Guest contributor Colan Surratt is back with an important piece about coaching simply but effectively. Simplicity usually wins the game! Coaching Simply but Effectively by Colan Surratt As a young tennis coach, I pushed myself to understand tactics, technique, string, racquets, shoes, and anything else tennis. Logically – or so I thought – that would make me a great coach. Boy, was I wrong! My students would come to each lesson more confused than the last. I’d inundated them with information I could barely parse apart. Who was I to expect them to make sense of it? I quickly realized …
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The ATP official partner of online tennis learning, TopCourt has announced their latest pro player videos. How good is Azarenka on TopCourt? I was surprised how well Nick Kyrgios worked on the TopCourt online tennis learning platform. It’s fascinating to see how certain players transcend the platform and just “work”, while others fall a bit flat. It’s an ambitious project, with so many high-ranked pros contributing materials. I really enjoy watching it grow and was happy that they asked me to be an ambassador. As a TopCourt ambassador, I get a commission if you sign up for, but I would …
Have you seen Tsitsipas new coach? Laver Cup captain and former pro player Thomas Enqvist is on his team in Rotterdam. This is likely a test period before anything more permanent is announced, but let’s hope Tsitsipas new coach is there to stay. I think many of us have grown tired of the coaching violations that Tsitispas father, Apostolos, have been causing Stefanos due to his constant talking in between points. It was time for something new! It will be fun to see how their dynamic and chemistry will play out in Rotterdam. Tsitsipas did win his first match against …
Are you a seasoned tennis coach looking to take your career to the next level? Have you been digging through thousands of executive resume writing service reviews for ideas on how to package your credentials and work experience to wow your potential employer? This piece provides you with coaching that will get you aligned for that coaching job. The making of an Executive Tennis Coach Resume: Expert Tips Your profile is more than just a summary of your career Let your work history tell a story of passion and success Have a compelling mix of soft and hard skills Your …
A week ago I received a box with an interesting wearable tennis improvement tool. Here is my Neurotennis review. I was excited about this Neurotennis review since I am always looking for innovative ways to improve my tennis game (and others!). Neurotennis is made by a company based in my old (temporary) hometown Arlington, Va., and started by brothers and tech entrepreneurs Alain and Marc Cohen. The idea is logical: if you can mimic a coach giving you instructions while you’re hitting and doing drills, it will be easier to ingrain these ideas into your game. It’s all about giving positive …
Stefanos Tsitsipas tweeted that he believes in coaching during matches. Should on-court coaching be allowed? I posted my vlog “Should on-court coaching be allowed?” on YouTube and Instagram last night and the response is pretty clear. The majority thinks it shouldn’t be allowed. Most tennis fans are quite traditional though, so I don’t think that response is surprising. I am a bit torn myself as I lay out in my vlog (watch it below). Overall, I think there are pros and cons and that the concept could be tested at a few ATP 250 tournaments to study the reaction and …
One of the issues facing many new players is learning the grips in tennis. There are a few tools you can use to help you along though. Learning the grips in tennis can be frustrating. You need one grip for the serve and volleys, one for the backhand, and one for the forehand. To make matters worse there are different grips to choose from for the forehand: western, semi-western, and eastern. Learning the grips is not only for beginners. It can also be for long-time tennis players who want to transition to a more spin-friendly forehand or from a two-handed …
I have recently tested Improves.co – a new online tennis coaching website. I need help with all my strokes but focused on the forehand for now. The idea of improves.co is for players to record themselves and then send over a video and get advice from a pro player or a top-level coach like Paul Annacone. I always recommend players to set up a tripod and analyze footage of themselves. It has helped me a lot. But sometimes you don’t have all the answers to what you need to do to improve and then it’s good to have a knowledgeable set …
I have been testing the Top Level Tennis online course programs for a couple of weeks. Here is my Top Level Tennis Review. Top Level Tennis is, similar to TopCourt that I wrote about before, an online course program featuring top level tennis players and coaches. The roster of coaches and players is not as vast and as strong as TopCourt, but the content is a bit more extensive and you can get training plans and other info in written form as well (downloadable pdfs). The listed coaches right now are Wolfgang Thiem, Boris Becker, Dominika Cibulkova, Urszula Radwanska and …
A lot of people have been signing up for a free TopCourt trial membership. Why not? You get a 14-day free trial to demo the product. I was skeptical at first, but as more and more content has been coming in, I’m pretty much sold. One reason is that I’m a sucker for drills I can do with a coach or a hitting partner. I used to be one of those guys who only played practice matches every time I stepped out on the court. Often with a new racquet in my hand. No wonder improvement was slow and frustrating. …