Watching Pro Tennis Will Kills Teaching And Understanding Classic Teaching Will Help

[tennislearningforlife]

Hello great coaches. how are you?

I believe that watching Pros play and read millions article can harm teaching and it did to me. There are so many information out there and they all talk about different things and it can be right and it can be wrong. And I believe I believe that I was trapped big time and I am trying to get out of this trap right now.

First of all, game has changed, yes, but i believe athletic level of pros have increased dramatically also. Now we see big guys move like Micheal Chang.
And still have big stroke like Agassi with consistency of Borg.

And I do believe that lots of pros go jump off the page of so call "basics" and all the pro athlete do because they can do "basics" perfectly.

My point is that and it is dumb statement but all the students aren't Nadal. I mean physically and mentally nothing near it. Therefore, teaching Pro stuff to those students can kill their game big time.

We all know that spin rate has gone up so much but we have to remember that spin comes from very very fast racket head speed. Those big guys swing extremely fast and that generates so much spin and pace and not to mention more wiper swing. And also, they can move. Yes guys can generate spin and pace but spin still sits up. The reason why Nadal having problem with Knee is that he had to track down so many balls. He does hit the ball hard but time to time his ball sit up because of so much top spin and guys who can hit flatter can take a rip at it.... Therefore, having great foot work is very important for spinny players.

Well, back to subject, so majority of my students aren't strong and move too great. Then if I teach them heavy spin then they will suffer and that's no doubt about it.


I really like Modern Game but some reason i really like Welby and Robert Landsdort and Don Budge's approaching of teaching.
And now I am really solving puzzle..
Now i am getting more answer to these questions i always had

1) why traditional teaching is important

2) why imitating pros aren't good idea


Simply tennis is played with different racket "PATH"
i mean it is simple. Depending where you stand and what type of shot you want to hit, then your swing path changing. And this is pretty unique.
Unlike baseball or golf. Their swing is pretty much similar. In golf they just change little stance and face of club and make the ball fade or draw.

It is funny to realize but it is important to know the longer swing first before it make short. It means, if you learn heavy spin first then you will Not be able to adapt slice or flatter swing too well because these swings are a lot longer.
I believe that classical teaching is great because it teaches you long swing first. From there actually you can go different path.


Any opinions are appreciated.. thank you

[don_budge]

Who are we kidding?

Mr. teachingtennisforlife or rather Mr. tennislearningforlife...I love your username. It is a reflection of who you are. Much as my username is of me. I am an impostor. I make posts under the name of don_budge. I think that I will change to don_quixote soon...I threatened to do that at one time. Fighting windmills with puny swords...finding a princess in every you know what.

Who are we kidding though? You are asking yourself the same question that I did after my fifteen year hiatus from tennis when I ventured into the kingdom of golf...where I found the key to the universe of recreation and the human pursuit of. You have apparently worked out the answer with your question and answer method of operation...which I like very much and am only to happy to participate in. I asked myself much the same questions, as you will see from the compilation of my posts in my book that I sent you via email..."The Year in Tennis 2011 and Traditional Thoughts in Tennis". You "won" that little prize for mentioning my username in the same sentence as Welby Van Horn and Robert Lansdorp. Put my dear old coaches name in there too...Sherman Collins. What a great student of the game he was and always will be...truly a classic. These are three guys that have my respect and admiration for their method of coaching. alexandrafranco also won that "prize" for being an ultimate student of the game and a great sport besides. She actually thought it was amusing what I wrote in the Boris Becker forehand video thread. Hi Alexandra! I am only too happy to give...than to receive.

Who are we teaching tennis to and why? That has to be the fundamental question that we ask ourselves as tennis coaches. The answer to that may be as varied as the number of different types of forehands that the top 100 tennis players in the world of tennis possess. I am teaching tennis as a way of life. As a way of seeking more appreciation for mind, body and human spirit as much as I am looking for the next champion of the universe. Is that too much information?

Why are we teaching children so young to play tennis? Is it because it is good for business? That is a question that I have. The club that I work at insists on this mini tennis, that midi tennis and the kind of tennis for people that are too freaking small and not evolved enough to understand what the hell it is that I am trying to teach them, much less what the hell I am talking about. Better to leave them alone for a few years so that they can make up their own little fragile minds, so that when they get older they can make up their own older fragile minds...about things in general at which point they may decide to learn how to play tennis.

But I agree with you wholeheartedly...teach the classic traditional style. It's healthier and it's motives are purer. Teach tennis for sake of life and the human experience...not for the sake of being a professional tennis player. If one student just so happens to veer in that direction then he has to find his own way...in many ways. As a coach we can be there for them...as I told Gustaf I will be there for him after I am dead and gone. My old coach will be there for me like that...a voice in my ear. That is the way I teach it. If someone happens to find their way to that level, I have taught them to think for themselves, how to create themselves, how to discover themselves, how to recreate themselves on the spot if they need to. You have to be ready...get in that ready position! Get your ass in position to put it bluntly. For life!!!

Too much is made of the pro game. It is a pseudo game as it is. Reengineered to make ourselves think that we are superior to the past. There is an arrogance about the modern game...there is too much money involved. We are above it all somehow, we think to ourselves as we hit some ungodly topspin winner with our huge blunderbuss of a graphite machine for a tennis racquet. When in reality we are the same old beast...with different clothes. Teach it for what it is. It is God's gift to man in terms of recreation...along with golf. Teach the children to play...not just for the money but for the love of the game. For the love of life. Give me students that are teenagers or even adults...or just pre-teenagers years. Students that are beginning to know, or already know who they are and what they want to do in life. Students that are not just their because of a whim of their parents. Students that will bust their ass to get their ass in position...because THEY want to and not because I want them to.

Teach your students classic swings...they will morph into the modern game with better fundamentals when they are bigger, stronger and smarter. They will morph when they are ripe for it. There's no hurry. For God's sake...teach them to serve with a perfect motion. The coaching was hijacked years ago...when image was becoming everything. Is that evolution? No...that is two steps forwards and three steps backwards. Can you spell Bollettierri? Nick "Bowl of Cherries". Just kidding Nick. Congratulations on your illustrious career. Forget about substance they told us repeatedly on the boob tube...image is everything! Unfortunately the rest of the coaching world bought into it. It was easier than teaching the whole bowl of wax. Topspin forehand and two hand backhand...forget about half-volleys and approach tactics. Sacrifice the volley...on the golden altar of the dollar. Service motion? Much too complicated...forget about it (in my best Robert DeNiro Italian accent). Go now and play the game my simple ones. Only just recently has this website started to question the path forwards, witness the series of articles the past few months...for which I am only too happy to be a part of.

Just remember this...a kiss is just a kiss. And...The Book on Tennis fundamentals is William Tilden. Richard Gonzales is the model for a competitive tennis player...with the J. Donald Budge backhand. Harry Hopman is the coach and Roger Federer is living proof. Can you make the conversion from Gonzales to Federer and all points in between? Can you connect the dots? The three little dots? Ah hah...now you begin to understand. But just remember that I am only an impostor. A voice in the wilderness.

[tennislearningforlife]

very much Inspirational

Thank you very much.. it is very much inspirational...

I am very glad i did not give up on this... One think I do like about me is I never give up. If i don't give up then something good will happen it is 100%...

I mean we all go through tough times but at the end we will find something special if you don't give up...

I mean.. all I say here is completely truth. I mean from my experience and i hate to admit myself and shame to say it but i was doing something wrong for long time. I though putting pro swing from the day 1 can help my students.... but pretty much my statistics shows it kills it... actually maybe their game can get better if they learn from their father or play against wall....

I mean Mr. Don Budge, Robert Landsdorp, Welby. those great coaches have in common is following

1) very simple method-even 6 years old can do from day 1.
2) focus on most important element-follow though
3) Their teaching method can lead to next level. I mean it is up to student or coach to go next step stroke.
4) all emphasize on forward motion-see biggest problem with modern swig is that since wiper is empahize, racket doesn't go out as much. I mean this is one of the most important for hitting the ball hard right??

Thank you so much

[alexandrafranco]

Mr Navarro, someday I will have to invite you as a speaker to my sports ethics class...

Mr. teachingtennisforlife or rather Mr. tennislearningforlife...I love your username. It is a reflection of who you are. Much as my username is of me. I am an impostor. I make posts under the name of don_budge. I think that I will change to don_quixote soon...I threatened to do that at one time. Fighting windmills with puny swords...finding a princess in every you know what.

Who are we kidding though? You are asking yourself the same question that I did after my fifteen year hiatus from tennis when I ventured into the kingdom of golf...where I found the key to the universe of recreation and the human pursuit of. You have apparently worked out the answer with your question and answer method of operation...which I like very much and am only to happy to participate in. I asked myself much the same questions, as you will see from the compilation of my posts in my book that I sent you via email..."The Year in Tennis 2011 and Traditional Thoughts in Tennis". You "won" that little prize for mentioning my username in the same sentence as Welby Van Horn and Robert Lansdorp. Put my dear old coaches name in there too...Sherman Collins. What a great student of the game he was and always will be...truly a classic. These are three guys that have my respect and admiration for their method of coaching. alexandrafranco also won that "prize" for being an ultimate student of the game and a great sport besides. She actually thought it was amusing what I wrote in the Boris Becker forehand video thread. Hi Alexandra! I am only too happy to give...than to receive.

Who are we teaching tennis to and why? That has to be the fundamental question that we ask ourselves as tennis coaches. The answer to that may be as varied as the number of different types of forehands that the top 100 tennis players in the world of tennis possess. I am teaching tennis as a way of life. As a way of seeking more appreciation for mind, body and human spirit as much as I am looking for the next champion of the universe. Is that too much information?

Why are we teaching children so young to play tennis? Is it because it is good for business? That is a question that I have. The club that I work at insists on this mini tennis, that midi tennis and the kind of tennis for people that are too freaking small and not evolved enough to understand what the hell it is that I am trying to teach them, much less what the hell I am talking about. Better to leave them alone for a few years so that they can make up their own little fragile minds, so that when they get older they can make up their own older fragile minds...about things in general at which point they may decide to learn how to play tennis.

But I agree with you wholeheartedly...teach the classic traditional style. It's healthier and it's motives are purer. Teach tennis for sake of life and the human experience...not for the sake of being a professional tennis player. If one student just so happens to veer in that direction then he has to find his own way...in many ways. As a coach we can be there for them...as I told Gustaf I will be there for him after I am dead and gone. My old coach will be there for me like that...a voice in my ear. That is the way I teach it. If someone happens to find their way to that level, I have taught them to think for themselves, how to create themselves, how to discover themselves, how to recreate themselves on the spot if they need to. You have to be ready...get in that ready position! Get your ass in position to put it bluntly. For life!!!

Too much is made of the pro game. It is a pseudo game as it is. Reengineered to make ourselves think that we are superior to the past. There is an arrogance about the modern game...there is too much money involved. We are above it all somehow, we think to ourselves as we hit some ungodly topspin winner with our huge blunderbuss of a graphite machine for a tennis racquet. When in reality we are the same old beast...with different clothes. Teach it for what it is. It is God's gift to man in terms of recreation...along with golf. Teach the children to play...not just for the money but for the love of the game. For the love of life. Give me students that are teenagers or even adults...or just pre-teenagers years. Students that are beginning to know, or already know who they are and what they want to do in life. Students that are not just their because of a whim of their parents. Students that will bust their ass to get their ass in position...because THEY want to and not because I want them to.

Teach your students classic swings...they will morph into the modern game with better fundamentals when they are bigger, stronger and smarter. They will morph when they are ripe for it. There's no hurry. For God's sake...teach them to serve with a perfect motion. The coaching was hijacked years ago...when image was becoming everything. Is that evolution? No...that is two steps forwards and three steps backwards. Can you spell Bollettierri? Nick "Bowl of Cherries". Just kidding Nick. Congratulations on your illustrious career. Forget about substance they told us repeatedly on the boob tube...image is everything! Unfortunately the rest of the coaching world bought into it. It was easier than teaching the whole bowl of wax. Topspin forehand and two hand backhand...forget about half-volleys and approach tactics. Sacrifice the volley...on the golden altar of the dollar. Service motion? Much too complicated...forget about it (in my best Robert DeNiro Italian accent). Go now and play the game my simple ones. Only just recently has this website started to question the path forwards, witness the series of articles the past few months...for which I am only too happy to be a part of.

Just remember this...a kiss is just a kiss. And...The Book on Tennis fundamentals is William Tilden. Richard Gonzales is the model for a competitive tennis player...with the J. Donald Budge backhand. Harry Hopman is the coach and Roger Federer is living proof. Can you make the conversion from Gonzales to Federer and all points in between? Can you connect the dots? The three little dots? Ah hah...now you begin to understand. But just remember that I am only an impostor. A voice in the wilderness.

[ytry4365]

The Coaches are such an inspiration for players to play with best rackets for tennis. I am really impressed with these peoples.

[don_budge]

Mr Navarro, someday I will have to invite you as a speaker to my sports ethics class...

I would gladly accept Alexandra! I hope that you are well and playing the tennis of your life! Same to you tennislearningforlife! Even to ytry4365 for bringing this thread back to life...if only for a moment. This forum is and has been a beautiful thing. Some contributors have come and gone. That's ok...that's life. The website has a life of it's own...it has a name. johnyandell.

[Robert Dorn]

Coaches play the roles of backbones in the success of players, Hats Off to these professionals.