Director/producer of the tennis documentary “The Journeymen” Mark Keil’s weekly column takes a new angle this week. The former professional tennis player is now a tennis coach, and he enlightens you on his tennis philosophy with his coach’s corner article.
Being a tennis coach is a rewarding and fun way to pass on some ideas that I have acquired over the years playing this game. I have had some great coaches and have learned a lot from all of them. My philosophy with my students is to try and get on the same page with them in five categories, even if we have to agree to disagree sometimes. I try and get them to carry a loose leaf binder with them in their tennis bag and have them divide it into sections for the five categories: Mental, Physical, Strategic, Technical, and Goals. I have them write and put in various articles that pertain to each section.
Mental: this deals with all items that can be related to the cerebral part of the game, and should include articles on the game and various book titles that should be purchased and read. Tim Galway’s “The Inner Game of Tennis” is a must, as is Brad Gilbert’s “Winning Ugly.” The easiest way to get mentally tough is to compete as much as possible; competitive juniors should play at least two tournaments, while female players for whom tennis is a hobby should play a league match a week. Also, writing a daily journal in this section can really keep the player get in tune with his or her game, much like a daily diary does for life.
Physical: this section includes all of the footwork and exercises done off the court. Information about a lot of drills using cones and a medicine ball, as well as a weight-lifting regimen, should be listed here. A player must do these exercises at least three times a week to become a complete player.
Strategy: this is where the player writes down the main strengths and weaknesses of his or her game and deciphers what type of player to be. Serve and volleyer? Aggressive baseliner? Counterpuncher? Or an all court player? The player can also put in tennis magazine and notes from coaches on certain shot selections.
Technique: a player and his or her coach must try and be on the same page for technique on every stroke, from the forehand volley to the backhand overhead. The player should write in this section about how to hit every stroke, which will make it easier for the player to understand how to do it.
Goals: finally, the player needs to write down three month, six month, one year, and five year goals that he or she wants to achieve through playing this game. Does the player want to achieve a particular ranking, make a certain team, or a particular NTRP rating? We all know what the advantages of writing down our goals can do for us by reading them periodically. They become easier to attain!
I hope this bit of tennis information will help the players out there organize their thoughts and have some sort of game plan in improving in this great game of tennis.
Until next week, have fun and hit the courts.
Mark Keil