REFLECTIONS: Opening oneself up to EVALUATION is valuable feedback

People are a constant form of instantaneous feedback. They clap for appreciation, boo to show dislike, whistle over questionable decisions, and even downright yell in protest about things they believe in. Yet when it comes time for their voices to be heard on a survey, they will usually avoid any and all that come their way.  
    Knowing this, what did I do? I asked parents of students in my group lesson programs to fill out a survey. Well, it really is more of an evaluation of services performed by myself, for them and their kids, during the six-week tennis sessions I provide through the local recreation center. Does the township require it? No, not at all. But I realize that the only way to know what works, what doesn't, and what needs adjustment, is through honest, constructive feedback. 
So here is the criterion I use for my survey:

1. How well did the ACTIVITIES of the session align with the DESCRIPTION?
2. Were the OBJECTIVES of the session(s) accomplished?
3. How KNOWLEDGEABLE was the instructor in his area of expertise?
4. Did your child acquire any NEW SKILLS as a result of participation?
5. To what extent did the instructor present the lessons in an FUN way?
6. Did you gain any KNOWLEDGE that is relevant to you helping your kids on the court? 
7. Did the instructor MOTIVATE and instill the love of tennis in the kids?
8. Was there sufficient time spent on the majority of the activities?
9. Did the instructor keep you informed of time/date changes and/or provide avenues for you to stay informed by either phone, email, or internet?  
10. Would you RECOMMEND these lessons to other parents for their kids?

Each of these points are rated with a scoring system of 1-4 with 4 being the highest.Generally speaking, a healthy mix of 3 and 4's are reasonable and the best one can hope for. When someone marks all fours (or all threes for that  matter), and leaves no additional comments in that section, then it raises the red flag in my mind as to whether a parent really took the time to think it through. Feedback should not always indicate perfection, and I would never expect the highest rating in every category. Yes, I admit it. I am human and prone to less-than-perfect results each and every time.
    When I go to Starbucks, I expect the drink I ordered as requested. If it is sub-par, then it is my duty to let someone know. My experience is that they will happily fix the issue. That is called service, and one should expect nothing less. When I teach tennis, my job is three fold: make sure kids are safe, they have fun, and they learn something about tennis. If I've accomplished all three, then I've done a pretty good job. But teaching kids is not quite as easy as mixing a latte. I'm watching the activities based on my initial plan, adjusting to the dynamics of the group, taking heed of the remaining time of the session, and providing additional personal attention where needed. When I take the court, the parents have expectations for their dollar, the kids have needs and wants, and I personally have standards of my own to meet. We never have a bad class, but some classes go better than others. In 70 minutes, I try to provide a mix of fun games, footwork skills, tennis technique, and some overall general tennis knowledge. But in addition, I have worked diligently toward parent engagement. If parents are active participants in their child's activity during my sessions, they may be active with their kids on their own–acting as an extension of my lessons that helps solidify their child's growth and enjoyment of this sport. This has been and always will be my mission.  
    How did I do? Well, pretty good as I've just finished my 6-week Spring session. But there are a few points I want to consider based on parent feedback. The day for me to become satisfied with where I am, with no additional growth needed, will never come. Growth is life, learning is endless, and I will continually strive to provide the best programs possible as we continue our tennis programs throughout this year.

EPISODE 90 (Podcast): Are you smarter than a beginning player?

Looking back on your humble beginnings, perhaps it is time to appreciate all that you now take for granted on the tennis court. We all had to start somewhere, and there continue to be critical elements from where we began that may be worth revisiting.

NEWS: "Clayman" Nadal wins at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome

Nadal and Djokovic show sportmanship

The stage was set right from the outset. In the men's final at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Novak Djokovic faced two break points at the hand of clay court master Rafael Nadal. But the Serbian wall did stand in that game. Then at 5-5, the wall sprung its first tiny leak as Nadal broke to 6-5. One questionable line call led to the tiniest of mental gaps from the world number one Djokovic and, before you could say Guillermo Vilas, Nadal had taken the set 7-5. Both men pounded on offense and scrambled on defense, but when the clay dust cleared, Nadal had taken his 6th trophy at the Foro Italico, won his 21st ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown, and  recaptured his world number 2 ranking from Roger Federer. 

Said the 24-year-old Djokovic afterwards, "he is the best player in the world on this surface." The contest lasted two hours and 20 minutes and finished with the Djoker's 4th double fault and a final score of 7-5, 6-4. Novak has already taken the Australian Open this year where he defeated Nadal in an epic final. But Nadal has now taken the Serb twice on clay as they move towards the red clay French Open final at Roland Garros. Rafael Nadal may have found the formula he needed this year as he had seven consecutive losses to Djokivic between the Spring 2011 Indian Wells tournament and the 2012 Australian Open in January.  

I have little doubt that Djokovic will be searching deep to regain a foothold and maintain his world number one ranking as we move towards toward this years' other three Grand Slam tournaments. 

NEWS: Blue clay sprouts green cash and world #2 spot for Roger Federer

Roger kisses his wife after the win.

In the case of Roger Federer, Blue is the new Green. With his historic 20th ATP World Masters Tour 1000 titles in hand, Federer has managed to win at the Mutua Madrid Open over #7 Tomas Berdych, move into 2nd in the world ahead of long-time rival Rafael Nadal, and show winning form, at the ripe old age of 30, that has him taking 45 of his past 48 matches. By the score 3-6, 7-5, 7-5, Roger has not only won this tournament for the third time, but he gets himself within a single spot of regaining the world number one ranking–chasing the elusive record of Pete Sampras at 286 weeks. Federer is currently at 285 weeks after being displaced at the top spot by Rafael Nadal in June of 2010.
    If all of this was not enough to make one insanely jealous, Federer commented, "One of the great things with me in my life after everything that I have achieved already is to be able to travel with my family and share it with them, even though they don't quite understand what's happening yet. It's just nice that they are right there with me to share it." Ok Roger, just rub it in!
    Oh, and did I mention that he walks away with a a framed black suit from the movie Men in Black III presented to him by Will Smith himself? And there was also this little thing called a check bringing the Swiss Maestro over the $70 million dollar mark in career prize money.
    Perhaps it was the luck of wearing a blue shirt and headband while playing on blue clay. We may never know.

FAVORITE SITES: Timeless Tennis by Gary Bala

REPRISE: Tennis and the Power of Rotation from May 29, 2011
Video: Rotational Power of Federer and Nadal
By: TUENTRENADOR
Why is a rotating object so pleasing for us to see? 
Think of any rotating object - a ball, a sphere, or even a coin. Why do we like to watch it? read more...

NEWS: The Reign in Spain continues with Rafael Nadal

Another clay court title for the Spaniard

Two of the best players that the country of Spain has ever produced are no doubt Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer. So it should be no huge surprise that they were the ones to face off in the finals of the the Barcelona Open BancSabadell in Barcelona, Spain. The first set was a spectacular display of quality ball striking as the grunts produced by the two men showed their effort into each shot. When the clay dust cleared, Nadal had taken the tightly contested first set in a tiebreaker. The second set saw Nadal taking an early break, but Ferrer–ever the fighter–fought back and found himself at 5-6 in the second set and serving to stay alive. Nadal was to have none of that however after 2 hours and 40 minutes, as he became the only player in history to have won two tournaments at least 7 times.  
    In 2012, he has already won the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on red clay for the 8th time, and he took away his 48th ATP World Tour career title with the win in Barcelona. Ironically, David Ferrer has actually taken one more match this year than Nadal and has an additional championship trophy to his name for his troubles. 
    Nonetheless, Rafael Nadal walked away the champion of this matchup and is no doubt the man to beat for the remainder of the clay court season. 

NEWS: Nadal once again owns the red clay in Monte-Carlo with a win over Djokovic

Nadal congratulated by Djokovic

When is an upset not an upset? That depends on your definition. The world number one, Novak Djokovic, went up against a man he has beaten the last seven times in the last 18 months–Rafael Nadal–and lost. This took place at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in a dream final for a tournament director. When you get the two best players in the world–known rivals–to showcase your event by battling it out on the red clay, you have something special.
    As far as the rivalry is concerned, their performance at the Australian Open earlier this year was a much better performance with more drama and flip-flopping leads. Novak has been struggling all week while dealing with the grief of losing his grandfather during the term of this event. But professionals of his stature have a will of steel which will not bend until perhaps going up against nothing but the best. That describes Nadal on clay as he has won the last seven finals in Monte-Carlo. In this match, Rafa was the unabated windstorm who kept the pressure on Novak the entire match. The result was a less-than-stellar performance in return from Djokovic who lost by an uncharacteristic score of 3-6, 1-6. Hitting 25 unforced errors versus 11 winners for the match is no contest against probably the best the red dirt has ever seen.
    Djokovic may have struggled with mixed emotions about continuing to play tennis while feeling the loss of a very close family member, but that is not to take anything away from Rafael Nadal's performance. The Spaniard once again showed  how dominant he can be, and now with this win over Djokovic, he has broken the stranglehold Novak has had over him over the last 18 months. No one said it better than Nadal himself when he commented, during the trophy presentation, "after seven times, thanks for this one." Novak smiled and patted Nadal on the shoulder, but there is no doubt this rivalry will continue to heat up as the tennis year moves on.
    Congratulations to Rafael Nadal as the 2012 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters men's singles champion. 

EPISODE 89 (Podcast): When OPPORTUNITY knocks, open the door

Matches are won or lost on only a few critical points. When opportunities present themselves, it's essential to evaluate the circumstances, plot the counter-tactic, and proceed with implementation. Since tennis only allows a few seconds for all this processing, we need a roadmap that identifies common routes to success.


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NEWS: USA into the semifinals of the Davis Cup with Isner standing tall

The U.S. may be looking down the mountain for a change in Davis Cup action thanks to 6'9" John Isner. Currently ranked number 9 in the world and rising fast, Isner IS the mountain to climb. Defending champion Spain–three times a winner in the last four years–is the next opponent for the Team USA camp's quest for the Davis Cup as Isner and company took out a feisty French team in the quarterfinals this early April by a score of 3-2. 
    The win was clinched when Isner beat Joe Wifred-Tsonga in four sets by the score of 6-3, 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-3. Big John had already defeated Frances' Gilles Simon two days prior, and along with a win in doubles by the Bryan Brothers, a large task fell to the now Davis Cup veteran Isner as he faced world number 5 Tsonga. No problem, right? After all, Isner only took out Roger Federer by a score of 4-6 6-3 7-6 6-2-feds first loss in Davis Cup in 8 years-as the US defeated the Swiss team 5-0. 
    American captain Jim Courier–himself a 4 time Grand Slam title champion–feels very confident that his team's momentum will carry them into a formidable battle with Spain. Said Courier, "Spain, we’d probably lose it on paper. “But they don’t play it on paper. We have to play it and we have players who are capable and passionate and hungry. We’re going to be the underdog but we’ll be ready to play.”
    The U.S.A. has been the Davis Cup champions 32 times, but they have fallen short since their last win in 2007.

NEWS: Announcing FREE QuickStart Tennis Family Event in Sicklerville, NJ

Gloucester Twp. Community Park

Peter Cheeseman and Hickstown Roads

Sicklerville, NJ

Sponsored by Ron Miller of Gotta Play Tennis 

and Gotta Play Tennis Kids

in cooperation with Gloucester Twp. Recreation

EPISODE 88 (Podcast): Weapons of Mass CONSTRUCTION

We'll take a look at four underrated shots in today's tennis and evaluate  how these offensive and defensive weapons can help us construct a point.






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FAVORITE SITES: Timeless Tennis by Gary Bala

Posted: Sunday, April 8, 2012
Tennis Quote: Wanna Have Better Tennis Concentration? Get Back to Nature . . .


"Philosophers, writers and laypeople alike have long suspected that interacting with nature can have a positive effect on our ability to operate at our best. Recently, scientists have confirmed these...read more

REFLECTIONS: Plan "B" on the court

One of the careers I have been involved in along life's journey has been education. But for as much of the planner that I am, things do not always go as expected in the classroom. Therefore, when lesson plans are out the window, there needs to be a "Plan B."
    I began hitting again in 2012 thanks to the unseasonably warm weather this year. In this part of the upper northeast, I typically need wait until early April to be outside on the court (I rarely have played indoors  during the winter months). Last week was my third venture to the public park, and my hitting partner of several years and I have been working to regain the remnants of how we left our strokes back in mid-December of last year. Interestingly enough, we did retain quite a  bit. Session 1 was a great start, and session 2 continued along the right path. But session 3 was something I was not expecting. Usually one anticipates that they will peak sometime in the season when all has come together–physically, mentally, and emotionally. Early season hitting is expected to be the hard work and tuning that greases the wheels towards better ball striking.
    Then there was session 3. The ball seemed to always be in my wheelhouse. The court sucked my shots down to its surface. And my power and commitment to each stroke was, in my evaluation, off the charts (from my hitting experience). Power, consistency, tactics all clicked in combination. It felt AWESOME!
    Then there was hitting session 4. How do I follow a week in which I have had my best ball-striking ever? How do you NOT feel a letdown after the exhilaration of feeling at the top of your game? Well, there was a letdown indeed. Shots that always landed in the week before with pace and spin were missing their mark. Power was throttled as the timing was not exactly right. The ball found itself outside that ideal hitting spot more often than not. I felt a bit flat and underwhelmed by my performace.
    Enter "Plan B."  If PACE and hitting on pure talent was not winning me the rallies, and since it was obvious that the magic of a perfectly timed kinetic chain was not to be, then CONTROL was the new black (as opposed to pink). I transitioned my game from high-racquet speed, pulverizing forehands and solidly-driven backhands to shorter but extremely accurate placements. I mixed up the pace and spin, and most importantly, continued to place the ball always just slightly out of reach. Never underestimate how much this both physically and mentally wears out an opponent. Drop shots and sidespin slices became standard fare and worked their magic indeed.
    As I've gotten older, I've most definitely become a much smarter and better player. But we all have our good days and bad ones. A bad day is when I leave the court and think of shots that might have been. But with experience comes the ability to turn things around. To keep doing what is not working, and expecting to get better results, is not intelligent tennis. Thanks to having the courage and practiced-skills to execute a "Plan B", I now believe that I can, more often than not, turn an initially disappointing hitting session into a fighting chance to leave the court with my head held high. And if we walk away uninjured, having had a great workout, and leave with a feeling of accomplishment, can we expect any more of ourselves or this game than this?

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NEWS: Novak no Djoker in win over Murray in Miami

Joining an elite group of only two others who have hoisted this trophy for the third time, Novak Djokovic repeated as champion at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida on Sunday, April 1st. In the good company of Andre Agassi and Peter Sampras–both three time winners–Novak took the win from the 2009 titleist Andy Murray by a score of 6-1, 7-6(4).
    Although April 1st is traditionally known as April Fools Day in the states, a day earmarked for one to play practical jokes or hoaxes on one another, Novak was no Djoker. He totally dismantled Andy Murray in the fist set with offensive powerful forehands, defensive all court coverage, and the overall solid play we have come to expect from the man sometimes referred to as simply Nole.
    The second set was a horse of a different color–91 minutes in length–as this seesaw battle went the distance (in two sets) and was settled in a tiebreaker 7 points to 4. In the end, Novak come through with some strong serving and relentless groundstrokes that absorbed the Murray offensive push and gave it back in spades. 
    Since January of 2011, Djokovic has won 4 of 6 matches between the two. But Murray's recent win over Novak in the semifinal round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in straight sets, and his epic 5-set loss in the semi's of the 2012 Australian Open, show that Andy certainly has the chops to give the world number one something to think about each time they take the court.

REFLECTIONS: Something is missing from P.E. in schools

Maybe it is just me, but something seems to be missing from P.E. in public schools in the U.S. Besides the smelly sweat socks and aroma of wintergreen-scented muscle soreness cream I recall from my youth, team sports was the curriculum most impressed upon us. It seemed like the gym class mission for every student in this country was to be taught how to hit and run bases in baseball, defend and attack a soccer goal, and play a man-to-man defense in basketball. Track and field events were a close second as we seemed to be always working towards running the elusive comfortable mile.
    But times have changed. Or have they? I am not and have never been a teacher of physical education in schools so I don't pretend to have any idea of the content in their curriculum. In other words, I am far from a P.E. expert. However, it seems to make sense that our youth would be given the same level of instruction in sporting endeavors that included both individual and team oriented activities. That was not what I experienced.
    This time of year, or actually further into the season (since it has been so unseasonably warm this year in March), students would be pushed onto a tennis court with ancient racquets, tennis balls only suitable for one's pet, and little to no instruction about technique, scoring, strategy, or movement. I can't really blame the teachers since I know all too well from my own educational experience how much content they are probably required to cram into about a 185-day school year. But it is clear that tennis in NOT a priority in the curriculum. It seems to barely be a blip on the radar.
    So no one cares about tennis you say? I beg to differ. We just recently finished the BNP Paribas Open located in Indian Wells, California. The largest of the combined ATP World Tour (men) and WTA (women) events, it broke attendance records for the sixth straight year and welcomed 370,408 fans to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden during this two-weeks of world class tennis. Certainly attendance like this as a U.S. tennis event must warrant another look at the growing popularity of tennis and how much emphasis we place on sports in schools that we are unlikely to actively pursue past our school years. How many parents over the age of 40 play soccer, football, baseball, or run track and work on standing broad jumps? In other words, it seems that kids are being primed for sideline-adults who become content to simply follow their favorite teams instead of enjoying a scaled-back version of healthy athletic action.
   The last time I checked, tennis was A LIFETIME SPORT. Certainly it is not the only one since golf ranks highly in this category. But I challenge you to compare the physical advantages gained by hitting tennis balls in a court versus a golf ball on a course. Notice any overweight tennis players on tour versus what we see on the PGA? That could be because the ATP and WTA players are hitting balls about every few seconds while golfers take a swing maybe every few minutes or even longer. Oh, and there is no cart in tennis that takes you to the next shot.
   The reason I bring this up is that my continued observation of teenagers on the courts show that most have absolutely no clue about anything tennis. They are having fun, getting exercise, and breathing in relatively fresh air. This is all good. But they seem to have learned nothing from P.E. classes about this sport, and it is a shame that their level of frustration grows quickly as they miss one shot after another due to a lack of even rudimentary knowledge of stroke production or court positioning. Why would any kid want to keep pursuing a sport that schools care so little about. I know in my high school, most of the sports budget went to the football team. I wonder how many from the team are playing football today? My athletic pursuit was the tennis team, and decades later I'm still running around the court. I may have not been one of the highly popular football jocks, but at least I'm still using the skills I started developing in my youth. This is simply the nature of a lifetime sport.
    Is is possible we can elevate the status of tennis just a bit as we see the well-documented healthy and worthwhile activity it could be in our public school systems? Tennis has a low barrier to entry, free public court availability, can be played day and night (where lighting is in place) and needs as few as two people for participation. If we could just break out of the "must be a team sport" mentality and realize that LIFE is an individual sport that brings the following: your individual report card, your individual high school diploma, your individual college degree, your individual résumé, your individual interview, your individual job, etc.
   No man is an island, and we must interact with each other in a synergistic fashion for maximum results. There is little doubt that teamwork is an extremely valuable lesson. But you might think that P.E. teachers never heard of the Davis Cup where the best international tennis athletes come together and compete for their county on a team of players who on any other given day would be their individual competition at tournaments. Perhaps we could pay attention to the individual-effort sports just a little bit more. Physical Education in schools seems like it would be a great place to promote the lifetime activity of tennis in order for one to potentially gain a healthier and more energetic lifestyle. Screaming for your favorite team from the couch may be fun, but actually competing head-to-head in an athletic activity is much better for you and unquestionably more aerobic.

EPISODE 87 (Podcast): The key qualities of a tennis instructor

How do you know if someone is a good fit for you, or your child, when it comes to adding or growing tennis in your life? Here are a few characteristics to look for in a good tennis instructor.

Subscribe in iTunes:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/gotta-play-tennis/id310096949

FAVORITE SITES: Timeless Tennis by Gary Bala

Posted: Sunday, March 18, 2012
The 2012 BNP Paribas Open Championships at Indian Wells, CA USA
Indian Wells, CA - Like fine wine or cheese, he just keeps getting better with age...read more

FAVORITE SITES: Timeless Tennis by Gary Bala

Posted: Sunday, March 4, 2012
Energy! It's the Foundational Force in Tennis and the Universe...

Energy in the Universe
On October 04, 2011, three U.S.-trained physicists, Saul Perlmutter, Brian Schmidt and Adam Riess, won the Nobel Prize in Physics for a stunning discovery...read more

NEWS: Federer continues his winning ways as he takes the Dubai Duty Free title

After losing in the semifinals of the U.S. Open to Novak Djokovic in 2011, one might have thought that the now thirty-year-old Roger Federer might have had a let down. After all, he has won 16 Grand Slam titles and is certainly always discussed when considering a name for the best tennis player of all time. But since that loss, Roger Federer has won 33 of his last 35 matches. 
    The 2012 title and trophy from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is now his for the fifth time in 10 years as he defeated No. 4 Andy Murray by a score of 7-5, 6-4. "It's great. There is no substitute to confidence," said Federer. And why wouldn't this Swiss maestro be confident. This is his second victory at a final in three weeks having taken the ABM AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam where he beat No. 10 Juan Martin in straight sets.
    Andy Murray had been hoping to capture the Dubai title after soundly beating world No. 1  Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals by a score of 6-2, 7-5. When asked about the tournament, Murray replied, "But overall it was a good week. It was perfect preparation for the stretch over in America. Got through very tough matches against top, top players, so it was good."
    Federer is playing some very inspired tennis in the twilight of his career as he eyes more Grand Slam trophies for himself as well as a potential Gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. The year started off in spectacular fashion for tennis at the Australian Open, and if the tennis  continues to sizzle with performances from Federer and the other top players we have seen so far, we are all in for a real treat.