When it comes to tennis, well it's a little behind in the trend. Most other sports require just a single point to separate the winner from the vanquished, not tennis, you require a space of two points.
Tennis also requires two shots to start a point. If you miss, doesn't matter, have another go, we will let you have a free swing.
Watching Twenty/ Twenty Cricket tonight you can see the difference in the way other sports are moving ahead with formats and even though the 'Fast 4 ' idea is a 'tweak' of sorts it does not compare to the way in which our home sport has evolved.
One run required, one ball......
Stuff dreams are made of, not only for the public but the players involved.
Tennis is all so particular with the way in which it is portrayed however it lacks that one thing, the ability to surprise us with a finish that has you on the edge of your seat. In basketball all you need is one point separating you from the opposition, same in golf, same in AFL, same in soccer, same in just about any sport in the World, yet tennis bucks the trend.
Why doesn't tennis move with the times ?
If anyone has ever followed this silly site of mine you will have read that I do in fact practice what I preach as I developed an idea locally and gained some sponsors to try a new idea with tennis scoring.
I was on the receiving end of a rather painful loss at dusk one evening as my Doubles partner lost the final point of his singles match, a sudden death point which gave the title to the opposition by the barest of margins.
Was worth a shot I thought, this was ten years ago.....
If an obscure local tennis player from Western Australia can come up with a format that spices up a tennis tournament that dares to differ from the usual 'ho hum' of tennis scoring then I am sure the hierarchy of the sport can do the same.
Perhaps it could even allow just ONE SERVE to each player and abolish the ridiculous current system that allows a free swing like very few other sports do, if any, and finally give tennis the 'technical brilliance' headline that it believes it has the right to own........
Thursday, 12 January 2017
Wednesday, 11 January 2017
'WELL SAID'
The following is from an article on an ABC News site printed yesterday. Paul McNamee's comments mirror what I said on a piece I wrote about a week ago titled 'WHAT DID YOU EXPECT' ? in regards to the lower ranked players scratching to make a living.......
Match fixing a 'toxic mix'
Former Australian Open chief executive and tournament director Paul McNamee is not surprised match fixing is an issue among lower-ranked professional tennis players."There are only 100 guys now who are making a decent living and 100 women as well," he said.
"The rest are living on or below the poverty line and that's a toxic mix when you've got these temptations put in front of you."McNamee, who won five majors in doubles and mixed doubles during his professional career, believes tennis authorities are more concerned with addressing the "symptoms" of match fixing and not the "cause".
He has called on the majors to increase the level of prize money available in the qualifying rounds.
"The qualifying is where the Grand Slams, who are in a leadership position, can take a leading role," McNamee said.
'So I would like to see the qualifying prize money tripled and then you would have another 100 guys and 100 women able to make a living and not be seduced by any temptations out there."
The following is part of my post.....
If that's the case then increase the prize money in the lower tiered events. Those players are the future of the game yet most will never get the opportunity to finally show their full potential as they will not be able to afford to stay in the sport.
This article is typical of where the sport is currently, a sport which is happy to help Novak surpass the $100,000,000 mark yet fails to help future champions stay in the game.
Fair dinkum comedy routine this sport. Plenty of finger pointing, no one addressing the issues that really matter.......Saturday, 7 January 2017
'THE ITALIAN JOB'
Another post from a while back which for some reason I placed in a folder as a draft copy. I have written over 800 posts on this site including 76 from my book. I suppose I am entitled to make a few mistakes here and there with my file organisation......
The Italian Job was the title of a movie made in the year I was put on this earth, 1969, one of the all time great movies. In fact the lead actor Michael Caine put in a one liner that was once voted the greatest of all time " You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off "!
The movie was about a group of gangsters plotting to steal 4 million dollars worth of gold in Italy and escape with it to Switzerland, absolute classic.
So what's it got to do with tennis ? Nothing, but it reminds me of two Italian 'gangster' tennis professionals from Italy, Fabio Fognini and Andreas Seppi, interesting characters. I wrote a chapter recently on Fabio.I swear the man who could double as a clothes fashion model had a night out with a 'fan' at the clay court event in Barcelona in April where he forfeited his match after trailing 0-6, 0-4. How else would you explain that effort ?
In Brazil in February he lost the second set 0-6 to Bedene, a Slovakian ranked 103 before winning the third 6-1. In Monte Carlo in April he lost the third and deciding set in the Round of 16 to Tsonga 0-6 but at the French Open against Monfils he won the fourth 6-0 before losing the last 2-6. In Germany in July he lost to Krajinovic of Serbia 4-6, 0-6 . What happened there Fabio ? The Serb was ranked 149.
In Cincinatti in August he lost a Quarter Final to Raonic 0-6, 1-6 but pocketed $80,000 before moving on to the US Open in New York. Fabio offered very little resistance again and got smashed by a guy ranked 89, Mannarino of France 3-6, 4-6, 1-6. He did however 'earn' $60,000 for a second round showing. Not a bad few weeks for Fabio as far as prize money was concerned but it did nothing for his reputation as a match or set 'tanker'.
Enough about Fabio, let's move on to his fellow countryman Andreas Seppi. In Davis Cup against Argentina in January this year he played Berlocq, a man ranked 13 places behind him. After winning the first 6-4 he then put all his toys back in the toy box and went home, 0-6, 2-6, 1-6. Five weeks later in Indian Wells he lost to Stan 'The Man' Wawrinka 0-6, 2-6 then met Berlocq again in Romania in April. The Argentinian smashed the Italian to love in the first before Seppi staged a fight back winning the second 6-2 but then lost the third in a breaker.
In July in Hamburg Seppi beat Monaco by the strangest score of 1-6, 6-0, 7-6 which asked two questions, how does a score like this happen and what is it with the Italians and their bagels ??
In the Moselle Open in France just last week Seppi took on Igor Sijsling of the Netherlands in the first round, a match that Seppi would have fancied his chances. Seppi is currently ranked 26 places higher than the Dutchman however it seems as though Andreas may just have found a 'fan' the night before. For reasons only known to the Italian he found himself down 0-6, 1-4 before doing a 'Fabio' and shaking hands with an 'injury' stated withdrawal.
So the questions need to be asked of these two 'gangsters'. Do you guys meet with 'foul play' the night before the matches you withdraw from when you are receiving an absolute pounding from your opposition ? And why so many bagels in your playing career ?
Perhaps a movie can be made one day about these two Professionals from Italy who are fantastic tennis players but can make the headlines for some 'indifferent' score lines in various matches. I would pay good money to go see 'The Italian Job Part 2'..........
The Italian Job was the title of a movie made in the year I was put on this earth, 1969, one of the all time great movies. In fact the lead actor Michael Caine put in a one liner that was once voted the greatest of all time " You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off "!
The movie was about a group of gangsters plotting to steal 4 million dollars worth of gold in Italy and escape with it to Switzerland, absolute classic.
So what's it got to do with tennis ? Nothing, but it reminds me of two Italian 'gangster' tennis professionals from Italy, Fabio Fognini and Andreas Seppi, interesting characters. I wrote a chapter recently on Fabio.I swear the man who could double as a clothes fashion model had a night out with a 'fan' at the clay court event in Barcelona in April where he forfeited his match after trailing 0-6, 0-4. How else would you explain that effort ?
In Brazil in February he lost the second set 0-6 to Bedene, a Slovakian ranked 103 before winning the third 6-1. In Monte Carlo in April he lost the third and deciding set in the Round of 16 to Tsonga 0-6 but at the French Open against Monfils he won the fourth 6-0 before losing the last 2-6. In Germany in July he lost to Krajinovic of Serbia 4-6, 0-6 . What happened there Fabio ? The Serb was ranked 149.
In Cincinatti in August he lost a Quarter Final to Raonic 0-6, 1-6 but pocketed $80,000 before moving on to the US Open in New York. Fabio offered very little resistance again and got smashed by a guy ranked 89, Mannarino of France 3-6, 4-6, 1-6. He did however 'earn' $60,000 for a second round showing. Not a bad few weeks for Fabio as far as prize money was concerned but it did nothing for his reputation as a match or set 'tanker'.
Enough about Fabio, let's move on to his fellow countryman Andreas Seppi. In Davis Cup against Argentina in January this year he played Berlocq, a man ranked 13 places behind him. After winning the first 6-4 he then put all his toys back in the toy box and went home, 0-6, 2-6, 1-6. Five weeks later in Indian Wells he lost to Stan 'The Man' Wawrinka 0-6, 2-6 then met Berlocq again in Romania in April. The Argentinian smashed the Italian to love in the first before Seppi staged a fight back winning the second 6-2 but then lost the third in a breaker.
In July in Hamburg Seppi beat Monaco by the strangest score of 1-6, 6-0, 7-6 which asked two questions, how does a score like this happen and what is it with the Italians and their bagels ??
In the Moselle Open in France just last week Seppi took on Igor Sijsling of the Netherlands in the first round, a match that Seppi would have fancied his chances. Seppi is currently ranked 26 places higher than the Dutchman however it seems as though Andreas may just have found a 'fan' the night before. For reasons only known to the Italian he found himself down 0-6, 1-4 before doing a 'Fabio' and shaking hands with an 'injury' stated withdrawal.
So the questions need to be asked of these two 'gangsters'. Do you guys meet with 'foul play' the night before the matches you withdraw from when you are receiving an absolute pounding from your opposition ? And why so many bagels in your playing career ?
Perhaps a movie can be made one day about these two Professionals from Italy who are fantastic tennis players but can make the headlines for some 'indifferent' score lines in various matches. I would pay good money to go see 'The Italian Job Part 2'..........
'SERVE AND RETURN'
I just read an article on the ATP site in regards to serving and returning and what really is the most effective way of playing. It seems that receiving serve well by far outweighs the ability to own a great delivery.
This was written around TWO YEARS ago however I feel it is worth reposting due to the article I just read......
The old adage 'you are only as good as your second serve' is as true as the sun will come up in the morning, there are too many statistics to back up the fact. If you take the time to scroll through some facts and figures of tennis matches rather than just read the scores then you will notice an alarming trend in the game.
Because many players use the first delivery as basically a 'free swing' it is often hit with such pace that unless a player guesses correctly the return will come back without a great deal of interest on it. That is of course unless the returner has an exceptional ability to get the serve back no matter what the speed of delivery is.
With ground strokes being as big as they are now days a mid court service return will be treated with no respect and more often than not hit for a winner or a commanding approach shot to set up an easy volley.
A tennis player who does not spend the time to practice the return of serve is like a cricket player going into bat without a helmet, it's called lack of preparation. Many players are not interested in service return practice because it's not one of the more glamorous training routines and it's frustrating. Yet it separates the good from the average.
I have mentioned before in an older chapter how a young Andre Agassi practiced his return of serve for his Davis Cup match against Boris Becker who owned possibly the World's biggest serve when he was at his peak. Agassi moved his team mates up to the service line to hit serves at him which gave him almost no time to respond, but it quickened his eye. Routines like that are proven, it's thinking outside of the square and it spices up the same old ho hum training drills.
The return of serve has seen some brilliant exponents, Andre Agassi could possibly have been the best because he took on guys like Becker, Sampras, McEnroe, Ivanisevic and Edberg. That was an era of servers who delivered the ball with unbelievable power and Andre Agassi knocked it straight back at them or past them, more often than not. It's why he won every Slam.
Fast forwarding to some statistics of this year's French Open it is blatantly obvious that the best returners are the most successful, particularly in doubles. It has to be precise as the net player is constantly moving. Keeping one eye on the guy at the net and the other on the ball is a tough assignment yet if you watch the top exponents of the two on two format it is made to look easy.
One of the teams I am tipping to win the Mens dubs in Paris this year Dodig and Melo just squeaked past Peya and Soares by the score of 6-3, 7-6 with the tie breaker going to 10-8. Here was the difference;
Dodig and Melo won just 12 of 46 returning points or 26 per cent but it was just enough to scrape over the line as their opponents won less, 9 of 42 or 21 per cent. The biggest difference it seems however is the lack of unforced errors in that pivotal second set, they made just ONE unforced error. I find that statistic totally outrageous.
Dodig and Melo won 71 per cent of their first service points but their second serve performance was even more brilliant, 89 per cent. That's not BIG serving, that's SMART serving. So is a kick serve more effective in doubles ? You do the sums on that one. Sometimes the slower higher kick is harder to get on top of as a returner particularly if the returner is not tall.
The above examples are just a few statistics from one set of the French open this year. Imagine if you did the sums on all matches according to the height and returning ability of all players and crunched the numbers.
I believe it would be fascinating to say the least, correct me if I am wrong. The best servers in the French Open are out, Isner, Querrey, Karlovic and Cilic, the best returners however are still in.
There has got to be more merit in being a top returner than a top server.....
This was written around TWO YEARS ago however I feel it is worth reposting due to the article I just read......
The old adage 'you are only as good as your second serve' is as true as the sun will come up in the morning, there are too many statistics to back up the fact. If you take the time to scroll through some facts and figures of tennis matches rather than just read the scores then you will notice an alarming trend in the game.
Because many players use the first delivery as basically a 'free swing' it is often hit with such pace that unless a player guesses correctly the return will come back without a great deal of interest on it. That is of course unless the returner has an exceptional ability to get the serve back no matter what the speed of delivery is.
With ground strokes being as big as they are now days a mid court service return will be treated with no respect and more often than not hit for a winner or a commanding approach shot to set up an easy volley.
A tennis player who does not spend the time to practice the return of serve is like a cricket player going into bat without a helmet, it's called lack of preparation. Many players are not interested in service return practice because it's not one of the more glamorous training routines and it's frustrating. Yet it separates the good from the average.
I have mentioned before in an older chapter how a young Andre Agassi practiced his return of serve for his Davis Cup match against Boris Becker who owned possibly the World's biggest serve when he was at his peak. Agassi moved his team mates up to the service line to hit serves at him which gave him almost no time to respond, but it quickened his eye. Routines like that are proven, it's thinking outside of the square and it spices up the same old ho hum training drills.
The return of serve has seen some brilliant exponents, Andre Agassi could possibly have been the best because he took on guys like Becker, Sampras, McEnroe, Ivanisevic and Edberg. That was an era of servers who delivered the ball with unbelievable power and Andre Agassi knocked it straight back at them or past them, more often than not. It's why he won every Slam.
Fast forwarding to some statistics of this year's French Open it is blatantly obvious that the best returners are the most successful, particularly in doubles. It has to be precise as the net player is constantly moving. Keeping one eye on the guy at the net and the other on the ball is a tough assignment yet if you watch the top exponents of the two on two format it is made to look easy.
One of the teams I am tipping to win the Mens dubs in Paris this year Dodig and Melo just squeaked past Peya and Soares by the score of 6-3, 7-6 with the tie breaker going to 10-8. Here was the difference;
Dodig and Melo won just 12 of 46 returning points or 26 per cent but it was just enough to scrape over the line as their opponents won less, 9 of 42 or 21 per cent. The biggest difference it seems however is the lack of unforced errors in that pivotal second set, they made just ONE unforced error. I find that statistic totally outrageous.
Dodig and Melo won 71 per cent of their first service points but their second serve performance was even more brilliant, 89 per cent. That's not BIG serving, that's SMART serving. So is a kick serve more effective in doubles ? You do the sums on that one. Sometimes the slower higher kick is harder to get on top of as a returner particularly if the returner is not tall.
The above examples are just a few statistics from one set of the French open this year. Imagine if you did the sums on all matches according to the height and returning ability of all players and crunched the numbers.
I believe it would be fascinating to say the least, correct me if I am wrong. The best servers in the French Open are out, Isner, Querrey, Karlovic and Cilic, the best returners however are still in.
There has got to be more merit in being a top returner than a top server.....
'DRESSING DOWN'
Wrote this a while back, don't believe I posted it. It typifies what I think of the dress sense of today's tennis players and in particular the juniors who like to 'dazzle' the opposition with their clothes......
'DRESS DOWN' (BE AN INDIVIDUAL)
I have never been a huge fan of bright tennis clothes and in particular 'loud' shoes. I believe it is asking for trouble. When I was a kid I used to practice occasionally in Perth with one of the State's top ranked juniors Damian Hampson who had a few funny habits, one in particular was his dress sense. 'Hampo' basically did not own any dress sense whatsoever but he could play the game remarkably well.
I remember drawing him first round at a State Closed Championship at the Reabold Tennis Club in 1985, he was seeded 3, our friendship was put aside for three sets. Despite leading him 6-4, 2-0 I found a way to lose to a higher ranked player who I could match it with for a certain period of time before falling away. Lack of self belief.
Back to Hampo's clothing.
Here was a guy with a ranking inside the State's top three best players yet you wouldn't have picked his tennis talent by looking at him. Hampo would turn up wearing a pair of socks that looked as though he had been gardening in and a pair of worn Dunlop Volley shoes. He would also wear a pair of shorts and a shirt that lacked any colour or style. Hampo in a word was 'untidy'.
I did however like his 'style' that gave the opposition a false sense of security if you did not know his tennis ability. 'Was he here as a tennis player or has he just cruised by on his BMX bike for a look at the tennis' ?! Hampo was a guy who was not interested in dazzling the opposition with his fashion sense, it was all about his game.
It's funny when you see the young players now days walking through the gates for a junior tennis tournament with a bag big enough to sleep in and a pair of shoes that have arrogance written all over them. I was never a fan of that sort of clothing or equipment and even though Hampo 'inspired' me to dress down I suppose I was always going to be a player who was far from interested in dressing to impress.
I vividly recall my first tennis bag, a Donnay brand that was too small to fit my racket in so I would walk out on court with the handle sticking out of the end of it. Along with my less than glamorous way of dressing I would say that I was simply trying to be known as a good tennis player, not a fashion model.
I would always wear my black V neck jumper in the warm up as my hero Mats Wilander did when I first saw him walk out onto court at the Italian Open in 1982. That's the thing that first struck me about Mats, he was not fashion conscious, he was simply letting his racket do the talking. I liked that idea.
I also developed a habit of wearing dark clothes, black shorts and either a brown or black shirt along with black socks complete with a pair of shoes that were not a real popular brand. I felt that if I was to go out on court dressed like my buddy Hampo then perhaps it would give my opponents NOTHING from the initial greeting. Perhaps they would think "this one is going to be easy, he doesn't even wear tennis clothes".
No matter what I was thinking about my dress sense or lack of it I felt comfortable with it and being comfortable right from the start in tennis is the most important thing. People who wear loud gear basically put a lot of pressure on themselves before they even hit a ball. I would recommend to any player of any age to dress down as opposed to up as it puts any perceived pressure back onto the opposition. 'Loud' clothes generally require a game to match.
As I got older I would even turn up to a tournament wearing beach sandals! I would wear them until about ten minutes prior to my first match before changing into my tennis shoes. Why ? Well it wasn't through arrogance, it was more about my mindset that needed to be relaxed before I commenced play.
If I felt as though I was on my way to the beach for a leisurely day of relaxing as opposed to a series of intense matches I would feel a sense of calm as opposed to nerves or anxiety.
Yes I have always done things a little differently however tennis is an individual sport and not one that should be likened to playing 'follow the leader'.
Be your own player and find things that relax you as opposed to raising the level of nerves too high before a match. Be an individual....
I remember drawing him first round at a State Closed Championship at the Reabold Tennis Club in 1985, he was seeded 3, our friendship was put aside for three sets. Despite leading him 6-4, 2-0 I found a way to lose to a higher ranked player who I could match it with for a certain period of time before falling away. Lack of self belief.
Back to Hampo's clothing.
Here was a guy with a ranking inside the State's top three best players yet you wouldn't have picked his tennis talent by looking at him. Hampo would turn up wearing a pair of socks that looked as though he had been gardening in and a pair of worn Dunlop Volley shoes. He would also wear a pair of shorts and a shirt that lacked any colour or style. Hampo in a word was 'untidy'.
I did however like his 'style' that gave the opposition a false sense of security if you did not know his tennis ability. 'Was he here as a tennis player or has he just cruised by on his BMX bike for a look at the tennis' ?! Hampo was a guy who was not interested in dazzling the opposition with his fashion sense, it was all about his game.
It's funny when you see the young players now days walking through the gates for a junior tennis tournament with a bag big enough to sleep in and a pair of shoes that have arrogance written all over them. I was never a fan of that sort of clothing or equipment and even though Hampo 'inspired' me to dress down I suppose I was always going to be a player who was far from interested in dressing to impress.
I vividly recall my first tennis bag, a Donnay brand that was too small to fit my racket in so I would walk out on court with the handle sticking out of the end of it. Along with my less than glamorous way of dressing I would say that I was simply trying to be known as a good tennis player, not a fashion model.
I would always wear my black V neck jumper in the warm up as my hero Mats Wilander did when I first saw him walk out onto court at the Italian Open in 1982. That's the thing that first struck me about Mats, he was not fashion conscious, he was simply letting his racket do the talking. I liked that idea.
I also developed a habit of wearing dark clothes, black shorts and either a brown or black shirt along with black socks complete with a pair of shoes that were not a real popular brand. I felt that if I was to go out on court dressed like my buddy Hampo then perhaps it would give my opponents NOTHING from the initial greeting. Perhaps they would think "this one is going to be easy, he doesn't even wear tennis clothes".
No matter what I was thinking about my dress sense or lack of it I felt comfortable with it and being comfortable right from the start in tennis is the most important thing. People who wear loud gear basically put a lot of pressure on themselves before they even hit a ball. I would recommend to any player of any age to dress down as opposed to up as it puts any perceived pressure back onto the opposition. 'Loud' clothes generally require a game to match.
As I got older I would even turn up to a tournament wearing beach sandals! I would wear them until about ten minutes prior to my first match before changing into my tennis shoes. Why ? Well it wasn't through arrogance, it was more about my mindset that needed to be relaxed before I commenced play.
If I felt as though I was on my way to the beach for a leisurely day of relaxing as opposed to a series of intense matches I would feel a sense of calm as opposed to nerves or anxiety.
Yes I have always done things a little differently however tennis is an individual sport and not one that should be likened to playing 'follow the leader'.
Be your own player and find things that relax you as opposed to raising the level of nerves too high before a match. Be an individual....
Tuesday, 3 January 2017
'KEEP IT SIMPLE'
Take a look at two of the best double handed backhands being hit at the moment in Australia at the Brisbane International, Nadal's and Simon's. What do you see ?
Personally I see a simple swing, straight back low with no loop.
Now take a look at many juniors who are being taught the loop backswing and you tell me what the difference is. Now to elaborate, watch the arms take the racket back on both Rafa and Simon's shot and see how simple it is.
Now watch a kid being taught this shot now days from a 'Zen Master' fresh outa coaching school who has been given a manual and a few lessons on how to teach the game with 'the latest methods'.
Now do the sums on who gets ready for the shot with a minimum of fuss and who is late to many shots due to the ridiculous nature of the complicated swing.
Tennis is a technical sport though it seems to be more technical now due to many teachers of the game taking simple things and making them harder to learn. Is that strictly a money making idea or a necessity ?
Why would you go past a backhand like Rafa's as far as simplicity is concerned ? Perhaps the great man's shot is not listed in the book of 'latest methods' ? Why ? Be way too simple to learn, less time on court, less dollars 'earned' by the 'Zen Masters' of today.
Do yourself a favour if you teach the sport and look at Rafa's backhand slow motion and also Simon's while you are at it, note how easy the swing is and how easy it is to teach unlike the forehand which has many more aspects to it.
The backhand should be the easiest shot to teach, it's why I teach it before the forehand.
Keep tennis simple, leave the complications to the over qualified.........
Personally I see a simple swing, straight back low with no loop.
Now take a look at many juniors who are being taught the loop backswing and you tell me what the difference is. Now to elaborate, watch the arms take the racket back on both Rafa and Simon's shot and see how simple it is.
Now watch a kid being taught this shot now days from a 'Zen Master' fresh outa coaching school who has been given a manual and a few lessons on how to teach the game with 'the latest methods'.
Now do the sums on who gets ready for the shot with a minimum of fuss and who is late to many shots due to the ridiculous nature of the complicated swing.
Tennis is a technical sport though it seems to be more technical now due to many teachers of the game taking simple things and making them harder to learn. Is that strictly a money making idea or a necessity ?
Why would you go past a backhand like Rafa's as far as simplicity is concerned ? Perhaps the great man's shot is not listed in the book of 'latest methods' ? Why ? Be way too simple to learn, less time on court, less dollars 'earned' by the 'Zen Masters' of today.
Do yourself a favour if you teach the sport and look at Rafa's backhand slow motion and also Simon's while you are at it, note how easy the swing is and how easy it is to teach unlike the forehand which has many more aspects to it.
The backhand should be the easiest shot to teach, it's why I teach it before the forehand.
Keep tennis simple, leave the complications to the over qualified.........
Friday, 30 December 2016
'A FINAL POST FOR 2016'
As always I write a post to thank those who have tuned into this site over the past 12 months and in particular to those who I have upset with the content of some of my posts, well it's like this, we are all entitled to an opinion.
Tennis is the type of sport where so many perceptions confuse what's really important and that is of course simply getting the ball over the net and keeping yourself in the point as long as possible. Nothing worse than losing a match as opposed to being beaten, there is of course a huge difference though some 'gurus' will tell you otherwise.
My theories on the sport of tennis are perhaps not unique however every coach has a different way of explaining things, I am no different in that aspect.
Part of me hates tennis due in large to the way in which it is now run by Governing Bodies who have taken all the uniqueness away from the game with their 'modules' and their 'latest methods' as far as teaching the game is concerned. Creating robots is now the 'norm'.
Part of me loves tennis because it keeps me amused as both a side project with my writing and my coaching as the thought of teaching the game full time repulses me for more than one reason. If you have read any of my book you will understand my reasons for coaching on a part time basis and why I charge accordingly.
If the public choose to spend up to $90 an hour with someone who claims to be a full time tennis coach even though they only 'work' before school and after but charge like a wounded bull to make up for the hours they sit on their arse during the day then good luck to 'em.
Just because someone owns a price tag that looks like they know what they are talking about it doesn't necessarily mean that they know how to teach tennis. I had a lesson before Xmas with a Doctor who hit me just two tennis balls on her backhand side before I corrected the obvious problem which was the grip, as always the grip.
'I had a lesson last week in the South West on our tour'.
So how did that go ?
'Yeah ok'.
So why are you holding the racket like that ? Did the coach not tell you how to hold the racket ?
'No I was only taught how to swing'.
( At $70 an hour personally I would like to be taught from the beginning, the grip may just help )
It seems that the public is more interested in spending big dollars or rather looking for the most expensive 'Zen Master' to learn from however it can be deceiving in a sport such as tennis as many charge that price to make them look and sound a whole lot better than what and who they really are.
All of these examples of course keep me entertained and keep me writing which hasn't been a whole lot lately due to work committments in my 'real job'.
The year 2016 will also be a year that I will remember for quitting the ATPCA ( Australian Tennis Professional Coaches Association ). I asked them for a full refund due to their inability to control who joins their association which is in fact in opposition to Tennis Australia.
Allowing TA coaches (who gain funding from their Governing Body to run their own programs) to be part of the ATPCA is in my opinion nothing short of farcical. I believe you should follow one or the other because if you follow both it shows that you have an identity crisis of epic proportions.
If you know nothing about either well I suggest you look up the ATPCA and do some research, these guys have no time for TA yet allow TA coaches into their system. All way too contradictory for my liking, yet that's tennis in Australia for you.
Remember if you are an ATPCA 'qualified tennis coach' it will not be recognised as a qualification by Tennis Australia as they have stated. So you do the sums on what I have just written. I refuse to be a part of either, way too much bullshit involved and no loyalty required.
I will leave you with a couple more posts from my book 'Delusions of Grandeur' which I put together in October this year and posted on this site, a book I am proud of and one that begins on my parents garage wall in Albany, Western Australia and then took me to Paris nine years later.
We all have a tennis story, we all have a theory or two on how the game should be played, I am sticking with my ideas and my rather affordable lesson costs that many wouldn't get out of bed for. Difference is simple, I aren't full of my own self importance, many in this sport are.........
All the best in 2017
Regards GT
Tennis is the type of sport where so many perceptions confuse what's really important and that is of course simply getting the ball over the net and keeping yourself in the point as long as possible. Nothing worse than losing a match as opposed to being beaten, there is of course a huge difference though some 'gurus' will tell you otherwise.
My theories on the sport of tennis are perhaps not unique however every coach has a different way of explaining things, I am no different in that aspect.
Part of me hates tennis due in large to the way in which it is now run by Governing Bodies who have taken all the uniqueness away from the game with their 'modules' and their 'latest methods' as far as teaching the game is concerned. Creating robots is now the 'norm'.
Part of me loves tennis because it keeps me amused as both a side project with my writing and my coaching as the thought of teaching the game full time repulses me for more than one reason. If you have read any of my book you will understand my reasons for coaching on a part time basis and why I charge accordingly.
If the public choose to spend up to $90 an hour with someone who claims to be a full time tennis coach even though they only 'work' before school and after but charge like a wounded bull to make up for the hours they sit on their arse during the day then good luck to 'em.
Just because someone owns a price tag that looks like they know what they are talking about it doesn't necessarily mean that they know how to teach tennis. I had a lesson before Xmas with a Doctor who hit me just two tennis balls on her backhand side before I corrected the obvious problem which was the grip, as always the grip.
'I had a lesson last week in the South West on our tour'.
So how did that go ?
'Yeah ok'.
So why are you holding the racket like that ? Did the coach not tell you how to hold the racket ?
'No I was only taught how to swing'.
( At $70 an hour personally I would like to be taught from the beginning, the grip may just help )
It seems that the public is more interested in spending big dollars or rather looking for the most expensive 'Zen Master' to learn from however it can be deceiving in a sport such as tennis as many charge that price to make them look and sound a whole lot better than what and who they really are.
All of these examples of course keep me entertained and keep me writing which hasn't been a whole lot lately due to work committments in my 'real job'.
The year 2016 will also be a year that I will remember for quitting the ATPCA ( Australian Tennis Professional Coaches Association ). I asked them for a full refund due to their inability to control who joins their association which is in fact in opposition to Tennis Australia.
Allowing TA coaches (who gain funding from their Governing Body to run their own programs) to be part of the ATPCA is in my opinion nothing short of farcical. I believe you should follow one or the other because if you follow both it shows that you have an identity crisis of epic proportions.
If you know nothing about either well I suggest you look up the ATPCA and do some research, these guys have no time for TA yet allow TA coaches into their system. All way too contradictory for my liking, yet that's tennis in Australia for you.
Remember if you are an ATPCA 'qualified tennis coach' it will not be recognised as a qualification by Tennis Australia as they have stated. So you do the sums on what I have just written. I refuse to be a part of either, way too much bullshit involved and no loyalty required.
I will leave you with a couple more posts from my book 'Delusions of Grandeur' which I put together in October this year and posted on this site, a book I am proud of and one that begins on my parents garage wall in Albany, Western Australia and then took me to Paris nine years later.
We all have a tennis story, we all have a theory or two on how the game should be played, I am sticking with my ideas and my rather affordable lesson costs that many wouldn't get out of bed for. Difference is simple, I aren't full of my own self importance, many in this sport are.........
All the best in 2017
Regards GT
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