Wednesday, October 27, 2010

A couple of tennis lessons from the great Bill Tilden

Bill Tilden was the first great tennis superstar.

In 1950, he was voted by the AP sportswriters as the greatest player of the half-century.

His record 6 straight U.S. Open championships (1920-25) may never be beaten.

He led the U.S. to 7 consecutive Davis Cup victories (1920-26), a record still unmatched.

His instructional book Match Play and the Spin of the Ball (1925) is still regarded as an all-time classic and a tennis masterpiece.

Here are a couple of lessons from the player whom tennis history might call: The Master himself.

Best, Gary

Videos courtesy of tom47usa
http://www.youtube.com/user/tom47usa

(Watch them on You Tube.)

Beginner lesson



Advanced lesson



Monday, October 25, 2010

Timeless Strategy: Doubles is All About Your Double

Doubles is all about your Double . . . meaning setting up your partner for victory.

A timeless strategy in successful doubles play is playing for your partner - and setting him or her up for the "hero's winner."

Part of this strategy includes playing shots fearlessly from "no-man's land".

And it means hitting most of your transition shots to your opponent's feet.

This forces them geometrically to hit the ball up on their reply, thus often feeding your partner an easy put-away volley.

And a natural bonus to this strategy - you're both communicating and working together as a team.

Coach Brent Abel of WebTennis.com explains in this recent video:

Best, Gary