Learning from Ballet: Darcey Bussell and the Art of Dreaming with Your Feet

What can Darcey Bussell's magnificent ballet teach tennis players about court movement?

Observe carefully:
*Precision of the human feet
*Always on the toes
*Graceful agility
*The power of rotation
*Perpetual balance

Superb!

Best,
Gary

Video: Darcey Bussell 

Learning from Dance: Fred Astaire and the Fine Art of Balance, Rhythm and Fluidity

What can Fred Astaire's masterful dance to "Puttin' on the Ritz" teach tennis players about court movement?

Observe carefully:
*Balance from the core
*Relaxed fluidity
*Moving gracefully to rhythm
*The power of rotation
*Supreme confidence in body language

Fantastic!

Best,
Gary

Video: Fred Astaire (set to Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal)

Tennis Quote of the Day: Work Harder at Working Smarter

Tennis Quote of the Day: Work and Work Harder

Tennis Quote of the Day: Keep Your Balance by Moving

Tennis Quote of the Day: Your Best Teacher

Tennis Quote of the Day: The Next Point

Tennis Quote of the Day: Hazel Wightman on Tennis

"You have to discover your own rhythm, and when you do, it's the easiest game in the world. Here's the first principle of tennis. It's your thinking that counts most. Forty-love is no lead unless you think so. Here's the second principle of tennis. Just get the ball over the net so your opponent can lose the point."

--Hazel Wightman (1886-1974) "Queen Mother of Tennis"
17 Grand Slam Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist,
Founder of the Wightman Cup, Author and Teacher, International Hall of Fame Inductee
Web: Wightman Tennis Center

Tennis Quote of the Day: Mastery Means Learning from Failure

Town & Country Magazine (October 2014): Roger Federer Profile

Read this month's Town & Country Magazine profile of Roger Federer, his tennis and lifestyle, in the twilight of his professional career. 

Web: Roger Federer

Video: The Meaning of Tennis

                     Courtesy: The Tennis Congress

Learning from the Martial Arts: The Art of Effortless Power

Coach Jim McLennan identifies how the martial arts disciplines offer tennis players a conceptual framework to help develop "effortless power" on court. 

"Five fundamental principles in the martial arts - and to my mind they are outstanding and totally applicable to tennis - [are]: 
1. Relaxation
2. Feeling the whole body
3. Moving from the Center
4. Being grounded
5. Calmness" 

---Coach Jim McLennan, Website: EssentialTennisInstruction.com 

For more reading: Zen Body-Being: An Enlightened Approach to Physical Skill, Grace and Power, Peter Ralston, (Frog Books: 2006), 200 Pages.

In Memorium: Vic Braden (1929 - 2014), Legendary Teacher, Author and Tennis Popularizer

Tennis Quote of the Day: Consistency

In Memorium: Welby Van Horn (1920 - 2014), Legendary Coach, Teacher and Player

Tennis Quote of the Day: The Player's Racket

"Rackets are the most important thing for a tennis player. Understanding it. Knowing it. Trusting it. It's part of your family. Those stories of people putting their rackets on their bed and sleeping with them [are true], it's what we live with. We see more of our rackets that we do of anyone else in our lives."

--Darren Cahill, former professional player, world-class coach, sports television commentator and 'racketologist', January 2014