Coaching

I believe there are three main components that must be present in a tennis players arsenal in order for them to say they are “Mentally Tough.” The first of these components is the toughest to obtain and maintain: Awareness. What I judge awareness to be is the ability of a player, in any moment...Read more

As coaches and teaching professionals, we are constantly trying to help our players develop good habits, but how often do we look at our own habits as teachers? This article will portray simple actions and behaviors that can make us better professionals. On-court teaching As someone who spends most...Read more

In order to maximize the development of players over the long run, the best plan is to adopt a four-stage training model developed by Dr. Istvan Balyi. The four stages are: 1. FUNdamental Stage 2. Training to Train Stage 3. Training to Compete Stage 4. Training to Win Stage Stage 1: FUNdamental...Read more

In my career as a tennis coach, I’ve learned that when you start working with a young tennis player, it’s not enough to just focus on the quality of the technique, you must also take into account what happens outside the court. Children play many roles … they are sons and daughters, students,...Read more

In the March/April 2019 issue of Long Island Tennis Magazine , I discussed my formula on junior tennis success. In short, it goes like this … Click Here to read Part I of Ricky Becker's article Ten percent of junior players walk onto the tennis court for the first time with clear-cut talent; 80...Read more

Participation in high school tennis is not thriving on Long Island. That's too bad because school tennis is not just an extracurricular activity, it's an essential part of a well-rounded tennis experience for 98 percent of all young players. It develops teamwork, school spirit and socialization...Read more

As players age, the tactics of the game of tennis also change. The typical, albeit annoying, byproduct of getting older is the loss of mobility and power. Instead of remembering how fast and strong you were and trying to recapture this younger innate characteristic, it would be wise to accept the...Read more

I recently had the pleasure of hosting legendary coach Nick Bollettieri as the featured speaker at my annual High School Coaches Clinic. Nick is an engaging speaker and his record of elevating the most gifted athletes to great heights is unmatched. Nick Bollettieri, like all great messengers, is...Read more

The following are six easy steps to get you ready for the upcoming outdoor season … 1. Play the baseline: When we play on clay, we normally entrench ourselves way behind the baseline to play high balls and try to force the opponent's mistake, since the court slows down the ball. On a hard court,...Read more

Who cried after losing an insignificant match? I did, your honor … guilty as charged! I remember it as if it were yesterday. I had just lost a match in a junior team event. It was a match between two local clubs separated by a mere five miles in an average-sized town in Southern Holland. I was...Read more