Never Let Good Enough be good enough!

The return of serve starts with where you line yourself up and how you line yourself up. I was shocked when I conferred with some “experts” who told me they split the court in half when they positioned themselves for return of serve. This violates laws of physics. Put your arm and racquet out straight to the forehand side. Now do the same across your body to the backhand side. I know, I know, you turn your body so you do not reach across but it takes longer to get to the ball on the backhand side. So why stand …

Studying for exams in college usually went like this. Relax for 9 weeks, do your homework and assignments but then cram the knowledge in for the finals. Stay up all night, slam coffee and take the test. Crash for a day and repeat semester after semester so you can spit back the information the teacher told you or the books taught you. That my friends is rote memorization at it’s finest. Racquetball is not like that although many players treat it as such. Hiring the ole ball coach to accelerate your learning curve hours before the big tournament will not …

      Yesterday I heard of the passing of legend Charlie Brumfield. He was a larger than life champion, and had come to a place in his life where his humility and charm was contagious. He was an early champion and the number one player in the world. I met him at a pro stop in the 70’s and was blown away with the intensity of Charlie and the players he competed against. About 12 or 13 years ago I flew to San Diego and interviewed him with the help of Pablo Farve, the current USA head coach, and …

How do you get out of solo practice boring routines? I hated practice. I hated losing even more. How can you get better without the solo practice? Some time ago two of my very good players were hitting fast and furious on court two. I asked them what they were doing. Their response, “Playing”. My response, “Yes, but what are you working on?” The responses? Player A said splats and wide angles, while Player B stated, backhand down the lines and wide angle passes. Now there are two players who have worked with me and know better than to just …

Fitness etiquette–these little Health Club breaches of etiquette ticks me off! 1. Water fountain Hog-this person has a two gallon jug to fill and seems oblivious to the line of people behind the Water Hog filling their jug. All they want is a drink of water, Get out of the way and let them drink! 2. Machine hog-this one sits on the lat machine does 10 sets and take two minutes between each set. They refuse to get off the machine. 3. Poser–Flex in the mirror narcissistic beauties–While some people are actually trying to see if they have the correct …

Six tips for return of serve. The racquetball bible (unofficial book of racquetball pros teaching mainstream) says one thing. I say another. Here goes: The RBB says: 1. Position yourself in the center of the court to receive serve but I say not so fast mainstream Marvin or Martha..what if the server gets way over to the right or left. Why are you giving them leverage to one side of the court? Just like a football defense has to adjust so they do not get out-flanked, so do you. 2. Get up on your toes so you can get to …

This one came across my desk recently. Hey coach, (I am a)…former student of yours..and slightly above average RB player…one question about the mental aspect of the game…How can I prevent myself from mentally beating myself before even stepping on the court…and during matches, my mind takes a vacation when I’m playing someone I know I can beat handily…and it sometimes happens when I’m playing an opponent at my level or slightly above…any suggestions? Signed Brain whiffing in Washington Dear Brain Whiff, First, you need a process to focus your efforts. It sounds like you are competing against an opponent. …

Thinking the game through and feeling the game is a topic near and dear to my heart. Athletes who have had previous coaches are sometimes flummoxed when they come to the ole ball coach. Conversations usually go like this. Athlete: “What do I need to practice the most?” Ole ball coach: I don’t know, what do you need to practice the most?” Athlete: I don’t know. Obc: “Yes, you do know.Think about it. How would you answer that if you were me?” A: “I guess, maybe return of serve on the backhand side?” obc: “You guess or you know?” a: …

I ran across a great tennis article a racquetball player posted on fb. The article dealt with failure and how great players fail as much as hackers. Why? They take more chances and the window of great and missed shots is very small. Of course this applies to racquetball as well. When a player attempts a backhand rollout from 38 feet away and skips it in a close match people roll their eyes and think “how stupid”. Those same people gasp and call the shot “brilliant” if it rolls out. There is a fine line between failure and success and …