Go Get’em Bertha!!
Another one floated across my desk at mission control recently, Dear Coach Winterton, I am a beginning racquetball player and aspire to play pro racquetball. Do I need coaching? Signed, Bertha Beginner My response: Dear Bertha, Thanks for a great question. I will never forget the long drive back home from a crushing quarterfinal defeat […]
RX for Poor Racquetball
As I watch some of my athletes play at the top levels, it occurs to me they probably are not doing what I am prescribing. Prescription after a poor performance. RX for my athletes: 1. Every practice day work on your worst skill 2x more than your strongest skill. 2. Every practice day work your […]
Coaches! Act Like You’v Been There Before!
Coaching 101. When you coach team racquetball, you have to work with the athletes you have. Not all athletes are easy to work with. These are some huge mistakes rookie coaches make. 1. Being in total control never works when coaching a huge talent. Since the international teams are stocked with talent, and most of […]
Hit With a Whip Not a Board
As Devo used to sing–“Whip it, whip it good” Your racquet arm is either a whip or a board. Tensing your forearm and squeezing tight on the racquet handle makes your arm a board. Relaxing your arm and thinking spaghetti makes your arm a whip. A whip can break the sound barrier! A board can […]
Happy 4th of July
Happy 4th of July! Happy Birthday USA! To understand the United States of America you have to think of a big family with many cultures, religions, and beliefs to blend into a society that reflects the world. Most of our ancestors came here to better themselves and give hope to the next generation. To be […]
Make Them Stop Yelling!!
Coach, that’s not fair, my opponent is screaming after every rally! Okay, I got this from two points of view. First, the screamer; It is distracting to have an athlete yell after almost every rally when they hit a good shot. But this athlete is not thinking about anything but winning. This is so important […]
Serve Return 303
Return of serve 303 level–where you line your feet up to return serve can be huge. I see folks staggering their stance in doubles and even sometimes in singles, with their feet facing the side wall. This puts them at a disadvantage if they are served to the “closed side”(side away from the staggered front […]
String Bean Racquetball
Above: Coach with the original string bean, RIP HOF’er, Charlie Garfinkle, 6’6” tall. Here is strategy 101 for playing the tall player. Author Steve Keeley called this athlete the “string bean”. These folks have a long reach. They may not be fast per se but their reach seems downright super-hero elastic-man stuff. When you cross […]
Coaches Can be Over-rated (And Under-Rated)
The Racquetball Coach can be over-rated and under-rated. Here is how a pro coach like me can be over-rated. (statements overheard to illustrate this) 1. “Thanks to me this woman or man is now winning”!Nope-thanks to the woman or man believing in my coaching and with their practicing, they are now winning. 2. “This student […]
Vision Training?
Vision training for racquetball is something I ran into many moons ago! I was coaching a junior team and we played another club’s team. They spent 15 minutes practicing eye exercises while we practiced forehands and backhands. We annihilated them, but the losing team did see the aces better! I do not mean to belittle […]