Stay Classy, San Diego
Fun to talk about winning, but what about the L word as in losing? We all experience it and how we experience it is what separates champions from also-rans. 1. Yes you are angry and yes, you almost had the match and Yes, you do not feel like talking to anyone. I totally get that […]
Condescention-a bad Coach’s Invention!
Condescending coaches irritate me. Let me explain. Years ago I was out for a few adult beverages with a Coach who shall remain nameless and he began complaining about all the “head cases” he had to coach. He said something to me like, “I’m sure you know what I mean about these prima Donnas.” My […]
Who Dat Dr. Hat?
Subtle changes and Dr Hat revisited. In the 80s I was league director in a club in Syracuse, New York, and we had a player everyone called Dr. Hat. I don’t think anyone knew his real name, but Dr Hat owned the A leagues and nobody could beat him. One day he challenged me to […]
Self Reffer Blues
Where do I get these ideas? I get many from pouring over customer’s videotapes. Here is one I saw in about four different tapes, four different levels of play, men and women. The self-reffing opponent is a breed of player who is very frustrating. This player always has their off racquet hand up on any […]
Why’o All The Plyo?
Why oh why oh all the plyo? I happen to be cruising through the gym and I see trainer after trainer have their young charges doing these deep jump squats up to platform boxes four feet and higher. If they are volleyball or basketball players who need height I get it. If they are racquetball […]
Don’t Tug on Superman’s or (Superwoman’s) Cape
Don’t tug on superman’s cape and don’t spit in the wind, and let me add one more-never kick an opponent when she or he is down-never! The object is to win the game(with all due respect to Former coach Herm Edwards) so if you are up in a tie-breaker do not rub it in. Three […]
Quest for Best-Secrets
I hit the courts again this week and there is nothing better than being on the court coaching up folks. Actually I never stopped-the clubs stopped and I found a private court and kept teaching, even summer of 2020 when everything was shut down! Over 53 years of play working my way up from B […]
How to Be Coached by a “Boomer”!
Above: Photo by Ellen Williams So I see a podcast a friend sent me titled “Coaching Millennials and Gen Z”. My well intentioned friend felt it would benefit me because I could then adapt my coaching to the newer generations of athletes. Before I listened to it I had to tell my well-meaning friend. “This […]
I Lost-I Played Bad-I Won-I Played Good??
Tournament feedback 101–One of my athletes reports to me with an “I got beat” I respond, “What happened? “Coach, I played this national champion and he was the best player I have ever seen.” So I go to the video tape-and my player, for lack of a better word, played poorly and the so-called awesome […]
What is Your “Brand”?
Have you ever thought about your brand? Me either until after I had played for maybe 25 years of tournaments. Then I was named Head Coach of the USA team. When I lost in a tie breaker in the finals of the regionals and chucked my racquet to the front wall and shattered it, I […]