Change Angles and Paces-Get More Aces!

One of the things I see in many matches is the underutilization of the service box. Player A serves from the right of center and hits drive serves left, right and a z serve right. This is a good basic offense for Player A. Player B starts same as player A but then moves left […]

Jitters

  Help Coach! I gots the tournament jitters in my home town! With many of the athletes I coach this one happens. It happened to me also because everyone in my club expected me to be undefeated because I was their club pro. No matter who you are when you are in your home surroundings […]

Thanks to Mine and All Racquetball Mommas!

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 […]

Talent Plus Technique Beats Talent

“Talent Plus Technique Beats Talent” -Tom Brady Former NFL Quarterback When I get a new athlete at any level of play, I take their confidence in me seriously. I do all within my limited power to make sure they improve. But this is a two way street.I can put in all the time but he […]

Are the Players… or Coaches Headcases?

  Overheard from a Pro’s racquetball coach. “These guys are all head cases!” Now I’m thinking–“Who are you to be judging Racquetball Players?” This sort of condescending attitude toward others says more about the speaker than the players they speak of! So Short and sweet is today’s racquetball mental treat!! Coaching 101- Empathy for your […]

No-Brainer-Get A Trainer!

If your goal is to not be concerned about fitness in a competitive match, you have to be concerned about fitness in practice! In plain English, your practices have to be physically harder than your tournament play!” I often recommend my athletes get a personal trainer. These trainers are an interesting breed of cat. They […]

Side Switching Doubles

Today’s Tip of the comes from an email asking me if switching sides in doubles has any advantages. The reader is referring to the practice of “double serving” one side of the opponent’s doubles team. My answer is yes, in some cases there is a distinct advantage to the double serve tactic. Case in point: […]

Timeout! Now? Later?

When should I call a timeout? This one I get quite a bit. The problem is, there are no definitive rules for this. Each game and each match is an entity of its own with its own set of rules. I think you have to “feel out” a situation. I like to have my athlete […]

Be a Good Detective

  Be a good detective! Next time you play someone watch carefully during the warmup. You can find a lot out about a player by how they warmup. Are they hitting any backhand ceiling balls? No? Well probably they cannot execute that very well. (Okay outdoor players-please resist the temptation to bust my chops here). […]

Side-Steppin’ Blues

One of my athletes is playing in a tournament and they get advice from a Coaching contemporary of mine. This coach is telling my athlete to step to the side wall to hit a backhand. My athlete tries to explain they are coached by me and Coach does not like stepping to the side wall. […]