Details Count!

Well, I did it again. I don’t mean to but it happens. Here is the scenario. Player comes to me and begins to work with me. This player has played for other coaches but decides to jump in the deep water and come work with me. Player has moved up in rankings and feeling all […]

Attack From Above

Tennis players aim for a small spot on the other side of the court when they serve, They serve and practice the overhead movement to hit these serves. We can use overheads for increased offense in racquetball. I see many missed opportunities by some athletes in the deep court. At 3/4 court depth, instead of […]

Short Pencil or Long Memory?

You might need a journal Colonel! Note: This was written years ago but lately I have read many scientific articles about note-taking. Many young coaches think this is some antiquated old school thing and cool videos with captions work better. The internet 20 second attention span is taken into account with instruction but it does […]

Milking Cow Open

You might be squandering offensive opportunities in practice. The first rule of practice is what are you preparing for? The Milking Cow Open victory might be the answer or the nationals might be the answer. What is the difference? Skills needed to win the Milking Cow Open or Milking Cow League Championships!: Drive serve in […]

Whyo Whyo All the Plyo?

As an undergrad with a Phys Ed minor I learned that there are some rules for sports conditioning. That has not changed in 52 plus years since college. They are-frequency, duration, and intensity. I will add one more for racquetball players and especially coaches–Specificity of exercise- Huge factor in conditioning. Racquetball coaches-listen up-plyometrics are not […]

Solo or Play Practice?

I am nervous when my athletes play too much and do not solo practice. To a certain degree of course playing helps you improve but you cannot isolate a skill in play sessions. Take back wall for instance. You will probably get 5 to 15 shots off the back wall per game in practice. That […]

Road to Upset City

I have coached many athletes over the years and have been lucky to have been involved in several upsets. My athlete was given no chance but because we had prepared properly, the upset occurred. Here are 5 ingredients for upsets. 1. You must practice a unique shot selection in many cases. My first upset was […]

Be Creative, B, E, Creative!

Creative practice-I had a short conversation recently with the greatest player to ever play. When we get into these conversations I get a headache. I hate to admit this in public but it is true. He knows more specific racquetball than any person I have ever talked to. There are few people who can intimidate […]

Practice, Compete, Repeat!

Talk about getting a taste of your own medicine!. The toughest opponent you will ever face is the one you see every morning in the mirror. The mind can sabotage our best intentions with excuses, negative thinking, and poor practice scheduling. One of the ways to overcome such mental trials is to practice mentally as […]

Don’t Be That Coach!

I will never forget overhearing a losing coach for a foreign team saying to me, “Well we did everything we could do. We just did not have the talent on the men’s team.” While listening my mind was thinking this: “You are wrong my friend. The women’s team was totally neglected and that is where […]