Champ Coaching
Forgive me for rambling on here! Coaching champions is an art form. For one thing, the athlete has to believe in you, even when they lose. Some time ago one of my athletes went down in flames in a tie breaker, 11-8. I have to say though he was pretty excited about his progress rather […]
Efficient or Deficient Racquetball Drills
Another day and another well-meaning coaching post on face book. A young coach thinks they have discovered another great workout routine. My coaching compadre in Bolivia sent it to me immediately. This drill has a nice concept but there is one problem. The athlete is practicing wrong technique. Very early in my racquetball life I […]
Can I Play Tournaments and Conserve Energy?
This came across my desk- “I have a question for you, Coach. I think most of us non-professionals get tired during matches. And when that happens, we end up missing shots that we’d normally hit easily, grounding lots of shots. But if we play higher percentage shots, that keeps the ball in play longer, and […]
Coach-Do I Have to Change?
Coach, I do not want to change that!” Okay, I’d be lying if I did not tell you I hear that from time to time. So here is what I do. I explain why they should change and the ramifications of not changing. At that point most change. Sometimes I modify. Case in point a […]
Dear Juniors
Dear Junior racquetball players, here are some facts for you to ponder in random order. Ten tips for preteens and teens! 1. Adults can be clever, tempermental or fiery. Kids will always be called brats! Unfair, but that is the way it is. 2. Everybody is an expert about how to raise other people’s children. […]
GroundHog Day Coaching
How to get better faster!! 1-Maximize practice time–laughing and scratching is what we used to call wasting time–or in football the “mill drill” where you mill around like a herd of cattle and yap instead of working on your skills. 2.Have a plan-What are you going to work on? Then work on it! 3-leave your […]
Practice With a Purpose
Keep practice more simple. From the book, Peak Performance by Anders Ericsson. Purposeful practice is: 1. Well defined with specific goals 2. Focused 3.Must have feedback 4. Must involve getting out of one’s comfort zone #2 and number 4 are the two that affect athletes the most. The practice is not focused and the practice […]
Another Racquetball Junior Quits?
Another junior quitting racquetball. Why? The answer is in this article maybe. All Children are not alike. Because they do not win now does not mean they will not become great racquetball players. Because they are tearing it up in the junior 12s does not mean they are going to break Kane or Paola’s records […]
Return of Serve 101
The return of serve starts with where you line yourself up and how you line yourself up. I was shocked when I conferred with some “experts” who told me they split the court in half when they positioned themselves for return of serve. This violates laws of physics. Put your arm and racquet out straight […]
Study for Finals? Or Prepare to Win?
Studying for exams in college usually went like this. Relax for 9 weeks, do your homework and assignments but then cram the knowledge in for the finals. Stay up all night, slam coffee and take the test. Crash for a day and repeat semester after semester so you can spit back the information the teacher […]