The Art of the Chart

This email got my attention a few days ago.The question to me was, “Do you use a charting system when you coach matches?” By charting system I think they meant a nice excel sheet with codes for short serves, unforced errors, etc. I have had many friends try to explain to me their charting system […]

Best vs the Rest

Passing syndrome leads to a style of play called, “rallying”! The advantage of this style of play is the opponent will defeat themselves 80% of the time. Making the adversary beat themselves is the strong point to this type of approach to the game. Indeed, this style is taught at many camps and it is […]

Service Location for Racquetball Nation

I see many players underutilizing 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 of center, way to the right, way to […]

Free Or ?

Getting paid for what you do is the cornerstone of American society. You would not go into work and tell your boss to not pay you,. You should be paid for your work in racquetball too. I do not 100% agree with the volunteer for racquetball mentality. Of course, that probably is not a surprise […]

Crashing and Burning?

You are crashing and burning on the racquetball court! Think it through! What is happening? Why are you losing rallies? Where are they serving you? Where are their points being scored? The answers to these questions will allow you to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and without the answers, vice versa!! Divide the […]

Timing for Gold

Timing can mean the difference between winning and losing. Some examples: 1. Junior player gets ball and serves. No timing. So junior is actually just putting the ball in play, not serving. 2. Junior takes time, and thinks. Junior puts ball in play after about 8 seconds. Junior is serving, not putting the ball in […]

Mechanics-How Important?

Can you change your game without changing mechanics and footwork? The answer is yes, of course, sort of! I have a good case study in this. A senior player came to me and did not want to change forehand or backhand and wanted to get better. Each lesson we worked on the non-technique things such […]

It Ain’t Rocky!

(Coach’s note: This is one of my favorite posts because it attacks the essence of excellence in anything, not just racquetball.) This one is hard for all tournament players to take. It is bitter medicine but a pill that must be swallowed. When you work hard and train hard and really focus on getting better […]

Coach Check

Ten signs you “may” have hired a great coach. Since the coaching field is becoming so crowded, I think the public needs to know that all coaches are not equal. Since coaching is so objective and in the eye of the beholder, here are ten general signs of a good coach. 1. They charge money […]

Lunchtime Racquetball

Don’t be a lunchtime shot selection candidate! Lunchtime players are folks that have a little over an hour for lunch. They come roaring into the parking lot and jump on the court and begin servin’ em up ! Usually they employ drive serves and aggressive returns. Monday and Tuesday they win, go home and kiss […]