Eye On The Ball - A Simple Tip & A Short Video Clip From The USTA National Coach ... now why should we bend our knees??

Sloan Stevens and USTA national coach Nick Saviano on watching the tennis ball better and why.

This is a hitting instructor at a little league baseball clinic, take note of the similarities.   The baseball coach will highlight very similar characteristics as the tennis coach does in the first clip, you'll hear each make reference to the head, shoulders, elbows and chin, in improving eye contact with either ball.  It is a simple muscle memory skill that the more you practice it ...IN PRACTICE...than the easier it'll become and you won't even think about doing it,  it'll just happen, during match play. Once attained your consistency and power will greatly increase. 



Rafa hitting his two handed backhand.  Look at his eyes hold the contact point, and notice his chin and shoulder at this moment of contact. He actually using a similar ball watching trick, as the one you'll read of below.  Maybe I'll explain it here sometime in the future. 

As you watch below, don't worry about what the pro here says about her age and ability level.  Pete Sampras played with this same classic eastern forehand, and it was his weapon of choice in becoming the greatest tennis player ever.  To this day no one would deny that Pete's forehand is hit with more pace than either Rafa and Roger Federer's forehands.   This is the same Eastern forehand which I teach privately and in groups.  You've seen the clip above and the fantastic tip on watching the ball.  Now watch this short video clip below and remember how important it is to starting and finishing your forehand in the same place so you can consistently develop your ball watching skills.  Hear the catch phrases the pro here uses. Prepare early, this is so important the moment you know which stroke your going to use, it is crucial to then bringing your racquet back and holding it, finish correctly so you don't pull your shoulder, thus eyes away from that contact point mentioned in the short article above.  That tip above, on where to hold you eyes upon contact with the ball is just awesome!  

'We' Trophies Will Always Be Superior To The 'I' Trophies!

"The moment of enlightenment is when a person's dreams of possibilities become images of probabilities." Vic Braden. 

 I love this quote, from one of the most well known tennis coaches, that there has ever been.  It works perfectly here, in drawing a parallel to where we as a team should be right now, moreover I hope all of you have spent time during the summer to ensure we make that probability a reality.  I feel we made that transition from dreams to probabilities shortly after we beat Lindenwold to advance to the Sectional Semi-Finals. 

The trophy you see above, which our own Coach Bay earned for leading her Green Wave squad to the 1980 Sectional Title, is the same trophy we will hoist high, wherever that may be, on a sunny day in the beginning of May of 2014. I suspect this is one of the many reasons why Coach Bay invests her time to come back to coach at place and for a tennis program, which she cares greatly for.    I have a ton of respect for both our coaches and how much they care about your school.  I honestly think it is pretty special to have two coaches, who to whatever degree have these same feelings for Audubon, in common. 

 Both these fine Green Wave coaches and former alums once fought, on those same tennis courts, for this same trophy.   Every member of that 1980 girls team will forever have a little piece of themselves in that same trophy case.  I am certain Coach Bay feels great pride in that accomplishment.   I want you to leave that same mark, and feel that same sense of pride by adding a little piece of all of us, to that trophy case and it'll sit right next to the girls tennis 1980 and 2014 sectional title trophies.  I still would like to know if the boys program has ever won a sectional title.  How cool would it be to help add the first ever boys tennis trophy to that glass case at the entrance of your school.  The first sectional title for any high school athletic program, will then always be it's most remembered and special one.  That is another pretty darn cool feeling that is in your reach. The people and bonds that are shared and associated with a ''We' trophy is what makes it superior to the 'I' trophies.  

My former high school tennis coach followed a similar path, from playing at his high school and then returning to coach his Alma matter.  In reflecting back now I sense this is one of the reasons he has worked so hard and cared so much, now 40 years after he assumed the role of both boys and girls head tennis coach.  I wish more high school tennis coaches had the same connection, wherein it is not that common.  Before he arrived back at Haddonfield as a teacher in 1973, the baseball program was king, and had already produced a handful of major leaguers and many state championships.  The boys tennis team had a very long history of losing, as too did the girls tennis team.

One person started that change.  With 25 state championships and almost 2,000 combined wins to his credit, as head boys and girls coach, I think it is fair to say that Coach Holman pioneered a dynasty.  His success has long inspired this coach, in everything I do to help you guys have every opportunity to succeed now and going forward, both on and off the court. 

 http://www.haddonfield.k12.nj.us/athletics/history.html

The excerpt you see below is from a well known tennis instruction book by Allen Fox, long one of the the most respected teachers of the sport.  This clear & concise chapter on strategy is something all should read.  This specific subject is what Fox is known to be especially adept at explaining.  Fox also has a great web site where I just read a fantastic article on how to implement a 'plan B,' when your 'plan A.'   I rarely see articles written on this subject, and the insight offered here will help any tennis player be  better prepared for what to do when plan A doesn't work against your tennis opponent. 

 http://www.allenfoxtennis.net/?p=171

We Ended On A High Note! We Finished Our '13 Tennis Season at 13-9. *update 6/3/13 - State Singles Tourney Results & Link @ End*

 

We did get one piece of press,  moreover, I felt strongly that this was a very good story which you guys just wrote yourselves.  Three wins over the two previous seasons, then your a  South Group 1 semi-finalist this season.  If that isn't a feel good story then I don't know what one is.  We tried to get more, by contacting the Inquirer and Courier Post.   Our story next season could be one they can't ignore, and I assure you it will be in both papers, if we make the Sectional Title match. 

  You have the very realistic opportunity to make history for your tennis program.  Like I said a few weeks ago, after hearing that your girls tennis team could and should play for that same sectional title next season.  Imagine if you could bookend the 2013-2014 school year with a boys title in the Spring to go with a girls NJSIAA South Group 1 sectional title in the Fall.  If this happens, both teams would have made that special trip on an equally special day to Mercer County Park, to play for a state championship. 

 I want you all to be able to experience that moment, but now you have to individually put the effort in, starting now, to assure that happening.  Ryan will be up there this weekend competing in the state singles tourney, so he'll get the first taste of the experience and I hope report back to us what he observed and felt.   I know you, this Audubon boys tennis team can make that history happen, and then be able to tell one heck of a story, that will no doubt find its way into those two same newspapers.    You can see the blurb below at this link.  http://blog.nj.com/southjerseyhssports/2013/05/boys_tennis_notebook_south_jer.html

RIDING THE WAVE: Audubon has 10 wins on the season and reached the South Jersey Group I semifinal using a lineup that includes many players who were part of a winless season two years ago.
Contact Bill Evans at 856-686-3636 or bevans@southjerseymedia.com

This post with pictures included, which I cut and pasted below, is from my Paul VI tennis blog.  The story has many similarities as our 2013 story.  I put it here as a reminder of the power of writing down and or vocalizing a goal.  My goal for our tennis team, at the start of the season, was to win two playoff matches, wherein winning both would have you arrive at a NJSIAA Group 1 Semi-Final match.  You heard me voice this goal during  a meeting in coach's classroom, well before the start of the season. We did just that, and in the story below the same thing happened.  In both instances a team goal was identified and then accomplished.

I also set similar playoff goals for my PVI boys team and they were successfully reached 2 out of my 3 seasons as head boys tennis coach.   I had learned about the importance of writing down pre-season team goals from many books and articles on coaching, but I now firmly believe that there was great power in identifying a reasonable team goal and then continue to remind the team and its members of such.   I hope each one of you who will be on the team next season will now identify individual goals, with  your improvement over the summer in mind.  (ex-grip change)  The summer is the most important time for you to improve.

The goal next season is for our team to play in the finals, for a South Jersey Sectional title.  We made it to the semi-finals this season, so this is a more than reasonable goal.  You could be the first boys tennis team, since the 1940s from what I have been told, to win a sectional crown.   Finishing strong is what we did this season, wherein how much time you sacrifice to improve your tennis game over the summer and then in the fall and winter, when I know it will be tougher to find the time,  will ultimately determine if you win that sectional title match. 

My first experience coaching an actual team was in '07 when I filled in for Mrs Smith who was taking the fall off due to the birth of her second child. I was skeptical at first, as I was only going to be there a season, and wondered how much I could really get accomplished in 4 months. So knowing that, and then taking the job and responsibility of a team, I jumped in with gusto. I knew I had to work hard and fast, with purpose, if my time there was to mean anything for the future.

This was my first note(see below), before emails or blogs, that I ever wrote to some of the members on the team at the end of the '07 season. I used to photo copy articles back then, and give them to the team once a week. The Heights AD Joe Cramp, always looked at me funny as I sat in his office burning through his printer ink. Mr Eppright, the boys soccer coach, was equally annoyed, as all he wanted to do was make a few copies.

Anyway the girls and I had our ups and downs, as some of you may imagine. I was only doing what I thought and know to be right, even if they didn't see it at the time. I'm doing it the same way right here and right now. I wanted to make tennis a bit more relevant to them. I wanted them come to practice everyday and work hard, even if some had taken different paths to get to tennis. I knew tennis may not have been their first choice, or first sport.

I established a goal of making the playoffs in '07, which we did and won a round. I hoped that would help them start to see the sport of tennis as desirable thus could be a fulfilling conduit toward team and individual goals. I wanted their hearts in the sport, with me knowing that they could have a skill and experience that was worth more than I could clearly show them at that moment.

The honest truth is that these girls had more heart and determination than I initially gave them credit for. I thought they had some, but like you guys at times, I would leave practice thinking that they may not had thought the experience that useful or meaningful. I kept at it and tried to motivate them by various means. By the end of that season I began to see that heart and determination come out on the court. I could start to see some confidence being projected and a little brashness, which I hope would rub off from me to them. It was the last match against Audubon, a match we lost earlier that season. They were starting to believe, so I decided I needed to set a goal for them to work towards next year, as the baton was going to be passed back to Mrs. Smith.

I penned the short letter and gave it to Jackie, Gina, Alex and Kara, at the season's end Colonial Conference tournament. The letter references a Courier Post article that details all the high school tennis teams vying for South Jersey Sectional Championships, that fall of '07. The article isn't included here.


This was the last time I had the privilege of calling myself their coach. I gave the letter to them along with a three ring binder, that they would put the accumulation of the season's 'tennis articles' in, which I had them bring that day. The binder could protect them for the future. I was really curious to see who had actually saved them and who had not or used them as scrap paper. Each one had saved all their articles, which was impressive.

They are a very special group of young ladies, that I will never forget. They truly taught me more than I ever taught them. I just lit a little spark. I fanned that spark in various ways till my last moment there. The next year, as you'll read in the Philadelphia Inquirer article here, they carried the torch the hard final leg, in the clutch as the underdog. They upset the #2 seed Haddon Township at their place, as such was a big obstacle for them the previous year.

I remember quickly exiting after they won the match, leaving them and their coach to celebrate. I was so excited, running away from the courts and down the street, that I forgot where I parked my car. They then won their semi-final match 4 days latter at Middle Township. They finished their run against Haddonfield, in the '08 SJ Group 2 Final. This wasn't a tennis match per say, but a deserved moment in the sun and a celebration of a team and their journey.

They had made history for their school's tennis program, and got a great article in the Philadelphia Inquirer. This helped substantiate that someone did notice their accomplishments. It also laid proof that what they were doing as a tennis team, and what I was trying to encourage them towards did really matter. This article was in the paper the same day the Phillies won the National League Pennant in '08. I thought this was doubly cool, as many people would have read the 'Inky' that day.

Oh Yeah! Here is proof that 'Doppelgangers' do exist.  With this discovery, which many of us on the team quickly noticed during introductions against Sterling, we got one step closer to helping Ryan find his.  It is a timeless, some would say mindless quest, but who knows what we might learn about ourselves and the world around us on such a journey.   I know Ryan has been enlightened with our discovery.   Ask him his reflections now on this chance meeting.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doppelganger

*Update 6/3/13*

The 2013 state singles tournament continues with the round of 32 and 16 on Sunday. The quarterfinal round is scheduled for June 4, the semifinals on June 5 and the final on Thursday, June 6, all of which will be held just at Mercer County Park. The seeds for the 2013 bracket are below.
NJSIAA Singles Tournament
1-Maverick Lin, Highland Park
2-Nick Bradley, Waldwick
3-Kenny Zheng, Hopewell Valley
4-Ryan Dickerson, Moorestown
5-8 Alphabetically
Michael Chen, Holmdel
Michael Liu, Ridge
Tyler Schick, Millburn
Daniel Wright, Saddle River Day
9-16 Alphabetically
Justin Burris, St. Rose
Anthony Caputo, Livingston
Justin Kang, Shawnee
Dylan Karchere-Sun, South Brunswick
Dean Koman, Millburn
Derek Liu, Holmdel
Aiden McNulty, Don Bosco
Richard Rangga, Clifton


First Round - NJSIAA State Singles Tournament - June 1, 2013 - Mercer County Park - Bottom Half Of Boys Bracket
Oberholtzer d. Jeremy Van Herwarde, Pope John, 6-1, 6-1;  Novick d. Ivan Romano, Monmouth, 6-0, 6-3; Persson d. Karthik Paka, Robbinsville, 6-0, 6-0; Murugesan d. Zachary Castagna, Pitman, 6-1, 6-4; Lefkandinos d. Jai Mali, St. Peter’s Prep, 6-3, 6-0; Weiss d. Trevor Johnson, Hopewell Valley, 6-2, 6-0; Eatroff d. Tyler Blessing, Moorestown, 6-0, 6-0; DelRey Rodriguez d. Matt Resnikoff, Shore, 6-4, 6-3; Song d. Dean Sponholz, Glen Rock, 6-3, 6-0; Wright d. Ryan Schaffer, Audobon, 6-0, 6-5; Rose d. Brett Gilman, Mahwah, 6-0, 6-4; Lugtu d. Teddy Apt, Bernards, 6-3, 6-2; Boyle d. Chris Sciancalepore, Hasbrouck Heights, 6-1, 6-0; Paredes d. Ethan Fischer, Mainland, 6-4, 4-6, (10-0); Wozniczka d. Brian Dylla, Msgr. Donovan, 6-0, 6-1; Hu d. Peter Wylie, Cedar Grove, 6-0, 6-0; Montanelli d. Cody Cassise, Seneca, 6-2, 6-4; Paradis d. Sam Choi, Bergen Tech, 6-0, 6-1; Tai won by defaul over Gerard Giordano, Point Pleasant Beach; Uchida d. Spencer Kelly, Moorestown Friends, 6-4, 6-3; Hove d. Peter Brennan, Kingsway, 6-0, 6-1; McDonald d. Marish Shah, Toms River North, 6-1, 6-3; Hingorani d. Chris Popso, Florence, 6-3, 6-1; Mohanty d. Paul Caruso, Holy Cross, 6-3, 6-1; Bokhari d. Eric Tecce, Shawnee, 7-5, 7-6, (10-5); Oringer d. Louis Abenante, St. Augustine, 6-7 (5), 6-0, (10-6); d. Emir Hamzie, Long Branch, 6-0, 6-1.

seeding & first round results were cut & pasted above, from these article links
http://www.nj.com/hssports/blog/boystennis/index.ssf/2013/05/boys_tennis_state_singles_tournament_preview.html - seeding of his opponent Daniel Wright

http://www.nj.com/hssports/blog/boystennis/index.ssf/2013/06/njsiaa_singles_tournament_opening_day.html - Ryan's result at bottom of the page.

Ryan had a very impressive showing, playing tough in the heat, while giving a serious 2nd set scare to one of the best singles players in the state.  It appears that this set was so closely contested, that NJ.com(read Ryan's result at link) still wasn't prepared to declare a winner of this best 2nd set of the first round of the 2013 tournament. That award was a no-brainer, but sincerely give the boy a hi-five when you see him next.  The numbers never lie, right?  BUT not really, wherein what has been highlighted here, in whatever equation you wanna make-up, it shouldn't be understated, how impressive that result really was. 

We knew we were 4. A kinda haiku, in words and pictures, about the 2013 Green Wave boys tennis season and their final 4 appearance, as the number five seed, in the South Jersey Group One Playoffs.

4 something different 4 our third 2013 dance with our closely competitive foes.  4 going forward.    4 accomplishing something special.  4 going a little beyond what seemed possible.  4 the pride it brings.  4 crashing the final four party & having a blast doing it.   I still have a chocolate chip cookie platter, left over from this party, that's up 4 grabs, if anyone wants it.    

 4 coming through in the clutch.   4 being down two matches to 1.  4 the last 2 matches, third singles and first doubles, on the Lindenwold tennis courts.  4 the third set in each of those two matches.  4 finding our "met·tle (m t l) n. 1. Courage and 4titude." 4 ryan assisting with the court 1 powder keg, 4 adding the first spark.  

 
4 a team who had members who knew what it felt like to endure a no win 2011 season.  4 easily savoring and sensing what this playoff victory meant for the past, present and 4 the future.  4 leaving a lasting mark.  4 taking on a challenge.   4 finishing strong.   4 changing the direction of a program.  4 truly earning that fine moment in the sun.  4 being a team.   

4 your viewing pleasure, the playoff bracket here and 4 seeing all those schools falling  by the wayside.  4 still being there after 0-2 to Lindenwold this season.  4 doing this all, when it mattered most.  4 a 2-0 playoff record.  4 finding what we didn't know we had, when we started the season, but by the time we arrived here 4 our 2nd round playoff match, we knew we had lost 4 along the way.  4 coming prepared, to this playoff meeting.  To take 4 back.  Cause 5 never did fit right in green.  Lastly, not 4getting to thank Coach Bay 4 the great pictures you see here.  4 a coach who on this day 4got his camera, but will always beam with pride when I remember this match, on a day i'll never forget.  Thanks & Congrats, that was pretty darn cool!