The main purpose of this site is to help people enact life changes whilst improving tennis. Tennis is a metaphor for life. The way we move through space, handle pressure, diminish ego and embrace competition are comparable to business life and social interaction.

Alexander technique

The Alexander technique has been typically used with musicians and actors to maximize breathing capacity and posture alignment. It teaches how to free ones-self from self-imposed limitations that may have been incidentally learned in past skill building. Its main purposes are movement freedom, self-improvement affecting poise, impulse control and directing attention. After several sessions with Carolyn, I found I had a mechanical ability on all strokes. My serve speed improved and my arms became more relaxed over time. I introduced Carolyn Kepes to a few of my tennis players and they now see her on a regular basis. If you are interested in more information about the Alexander Technique you can email Carolyn at this address carolyn7k@gmail.com

Rolfing

I was lucky enough to receive a phone call recently from a woman named Aline Newton. Aline introduced me to rolfing and after two sessions I found I can move with more efficiency which also translated to the tennis court. Luckily enough, she was interested in learning tennis so our little barter worked out well.

Setting simple performance goals can be beneficial to your training sessions. Here are some suggestions.

Balance: Awareness of balance is a simple technique to get you started. It can be used in training or playing a practice match. Balance can be observed as static (being still) or dynamic. (in motion) You must try to not be critical of how well you balance in given situations, try only to be aware of how you move.

Posture: Training an entire session with awareness of how your spine is aligned in different positions requires much focus. Some optimal positions may be awkward like the lunge position, however this can be corrected in time if the intent is to align the spine on low balls.

The more experienced a coach becomes, the more he/she will realize that overloading advice has its unintended consequences. Coaches feel empowered after “giving a good lesson”. Students are usually satisfied with a coach who provides a library of knowledge on the tennis court, especially when beginning with a new client!

Parents are often surprised at my lessons involve almost no dialogue. Sometimes I’m asked “why do you let him get away with doing that”? I guess it’s then fair to ask, what are they paying me for?  Well, I believe that failure is necessary as long as observation and presence is taking place within the individual. If students are empowered to solve mechanical issues with the coach, they will become more efficient learners.