Tennis Quote of the Day: "Nothing is impossible, if you work hard."

Meet the armless para-Table Tennis champion from Egypt -- Ibrahim Hamato, Silver medalist, 2013 African Para-Table Tennis Championship

Article from CNN

Video: Official ITTF Channel

Tennis Quote of the Day: Defeats Breed Victory

Tennis Quote of the Day: Strength and Recovery - Li Na

"Tennis has changed a bit. It's not just about technique. You have to stay stronger. And as you get older, you get more experienced. When I come to the court now, I know exactly what to do. I take more care of myself away from the court. I know what's good for my recovery, I'm careful with what I eat."
---Li Na, May 25, 2014 

Wanna Join the Player Party for the 2014 Roland Garros (French Open)?

The Smart Tennis Racket: The next step in tennis evolution?

The smart tennis racket, say the advocates, will usher in something special --- a whole new era of tennis improvement for pros and the rest of us.

"In 10 years, you won't have any rackets which are not [smart] connected," claims Eric Babolat, CEO of the French tennis manufacturer.

What is the smart tennis racket? And how does it work?

It's a racket embeded with a hi-tech computer chip --- to record every shot, angle and stroke as you play. The recorded data is then transmitted to your smartphone via Bluetooth. 

And voila: now you can analyze power of shots and level of spin, and even endurance, technique, consistency, energy level and so on.

Mark Petchey, former coach of Andy Murray, declares that the new technology has "limitless potential", and can "change the way we think about coaching."

Find out more below.
Best,
Gary

Article: 'Smart' tennis racquet records spin, shots and power (The Telegraph, May 14, 2014)

Roger Federer Through the Google Glass

Roland Garros 2014 - Are you ready?

Tennis Topic of the Day: Re-Purpose Your Tennis for Character Development

"[U]se the demands and stress of tennis to become strong, resilient people of great character . . . . Care more about who you are becoming because of tennis. [The] most important imperative is winning with character. Every day of tennis represents another opportunity to grow in self-control, respect for others, positivity, persistence and trustworthiness. No matter how far you go as a player, if you use tennis to strengthen your character, tennis will always be a priceless gift."

-- Jim Loehr Ph.D., The Only Way to Win, (New York, NY: Hyperion, 2012) Page 29-30.
World-Class Performance Psychologist, and Leader in Character Development Psychology
Co-founder of Human Performance Institute 

Got an extra 60+ minutes?
Watch Jim Loehr make the argument that tennis is the number one sport for building character.
By: tennis5150

Tennis Topic of the Day: Wanna be happy in tennis or life? Just let your natural and happy "human nature" be!

"A tennis player once spent his whole life trying to become No. 1 in the world. He amazingly achieved that goal, but when he got there, he said, "Is this it?" His happiness was short-lived. As a matter of fact, this player admitted that he looked forward more to mowing his lawn than playing tennis. . . . We were born happy. Don't believe me? Look at small children; my 10-month daughter, Ava, exudes happiness. . . . There's only one thing that can make you feel anything, including happiness . . . thought. What we think, we feel. Period. . . . Happiness is our true nature. . . . we naturally float back to happiness when we just let go of thinking that pops in our heads. . . when our minds are clear, the sky's the limit. . . Happiness comes from us, and we all have the potential to be happy. How do we access that potential? [R]emember the John Lennon song . . . "Let it be."

--Ed Tseng
Peak Performance Consultant and Author
Happiness: Three Things You Probably Didn't Know
Web: www.edtseng.com

Video: Ultimate Compilation of Roger Federer's Tennis Strokes in Super Slow Motion

By: Essential Tennis
Please visit Ian Westermann's comprehensive and instructive website: EssentialTennis.com

Tennis Quote of the Day: Practice Smart

"Tennis is a technique game. Too many errors are what get most people beaten. Practicing "smart" in addition to practicing "long" leads to the best execution of all. Practicing "smart" means applying constant, concentrated thought to your games during practice sessions. This is hard mental work. And it should concentrate on producing the perfect stroke on each repetition. Each one increases the strength of a habit. And your objective is to program into your bank of habits the most mechanically perfect stroke you can."

--Allen Fox, Ph.D.,
former Wimbledon Quarterfinalist, Coach and Author
"Perfect Practice", Tennis Magazine (May/June2014), Page 70

Topic of the Day: Balance is Everything in Tennis and Life

"Losing balance while hitting causes 80% of all errors. . . Top players almost never lose balance, and if they do, then they usually hit the ball like any other amateur player, because they are subject to the same laws of mechanics . . . The key is to keep control of your center of gravity as much as  possible while you are playing."
--Feisal Hassan, USPTA Master Professional

Read more about building balance skills in tennis: 

"Acquiring Balance Skills Essential for Tennis"

Feisal Hassan, USPTA Master Professional

Tennis Quote of the Day: Do What You Can Now