On a quarterly basis, the area tennis professionals get together to share ideas and offer insights to improve their coaching methods and yearly planning. Each pro has an opportunity to discuss the strengths of their programs and their biggest challenges. Without a doubt, my peers tell me that my club is an anomaly because we run weekly men’s clinics. Translation: Men, as a rule, do not have a scheduled weekly team practice or clinic. Naturally, I had to quiz my buddies about this phenomenon because it doesn’t make sense to me. After all, doesn’t everybody desire to get better and improve his tennis game?

Hey, I have to confess that it is tied into our male ego and perhaps it’s a little too fragile? Who knows, maybe the real reason for men not taking team clinics is due to not knowing how much fun they can be and how much one may learn on any given day? As I mentioned earlier, we are blessed at our club because our men’s team regularly comes to practice and have been doing so for at least fifteen years.

So many of my pro friends have rich tennis backgrounds. Several have been college tennis stars and a few have been on the ATP Tour. Their wealth of tennis knowledge is immense and they would prefer to coach their men’s teams so they can play smarter doubles and win more matches. Stronger male tennis players feel that they just need to practice with one another on a steady basis and that will keep them sharp for their next match. The problem with this logic is that it is flawed.

Almost two decades ago, tennis coaching legend Vic Braden pointed out to me that most people who go to golf driving ranges significantly hurt their strokes and scores. Why? Take me for example, I slice too much and if I went to a range without a golf pro, I would hit slice after slice and make my already defective stroke worse.

One of the glaring mistakes that doubles teams do over and over is one of the player’s runs back to the baseline during a heated rally. In most cases, the team at the net is in good position to win the point and there is no reason to retreat to the back of the court. The reason many players execute this move is due to having to cover too much of the tennis court with weaker partners. The fear is that the opponent will hit a good lob and he is the only player who can potentially run it down. The reason this backwards move is ineffective is that the foes will see your tendencies and exploit it by driving the ball at the person (instead of lobbing) as they run back to the baseline.

Another big problem for top players participating in 4.0 and higher is the drop shot service return. If the amateur team is unsure how to cope with this awesome strategy, they may never solve the puzzle and constantly lose their serves. During an effective team practice, experienced and talented professionals make it a point to go over court movement and who needs to cover areas of the tennis court. In other words, with proper communication, pros would offer different solutions to various strategies to help their players win big matches.

In the case of the team who hits great drop shot returns, one great change is to play the Australian formation. Now, with the net player positioned in a different area, the returner must consider hitting the ‘dropper’ down the line which is considerably more challenging. Why? Most likely, he is accustomed to hitting this delicate shot crosscourt over the lower part of the net where there is ample room to maneuver the ball. When we make this bold change, we are sending an important signal to the opponents; we now have a solution to your outstanding strategy! In summary, I encourage all high-level male tennis players to go to their team clinic and learn new concepts to improve their tennis game. Hey, if you attend a clinic, what do you really have to lose?

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year.  Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer.  Doug has been writing a tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback.

After we visited Matt at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina (approximately 45 minutes from Ashville, North Carolina) as he won his big match against conference rival Davidson College, we had an opportunity to discuss his freshman year on campus.  Sidebar-Leslie Browne was a tennis scholarship athlete at the University of New Mexico and I was a Big Ten tennis player at the University of Iowa.  One great perk being an athlete- We did not have to stand in line to get books!

Matt Browne

From the Furman Paladin’s media department, “Furman’s Mellow Named To All-“SoCon” First Team; Browne Selected To All-Freshman Team Browne, who hails from Marco Island, Florida., tallied a 12-9 overall singles mark and an 7-3 Southern Conference record, playing primarily in the third seed.  He recorded a 6-1 record at flight three and a 3-4 record at both flight four and flight five.  Brown teamed with junior Alex Christ in conference doubles matches, where he notched a 5-5 mark.

Matt Browne at Furman as he prepares for his favorite stroke, the forehand drive. Matt is a graduate of Tommie Barfield Elementary and the Charter Middle School on Marco Island.

DB: Give us a quick overview of your first weeks on the Furman campus as a student and as a tennis player.

Matt: I was a bit overwhelmed initially. I did not know too many people going in, nor did I know where any of the buildings were. Luckily, my roommate and I stuck together and quickly learned where our classes were, how to get our mail, which days to avoid the dining hall, and most other “unspoken rules”. As a tennis player, I was nervous playing with upperclassmen at first. I did not know them very well at all and I felt like I needed to prove myself as a player.

 DB: You finished your high school tennis career at Kentucky Country Day school with a State Doubles title and you played for a coach who was a Division 1 standout at Louisville.  Compare your high school tennis practices with your college practices.

Matt: In high school, our practices typically lasted two hours. We mainly focused on playing matches with our teammates. In college, we spend a few days a week in the gym at 6:45AM doing various fitness activities. Starting around 3PM, we warm up by hitting balls with a teammate for about twenty minutes and then immediately get into drills. Some days we play practice singles sets, others practice doubles sets, and sometimes both. We also have scheduled challenge matches which are often three out of five sets, which give our coach a good idea of our match toughness. Our afternoon practices typically last three hours

DB:  Give us an idea of your fall tennis schedule.  Name the tournament, its location and the name of the school where you had your first college singles victory.

Matt: I played five total tournaments in the fall. Four tournaments were representing Furman and the other was an individual tournament in Florida. The first tournament I played was called the Southern Intercollegiate Championships. It was hosted by the University of Georgia. All of the top schools such as Vanderbilt, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Mississippi, and many more were there. I played my first match on Georgia’s Centre court against Stuart Tierney of Lipscomb University. I was able to win a close 7-6, 6-4 match.

DB: Did you always play matches on weekends?  If no, what days of the week did you compete and how do you handle missing school?  Do your college professors understand your absences and what do you do to make up the academic work?

Matt: Most of the matches I played were on weekends. However, I often missed my Friday classes because we would have a few hours to drive to get to our destination. Most of my teachers were understanding and let me make up my work. I was unlucky with one teacher who would not give me a fair chance to make up my work.

DB: Your college coach Kelly Jones has impeccable credentials:  Former number one ATP doubles player and has coached Mardy Fish and James Blake.  Give us some specific tools that he has added to your game?  What is your favorite coaching tip that he has offered and you have implemented?

Matt: Coach Kelly has really helped me with my backhand. When I first arrived at Furman, I did not have any confidence in it, so I could not hit it cross-court. Many hours spent drilling that stroke and a few other techniques have given me the confidence to hit my backhand with topspin and slice anywhere on the court. Overall, my shot selection has improved from every stroke. He has also stressed being patient with patterns and avoiding pulling the trigger too early.

DB: You traveled to LaJolla and played in a big time doubles event.  Explain this event and why do you feel Kelly scheduled it for your team?  A few days later, you practiced at beautiful Pepperdine in Malibu – What was that experience like and what was your favorite aspect of this unique event?

Matt: Our regular season schedule is very tough; we play a number of top ranked SEC schools. I believe Coach Kelly wanted us to get a taste of what the top schools on the west coast played like. I also think exposing us to such a wide variety of doubles teams only helped us handle all the different teams we faced in the regular season. Practicing at Pepperdine was a lot of fun. I made friends with one of their players I had played earlier in the year, so it was nice to see him again. Pepperdine’s coach is also a very nice guy who let us use their facility for whatever we needed. On top of that, Pepperdine is easily the most beautiful college campus I have ever visited. It is hard to beat looking over the Pacific Ocean.

DB: Tell us about your college match in Palo Alto, California.  Was it a dream to compete against Stanford and why?

Matt: It was quite an adrenaline rush playing at Stanford. Their campus is gorgeous and their facilities are top notch. They also have an incredibly successful program. A friend of mine from Florida played for Stanford on the court beside me, so it was nice to see a familiar face. What really made the experience exciting was being the last match on court, with every one of my teammates cheering for me and every one of my opponent’s teammates cheering for him. My aunt and cousin also drove down from Sausalito, CA to watch me play, so that added to my enjoyment. The match was very tight. I saved a couple match points to prevent him from serving out the match and later saved another match point, but my opponent, Daniel Ho was just too good that day. It was a wonderful experience despite not being able to win there.

DB: Give us the time requirements for a DI athlete?  Please map out your typical day.

Matt: My day either starts at 6:45 AM for workouts or 8:30 AM for class. It varies by the day, but my classes run from 8:30 AM-12:20 PM. After that, I grab lunch with a teammate or friends from my dorm hall. I’ll head back to my dorm around 1:00 PM and check my mail along the way. When I get back to my dorm, I usually try to take a nap to recharge before practice at 3:00 PM. Practice usually goes from 3:00-6:00 PM. I will then go into the locker room, change clothes, stretch, and drink more water to stay hydrated. After that, I will try to catch a ride to the dining hall from a teammate who has a car. We almost always eat dinner together until about 7:00 PM. I then rush back to my dorm and shower and change for study hall at 7:30 PM. As freshman, we are required to log in eight hours each week, so I typically spend 7:30-9:30 PM in study hall four nights a week. When I get out of study hall, I will either go back to my dorm to finish homework or if I’m finished, I will watch some TV in a friend’s dorm or play some guitar before quiet hours. Unless I have a huge test to study for, I’m usually in bed by midnight.

DB: Finally, if you were talking to a rising sixteen year-old junior tennis star on why he should stay in school and then aspire to play college tennis, what would you say?  Give us your pitch.

Matt: College is an incredibly enjoyable experience. Athletes do not have much free time, but building relationships with teammates is something you cannot get if you skip out on college tennis. As a team, we suffer together and we excel together. You can always count on someone to motivate you when you want to quit and you can always count on someone to give you a high-five for your hard work. We learn so much about each other just by spending so much time together. If you opt not to play college tennis, you miss out on all of the memorable van rides, plane rides, and stories that come along with them. Finally, you make lifelong friends by being part of a team, and that’s what is really important in life.

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year.  Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer.  Doug has been writing a tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback.

In other words, the university or college who wins two out of the three matches wins just one point. During my tenure, we played three doubles matches and each one counted toward the final result, therefore one of the teams could be ahead 3-0 after doubles play and the matches, shortened to eight game pro sets offer pure adrenaline and fast play.

Now most kids are approximately 19-21 years of age with plenty of testosterone and emotional outbursts to add to the electric atmosphere. I see nothing wrong with teammates encouraging their buddies between points but there is a limit. So, when there is a stoppage and one views his teammate ripping a winner, it is fine to yell words of encouragement. However, there are always going to be a few overly enthusiastic kids veering over the line, screaming at the top of their lungs, “Go Cats,” which is not only annoying but inappropriate. Too often, guys are yelling as others are about to hit a serve or return and clearly will disrupt their concentration.

One cannot help but think of the PGA Golf Tour as officials carry signs that read, “Quiet Please,” as a player is about to tee off. Imagine if a fan screamed “Go Tiger,” right before he hit his ball? How many times have I witnessed a golfer, stop and walk away (he heard a sound in the distance) before he gathered his concentration to prepare to hit again? Whether we agree or disagree with the old golf and tennis rules, one must adhere to the idea of allowing the player to focus while striking the ball.

One particular kid was so obnoxious that a fan thought he had “Cats’ Tourette Syndrome” because at a moment’s notice he kept yelling his incessant mascot comments. Not only was he disruptive but more importantly he was not acting like a good sport. On the other side of the net, the players were totally under control and primarily attentive to their match. Occasionally, one of the competitors would encourage his teammate with a firm but polite, “great shot.” The home crowd was also respectful of their opponents and did not lower their standards and stoop to such antics. The coach of the home team has always stated that he wants to recruit “high character” young athletes. As they face adversity, he wants his young adults to be well-behaved, classy athletes on and off the tennis court. The coach is so adamant about well-mannered young athletes that each player on his team had to read Dr. Jim Loehr’s new book, “The Only Way to Win.”

It is Dr. Loehr’s contention that if the going gets tough and the athlete is truly tested, his true inner-self will come out. Therefore, it is essential for this group of young men to practice good behavior throughout the week before the match so it is engrained in their psyche. Despite the tacky behavior of this one team, there is something so special about watching college sports; amateurs giving their heart and soul on every point as they literally dive for balls to keep the point alive! If I could design my perfect scenario, at least 300-400 fans would line the courts as the crowd cheers on outstanding shot-making. The competitors on each court are running after every ball and uplifting one another. No one is using gamesmanship to alter the outcome of the match. The most important point I wish to convey is there is a delicate line between tasteful exuberance and boorish behavior.

Winning with class and dignity is the only way to go.

About The Author

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year.  Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer.  Doug has been writing a tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback. dbrowne912@aol.com

Note: There is an email link embedded within this post, please visit this post to email it. ]]> http://www.coastalbreezenews.com/2013/04/25/college-tennis-is-it-possible-to-be-too-enthusiastic/feed/ 0 http://www.coastalbreezenews.com/2013/04/05/is-it-possible-to-win-without-talent/ http://www.coastalbreezenews.com/2013/04/05/is-it-possible-to-win-without-talent/#comments Sat, 06 Apr 2013 02:19:44 +0000 Mint Design Co. http://www.coastalbreezenews.com/?p=30586 Without a doubt, talent is a necessity on the professional tennis tour. There are so many different examples of junior tennis stars that are unable to make a living at the next level. The primary reason: Lack of weapons or, in other words, a talent deficiency. However, as we delve into the real world, the typical tennis player took up the sport at a later age and has far more realistic goals. As we focus on this particular group of tennis players, it is vital to talk about all the components of winning CTA or USTA league matches.

If we ignore one’s talent level, we are missing the boat, but it is not the end all solution. Over the years, I have coached numerous gifted tennis players but not all achieve their lofty expectations. Why? Too often, talent gets in the way as far too many immature athletes rely on that one piece only. Not only must a player be physically fit but he must also be mentally strong. Therefore, the player with a huge forehand and serve will not dominate if he did not put in the necessary hours of hard work prior to competition. For example, during tournament play, tennis players must face a variety of different opponents with varying styles of play, and if the talented junior did not put in the time, he will wear down mentally and physically.

As strange as it may sound the less artistic athlete often produces the best results because he utilizes a variety of methods to get the job done. For example, he is open to new ideas from his coaches, is willing to put in long hours on the practice court and is keenly aware that he needs to be mentally focused to knock off the more skillful tennis players.

One of my favorite coaching challenges occurs when I work with kids who only play during their high school seasons. Often, this player has passion for a different sport such as hockey or basketball but wishes to excel during his high school tennis season. For me to achieve excellent results with this unique tennis player is to make sure we understand our realistic goals. So, it is ludicrous to push the player to be the star of the team because he has not devoted his life to the game of tennis. Moreover, in many circumstances, this “weekend” player will be unable to be an aggressive hard hitting forceful competitor.  To help this person cope with the stress of a big point, I tell the player to visualize success.  To be precise, I suggest that my player mentally recall winning moments from either hockey or basketball. If my part-time player is able to “walk tall” on the tennis court due to their confidence from other sports, he will be able to produce solid results.

It is no different when I coach a former CEO of a major company to transfer that confidence from big business to the tennis court. To me, confidence is confidence; do not make this rocket science and make it more difficult than it has to be. Winners achieve awesome results for a reason: passion, hard work, resiliency and an insatiable desire to conquer. It is only natural that a highly successful Fortune 500 executive would produce incredible results on the golf course or the tennis courts because the core of this person understands how to triumph.

As a coach we are drawn to the extraordinary athlete because we visualize their off-the-charts potential. But, too often talent is a curse; too many short-cuts and lost dreams because this person fails to put in the long hours. Nothing is more satisfying than working with people who want to be on the tennis court and will do almost anything to improve. It is so refreshing to coach motivated tennis players because their attitudes are infectious!

About The Author

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year.  Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer.  Doug has been writing a tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback. dbrowne912@aol.com

Note: There is an email link embedded within this post, please visit this post to email it. ]]> http://www.coastalbreezenews.com/2013/04/05/is-it-possible-to-win-without-talent/feed/ 0 http://www.coastalbreezenews.com/2013/03/22/learning-to-lose-with-dignity-when-less-is-more/ http://www.coastalbreezenews.com/2013/03/22/learning-to-lose-with-dignity-when-less-is-more/#comments Sat, 23 Mar 2013 02:28:59 +0000 Mint Design Co. http://www.coastalbreezenews.com/?p=30341 Let’s set up the usual scenario: We have a weekly CTA/USTA league match and many of the spouses and coaches are observing the contest. Most of the time, the fans are relaxed and they are able to enjoy the action and cheer for both teams. No doubt, all of the players are heavily invested in their performances and want to win the game and losing a big match can be traumatic for most competitors. Therefore, when one of the teams loses the contest, when is it appropriate to talk about the match?

If your player is down or upset, do not engage.

From a coach’s standpoint (years of experience which includes a few failures along the way) I’ve adopted the “less is more” philosophy. The challenger needs space; the player might need to vent or just walk away from the stress and relax. The last thing the player should hear is the analysis of the match and what they did NOT do. If by chance I run into one of my losing players, I only offer encouragement and let them know that I was proud of their effort. Remember, even if the player has a great attitude and would like to listen to criticism, it is not the right time. It is important for the performer to decompress and be in the right state of mind so they can learn from the situation.

Recently, one of my eager and enthusiastic teams inquired about dealing with failure and wanted to have a little more information about this particular subject and I ran across this quote: “Failures are part of life. If you don’t fail, you don’t learn. If you don’t learn you’ll never change.” What is most compelling about this quote is that it is only effective when the person has acknowledged the problem and is in the right frame of mind to be able to change.

On the subject of losing with class, I always point out two of the greatest legends of tennis: Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. The great irony is that these two tennis icons figured it out long ago. Both women exhibited grace on and off the tennis court.

Often during the post-match press conference, either Chris or Martina would enthusiastically praise the other’s performance after a gut-wrenching defeat. Conversely, in my opinion, Serena Williams has not embraced the Evert-Navratilova viewpoint after a heartbreaking loss. Thus far in her career, she spends too much time focusing on her mistakes and little time praising her opponent. Our top four ATP men: Djokovic, Federer, Murray and Nadal always compliment their competitors and usually in glowing fashion. Mature human beings, especially those who are so comfortable in their own skin, say positive and encouraging words about others. Every tennis player must embrace failure; it is vital to hold your head high and prepare for another day.

Events coming up – - Island Club mixed doubles classic returns the weekend of March 22nd.  If you would like to enter this super event, please call tournament director Rick Calton and his fine staff at 239-394-4464.

About The Author

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year.  Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer.  Doug has been writing a tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback. dbrowne912@aol.com

Note: There is an email link embedded within this post, please visit this post to email it. ]]> http://www.coastalbreezenews.com/2013/03/22/learning-to-lose-with-dignity-when-less-is-more/feed/ 0 http://www.coastalbreezenews.com/2013/03/07/2013-doubles-tennis-champions/ http://www.coastalbreezenews.com/2013/03/07/2013-doubles-tennis-champions/#comments Fri, 08 Mar 2013 04:17:10 +0000 Mint Design Co. http://www.coastalbreezenews.com/?p=29858 With a record-breaking 100 ‘Open’ entrants, the Hideaway Beach Club on Marco Island crowned champions in the following divisions: Men’s and Women’s 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0 levels. We have recognized the winners, finalists and consolation winners in each category. For the second consecutive year, the rain interrupted our Sunday morning schedule but did not affect the awesome tennis displayed on court. There was stellar play throughout the weekend with outstanding performances in each division.

Upsets were rampant in the men’s 4.0 category with newcomers Mike Piro (former University of Richmond soccer star) and talented Island Club assistant pro, Eric Sonnenberg stunning the field with their quick reflexes and patient play over the 2-event. For the second year in a row, 4.0 women’s ‘champ’ Jackie Pham won again but this time with her talented lefty partner Rachel Schenk. Sally Abramo and fellow Hideaway Beach friend, Jackie Heise, played some of their best tennis of the season as they won two out of three matches, claiming second prize.

In the women’s 3.5 winners Carrie Masci and Noreen Pitts (new partners from Wolfboro, New Hampshire) edged the team of Coe and Thompson with persistent lobs and consistent ground strokes throughout their 90 minute match. In the men’s 3.5 division, good buddies Toby Burr and Ken Kotowski, teammates from Massachusetts, displayed incredible shot-making as they knocked off the tough Fiddler’s Creek duo, Gary Dunston and Bruce Sonneman.

Big Winners; 4.0 men Mike Piro (left Adidas top) and buddy Eric Sonnenberg.

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In the women’s 3.0 group, Gainesville teenage star, Ibit Scott and on-the-rise Margaret Kimberly of Hinsdale, Illinois and Hideaway Beach were overpowering as they defeated the pesky team of Nicki Davis and Robin Rafferty. Finally in the men’s 3.0 tournament, University of Michigan standout Dave Goldfarb and Syracuse star Dan Edinger dazzled the crowd with precise ground strokes and great defense as they beat their good friends from Hideaway Beach John Ferguson and Steve Mattingly to claim the crown.

In the consolation events, Bob Slack and Island Club friend played their best tennis of the weekend knocking off good friends Brock Wilson and Steve Zinkan. The outstanding play continued in the women’s 3.5 league as close friends Diana Smith and Sherry Vanstone of Hideaway Beach won their fight. In the men’s 3.5 group, former Hideaway Beach Open champ Monson Douglas teamed up with Hammock Bay buddy Alphonse Pitre to win. In the women’s 3.0 consolation division, Claire Babrowski and fellow Hideaway Beach friend, Stephanie Schwetz played incredible tennis edging their fellow club members Liz Bryan and Cathy Teghtmeyer 7-5, 7-5 in a super match. Finally, in the men’s 3.0 event, Fiddler’s Creek stars Paul Morency and Larry Regnier snuck by the tough Hideaway duo of Jerry Sitner and Rick Smith.

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year.  Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer.  Doug has been writing a tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback.

Tennis Champions

Finalists and Consolation Winners

• 4.0 women’s champions: Rachel Schenk and Jackie Pham (YMCA)

• 4.0 Finalists: Sally Abramo and Jackie Heise (Hideaway)

• 4.0 men’s champions: Mike Piro and Eric Sonnenberg (Island Club)

• 4.0 Finalists: Tony Coe and Bob Alcorn (Fiddler’s Creek)

• 4.0 Men’s consolation winners: Bob Slack and Rick Eichman (Hideaway/IClub

• 3.5 women’s champions: Carrie Masci and Noreen Pitts (Hideaway/Wolfboro, NH

• 3.5 women’s finalists: Christine Coe and Cathy Thompson (Fiddler’s Creek)

• 3.5 women’s consolation winners: Diana Smith and Sherry Vanstone (Hideaway Beach)

• 3.5 men’s champions: Ken Kotowski and Toby Burr (Hideaway Beach)

• 3.5 men’s finalists: Gary Dunston and Bruce Sonneman (Fiddler’s Creek)

• 3.5 men’s consolation winners: Monson Douglas and Alphonse Pitre (Hammock Bay)

• 3.0 women’s champions: Margaret Kimberly and Ibit Scott (Hideaway Beach)

• 3.0 women’s finalists: Nicki Davis and Robin Rafferty (Marco Island)

• 3.0 consolation winners: Claire Babrowski and Stephanie Schwetz (Hideaway)

• 3.0 men’s winners: Dan Edinger and Dave Goldbarb (Hideaway Beach)

• 3.0 men’s finalists: John Ferguson and Steve Mattingly (Hideaway Beach)

• 3.0 men’s consolation winners: Paul Morency and Larry Regnier (Fiddler’s Creek)

About The Author

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year.  Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer.  Doug has been writing a tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback. dbrowne912@aol.com

Note: There is an email link embedded within this post, please visit this post to email it. ]]> http://www.coastalbreezenews.com/2013/03/07/2013-doubles-tennis-champions/feed/ 0 http://www.coastalbreezenews.com/2013/02/21/fess-up-admit-youre-nervous/ http://www.coastalbreezenews.com/2013/02/21/fess-up-admit-youre-nervous/#comments Fri, 22 Feb 2013 03:28:37 +0000 Mint Design Co. http://www.coastalbreezenews.com/?p=29457 As a long time tennis coach, I have viewed thousands of players who have succumbed to nervous pressure during a tense match. Here are some of my observations of anxious play:

• Movement is greatly hindered
• Players are unaware of their court placement
• Doubles teams fail to execute a plan
• Compact strokes verses long flowing endings
• Too much lobbing
• Failure to put the ball away

As former great player and current Davis Cup Coach Jim Courier once stated, “No one is above a choke!” Simply put, if the best of the best readily admits that they feel nerves during competition than just about anyone else should admit that they get ‘tight’ as well. But, for some strange reason, recreational tennis players just don’t want to admit that they get nervous during their CTA or USTA league matches.

No one is above a choke.

Why? Ego. As we’ve often heard (ok, I have to admit I’ve heard Dr. Phil say this countless times), we cannot change what we do not acknowledge. Therefore, if we avoid the truth (every tennis player will choke from time to time) there is no way to overcome the problem in the future. Like most folks, I wanted to pretend I was one of the rare tennis players who did not fade under extreme pressure. Oddly enough, once I swallowed my pride and openly admitted my on-court ‘choke-fests.’ I was immediately liberated! This admission is no different than admitting a mistake; the pressure is completely evaporated.

One of the best ways to relieve pressure is to add a little humor; walk over to your doubles partner and say something funny. When we laugh our bodies exhale and we begin to breathe well and the butterflies disappear. Remember if we fail to recognize the problem, our nerves will over-take our bodies and we will not be able to perform. Often, when we feel tightness in our legs, due to a lack of effective breathing, we seldom run down balls hit away from us. If we allow our opponent to win fast easy points, the pressure mounts and our confidence dims. The remedy is to focus on our breathing; keep your eyes glued on the tennis court and exhale.

If possible, hit a groundstroke with a long follow through and do not worry whether the ball lands in the court. The edgy player needs to ‘kick out’ the nerves to free up his court movement. When a doubles team has surrendered to the moment, they are also unaware of where they are standing during a big moment. For example, after a few exchanges, one of the players fetches a short ball and now is standing too close to the net. Unfortunately, her partner is caught up in the moment and does not realize how easy it is to lob her partner (who is standing too close to the net after retrieving the short ball) and does not move back to cover the lob. Unless a team communicates throughout the match, players will be out of position on a regular basis and the pressure continues.

Have you ever been guilty of lobbing too frequently? When we are too rigid and move poorly, the lob is the best alternative. But, if your foe is on to you (they discover your only passing shot is a lob) they will learn to back up and hit a more powerful overhead smash. Even though the best play is the lob, it might be prudent to abandon your reliable shot and hit a groundstroke drive to diminish the stress.

Finally, court stress can cause conservative play and we often do not put away easy shots. If you have a simple soft volley, it is imperative to move as far forward as possible. If we rely on our feet, our hands will be magic. As we drive our legs into our shots, we take the stress off our hands. The key is to put the emphasis on our lower bodies… smooth, eloquent footwork will lessen pressure and allow us to perform to our maximum abilities.

About The Author

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year.  Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer.  Doug has been writing a tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback. dbrowne912@aol.com

dbrowne912@aol.com

The 3rd Annual Hideaway Beach Open will be played March 2nd and 3rd at the Hideaway Beach Club on Marco Island. There are divisions for men’s and women’s 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0 doubles. There is a limit of 16 teams in each division. Players must play at their USTA level or higher. Register early!

Registration deadline is Tuesday, February 26th at noon. The entry fee is $33 per person which includes lunch on Saturday, a t-shirt, a two-match minimum, tennis balls and prizes for winners and finalists. Players can make their checks out to Hideaway Beach Association and mail them to Hideaway Beach Club, 250 South Beach Drive Marco Island FL 34146, or register by phone at 239-642-6300 with credit card.

4.0 women’s winners Ann Campisi and Jackie Pham.

Here is our list of the 2012 winners:

(We had well over 100 entries!)

 Women’s 4.0: Ann Campisi & Jackie Pham

 Men’s 4.0: Walt Lewis & Rick Eichman

 Women’s 3.5: Ty Brechenridge & Kelly Gulling

 Men’s 3.5: Irv Povlow & Bill Rasmussen

 Women’s 3.0: Jennifer Bonfitto & Andrea Washak

When registering, please provide your email address. We will email your starting time to you after 6 PM on Thursday, February 28th. For additional information, please contact Doug Browne, Dbrowne912@aol.com or 239-642-2845. Please fax your entry to 239-642-4728 and please mail your check by February 20th at noon.

Walt Lewis (red shirt) and
Rick Eichman of the Island Club.

Here is our list of the

back-draw winners:

 Women’s 3.5: Christine Coe & Lucia Sherman

 Men’s 3.5: Monson Douglas & Alphonse Pitre

 Women’s 3.0: Dodie Farmer & Kathy Gulling

 Men’s 3.0: Doug Davis & Don Rooney

Now that we are in our third year, we have a fabulous slate of activities for each entrant. We have a lot of ‘bang for your buck’ as each participant will go home with a nice 2013 t-shirt, enjoy a super lunch courtside and play two matches minimum. Yes, if you lose your first 2 out of 3 set match, each team moves into a new ‘back draw.’ Finally, the biggest change is our 3rd annual tournament is just a two-day commitment of time, weather permitting. The biggest draws will begin Saturday morning; if we followed last year’s results, the 3.0 or 3.5 divisions will begin play at 9 AM. Our beautiful club features nine hydro-grid ‘clay courts’ and will allow us to run a minimum of eight matches per 95-minute cycle.

Last year, the following clubs had players in our draw: Hideaway Beach, Island Club, Marco YMCA, Marco Island Racquet Center, Cape Marco, the Marriott, Hammock Bay, Fiddler’s Creek, Eagle Creek, Player’s Club, Cambier Park and Pelican Bay. The Hideaway Beach tennis committee is geared up and ready to make this an enjoyable experience for our members and our fine guests. See you on the courts.

Did you see who won the Australian Open singles titles? My predictions were Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams. Had Williams stayed healthy, it would be interesting to see if she would have captured another Grand Slam title. But, give credit to rising American Star Sloane Stephens (whose late father played for the New England Patriots) who is clearly on path to do great things in the future.

The American women are surging, as many tennis experts believe that Madison Keys just might be the best talent in the bunch. What truly fascinates me is that Keys is from Rock Island, Illinois or part of the Quad Cities. I played college tennis in the Big Ten at the University of Iowa in Iowa City and it is only 60 minutes to reach Davenport, Moline, Bettendorf or Rock Island. It stuns me that such an amazing talent can come from ‘cold’ country.

We are optimistic about the American women and their rise to stardom but what about the American men Personally, I’m nervous about Ryan Harrison and his future on the ATP Tour. Just two years ago, it appeared that he could break into the top 20 but now it is not certain. Recently, I commented about Nebraskan Jack Sock who had won the US Open Mixed Doubles title with Georgia born Melanie Oudin but now I’m perplexed about his progress. Tennis is a tough business. Just look at old American Phenom Donald Young. Not long ago, Kalamazoo champ Young was the talk of the tennis world. Just two years ago, he blitzed Andy Murray at Indian Wells, but has not been able to sustain this high level.

Please email me your list of potential American men who may win a big tournament in the near future. I welcome your input.

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year.  Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer.  Doug has been writing a tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback.

Doug Browne
dbrowne912@aol.com

Nothing was more apparent last week during the big tennis exhibition showdown at Hideaway Beach than when veteran Franco Mata continually made strategic changes to confuse his young opponent and dominate the second set. In particular, he altered his speeds and placements and thus disrupted his foe’s tempo. As we delve into future CTA/USTA league doubles matches, players must be ready to completely change their game plan if the first set goes awry.

Clearly, one of my favorite doubles strategies is to change return of serve positions. Why? This radical modification is obvious to the opposition and it just might get into their heads and for a moment, make them less confident. Furthermore, when a doubles team has the gumption to vary their return alignment, it might wake up the team and produce better results. Not only is it wise to change returning sides with your partner but it may be prudent to move your partner to the baseline with you. Once again, this slight modification will make your serving opponents pause for a moment to huddle up and stay with their current plan or possibly change their strategy.

One of the best deliberate plays is to lob every single return so the baseline team will completely change the flow of the match. In short order, this creative team has primarily made cosmetic alterations but it should help this team grow stronger mentally. Winners keep competing; the willingness to change could propel their team to win the second set.

As we analyze the serving team duties, if the serve and volley approach is not working, be prepared to stay at the baseline to defend. In other words, if the returning team has solid service returns, abandoning the net will drastically change the outcome of the game. By serving and staying in the backcourt, the return team could become confused. Why? When a person employs the serve and volley tactic, the serving team is offering a distinct target and many top players prefer a target.

The moment the serving team chooses not to rush the net, the returning team may be tentative or at least, less decisive. If the points were too fast, it is not a bad idea to bail out and lob ball after ball to irritate your rivals.

Another alteration to consider is where to place your groundstrokes or volleys when facing two players hanging on to the net. The conservative theory is to rip the ball down the middle as the net is at its lowest point and if one miss-hits the stroke, it may stay in the court. My plan is to try to stretch the court and aim for the alleys with either a solid “groundie” or volley. Without a doubt, one must possess a high-level of confidence for one to hit their shots into a smaller area. But, if the other team is controlling the match, one must make big tactical changes or you will lose quickly.

Finally, it is important to explain the effectiveness of changing speeds. Unless your rival is literally on fire with his huge groundstrokes, most opponents will solve this puzzle. Therefore an important trick is to add a little “rope a dope” (boxer Mohammed Ali employed this sneaky strategy against a younger more powerful George Foreman) to see if the foe can handle the slow and less rhythmic pace. This is achieved with lobs and soft angles. Often, the younger, more immature foe loses their cool as they believe this slower hitting is “not really tennis.” Be prepared to employ an array of different shot-making because one never knows which plan will stick. If we go into a match with only one plan, we are letting our opponents off the hook.

Who is your pick to win the Australian Open? Let’s go with the ridiculously obvious women’s pick: Serena Williams. Now, the men’s field is much more complicated even though Nadal is out with an injury. My pick: Novak Djokovic. Let me know who you are picking. Good luck.

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year.  Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer.  Doug has been writing his tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback.

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Doug Browne
dbrowne912@aol.com

Below is an in depth interview with freshman Furman University student/athlete Matt Browne of Marco Island.

At what age did you begin taking lessons from your mother, Leslie? Where were you and when did you realize that you were a pretty good player?

“I believe I was two years old when I first started taking lessons with my mother. When I was nine years old, I won two tournaments in a row. One of the tournaments was at the Marco Island Marriott and the other was at the Naples YMCA. I beat number one seeded, Brett Clark in the finals of both tournaments. I saved three match points in the first match and four in the second. At that point, I found out that I could handle pressure pretty well and that I knew how to win. That was the first time where I thought that I was becoming a pretty good player.”

In this age of two-handed backhand dominance, why did you want to hit a one-hander?

“I remember idolizing Pete Sampras since I began watching tennis at a young age. By age seven, I told my dad that I wanted to be just like Pete Sampras one day, so the first step was to change my two-handed backhand to a one-handed backhand.”

You began to compete in USTA tournaments in the 10 & under division. Did you enjoy this particular age group and why?

2007 Champion’s Cup. SUBMITTED PHOTOS

“I really enjoyed the 10 & under division. The main reason it was so enjoyable was because I just played because I loved the game. As I got older, I became more aware of rankings and requirements to enter certain tournaments and it put a great amount of pressure on me to perform.”

Because of your father’s profession, you have worked with many different tennis coaches. For example: Doug and Leslie Browne, Tad Connerton, Brett Hobden, Doug Small, Denny Rager, Jak Beardsworth, Anthony Hatori, David Geatz, Mario Fratangelo and Larry Kline to name a few…Was there a common theme being taught by these various pros? What ideas have stuck in your mind?

“From the very beginning, I was encouraged to hit the ball with pace. I was told by one coach, “Do not worry about the shots falling in now, they will fall in when you are older.” Every coach I’ve worked with since I started playing has embraced that theory and eventually I began hitting the ball in with lots of pace.”

You’ve played in some of the biggest junior tournaments in the game which includes the Nationals in Kalamazoo, Easter Bowl in Palm Springs, Copper Bowl in Tucson as well as other top events. How would you describe your experiences?

“I loved competing in all of those tournaments. The Easter Bowl helped me discover my love for California and the Nationals in Kalamazoo made me feel like a professional because of how well I was treated. However, nothing beats my experience at the Copper Bowl. The high altitude added speed to my shots, the dry air kept my grip dry, and I played consistently well for seven days straight.”

You were regularly practicing with the Nation’s top juniors like Bjorn Fratangelo and Brett Clark in Naples and your game was blossoming. Why did you leave this tennis mecca and move to Louisville, Kentucky?

“The importance of academics has always been stressed in my family. I felt the best way to prepare myself for being a student-athlete in college was to chase the best education available. Everything fell into place in Louisville, Kentucky, where I spent two amazing years studying at Kentucky Country Day School and training at Louisville Tennis Club.”

You were recruited by some interesting schools which include SMU, Iowa, Michigan State, Louisville, Southern Illinois and Furman. What is it like to be recruited and what stood out as an exceptional experience?

“Being recruited is an incredible experience. I spent much of my junior tennis career competing and compiling a resumé to catch the eyes of coaches. When it comes to recruiting, the coaches and their teams are trying to win you over. It is a great feeling knowing people recognize your hard work and want you to be a part of their program.”

Finally, you decided on Furman and the amazing tennis scholarship offer. Please give us an idea of the overall Furman experience, the academics, the students and the area.

“Furman can compete with any school academically. The work load is extremely rigorous. The tennis program is also unbelievable. Everyone on the team is very close. We also have the greatest coach in the country. The thing that stands out the most for me is how polite and friendly the students are. It is not uncommon to hear a friendly, ‘hello’ from students passing you on your way to class.”

Your coach is a well-known tennis legend as he was once ranked number one in the ATP World rankings in doubles as well as being an incredible collegiate player from Pepperdine in Malibu. Kelly has also coached James Blake and Mardy Fish. Can you shed light on Kelly’s approach and be specific about some of his unique coaching tips.

“Coach Jones has offered me myriad coaching tips. For example, he has helped me hit my one-handed backhand cross court so much better by opening up my shoulders more on my follow through. He has also done wonders for my volleys.”

In today’s tough tennis world, a player must possess weapons. What are your weapons and how did you develop these specific strokes?

“My weapons are my serve and my forehand. I use my serve to set up my forehand, which will hopefully finish off the point or allow me to close the net and finish. I believe these weapons were created by consistently hitting with lots of pace. The shots became more and more powerful as I got older.”

Everyone including Roger Federer has a tennis weakness? What is your tennis weakness and what are you doing to improve it?

“My biggest weakness is my head. I am very critical of myself on the tennis court. I believe it stems from being a perfectionist. When I am able to stay positive and keep my head on straight, I have great success.”

Can you name all of the cities that you have played a USTA match in your outstanding junior career? And, how has tennis with all of its travel, helped shape you as a young man?

“I have played in: Florida: Marco Island, Naples, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Sarasota, Bradenton, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Daytona Beach, Fort Pierce, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Pensacola. Mobile, Alabama, Atlanta, Georgia, Greenville, South Carolina, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Jackson, Mississippi, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Louisville, Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, Paducah, Kentucky, Chicago, Illinois, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Brookfield, Wisconsin, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Tucson, Arizona, and Palm Springs, California.

“I love traveling because of all of the traveling I have done in the past. At any time, I can just get up and go and enjoy my experience. Having traveled all over the United States, I have experienced a plethora of cultures. I have gained knowledge and appreciation of the United States and its diversity.”

What other interests do you have outside tennis? What hobby gives you the most relaxation?

“I love football and basketball, so any time I can play a pick-up game of either sport, I will pounce on it. I also enjoy playing guitar. It’s very peaceful and helps me get away from everything for a period of time.”

In next Thursday’s Hideaway Beach tennis exhibition you face Franco Matta of Naples. Matta is known as one of the best conditioned athletes in our area and he is a tenacious competitor as he was a star at FGCU and has won the Naples Men’s singles City Championships. How do you approach the match and how will the enthusiastic Hideaway Beach Club help you?

“I am going to go into the match free of pressure. My opponent is in great shape and holds four years of college tennis experience over me. I will give it everything I have and hopefully come out successful, with the positive energy the wonderful people of Hideaway have brought me ever since I stepped foot on a tennis court there.”

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year. Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer. Doug has been writing his tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback.

Doug Browne 
dbrowne912@aol.com 

Wayne Eber. SUBMITTED PHOTOS BY DOUG BROWNE

Do you remember when December used to be a great month as we were so excited for the holiday season? Now, December has a whole new meaning for thousands of USTA tennis players – - Did my rating change?

To a certain degree, improving tennis players are excited to see their ranking or ratings improve; it’s exciting to move from 2.5 to 3.0 or 3.0 up to 3.5. However, if one moves up from 3.5 to 4.0 it can be a lonely place. Most of the tennis population plays at the 2.5 – 3.5 levels and when one climbs to the 4.0 or 4.5 levels, there are fewer players to practice or compete against. As I heard last week from a Naples player, “I’m a man without a country.”

First and perhaps most important, why are we in this rating’s mess? To me, it is easy to explain. The ratings are all wrong! It starts at the 2.5 level. Few, if any tennis players wish to play at this particular level. Sure, it is easy to understand because it is basically the bottom of the totem pole. If we could keep more players at the 2.5 level, we would be able to produce more accurate ratings.

We could achieve this by having a solid group of local rating verifiers. Their first assignment: Don’t be afraid or intimidated to rate players at the 2.5 level. Believe it not, we had this system in place in Collier County for at least ten years and our ratings were dead-on! Yes, occasionally there was an error but we were able to correct it with our local tennis leaders. If we could harness the ratings and make them more accurate, the game would be drastically improved.

Here are some ramifications when the ratings are inaccurate: Local players get crushed at the Sectional Tournament or State Tournament in Daytona. Players who are moved up to the 4.0 level are displaced or find themselves without a team to join. Players have far fewer players to practice with at their club or local area. Finally, no one really understands what their level is unless they play state level or national level USTA tournaments. The key to understanding one’s true level is to use a player as a baseline measurement.

Let’s profile Warren Eber who is rated 4.5. Not only was Eber a star junior player from San Diego but he was also an All- American at the University of Arizona. After college and pro career, he continued to register big wins on the adult USTA circuit. Possessed with a huge lefty first serve and forehand drive, he has been a dominant player his entire life. Now at age 50 something (had to protect my friend) the USTA intelligently put him at this new level; most 5.0 players are in their 20’s or 30’s. Therefore, a realistic 4.0 player is someone who can win USTA events anywhere in the country. This high-level 4.0 player can compete (as the professional) in local pro-am tournaments and do well. Additionally, this talented player can easily serve and volley during tough doubles competition and win their serves often.

If we follow this blueprint, the 3.5 player is on the precipice of being an all-around tennis competitor but narrowly misses the mark of the 4.0 level. Our 3.5 player returns serve well, moves into the net and is tenacious. What is the missing ingredient? Most 3.5 players do not have a dominant serve or possess a reliable put-away stroke. Make no mistake – Our 3.5 is one tough hombre. As we delve into the 3.0 level, we continue to observe excellent tennis skills but no one has a strong serve. Our player returns well and often has keen strategy with outstanding lobbing and short angle strokes. The bottom line is the 3.0 competitor is a skilled tennis player but does not have many ‘killer shots.’

As it is presently constituted, far too many wonderful people are freaking out every time the ratings come out and I think this is ridiculous. Hey, we used to have the almost perfect system (I think we agree nothing is perfect) and if we were to return to the glory days, we would solve this pesky problem. I urge all of the local tennis leaders to implement this new/old system so we can avoid the December blues Please let me know what you think of this idea.

Happy holidays! 

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year. Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer. Doug has been writing his tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback. 

Doug Browne 

dbrowne912@aol.com

In most cases, it has only been a brief five or ten minute warm up and it’s time to make a critical decision! Who is going to serve, receive, or are we going to leave the decision to our opponents? Oddly enough, far too many people over-think this decision and find it compelling to not make a decision; better yet, we will trick our foes and have them make the all-important verdict. Without a doubt, this has to be the most ridiculous idea in the game of tennis.

Just like in life, avoiding resolutions is a cop-out. Quickly abandon this approach and learn to choose one over the other. With any luck, someone on your team has learned something from warm up and can shed a little light on this matter. In most situations, the team is well aware of their strengths and weaknesses and can make a simple response on whether to serve or to receive. As we assess CTA or USTA 2.5, 3.0 and 3.5 teams, most people are not big servers. Yes, there are few exceptions but most recreational players receive well but struggle with their serves.

As we analyze the WTA stars, Serena William’s serve is the best in history. Ironically, the number one player, Victoria Azarenka serves well but clearly does not have a dominant serve. She can struggle with double-faulting and must back up her serve with tenacious groundstrokes. Therefore, it is clear that it is wise to choose to return serve verses electing to serve when one wins the toss.

There are few exceptions to this rule. Just last month, I was observing a 3.5 women’s doubles match and did witness a woman serving at least 80 miles per hour. However, she had absolutely no clue how to use her power and struggled to hold serve. Specifically, she served to her opponent’s forehand the entire match in the deuce court and then served to the backhand every time in the advantage court. One does not need to be Einstein to figure out her basic patterns; our Hideaway Beach ladies easily figured out her serves and broke her over and over as they won the match.

Another great reason to return serve first is due to one’s nerves… if you are so nervous that you and your teammate cannot function, it is okay to drop the first game and come back and then hold. (Serve) As we analyze the men’s 3.5 division, a small percentage of men have dominant serves. However, most, if not all of the men have solid returns and excellent strategy. For example, many men run around their backhands and hit forceful forehand drives which helps set up their teammate.

Additionally, several competitors return and quickly move into the net to apply pressure to their foes. The bottom line is that it is common to see the return team gain a solid edge with their return games. Therefore, just about every league player who plays at the 2.5-3.5 levels should highly consider the return game to begin the contest. As men delve into the 4.0 and higher levels, more and more players possess an effective topspin or ‘kick’ serve and know how to win simple points. Either the net player is aggressive and poaches well or the server moves into the net and gains an edge with this solid strategy. When the server has the talent to control a point, never hesitate with the toss.

In summary, most competitive league tennis players should seriously consider the receiving option when winning the racket or coin toss. Let me know how this strategy affects your game. Good luck!

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year. Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer. Doug has been writing his tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback. 

Each May in Collier County, clubs offer the most comprehensive reciprocal plan to everyone so members may experience different golf courses throughout the area. Numerous members from north Naples travel south to play golf at Fiddler’s Creek and Hideaway Beach.

Interestingly enough, this great and expansive program has nothing to do with tennis; golf layouts are so unique and avid players are riveted to learn the different nuisances at each facility. Unfortunately this exciting reciprocal program does not include tennis, After all, a rectangle is a rectangle!

Therefore it is essential for all tennis professionals to offer the most stimulating and challenging programs for their members. In particular, tennis pros must be equally creative on-court with their private and group lessons. Without a doubt, when I conduct diverse team drills, I implement inventive scoring systems to keep my students on their toes so their games grow with each practice.

For example, we routinely run doubles drills with the common one up and one back format. Additionally, no player is allowed to lob or they lose the point. In my biased opinion, too many tennis players rely on the lob and in time, their feet get sloppy. Now, to make the game really fascinating, any team that strikes a ball into the net loses two points instead of the customary one point.

Hold on…we are not done with the altered rules. One more rule: Any team that hits an outright w i n ner (similar to a service ace) wins three points! In this scenario, the players are so psyched up to aggressively move their feet and see if they can set up the point to win the huge bonus of three points instead of one. But they have to tread carefully because a net error results in a two-point loss. Believe me, no one is complacent; the players are geared up to prove that they can win without lobbing and toss in a few exciting winners along the way. After I’ve fed the balls for these drills for at least 20 minutes, we then incorporate the serve. And as one would guess, if a team double-faults, they lose the game!

There are several important keys to focus on during our practices: First, add imaginative scoring to keep the players interested. Second, apply pressure as often as possible so our players are ready to deal with their league-match anxiety. Third, always make practices as fun and as enthusiastic as possible because all players need to be motivated.

Anyone who is competitive desires to be challenged and it is imperative to change the tenor of each coaching session. If coaches run inspirational practices, players will rise and improve and wish to work harder. Good luck.

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year. Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer. Doug has been writing his tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback. 

Doug Browne

dbrowne912@aol.com

Ok. I’m guilty. I’ve told my ladies teams hundreds of times to hit crosscourt. Yes, I even yelled, hit all of your returns crosscourt so you play the high percentages. And, this particular strategy works for all levels of play. However, I am offering a new plan. In no way am I suggesting that a conservative plan is a bad idea; today’s suggestions are another way to attack your doubles opponent. Whether the net player poaches or not, it can be wise to hit your return down the line instead of crosscourt. Why? Most recreational doubles players do not like to face a ball coming right at them. Striking a forceful forehand drive at the net person could shake their confidence. Moreover, most tennis players try to avoid confrontation and when the ball is aimed right at the net player it is difficult to volley. My advice is to hit both the forehand drive and backhand drive down the line so the foes are kept off balance.

There is another big reason to hit the ball down the line… the receiving team is keeping the server out of the play and uninvolved. Therefore, the receivers are taking the ball out of the hands of the server and perhaps winning points with dynamic groundstroke drives at the net person. If you really wish to confuse your opponents, add the service return down the line lob and then move into the net. Again, the server is no longer facing a crosscourt stroke and may or may not have to fetch the return lob. In each case, the return team has added so much variety that is often confuses their opponents. If you would like to add the cherry on top of the dessert, hit a drop shot return of serve. Though risky, it can pay huge dividends as most doubles teams fail to switch and the server feels compelled to run thirty plus feet to get the short return. The smart way to handle the return ‘dropper’ is to have the net person cross over and switch and now can easily track down the ball. If the serving team fails to communicate with one another, the return drop shot will be a total nightmare.

Let’s review our new doubles court strategy that we’ve discussed today: First, abandon the smart, conservative approach and hit the return down the line, near the alley, instead of the reliable crosscourt pattern. Second, make sure to hit both the forehand and backhand drive right at the net opponent, not just the forehand drive. This plan will completely frustrate the serving team. Third, implement the service return down the line lob to thoroughly befuddle your opponents. Last, when your confidence is at an all-time high, adding the crosscourt service return drop shot will muddy the waters for the serving team. This precise and deft stroke is so difficult to defend, unless the net person switches, this short ball might be an outright winner!

USTA update: As reported recently, the USTA was ready to make across the board sweeping changes as far as junior tennis is concerned. Specifically, the USTA committees were ready to drastically limit the number of players at each tournament (64 draw was to move to 32), eliminate certain national events, incorporate the 10 and under plan and radically alter the collegiate game. To understand the real importance of limiting draws, one has to understand that the junior player who can travel to numerous events undoubtedly accumulates points for their rankings. So, limiting draws favors the wealthy kids. Soon, we would see the same kids at each tournament site but not necessarily the best players. Without going into too many specifics, the USTA was facing criticism from players, coaches, parents and leaders in the sport of tennis. So, at last week’s USTA meeting, it was determined that many of the major changes were temporarily shelved! Stay tuned.

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year. Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer. Doug has been writing his tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback.

Doug Browne 

dbrowne912@aol.com 

Learning immediate boundaries can create a big serve. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Despite the changes in today’s modern game where groundstrokes rule the planet, every tennis player desires to have a big serve. In particular, when the match is closely contested, winning easy points is a premium and possessing a big serve will decide the match. To me, far too many tennis players toss poorly and do not have the necessary balance to be good servers. In order to achieve serving success, I like to put my students in big buckets or a big tennis case.

The key is to make sure the server is comfortable but I want them to feel their immediate boundaries. Once the player is comfortable in the buckets (see picture above) it is time to toss the ball and make contact. Without a doubt, most recreational players will need a few practice tosses before she is ready to blast off and really hit a big serve. Once relaxed, the player is now tossing with more confidence and has put the ball into position to hit an effective serve. Most important, the server has achieved great balance and now is hitting the proper targets. At this stage, we have accomplished 50% of our goal; now it is time to focus on hitting ‘up’ and extending through the stroke. Therefore, we had added another coaching aid, the Target Trainer.

We place the Target Trainer approximately four or five feet in front of the baseline and instruct our student to hit over the Trainer. This new teaching tool will either be the player’s best friend or perhaps their worst enemy! The server who is either too anxious or is fearful of a higher toss, will absolutely hate the Target Trainer because it gets in the way of their low serve. Players who toss the ball too low will literally hit the serve at the ‘Trainer’ and the ball will fire right back! Consequently, the server must toss and hit the ball at a higher point or they will feel immediate rejection. After four decades of coaching, I can proudly boast that most players will quickly improve their serves with these two effective teaching aids because they clearly understand the assignment.

Now to add the cherry on top of the awesome ice cream dessert, I implement my Ipad2 video recorder to show my student how they have done as they serve ball after ball with their feet firmly placed in the buckets and the serve landing over the Target Trainers. To enable continued success, I immediately email the recording so, if needed, my student can re-visit their lesson. Even if you are a new beginning senior tennis player, with the use of the Target Trainer alone, will enhance deeper serves on every point.

Tennis players who strike the ball with solid balance and meet the ball at the peak (or near) will inevitably become better servers overnight. On the flip side, if a tennis person continues to lose balance and contact the ball on the lower side will never become top-level tennis players. No one can win their serves on a consistent basis if they serve poorly. Give this new plan a try and let me know how you are progressing. Good luck.

Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Tennis Director and the new Collier County USPTA Pro of the Year. Additionally, Doug has been the International Hall of Fame Director of Tennis this past summer. Doug has been writing his tennis column for the past fifteen years and welcomes your feedback.