Here are a couple of updates and a much-needed request for support.  First, the last …

Boots on the Court

Tennis legend Dick Stockton, through his charitable foundation, hosts tennis teaching events on military bases.  With the Covid crisis, all have been put on hold; but with a light at the end of the Pandemic Tunnel, Dick is looking for support for later in this year…

Most of us spend hours watching pro tennis on TV; so this question comes from blog reader BJ Miller “What do you like and dislike about tennis on TV?”  Some thoughts and my medical update follow.

The Goods and Bads

If you see the ball bounce twice on your opponent’s side of the court, whose call is it?  There are two different situations, with two different answers. They are here, along with a brief medical update.

Two Incoming Bounces

The “easy shot” to return is the regular bounce, mid-court, to your forehand.  But what about when you get one of those “funky” bounces because of the spin put on the ball?

Be Aware

Where you stand to return serve says a lot about what you intend to do – or want your opponent to THINK you intend to do.

“Cock-eyed” return of serve position

One of the major differences in strokes between the top players and us club players is that they almost always hit the ball in the center of the racquet.  Why is that and what can you do about it?

“Know Where Your Racquet Head Is”

Good communication for a doubles team usually comes over time playing together – and can be critical to the success of the pairing.  But choosing the right words to say to your partner will help or hinder that process.

Whose Ball is It?

Most of us go the same spot on the baseline and serve the same serve, frequently to the same location.  But according to two well-known teaching pros, that is dramatically wrong.

Changing Serve Characteristics

We are all human and when watching a sporting event will usually find a player or team to root for.  But why do we make the choices that we do?

Hometown Underdogs

My mother had a saying about energy levels (that I am sure she got from someone else).  She would say, “My get up and go, got up and went.”  On that subject, a reader questions what you can do about loss of energy as we age + a medical update on Mas Kimball and me.

What To Do?

We are now almost a full year into this health crisis and the “experts” have regularly changed their opinions on what is safe and what is not.  What is the current state of playing tennis and the virus?

Tennis Ball Transmission?

Frequently during matches, questions come up about the rule governing a play that just happened.  There is now an app available for Smart Phones that can help answer most questions.  More on this and a couple of rule questions …

ITF Provides Answers

Every tennis player in the world does it … they blow the easy shot.  But what you do or say after that miss might help you the next time.  Here are some considerations.

What do you do?

You see both tennis pros and us club players sometimes “go for too much” or conversely “not do enough” with an opportunity.  There is a time to be aggressive and a time to be conservative in shot selection and court target.

What Really Happened?

Maybe it is just as a friend says: “Just a matter of aging”.  But seems like there are a lot of top senior tennis players on the mend.  Here are some of their stories…