One of the greatest misunderstandings in tennis is the topic of control. All tennis players desire to have more control, more control of their emotions, more control on their shots, more control over their opponents; the truth is though that the things we think gives us more control often do not.

Sports are almost entirely a visual motor game, and when the mind fills with chatter, this is when the trouble starts. Many players begin to over think when under pressure. They secretly believe that words will help them make better shots.

I scored two goals playing tennis in one day ... how you may ask? I mishit a ball so severely on two separate occasions that it flew backwards over the fence and into two soccer goals which were adjacent to the court.

We know teaching is more art than science, but we're still undecided on what matters the most … the message or the messenger? First, let's take a look at the messenger, or the way in which we deliver the “goods.”

One of my first tennis instructors when I first began taking lessons in the late 1960s-1970s taught me something I will never forget. I preach this message to this day to many of my students, as well as my own two boys who compete in college and the USTA Junior Circuit: “Just let your racquet do the talking for you.”

In 1971, Larry Linett, a tenacious baseliner from Albany, N.Y., was ranked number one in the East in the Boy's 12-and-Under Division. A talented lefty from Douglaston, N.Y., John McEnroe was ranked number eight, in that same age group.

The 2010 Annual USPTA Eastern Conference is set for Monday-Tuesday, May 17-18, 2010 and it will be hosted at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens. The two-day event brings together some of the sport's top professionals, who will be on hand to discuss the sport and deliver presentations on improving your game, to committee meetings, to networking receptions.

The principal of physiology, or physical fitness, is the ability to meet the physical demands of a sport to perform optimally. Physical training is a disciplined routine of specialized procedures that are performed by players to condition their bodies for the purpose of improving performance.

Most matches are not lost at match point. The complexity of the game is such that, in a tennis tournament, for example, a Grand Slam where the draw is of 128 players, there is only one winner and 127 losers. Those losers lost their matches for different reasons. Let us find out why by defining different types of players.

Here are some tried and true tips I have been using as part of my teaching for 35-plus years …

Psychological skill training is based on fundamental assumption; athletes try to do the best they can given their physical limitations and learning history, and they try to respond as effectively as possible in every situation.

The Long Island tennis community is blessed to have some of the best indoor facilities and best coaches in the world right here in our backyard. Recently, Long Island Tennis Magazine spoke with some of these top coaches to get insight into their coaching/training strategies, what they look for in a great player, views on important local tennis topics, and a background in how they got into coaching. Even the best coach can always learn an extra tip or two, and the following article will provide all players and coaches with a chance to learn from the best.