RIP The Peoples’ Champion
Yesterday I heard of the passing of legend Charlie Brumfield. He was a larger than life champion, and had come to a place in his life where his humility and charm was contagious. He was an early champion and the number one player in the world. I met him at a pro […]
Cure for Boring Practices
How do you get out of solo practice boring routines? I hated practice. I hated losing even more. How can you get better without the solo practice? Some time ago two of my very good players were hitting fast and furious on court two. I asked them what they were doing. Their response, “Playing”. My […]
Play Nice and Share!
Fitness etiquette–these little Health Club breaches of etiquette ticks me off! 1. Water fountain Hog-this person has a two gallon jug to fill and seems oblivious to the line of people behind the Water Hog filling their jug. All they want is a drink of water, Get out of the way and let them drink! […]
Tips for Serve Return
Six tips for return of serve. The racquetball bible (unofficial book of racquetball pros teaching mainstream) says one thing. I say another. Here goes: The RBB says: 1. Position yourself in the center of the court to receive serve but I say not so fast mainstream Marvin or Martha..what if the server gets way over […]
Dear Brain Whiff
This one came across my desk recently. Hey coach, (I am a)…former student of yours..and slightly above average RB player…one question about the mental aspect of the game…How can I prevent myself from mentally beating myself before even stepping on the court…and during matches, my mind takes a vacation when I’m playing someone I know […]
Think for Yourself!
Thinking the game through and feeling the game is a topic near and dear to my heart. Athletes who have had previous coaches are sometimes flummoxed when they come to the ole ball coach. Conversations usually go like this. Athlete: “What do I need to practice the most?” Ole ball coach: I don’t know, what […]
5 Steps to Greatness
I ran across a great tennis article a racquetball player posted on fb. The article dealt with failure and how great players fail as much as hackers. Why? They take more chances and the window of great and missed shots is very small. Of course this applies to racquetball as well. When a player attempts […]
Visualization for Racquetball Nation
The mental part of the game is both over-rated and under-rated. Bear with me here: Over-rated: I hear people talking about their mental weaknesses but I see forehand and backhand weaknesses. Guess where the ball will go at crunch time? Yep, your weakest area. So maybe, just maybe the problem might not be mental. Fans […]
Burn That Drive Serve Return
More on returning the drive serve. Recently I heard someone say that they could beat anyone in the world if they could only lob serve. My thought upon hearing that was “Really? Here is how I translate that. I am weak returning a good drive serve. I would suggest getting better at returning drive serves […]
10 Racquetball Etiquette Rules
Some racquetball etiquette unwritten rules. 1. Bully players–If you are the best player in the club, do not team with the second best player to play doubles in any club function, such as shootouts, tourneys, etc. That is poor taste and it does not challenge you. 2. Court Hogs–When showing up for the challenge court […]