. Hi coach I have a question . I go to a
tennis program and I was in in for two years.. My two friends were in beginner
like me and then they both got promoted to intermediate . One
of them has been playing for a long time and one the same as me . How can I get
into intermediate . I do the volleys and never miss one . Can u give me some
advice. Thanks!!!!
Thank you
A. Hi, Its great that your getting into your tennis. Its a good idea that you find yourself a good coach as you don't want to develop bad habits that take so long to get rid of. You have not told me much about where you live but unless its in the middle of the desert you should be able to find a coach or coach's near you. contact the uspta at www.uspta.org and find your area and then investigate. Group lessons are ok but you might need a one on one to get of on the right foot. Let me know how you go. ciao Brad
Q. Hi, I just got home from tennis practice about an hour ago, and am so sore.I am so out of shape. We ran bleachers (because this is a school sport) and I was so much slower than the others, my knees were "going out on me" and I got dizzy. Do you know of a way to get my stamina up? I can't have the coach yelling at me for this and I don't want to quit, I love tennis. We usually do stretches and drills, you know like high knees, lunges, butt kicks, etc. Then hit some balls and do forearm builders. I need help.
A. Hi if your out of shape then you kneed to set some realistic goals. My suggestion is to do something each day that you normally don't. Just enough to get your heart rate up. I bet you see a difference in two weeks. walk a lot and try to get places a bit quicker (walking that is). good luck Brad
Q. Brad, Could you tell me how
I can get started playing in tournaments?. Is there a website or an
association you can tell me about?
Q.
hi, I'm a year 11 student doing 1+2 PE. We are doing a
project on the technological advances that have improved a sports
performance and participation. I have chosen tennis and I
was wondering if you could give me some information. As tennis is such a
popular and large sport, there will be a lot of information, could you maybe
give me a lesser amount but with good content. Thanks…
A.
Hi … I don't know what angle you will be attacking this project from but
here are some ideas. All the stuff is available on my links page; I've got
killer links. There is racket research, a uni experiment done on motion and
spin. a stack of stuff on body mechanics. You could argue that this info has
helped players fine tune both training and hitting techniques together with high
tech materials in rackets to maximize shot economy. The fact that you used the
Internet to get info that will hopefully broaden your understanding as well as
others (if they care to read what you have written) of the sport is proof that
technology aids the sport some how. I hope I have been a help ciao brad
Q.
Hi, My name is …and I
am 13 years old. I have watched a lot of matches and I want to start
playing. I already know how to serve and I have a decent Backhand. Do
you have any tips? Thanks
A. Hi... Thanks for the note. My advise to you is to play as much as
possible. find the professional in your area and get some group (cheaper)
coaching. If you like the game (don't forget it gets pretty frustrating and you
cant just press the "new game" button) consider getting into a club.
on my site there is an article about playing on the wall, you can maybe get some
ideas from there. my best tip though is, school first tennis second! good luck
brad www.thetenniscoach.com.au
Q.
Brad,
I could really use your help. I have been playing tennis for three years now for
my high school team and have been making great strides with my entire game.
However, on
my serves, whether it is in practice or during match play, my
elbow gradually develops a sharp pain until I can hardly serve any more.
It almost feels like a hyperextension. My coach has ruled out tennis elbow
simply because it does not hurt during any ground strokes. Is this right? I
really appreciate ANY advice you can give me. Thanks for your time, Vince.
A. Hi ... first things first "uncle brad ain't no
doctor". second, I would never give you advice on such a delicate matter.
Hope? yes there's hope. there are some smart people out there. Do ya home work
and find the man/woman! Ps. get started at www.sportsinjuryclinic.com
go to elbow on injuries menu. contact mark and tell him i sent you and he will
find a "hell pro fix it man" for you. cheers brad
A.
Dear... There is a bunch of information out there from books to video's. Study
up and work with a known coach or coaches. Anything that will help you to
broaden your tennis knowledge. Its easy to be confident when you know your
stuff. Good luck