Footwork

Footwork in tennis is extremely important. Not only do you have to get to the ball, but you have to get to the ball in a way that allows you to effectively hit the ball as well. The complexity of a tennis player’s footwork is very high. From a young age, we teach players how to do side shuffling, karaoke steps, and various other movements that include high knees, butt kicks, and skips. These motions develop the player’s movement coordination and muscles that are used for various tennis movements. These movements include:

The lateral ball

The lateral ball is the simplest of movements; the ball is hit towards the baseline, and the player needs to move laterally across the court to retrieve the ball. This movement requires a sprint out to the side, and a cross step and shuffle back to the middle of the court to the ready position, with a split step in the middle of the court. This movement is developed first and is usually the quickest of the tennis movements. A good drill to work on lateral movement is for a coach or peer to toss the ball side to side to the player, where the ball throw back to the coach/peer is a mimic of a tennis swing.

The inside out ball

Sometimes, on the move, the player gets caught when the opponent hits the ball right to them, necessitates movement away from the ball rather than to the ball. This skill typically develops with age and with experience, as younger players may have a harder time coordinating this movement in conjunction to watching the ball intently. Because of this, players get “caught” by the ball, hitting the ball too close to their bodies. Movement away from the ball can be with short steps or fast side step movement. A lot of players forget that even though they moved away from the ball, they still need to step into the shot to hit well. 

The short ball

The short ball a lot of different tennis players struggle with, because this movement is not forced by the IT-band muscle that moves players laterally, but instead is using quadriceps and hamstrings for movement, both of which should be developed off court to help with on court movement. The short ball requires a burst of energy and explosive start to get to the ball on time and still be able to focus on hitting the shot itself. Always have players line themselves up diagonally behind the ball instead of forcing themselves onto the ball. Approach shots, or any other form of short balls, should be hit more in FRONT of the player rather than behind the player, as the momentum of movement propels the ball aggressively over the net, and catching the ball late ends up with a mishit. This movement should be trained often, and can be trained in many ways, from simple wind sprints, to resistance running, to exercising the quads and hamstrings through plyometrics and weight training.

Backwards movement

Sometimes when a player is at the net it is required of them to move backwards, either for an overhead or for a deeper shot that the player then has to go retrieve. Running back to an overhead will require the player to sidestep backwards, while a running shot can be sprinted back towards as long as the player is watching where the ball is going. :) This movement should be practiced both with the ball and without.     

The Game of Life

Tennis is a sport of the mind. It’s also the game of life. It teaches you how, with the loss of a point, or a choke when you’re up match point, that you need to dust yourself off and keep going. Over the years, I’ve realized that the lessons that I’ve learned in tennis mimic that of reality. I’ve dealt with pressure and with pain, and realized that work ethic really is what makes you stand out from the rest, not arrogance or the way you hit the ball.

It’s sometimes good to look at the big picture. It is important to see that while right now we’re worried about not winning that match, or not hitting our forehand just right, it all about what you learn from the process at the end. Very few of us will actually go pro. It’s time to take that into consideration and realize that in essence, what our job is on the court is to practice our mindset to approach both the game of tennis and the game of life.

Tennis helps us get there. It represents how we fall in real life, and our ability to pick ourselves back up. I’ve had times where I’ve hit my lowest low, not playing well, not winning matches, practicing so hard but yet not reaping the benefits. There were times when I wanted to quit. I wanted to, but I leaned on the support system I had and learned then and there that this happens, and this is normal, and that this will heal with time. I’ve had moments where I was winning match after match, and loving playing, and thoughts like “How long is this going to last?” would creep into my mind, not allowing me to enjoy the high points in my career. In retrospect, I am proud of what I did, but in the moment, it was scary and risky. It’s the same thing in life.

I suggest every player, whether you are just starting or a competitive player or anything in between, take time every once in a while to reflect on what they have done with their tennis, and what they have learned, and what they will continue to focus on and learn in the future. Know that tennis is very similar to reality and it’s a good training for the moments that you will inevitably cross in the future.  

Physiology 101

Physiology, generally, is the science of living systems, like human beings. Physiology encompasses many things, from how your body works on the tennis court and after the tennis court, to what can go wrong because you are on the tennis court (or anything that you do prior to the tennis court). For junior tennis players, this information usually goes in one ear and out the other, similar to any kind of "ology" information.

But, unfortunately for you, I happen to be fascinated by this stuff, and feel like it is actually well-worth your time to go through the basics of tennis physiology, so don't doze off just yet!

To appease my list-making craving, I will arrange these facts, not in any importance order, but in an arrangement of certain organization nonetheless.

1. Welcome ATP. For science nerds, this is the molecule that is made out of three chains of phosphorus, or Adenosine Triphosphate. ATP, very simply speaking, is an energy blob that is made out of the food we eat. Food becomes glucose in our body (carbohydrates, specifically, which means pasta, ect.), which then, using mitochondria, the energy making blobs in our system, as well as oxygen, makes ATP molecules, which help us do cool stuff like breathe and walk around, or even more cool stuff like run a mile or hit a ball crosscourt.

For my fellow science nerds, here is the ATP molecule in molecular form. Notice to the left the three phosphates that make up the molecule. When one of those is taken away, ATP becomes ADP. Telepathically connect with your old biology textbook!

For those not interested in the slightest with the stick and letters above, ATP is the yellow blob above. He's very energized and excited to help you contract your muscles and play tennis.

2. ATP breaks down to ADP during an energy making process, where the extra phosphate in ATP acts as the physical energy we use to constrict and contract our muscles during exercise. The closest analogy for ATP and ADP would be fueling a car. The fuel, or ATP, is added to the car to help it drive, and the burning of the fuel by the engine of the car, aka our body's energy making system, allows us to move the metallic vehicle. I know, fascinating stuff, right!

3. There are different types of energy making processes in our body, some using different types of foods, from carbohydrates to proteins, some using oxygen, some not using oxygen, and some that are kick-started by a sudden need for energy, like running away from someone about to slap you with a towel, and some slowly revved up by a slow, but long, jog. Glycolysis is one of these processes, and forms ATP molecules (or blobs, if you so wish) in the aerobic metabolism of carbohydrates (aerobic, really, is using oxygen to break down carbohydrates, and is why, partially, you breathe heavier when your exercising, because you need more oxygen to create more ATP!). Here is the real kicker thought; in this process, lactate is produced as a by-product. Lactic acid thus builds up in the muscle working, and ta-da! You're sore! The less your body is used to exercise, the less efficient the ATP production is, thus why people tired out quicker when they are less endurant and why they feel more sore when they are not fit. The ATP production is to blame!

4. When your body no longer has enough oxygen to create ATP but still needs to, the process become anaerobic. This is what happens when you do workouts like ladder drills, circuit training, and wind sprints. 

I know, pretty cool stuff, right? When you're running on the court next time, you'll realize that the yellow blob, or ATP molecule, is working hard for you as you contract your muscles to hit each and every ball, and will realize that your body is a well-oiled machine that you have just only begun to explore. Stay tuned!    

The Rules of Tennis

Sometimes, even competitive juniors don't know some basic rules of tennis. Maybe, you are just beginning to learn, or perhaps, would like to learn to help your junior player be informed about the game. This idea came about as I was instructing a junior player who, serving, crossed the "imaginary extension" of the middle hash mark. I called a foot fault, and she turned around and said, "but I didn't cross the baseline with my foot, did I?"

Here is an example of a rule that you may not know; while you can technically serve any way that you want (underhand included) between the singles sideline and the extension of this sideline and the middle hash mark and it's imaginary extension, you may not cross either of these line, nor cross the baseline prior to contact with the ball.

Oh, and while we're talking about serves, if you hit, on the fly, a fixture (the ceiling, for example, or more realistically, the net post), that's a fault, not a do-over (a let). Fun fact; until I was twelve, I always thought it was "led" not let (which means either a ball or some kind of distraction warrants immediate stopping of play and playing the point over, or your serve hit the tape of the net and went into the box it was supposed to go into, which means you are allowed to re-serve that serve. If you don't make it into the box, it's still a fault). I still think back on how kids must have thought it was funny that I was pronouncing it that way.

Random rule number two; you need to get the toss done prior to even warming up. This rarely happens. Typically the line judge, in junior tennis, comes over to toss prior to the match beginning, so this is one of those rules that technically is a rule, but realistically many don't follow. But definitely something that you can instill. Now for digression number two. What to choose? If you win, always choose to serve, unless you are WAY better at returned than serving (By the way, you can also choose a side if you want, but really, you should choose the serve). This puts you in an aggressive mindset and position from the first ball in play. Secondly, if you lose the toss, don't forget that you still have choice of a side. Choose the side WITH the sun, or the one that you DON'T prefer. You may be stuck with the sun for a game, but after you switch after playing the first game, your opponent will be stuck there for two. You're welcome.

Other rules to remember; you can't touch the net during play. If you're DONE playing, yes, you can touch the net, but shouldn't anyway. Who wants to see you hanging over the net in self-pity? Your opponent. Other things you shouldn't touch? Anything other than the court with the ball you hit. Meaning, if you are playing indoors and happen to hit the ceiling, it's automatically the point of your opponent. Or, if you are playing outside, mishit the ball, and hit the scoreboard, still the point of your opponent. However, if you hit your opponent on the fly, it is your point.

Here comes digression number three. I was playing a point out as a junior and ran up to the net like a ninja. Alas, my ninja qualities were just developing, so the girl saw and hit a lob over my head. I then proceeded to run, facing the fence, not the net, hoping to somehow spin around and have the ball directly in front of me. Of course, I end up running way past the baseline, and promptly being struck in the head by the very ball I was chasing, that was going way out. Two lessons learned; that point is my opponent's, and I should probably watch the ball when I run for it. Good times.

This next rules starts with a story. Yay! I was watching a friend play, who was a beast at the net. He would always finish at the net, and one point, just to impress the audience, he reached over the net as the ball floated towards him to put it away. The line judged called him out on it, and he lost the point. Before you try and impress your friends, make sure you don't look like a doof because you didn't know the rules. You can't reach over the net to hit the ball that's heading your way.

This next one I see all the time, and no one is really sure about the rule. Say, for example, you hit your first serve in the net. Then, a ball rolls onto the court. You need to stop and roll the ball into the other court where it belongs. Do you need to continue, or can you hit a first serve again? You can hit a first serve again. If the receiver or an outside interference is what delays time between first and second serve, you get two serves. If, however, you stop because there is a gust of wind, you can't insist that you get a first serve. You stopped in the first place. This gets trickier, say, if you cramp in between serves. Since you are what caused in interference, you still only get your second serve.

Speaking of cramping, how about medical timeouts? You can take one medical timeout per injury. They are be up to three minutes a piece. That means that the 90 seconds you have on change overs and 120 seconds you have on a set break can be used towards the medical timeout, but the medical timeout itself cannot last more than three minutes. Bathroom breaks are usually an etiquette thing; you can go whenever you need to, but you should do it over a set break if you can. Girls get two, boys get one (unless an emergency). It's one of those things where while this rule can bent a little, it's not very sportmanship-like. (Yeah, I think I just made up a word. Don't judge)!

More rules to come; stay tuned for doubles rules!

Summer Camps 2013

It's that time of the year again to gear up for Seminole High Performance Summer camps! I've been a coach at the camps for two years now, as well as dorm counselor, and I must say, it's a lot of fun and always makes a difference in junior tennis players games. After a day of tennis with a catered lunch break in between, we bring kids home to rest up and then take them out to fun activities during the evenings. This year, we've upgraded the dorms that the players that stay in the dorms will be living at. These dorms are very, very nice, and are in the middle of campus, so are very safe!

The dates for 2013 are below. It is never too early to apply!

High Performance Session #1 - June 16-20

 High Performance Session #2 - June 23-27
High Performance Session #3 - July 14-18
High Performance Session #4 - July 28-Aug. 1

*New Camp Features in 2013*

• New Apartment Style Dorms on Campus
• On-Court Video Technology with 40 inch flat screen TV
• Trip to FSU Seminole Reservation (Canoeing, Sand volleyball, swimming, rock climbing)
• Team Building Seminars
• Ropes Course Available (Team Building or Fun)
• Collegiate Placement Seminars

*New Apartment Style Living in 2013*

• Ragans Hall/Apartments
• 3 and 4 bedroom units available
• Living rooms
• Kitchens with refrigerator and microwave
• Each camper will have their own bedroom
• 24 hour supervision
• 3 meals per day will be served

This is information you can find on the Seminole High Performance website. What you don't know is how awesome Ragans Hall apartments are! They are clean, fairly new, and, did I mention, each person has their own bedroom?? It is the greatest way to introduce your junior player to what college is going to be like, and with plenty of supervision that is around the clock. The three meals per day that are served are fantastic, healthy meals that often are catered from local restaurants. 

On-Court Tennis Focus

• High Intensity collegiate style drilling
• Indoor Tennis Training
• Focused individual Instruction
• Competitive Match Play
• Small Group Drilling
• Personalized Goal Setting
• Advanced Fitness training and seminars
• Sports Psychology Training Daily
• Cutting edge tactical training

The coaching staff at SHP is very knowledgeable, made up of previous college tennis athletes and current college tennis coaches like Coach Nick and Coach Dwayne! Not only is the tennis high intensity, fun, and focused, but we also include lots of options that make us stand out from a lot of other camps, including indoor tennis, personalized goal setting, advanced fitness, sports psychology, and tactical training that involves the highest tech gadgets out there, including a cool hand-eye coordination technical tool!

Off-Court Adventures (Nightly Activities)

• Disco Night Bowling and Chili’s Restaurant on Campus Night
• FSU Seminole Reservation(Canoeing, Sand volleyball, swimming, rock climbing)  and BBQ Cookout
• Fun Station (Go-Carts, Mini-Golf, Laser Tag, Arcade) and Pizza Party Night
• Feature Movie and Games Night

Personally, for me this is where the fun is at. I've experienced tons of fun nights with SHP summer camps, and taking the kids to relax at movie night and have fun at Fun Station is always an awesome experience for us dorm counselors as well as for the kids. This year, we're adding to the fun by taking kids out to FSU's reservation and adding other exciting nightly activities that make sure that your junior tennis player gets the best of both tennis and a summer camp fun experience! 

Camp Prices

Overnight Camp 995.00 per week
Day Camp 725.00 per week
Discounts for Additional Weeks or 2nd Child: 895.50 per week

Other Camp Details:

• FSU camp t-shirts provided
• 6 hours of tennis per day
• 3 meals per day
• Nightly Activities include: Bowling, Movies, Swimming,
• Exhibition
• Chaperones in the Dorm
• Laundry services available
• Airport pick-up available

If there are any questions as to what to bring or anything that may cross your mind in terms of SHP summer camps, don't hesitate to comment on this blog, or email me at kova1227@gmail.com. Hope to see you there!

2013 Registration and Check-out Times

RESIDENT CAMPERS
Check in days: (June 16, June 23, July 14, July 28) from 3:00-4:30 PM at Ragans Hall for all resident campers. There will be a parent meeting at 4:30 PM.

Check out days: (June 20, June 27, July 18, August 1) at 3:30 PM. Check out will be at the Ragans Hall for all resident campers.

DAY CAMPERS
Check in days: (June 16, June 23, July 14, July 28) from 4:30-5:00 PM at the Scott Speicher Tennis Center, there will be a parent meeting at 5:00.

REMINDER: THERE WILL BE TENNIS ON SUNDAY NIGHT FOR ALL CAMPERS FROM 5:00-7:00 PM INCLUDING DAY CAMPERS AFTER THE CAMP REGISTRATION AND MEETING!

The Warm Up

As the coaches siren their calls for warm up, the junior players drudgingly stop their game of mini tennis to form a line and proceed to gossip as they jog hesitantly up and down (or around) the courts for their warm up. There is a reason why this is not allowed at Seminole High Performance. We expect high quality effort at all times, even with the warm up runs and stretches. If you’ve been reading this blog, you know already how into stretching I am, primarily because I didn’t do it when I was a junior player myself enough and now it’s costing me.

But I understand how easy it is, day in and day out doing the same stretches, to autopilot through jogging, stretching, and warming up your shots. Often I see players goofing off in the warm up; i.e. trying to peg someone, attempting to beat a world record of how little steps they can take within a warm up time, exaggerating grunting for attention, amongst other fantastic escapades that never cease to irritate a coach.

Warming up deserves a focused player. A focused player will jog to warm up muscles to avoid injury, stretch while focusing on how their muscles feel that day, and notice changes in flexibility when they do certain exercises, and warm up their shots when hitting with a partner, focusing on correct form and footwork while they are at it. We, as a coaching staff, always remind players that the warm up is important. Know that if you did not come off the court that day exhausted from your work on court, you didn’t do all that you could do and didn’t get better that day. 

Never doubt that there is an opponent working harder than you if you don’t work your hardest day in and day out. Footwork is typically the key in the warm up. If we had to count how many time we had to say “step up your footwork” (or something along the lines of footwork), we’d all be a perfect epitome of a broken-record player. Footwork dictates body movement; if they are standing like tree stumps, everything else will soon follow suit. 

It may seem okay to, once in a while, autopilot through a warm up, waiting to get to the “real” practice of that day, but as a serious tennis player, you should quickly reconsider your outlook on the warm up. It is the way that you will approach practice; if that means your lackadaisical in the warm up, guess how the rest of practice will go?     

Superstitions

Superstitions sometimes can be silly (say that three times fast), and sometimes clearly pointless to all that are outsiders, but in reality, especially sports reality, superstitions are not only harmless, but typically accomplish positive results. Superstitions can alleviate stress and unnecessary nervousness, and can place a player into a specific "game time" mindset. They can also help players cope with things that are clearly out of their control, but can be harmful if a player focuses on that thing. Say, for example, a player that I know that turns his cap sideways to cope with the element of the sun. While the cap may shield a little of the sun, he has somehow decided that by turning his cap sideways he is thus impervious to the sun and all of its powers. Say, if he forgot his hat, he would talk about nothing but how the sun was bothering him.

I can tell you that I had tons of superstitions growing up playing tennis, and they carried through into college tennis. Some of them are fairly common, like eating the same thing eat morning if I continue winning, or eating something completely different the next morning if I lost the day before. I had my lucky dresses and skirts and racquets and teddy bears. Some of them were weird; I bounce (and still do) the ball plus two of the number of the ball. Don't ask how this happened, or where it came from, because I have no idea. I wouldn't step on the lines of the court between points.

After sharing my goofiness with some fellow coaches, some shared their superstitions with me. Coach Nick taps his racquet against the fence gently twice between points. Coach Aaron would wash the same socks, shirt, and shorts for the next day's match if he won the day before. Everyone has their little quirks, and these quirks are perfectly normal. If you don't notice, you should realize that these quirks sometimes carry over to life off of the court as well, like the typical don't-go-under-ladders or oh-no-there-is-a-black-cat superstitions. As long as these superstitions don't get out of control, they actually can help a tennis player on (and off) the court. Our brains are very smart and figure out ways to cope with nervousness and things that are out of our control, and superstitions are one way of doing that!