Tourney Scene

Is this situation really cheating? I watched a junior match some months ago with a blatant cheat going on. I watched a Dad say nothing while little junior scammed the referee. The other Dad went beserk but the two kids on the court seemed impervious to what was going on behind them. Maybe Junior did […]

Play Down

A few weeks ago I ran across someone sharing their racquetball experiences and stating how their game improved because they played very good players and players at a higher level. Now, I do not disagree with this and every player who aspires to greatness knows this. However, you also need to play players at a […]

Subract the Distract

Distractions distractions distractions-How do you deal with them 101? Here is a tip I first heard from a handball champion in the 60s. “Never take your eye off the ball, even during timeouts and between games.” I tried that and it worked! Let me explain why (at least for me) When I looked outside the […]

Work Hard, Rest Harder!

Work vs Rest Story: Sharpen your Axe-A parable for Athletes (and coaches). Sharpen your Skills. The Wood-Choppers Contest Once upon a time there were two men in a wood-chopping contest. They were tasked with chopping down as many trees in the forest as they could from sun-up to sun-down. The winner would be rewarded with […]

Over-Coaching?

Micromanaging Racquetball matches seems to be the norm in junior Racquetball. When I attend National juniors I see all sorts of hand, arm, and weird signals from amateur and not so amateur coaches! When you see a young player looking back for serves it can result in that player winning short term but losing long […]

Want a Coach or Cheerleader?

“Coach, You have to change because so and so (an athlete I coach) does not like the way you coach. You never say anything nice!” “You need to be more positive.” This one has floated across my radar a few times over the years and forgive me if I am redoing a similar post but […]

Racquetball Nation Cleveration

Racquetball is a great sport. No matter who you are, the sport will humble you sooner or later. Time gets us all and despite all the training and practice, sooner or later the game begins to go south. There is a saying in the NBA that great players play above the rim early in ther […]

Believe!

I was reading a thing the other day that struck me. It was a response to someone who had said their career was ruined by a few experts who told them they would never be any good. The career was in acting and the responses were swift. They went like this, “You are not that […]

Stop the Choke

Dear Coach, I have an athlete who does everything great in practice but ina match is helpless and clueless. Do you have any advice for this athlete? Signed Coach of Choker! Dear Coach of Choker, This may quite simply a case of not being under enough pressure in practice. The more pressure you practice under, […]

Coach Everyone Like They Need

“Treat everyone the same!” Say what? I’m in a coaches meeting with other team coaches maybe 20 years ago when that comment was made. My eyebrows went up on that one. My years of experience in classroom teaching, football coaching, and tennis, not to mention racquetball had taught me the opposite. I do not treat […]