Coaching Coaches
As the athletes I coach get older, many go into coaching or teaching. My first reaction to all of it is “There goes my secret sauce!”. I spent over 50 years learning and re-learning, experimenting, researching, and learning my craft. An athlete comes along and gets this information in a matter of hours; information that […]
All Call For Ceiling Ball
Another day, another email to Winterton Central- Dear Coach W, One of my weaknesses is the ceiling defensive shot. Im struggling! Signed Struggling in Syracuse Dear Struggling–The ceiling ball on the backhand side especially is the shot that takes you up a level in play because once you master it, you can keep your opponent […]
Learn Your Craft
Racquetball players! Learn your craft! I am in the process of conferencing with many of my athletes. When I see tournament performances that are off the charts compared with a few weeks ago I am certain that: 1. The athlete has been on the court practicing the skills they need to be consistent. 2. […]
I’m Not Trying to be a Jerk!
Editor’s note: When refereeing I am not suggesting these comebacks but if one could say what they were thinking it might go something like this! Working the ref is an art form perfected by many people. For all of you refs out there here are some comebacks! Player: Are you kidding me? That was a […]
Rhonda
I am sitting in my hotel room-it’s crazy-I live here in Arizona but if I have to drive from my house to the Hall of Fame Induction it is at lease an hour plus drive and that is there are no accidents! I have the honor of introducing Rhonda Rajsich into the Hall of Fame. […]
Top 10 Loss Excuses
Top 10 Excuses in Racquetball! Top ten excuses presented to me by athletes–oh and I may have used a few these in my playing days! 10. The courts were horrible (duh, did the opponent play on the same court?) 9. The floors were (fill in the blank) slippery, uneven, darkly colored, all white, cement…and see […]
Politics? Or Performance?
I hate it when politics trumps performance! A few years ago a young phenom beat everyone in his country. After beating the adults, juniors, and all challengers the powers to be decided there had to be another playoff two days after the playoff. Young phenom lost to a favorite in a tie-breaker. Now was it […]
Rally Scoring Strategy-is it a Thing?
Here is a question I get especially when USA begins to slowly switch to rally scoring. Does rally scoring change your approach to shot selection? Well, yes of course depending upon the player. A “rally warrior” who keeps the ball in play but does not skip will be able to function well until they meet […]
Backhand or Forehand?
Here is an article that popped up on my radar about the forehand. It read something like my forehand is better than my backhand. Then the author studied the statistics of forehand winners vs backhand winners and discovered to his shock that the backhand was often more consistent than the forehand. Now this is not […]
Shock and Horror
Oh the shock and horror! Some years ago yours truly was in a tournament in Columbus, Ohio. I remember the year because the Giants won the playoffs and were headed to their first Superbowl vs Denver. A friend shot some video of yours truly playing. It sat in a VHS cassette for years and last […]