Strokes & Strategies
Playing the Middle Game
I was recently watching a match between a hard-hitting, talented junior player and a cagey senior. The junior hit every shot better than the senior yet was managing to lose anyway. I was puzzled. To all appearances the junior should have been winning in a walk, but wasn’t. What was happening? Careful observation provided the […]
Great Champions Can Maintain Intensity for Long Periods of Time
Some years ago I was chatting with all-time great Bobby Riggs and asked him how he would rank the great players, since he competed against many of them. Who were the greatest champions of all time? His answer was interesting. He said, “It depends on how you define ‘great.’” Elaborating he said, “If you define […]
Relaxation Helps Power and Speed
I was watching a show on ESPN about famed pro football coach, Bill Walsh, who was particularly notable for his success in producing great quarterbacks (Joe Montana, San Francisco 49er Hall of Famer, amongst others). In describing Walsh’s techniques, one young quarterback told of how Walsh stood directly behind him in an early practice session […]
Be Aware of the Serves Your Opponent Favors
I very much enjoyed watching the first two sets of Clijsters-Henin semi-final at Miami. (I didn’t see the last one.) Two great athletes, great movement, great shot-making, great emotional control. I must admit pulling for Clijsters, no particular offense to Henin, but Clijsters is known to be an exceptionally nice person. So I was frustrated […]
THE RETURN OF THE VOLLEY
By Allen Fox, Ph.D. c 2013, all rights reserved Over the years the game has evolved many times into many different forms. And it seems to be evolving yet again. The volley is beginning to reappear and assume, at the highest levels of the game, increasing importance. But it is not the volley of yesteryear, […]
