Never Let Good Enough be good enough!

Attitude-two players-two very different attitudes. Player A has all the talent in the world. This player has everything but conditioning and work ethic. For whatever reason this player is happy being a good player but unless this player changes their work ethic, will eventually not even be a good player. To make matters worse this player loves to be adored, not criticized! Any sort of “calling out” to improve weaknesses is seen as a threat to their ego. Player B-has the same talent as player A but has just started the game. Player B works very hard and is in …

Avoidable hinder calls can be obnoxious. I have to blame some of this on the pro players who often hold up for the rally hinder. Sometimes it is hard for me to watch due mostly to my old school experiences which often included throwing a half-nelson on your opponent to get them out of the way! But when the amateurs begin holding up it can become laughable at times. Case in point-two pros blasting the ball at mid court and one holds up for a ghost hinder and gets the call. Believable-why? They can kill the ball, that’s why! Next …

Coaching geezer ball. Now that I am in the “Golden age” category I can appreciate my fellow warriors and warriorettes who compete in the age divisions. My first task when coaching senior athletes is to decide what needs changing and what does not. To simply tear down someone’s game and rebuild it demands commitment from the athlete and hard work on the coach’s part. I avoid changing someone as much as possible but if the goals are not compatible with the skillset, change is inevitable for success. Here are some things I observe watching and coaching the best senior players. …

So many of us end up teaching racquetball to newbies just out of courtesy and respect for the game. Others of us actually teach beginners in a more formal setting in club programs. Either way teaching racquetball for beginners can be fun. Here are seven things to consider when working with new players. 1. Stay away from stroke mechanics. I would not think of tinkering with forehand or backhand unless it is necessary to prevent injury. 2. Do teach court positioning and serve. This is the fun part and folks can begin playing immediately! 3. Teach safety such as eyeguards, …

Many moons ago a well meaning person posted something about changing the scoring so one person could not dominate winning pro stops. I do have to be fair because this person did admit it probably would not change the number one standing. But this is humorous to me for a couple of reasons. First they did change the ball and after a brief period of adjustment he is still winning! Secondly, I happen to have worked with this guy going way back to when he was not as dominant. True, he won, but he also lost some. He hired me, …

Above: Yours Truly vs the late Charlie Garfinkle HOF, RIP Forehand basics revisited-10 rules of a good forehand- 1. Parallel feet–not staggered. This keeps you away from the ball and gives you leverage and options. 2. Weight balanced and power generated from the leg nearest to the back wall–not weight on the front leg. 3. Stay away from the ball and bend your knees, that will be $110.00 please. 4. Keep your head down on the ball. 5. Hit and get, don’t hit and sit! 6. Do not set up with the handle toward the floor. This helps create shoulder …

The Farm where I lived as a child. This is a racquetball post…sort of. It is a personal post but it does have implications for us all. I am the oldest of five children whose young lives started on a farm in upstate New York. My brothers and sister have all had successful professional lives and have great families. Our mother’s birthday was December 15. She passed away many years ago after a prolonged bout of cancer. When she passed she left behind my Dad, four sons and her daughter and some huge lessons. As a tribute to my Mom …

I got a phone call from an athlete I coach. “Coach, my opponent’s talking trash to me and cheating! Every time I play this guy in practice he resorts to cheating and trash talking. Do you have any advice? It threw me completely off my game and I ended arguing instead of playing.” First-this happened in practice. Practice is just that. I think it is great that people want to win at any costs and cheat in practice. Why? That gives you more realistic practice and puts you under more pressure. That pressure is great for tournament play. Did you …

The guilt trip player can be a shock the first time you experience this. Let’s shorten that to GTP. The GTP plays on an athlete’s sense of fairness. The GTP knows their opponent wants to be perceived as fair. GTP takes advantage of that. Phrases like “If that is the way you are going to play…” or “I can’t believe you thought that shot was good” or “Are you going to take that call?” are some examples. GTP sets off a chain of thoughts in their opponent’s head. Goes like this…… “Gosh I hope they do not think I cheat.” …