Ten Tips for Pressure Points
Under pressure the mind does strange things and the athlete sometimes climbs aboard a mental roller coaster that renders that player out of control! How does this happen? 1. The pressure of wanting to win leads to a following thought; my opponent is trying to cheat me out of that win. 2. See above only […]
The Program
I am a lucky guy. I get to work with some of the best players in the world, and even the greatest ever for 18 years. But I also get to work with newbies, brand spanking new players who fall in love with this sport. I love coaching players of all levels. In this […]
No Dinky Do’s in Your Wavy Gravy
Winterton sayings–You can hear some of these in lessons–over the years here are a few goodies! “Hit and get, don’t hit and sit or your game wont be worth spit!” “Use your body, not your arm, to your shoulder will come no harm!” “Shuffalo to Bufflalo Makes your game go, go, go!” “Out and around, […]
Play Like a Champion
Notre Dame plays for the college football championship today. There is a coach named Lou Holtz who once coached the fighting Irish and his motivational sayings are gold! Here are a few! “Ability is what you are capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it!” I Love Lou […]
Clique Sick
Cliques! I hate racquetball cliques! Back in the day when I was top dog in the club I would play anybody and everybody who was close to A level and above. I encouraged everyone to play anyone. Then I moved to Syracuse, NY and a local club went bankrupt. They all came over to our […]
Basic Dubs Coverages
Some time ago a player asked me about doubles coverage. Without writing a book, which could be done on this topic, I will attempt to explain a few basic coverages and their strengths and weaknesses. 1. Pro coverage -my term, not official! This is the coverage most top athletes use. In this coverage the server […]
Junior Rules
Junior racquetball tournament play can be a mine field for parents to walk through! Here are some tips to help you navigate: 1. Not all Parents are “nice” during their child’s competition but that does not mean you can’t be! 2. Not all opposing coaches are “nice” either but see rule 1. 3. Keep priorities […]
Quit the Jitts!!
First round jitters are something players have to get used to and develop strategies to overcome. Here are a few tips to take away first round “jitters” in a tournament. First, warmup before your warmup! Use dynamic stretching which means movement warmups, like high knees, carioca and other such exercises before you even […]
Change Mechanics-Risk VS Reward
This is a great question that was asked of me a few days ago. I am paraphrasing and it went like, “Coach, What is the risk vs reward of changing your stroke mechanics after you have been playing a long time?” Here is how I see it. “If I had a magic pill and […]
Dream It, Plan It, Achieve It!
You need a road map to reach your destination. Without a map (okay, or gps) you may never get where you are going. Your racquetball game is similar and it should have a destination. Every racquetball camp I give the scheduling lecture. The base for my lecture comes from a book I picked up in […]