Bag check! Equipment Interview with Coach Eddie Matthews

Thanks to my awesome interview skills, and for Coach Eddie Mathews time to answer my awesome questions, I give to you all you need to know about the stuff I don't know much about, ironically, such as racquets and stringing and such. Come on, I've been playing with the same racquet for all my life! 

You want some stringing done? It's $15 for stringing; email eddie.mathews@hotmail.com or call 863-280-5728 and Eddie with take care of it, Seminole HP style!

1.) When it comes to tennis racquets, is there a "perfect fit" for everyone?

It's tough to really say there's a "perfect fit" for everyone, but there are definitely plenty of different racquets available to suit everyone's unique playing style. I do feel that many players become too technical when choosing a racquet to use, meaning focusing too much on the racquet's specs (swing weight, stiffness, balance, etc). These specs are good to know, but only if you are a competitive player looking to switch racquets and want to have a similar feeling frame. For those starting on a blank slate with no preference of the above mentioned specs, my advice is to test out multiple frames and simply choose the one that feels the best hitting each shot. There are also many ways to customize racquets with lead weighting that can bring you one step closer to your "perfect fit". Keep in mind that finding the best racquet for you can elevate your game some, but at the end of the day it all comes down to you as a player doing the work and not the equipment.

2.) What would you suggest for each age group? Beginners? Intermediate? Competitive?

In the beginning stages of learning how to play tennis, the focus needs to be more on the length and weight of the racquet rather than the more technical specs and brands. Good thing tennis racquets are now made at multiple lengths so there is a fit for everyone. If you are in elementary school, you should be using a racquet anywhere from 19" to 23" in length and it should be very light. For middle schoolers, 23" to 26" in length with a little more weight, and anyone older than 14 should be using a regular sized racquet which is either 27" or 27 1/2".  Keep in mind, this is all dependent on the height and strength of the child. At the intermediate level, the player can begin to look more into brands of racquets they would like to use, but still with the focus on the proper length and weight as mentioned above to fit the person playing. At this level you will begin to see if a racquet is too short, too long, too light, or too heavy for the player. At the competitive level, you should already know what length and weight of racquet works for you, but now should focus on stiffness ratings, string patterns, the balance of the racquet, and swing weight. At this level, the player should demo and test multiple types of racquets to find which one suits them the best. From there you can get into customizing the weight and balance with lead type to really make the racquet feel just right in your hand.

3.) What is tension on the racquet all about? How do you know what tension your racquet is? What happens to the ball when the tension gets higher or lower?

After choosing the racquet that best suits you, next you need to find the right string and tension that you like. On each racquet there is a recommended string tension range the manufacturer prints on the frame, usually in the throat of the racquet. A tighter tension, let's say 56 lbs and higher, will give a stiffer feel and more control by not allowing the string to create as much of a trampoline effect, which is what sends the ball across the net. A looser tension, 55 lbs and lower, will give a softer feel and more power by creating more of the trampoline effect. The tension you choose should always come down what feels the best to you as a player, but you can make a good guess at what tension suits you best based on your swing style. For example, if you are a big hitter with lots of racquet head speed and use your power to win points, a higher tension would help by giving a little extra control. On the other hand, if you don't swing as hard and focus more on feel shots and placement to win points, a lower tension would help by giving you a little extra power and feel around the net. Finding a string tension the accents your game will definitely boost your confidence on court.

4.) Some racquets have labels on them-- more spin! More power! More everything! How do we know what is right for us?

Tennis racquets are not all the same because no tennis player is the exact same. That's why racquet manufacturers use labels like "more power" and "more spin" to appeal to a wide variety of people so they can sell racquets. Tennis is such a feel sport that you can never know what racquet is right for you until you try several out, but these labels can definitely help you in the right direction. If a racquet is said to give you more power, all the manufacturer is saying is the frame of the racquet is thicker and stiffer than others. This is to make the racquet play more lively and give you extra pop. A thicker frame is like trying to hit a ball with a piece of wood compared to a pool noodle, obviously the ball will travel further and harder using the piece of wood. Racquets advertised to provide more spin to the player refers to the string pattern and weight of the racket. These racquets will be more head light so you can accelerate through the ball with greater speed. More racquet head speed means more spin, and a more head light racquet will give you the extra head speed. Then it comes down to what string pattern is in the racquet. There are multiple pattern types, but the most common are closed patterns with 18 mains x 20 crosses, and more open patterns with 16 mains x 20 crosses, and 16 mains by 18 crosses. The more open the string pattern, the more your strings can grab the ball, which will create more spin for your shots. Again, the only way to know what combination of stiffness, weight, and string pattern that's right for you is to test out as many rackets as possible and choose whatever one feels the best while playing.

5.) I always tell junior tennis players that your racquets are equivalent to having five children that you need to take care of. What would you say is a good way to "take care" of your racquets?

Do not leave your racquets or tennis bag in a vehicle! Vehicles act as ovens and by consistently leaving your equipment in an environment where temperatures fluctuate to very high levels you are affecting the integrity of your equipment. A couple things that happen if you do this are that the material your racquet is made of will begin to break down causing your frames to become dead so you lose feel and power, and strings will lose their tension faster and break quicker. All this can be avoided by simply bringing your equipment into your residence with air conditioning. Another way to take care of your racquets is by not banging them on the ground when you hit a bad shot. I know I have been guilty of doing that but it is terrible for your racquets' integrity. Banging your racquet on the ground leads to cracks and chips which completely changes how your racquet feels and plays. One thing that all tennis players need to do is to check your racquets' head guard and grommets. Far too often I see racquets worn down on the top of the frame because the heard guard got scraped away. Grommet and head guard sets are very inexpensive, around $6, and easy for anyone to replace. You can save yourself lots of trouble and money by simply doing an equipment check once a month.

6.) Share a "horror story" regarding equipment with us (or two, or three!).

I was stringing a racquet for a customer of mine. I put the racquet on the stringer and began like any other racquet. I finished stringing the mains of the racquet and had just pulled tension on the first couple cross strings when all of a sudden the string snapped while pulling tension on the next cross string. I had to cut and trash all the string that was being used. Thinking I made a mistake and pinched the string, I started to string the racquet again being a little more careful this time. I got to the same spot as before on the cross strings when the string broke again while pulling tension. Again I had to cut and trash the string that was being used, but this time I decided to look at the racquet to see if there was anything wrong. Sure enough a grommet was warped where the string kept breaking and would get cut by the frame whenever I pulled tension. Long story short, I did my best to fix the grommet but ended up wasting 2 more string sets before I was able to make it work. Instead of making money I lost quite a bit because of using extra string. I was not a happy camper.

7.) What's your fastest stringing record?

So far my fastest tennis racquet stringing record is 10 minutes. I've been trying to break into the single digits but have come just shy. Hopefully I will be under 10 minutes in the next few months.

Burn out

The engine sputters and dies. The weary, rusty wheels forcefully push themselves to their limit, shaking with tension and weight from the heavy weight of the old, sad engine. This isn’t the little engine that thought “I think I can.” This is the weary engine that has had enough. Welcome to the burn out world.

Yes, a bit of a gloomy start to the usually cheerful blog you find here at Seminole HP tennis. But, still an important topic that touches junior players and professional players all the time; burn out does not discriminate. Something that is important to define right off the bat is the difference between burn out and tiredness. Yes, everyone is going to feel tired. Most competitive tennis players rarely go a day without playing through some sort of pain, whether it be simply sore muscles or tendonitis or more dilapidating injures like stress factures or nerve impingement. Often one of the most resilient of athletes, tennis players have to deal with no offseason; while the basketball team is resting, we’re still on the court. Time for football? Still time for tennis. So, it’s easy to see how, much like the engine analogy in the beginning, a tennis player can grow weary, of, well, tennis. Burn out is completely different from tiredness. It is a more mental aspect of tennis that comes with being on the court day in and day out. Sometimes burn out strikes when you play too often; your body gives in and so does your mentality. Sometimes burn out strikes with tournament losses and wins. You can feel burnt out if you feel like your working hard on the court but the results are not translating yet. Sometimes everything outside of tennis affects you, bringing you into a tailspin of emotion.

Burn out is tough, but you are tougher. It takes a team of support to get out of it, though. Family support, coach support, and most importantly, self-support, helps you get into tennis again and out of the burn out stage. Oftentimes the best remedy to burn out is rest. Finding something different in the game also helps; play with a new partner—go to a tournament alone to gain perspective as to how much your support system does behind the sidelines to help you with your game.  Focus on the positives (hard to do, and easy to say, I know), and slowly but surely, the wheels on the train will start to churn with their normal power and strength as before.   

Remember, your emotions are the slave to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions (Elizabeth Gilbert). 

The Hibby-Jibbies; Aka Winning when Up

Once you get into the intricacies of tennis, there are a lot of questions you can ask that don’t involve technicalities. You already know how to hit a forehand. You already have an awesome backhand, approach shot, volley, overhead, and serve. And yet, whenever you are up in a match, you get the hibby-jibbies (yes, google it, great word) and can’t pull out a match. Been there, done that. I have, I unfortunately admit, lost off of match points (more than one, I may add), and not once but multiple times. Every tennis player goes through those heart-breaking losses that make you question why you love this game and why you’re even playing it.

But once you cool off, and I’m assuming you have if you’re onto the next paragraph in this blog and not crying in a corner somewhere or smashing up all your racquets (don’t do that!), you’ll perhaps start to ponder—what on earth got me to that point?

As a teacher and coach, self-reflection is part of my job. But as an athlete, as much as it may hurt, self-reflection is an important task for you as well. Everyone can reflect on wins. How awesome they played, how the opponent was frustrated and upset and you owned them, but thinking about losses, especially close losses, can feel like pulling teeth. However, it’s crucial for the development of your game.

My parents/coaches always told me that losses are more important than wins. I always gaffed at the fact; winning is winning, after all. But now I realize that losses is where the true learning takes place—not only of the game, but of yourself in the game. Because, as much as we can coach the way that we approach the game, tennis is a very individual sport; there is no “cure-all,” no right answer. If there was, the people who had that answer would be making a whole heap of amount of money. Every player needs to reflect and see what exactly happened in that moment. So rather than prescribing a way of dealing with losses and not letting the “I was up but then I lost” conversation happen, I’ll tell you what I have done as a tennis player myself to combat those feelings.

I don’t think I’ll forget the match that I’m going to talk about; Washington State, regional qualifier match, clinching point. I had match points, but then I lost. It happened in slow motion, and I was wrecked after, primarily because I let my teammates down. But sad weepy stuff aside, I learned something important that day; I needed to elevate my game on match points so that it would not happen again. I had a tough time at it coming back from that match; my emotions and the thoughts of that loss creeped in every time I was up; I was up 5-2 in the second and I would think “Don’t lose, don’t lose.” Of course, I don’t have to tell you that that’s not the right mentality to approach a potentially final game of the match. While I’d love to take you through the rest of my season battling this one loss, I’ll skip forward to what I changed to help me change; I serve and volleyed at match point, every match, even if I was crazy terrified to do so. Yeah, I’m not much of a serve and volleyer—correct that, I am NOT a serve and volleyer. So, you can imagine my opponent’s surprise as I rush to the net at match point, eyes blazing, the single point of the match where I even come close, willingly, to the net. It worked. Simple, easy, but it helped me focus on something other than “Don’t lose.” I realized that I could control my thoughts by forcing myself to focus on something tangible, something that I can control; bend your knees, hit crosscourt, hit at least ten balls in this next point before you attack. My matches did get smoother, and I got calmer.

Now, you may have a specific situation in mind. Like I said before, I don’t have a fix-all for you in this blog, because I don’t believe there is one. I think every individual has their own path to figuring out themselves and what they can do for themselves on the court to make them a calmer, more level-headed player. Self-reflection, while it has “self” in front of it, doesn’t necessarily have to be an individual journey. I do suggest you talk to a coach at Seminole High Performance, all of whom have gone through matches at the highest level, to help you get started in the process; even for some advice as to where to start.    

Seminole HP Camp Week Two!

A picture is worth a thousand words. I bet you’ve heard that before. And I bet you’ve heard about Seminole High Performance Camps before also. I was glad to be back in town for camp week number two, and I am so excited for some more fun, tennis, and giggles for camps three and four!

It's not too late to sign up! I suggest the dorms because, well, I'm there, and because it is so much fun to hang out after tennis at all the fun activities we have planned this year! The dorms are safe, clean, and super nice, and the food is catered by local businesses like Bagel Bagel and Chiles and is served fresh and hot every morning, lunch, and dinner!

No camp in Northern Florida compares to Seminole HP camps. We have hands down the best staff, best players, and the best experiences! Kids get an organized mixture of tennis drills and technique practice, video analysis, sport psychology and goal planning seminars, fitness, matches and game play, and, of course, fun!

Some of our green group doubles during team Davis Cup competition!

Paige & Emily getting after their shots!

Some Russian awesomeness with Gleb at bowling!

Carson reaching up to the ball on the serve to get a point for team Russia! 

Loyce, Gleb, and Coach Cody cheesing for the camera at cosmic bowling on day one!

And there is the first photo bomb of the night, starting a chain reaction in later pics! Gleb got a strike on one of his rolls. 

Some of the ladies (and another photo bomb courtesy of Thomas) from the SHP dorms modeling before their bowling game. 

Coach Christian and adorable Brooklyn about to play beach volleyball at the FSU Reservation. This lady is full of fun, giggles, and is always 100% cute. 

The macho men, including Coach Eddie and Coach Cody, posing for the camera before getting into the lake. 

What a nice day to be relaxing on the grass by the sand volleyball field to laugh at tennis players attempting to play volleyball! 

Grayson & Loyce dueling it out indoors at the reservation at the ping pong table.  

Matty boy hitting an inside-out forehand for team Russia!

Tommy getting back to the middle to grind out another point!

Coach Cody and Coach Nick (and no photo bombs!) before their intense game of bowling. These guys mean business. I, on the other hand, attempt my goal to hit at least one pin (Not only did I but I got a spare and a strike! Woo!).

Grayson getting some forward movement on a serve playing Davis Cup. 

We're getting ready to serve, Brooklyn!

"But I can't reach"

"I'll help you"

Aka adorable x 100

Coach Eddie getting intense with the serve. 

And the other side trying to retrieve said serve. 

The Lake at the Reservation. Cool water after a hot day!

Coach Eddie trying to be fancy with the tubes!

Funstation: Night Two. Some basketball action.

Bowling with the boys! Coach Eddie, Coach Cody, and Coach Christian. Say that five times fast, I dare you! (Duetchland never smiles!) :)

While these ladies are all smiles, we've got another photo bomb in the background. Great pic!

Gleb getting ready to serve. 

The ladies and gents getting ready for an epic doubles point during team competition. Go Russia! (Of course, Germany ended up taking the victory. But next week, Russia's got the gold!) 

Katie and Joe. So focused!

Rachel hitting a great deep shot hit by Savi. 

Candid moment at the reservation! Caroline & Zach. 

While some take to the shallows, other more adventurous campers decide to try their hands at canoeing and kayaking. 

Gaby, Taylor, and Ally pose for a picture!

Doesn't get better than this. 

Tommy just beat him at motorcycle racing! I will brag that I beat Drew on this very game after this picture! Coach Katie got motorcycle video game skill (and apparently very bad grammar)!

The sisters. Awww.

Aw, what a cute picture. It would be a shame if....

...A goofball runs into the frame!

Fresh, clean, and ready for some fun at the dorms!

Some of the boys...and...Coach Nick. :) 

So, stay tuned for next week. We'll be hitting at clinics from 10-12 in Tallahassee this week, but we will be gearing up for another session of summer camps soon! Reserve your spot today and don't miss the fun! Seminole High Performance!

  

Join the Tradition: Seminole High Performance Summer Camps

Every year, Seminole High Performance, or how we know it here in Tallahassee, SHP, hosts four weeks of summer camps that bring in an array of tennis players from all over the country, even as far as California!

These players come for the fun, the competition, and most importantly, the elite level of coaching and level of tennis that elevates players games and sends them to tournaments ready to compete at a high level.

Florida being the mecca for tennis players and the sport of tennis, it's often hard to find a camp that focuses on tennis and retains a professional approach to coaching and teaching students how to play the game. SHP is made up of the highest level coaches in Tallahassee and the surrounding areas, with head coaches Dwayne Hultquist and Nick Crowell approaching the camp as they do their team, the collegiate athletes that comprise the men's tennis team at FSU. Camp counselors share the same passion for the sport as Dwayne and Nick do, and come from impressive playing backgrounds. The majority of coaches played junior and college tennis at the highest level. Katie (that would be me) played for FSU at the number one position for four years, from 2007-2011, and was ranked as high as 150 in the world in junior ITF rankings.

On top of a staff that is easily the best coaching staff in Tallahassee, SHP camps have amenities that go above and beyond any tennis summer camp expectations. The coaching staff numbers allow individual attention to every player in the camp, and a highly organized routine on court allows for adequate drilling for players combined with highly competitive play with a variety of different players. Fitness is also heightened at camps, with fitness and footwork being incorporated into daily routine for tennis players to reach their highest potential. After tennis, high-tech video technology is utilized to coach players off the court as to how their game can improve by showing students slow-motion re-runs of their shots, placements, and matches. As much as we work them hard, we also give players adequate rest and emphasis the importance of hydration and stretching, and focus on preparing healthy, happy players that compete at the highest levels of tennis. Florida can get unpredictable with weather, but we are one of the few camps in the STATE of Florida with indoor tennis court access! While we're playing, everyone else isn't!

Players that stay in dorms are staying this year in new, spacious dorms on campus called Ragans Hall. Camp counselors, who also coach the players on court, provide around-the-clock supervision. New activities for players off the court allow for engaging and fun experiences that your child will never forget, like trips to the FSU reservation or "The Rez," where players can enjoy some beach volleyball and rock climbing walls or cool off in the local lake by swimming, kayaking, and canoeing. Entertainment doesn't stop there! We always take players to bowling and BBQ campouts, of course after we feed them the delicious and nutritious food that either is catered through local businesses like Bagel Bagel or Chilis or dorm catering. The best of the best only will do!

Here's the nitty gritty: sign up soon! Visit http://www.seminoletenniscamps.com/high-performance-camps.php to sign up your players for SHP!

The dates for 2013 are:
June 16-20
June 23-27
July 14-18
July 28-Aug 1

Have younger players that may not make it through a day of tennis? Don't fret! We have mini-player camps that are hosted by SHP too! These camps are made for beginner tennis players that range from 3 to 12 years old. We focus on stroke development here as well as lots of fun games and activities for the youngsters! Want more information? Email me at kova1227@gmail.com!

So don't delay. SHP is your best option and you and your child will leave happy from SHP tennis camps. We have, by far, the best coaches, amenities, discipline, and professionalism! Join us, and join the tradition!

Playing Lefties

People joke with my parents all the time because my brother is a lefty. “I bet you put the fork in his left hand instead of his right!”

We laugh, we’re used to it. And they have good reason to laugh about true leftiness; it is a weapon in tennis, something that, because it is fairly rare, is something that defines you. Oftentimes, if you ask someone how to play someone like my brother, or anyone who is a lefty for that matter, the first thing that they’ll tell you is “he’s a lefty.”

So why the obsession with lefties? Like the ever elusive serve and volleyer and chip and charger, lefties aren’t a player that you see very often on the court. They take some time to get used to; after all, how many times have we trained hitting to the “open court” or “weaker side” which would only set up a lefty with a forehand shot? How often do you practice returning a serve that spins the opposite way compared to a right-handed serve?

These are the small tips that some players don’t think of right away when they are told they are playing a lefty. Typically this tip results with a nod of a head and admiration for the opponent’s elusive talent, but on the court the extent of some people’s knowledge of left-handed players is that their backhand is where the forehand “should be” and vice versa.

An additional tip is to watch out for a lefty serve. Like righties have a good wide serve advantage on the deuce side, lefties have a good wide serve on the ad side. This gives lefties two significant advantages; the serve slices wide to the backhand rather than the forehand, and ad side points are usually more “pressure points” like advantages. The good news is that even though righties rarely practice this serve, unless you happen to have a lefty partner, which in that case, lucky you, players can adjust to this serve by stepping into the return and cutting off the ball as you would do with any return of serve that doesn’t come straight at you. By cutting the ball off and aiming crosscourt, you don’t hazard a mishit going down the line nor do you get pulled off the court too much because, well, you cut the ball off by stepping in.

At the end of the day though, a lefty is also a tennis player, just like any right-handed player is. It takes some time to adjust, but lefty players are not much different—you still use the same tactics, and you are still playing an opponent like any other opponent you’ll face in tennis, and it won’t be an advantage to be a lefty if you don’t let it be.     

Interview with Alex Rybakov

So I have a brother, and he's pretty awesome. He's also a tennis player who is currently 16 and playing USTA and ITF tournaments (learn more about these tournaments by asking a coach). Sometimes it's good to hear it from a top player rather than from a coach, so here are some interview questions answered by Alex. Just an FYI on Russian last names; males finish with an "ov" and females with an "ova." So I'm still Rybakova and he's Rybakov. It freaks people out, I know.

Anyways, Alex just came off a big tournament win; he's first of many ITF tournament wins, a grade four. He's ranked 256 in the world and 69 nationally. He's in the blue chip recruiting class.

1.) What's your pre-match routine?

I'm sure to be ready to go. You know, drinks, extra clothes, racquets, grips are done. (I) make sure to keep myself warm and ready, I go for a light jog and stretch. I listen to inspirational pump-up music. Eminem is pretty good, Lose Yourself and Till I Collapse.

2.) What is your regular pre-match meal?

Lots of carbs, like pasta. Sushi's good too.

3.) Somethings not working. What do you do?

I go back to basics, try to make a lot of balls in the court, and adjust to the conditions or the opponent. Staying positive is important, and, staying focused too.

4.) What is your perspective on school? (Alex does virtual school)

School is important even though it's hard work. I know it's important for my future.

5.) What is your advice to young tennis players?

Be passionate in what you do and always believe in yourself.