Let's Talk Racquetball

Under pressure the mind does strange things and the athlete sometimes climbs aboard a mental roller coaster that renders that player out of control! How does this happen? 1. The pressure of wanting to win leads to a following thought; my opponent is trying to cheat me out of that win. 2. See above only it is the referee. 3. Commentators often point out the physical toll the game takes, but it takes a mental toll as well. 4. Having seen many champions in their prime, the mental part of their game was strong and mostly because they were playing …

  I am a lucky guy. I get to work with some of the best players in the world, and even the greatest ever for 18 years. But I also get to work with newbies, brand spanking new players who fall in love with this sport. I love coaching players of all levels. In this post I want to highlight my junior athletes. Currently I coach a third grader, a seventh grader, a 9th grader, and college kids in my junior ranks. Now here is the funny thing about the junior athletes. They started with me at an early age. …

Winterton sayings–You can hear some of these in lessons–over the years here are a few goodies! “Hit and get, don’t hit and sit or your game wont be worth spit!” “Use your body, not your arm, to your shoulder will come no harm!” “Shuffalo to Bufflalo Makes your game go, go, go!” “Out and around, not up and down!” “Stop Trying, and stop crying!” “Learn Your Craft!” “Relax, you are hunkered down like a middle line-backer!” “Be a cat, not a Defensive Tackle!” “Don’t let the floor beat you!!” “You got a dinky doo in your wavy gravy!” “You have …

Notre Dame plays for the college football championship today. There is a coach named Lou Holtz who once coached the fighting Irish and his motivational sayings are gold! Here are a few! “Ability is what you are capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it!” I Love Lou Holtz quotes! For those who do not know Lou Holtz was a football coach whose specialty was taking losing football programs and turning them around. He is a dynamic public speaker these days.The above quote has been so relevant to my experience as a coach. …

Cliques! I hate racquetball cliques! Back in the day when I was top dog in the club I would play anybody and everybody who was close to A level and above. I encouraged everyone to play anyone. Then I moved to Syracuse, NY and a local club went bankrupt. They all came over to our club but refused to join in our play. They would only play each other. In modern day racquetball I was told of a situation where a bunch of guys belonged to a text group and kicked one guy out. Why? He was beating all of …

Some time ago a player asked me about doubles coverage. Without writing a book, which could be done on this topic, I will attempt to explain a few basic coverages and their strengths and weaknesses. 1. Pro coverage -my term, not official! This is the coverage most top athletes use. In this coverage the server moves to the back-court and the partner moves over to cover any splat or pinch from the opponent on the server’s side. Strengths-takes away splats and pinches from the opposing team. Weaknesses-exposes the server’s partner to wide angle cross court passes, but it should be …

Junior racquetball tournament play can be a mine field for parents to walk through! Here are some tips to help you navigate: 1. Not all Parents are “nice” during their child’s competition but that does not mean you can’t be! 2. Not all opposing coaches are “nice” either but see rule 1. 3. Keep priorities in mind-#1-Spiritual and family development, #2-Scholastic obligations and grades, and #3-doing cool “kid things”. #4 is racquetball!! 4. Seeding-is supposed to be fair-it might not be, but I wouldn’t let it ruin my day. As an fyi, I coach several of the best players on …

    First round jitters are something players have to get used to and develop strategies to overcome. Here are a few tips to take away first round “jitters” in a tournament. First, warmup before your warmup! Use dynamic stretching which means movement warmups, like high knees, carioca and other such exercises before you even get on the court. Then get ready to hit some ceiling balls, forehands and backhands, Be sure to hit some lob serves, Z serves and drive serves, to get the feel of the court. When you are in a full sweat, you are ready to …

  This is a great question that was asked of me a few days ago. I am paraphrasing and it went like, “Coach, What is the risk vs reward of changing your stroke mechanics after you have been playing a long time?” Here is how I see it. “If I had a magic pill and if you took this pill, your game would go down one level or maybe two even for the first few weeks. After that your game would continue to improve up two levels from where you are now, would you take that pill? In other words …