tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40398130658310696282024-09-04T21:24:24.306-04:00Tennis News, Information, Tidbits, Stories and Just About Anything for You: the League Player, the Weekend Warrior, the Recreational Racketeer or just about any who Loves Hitting that Fuzzy Yellow Ball Between the LinesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-43602266066005243952013-01-03T22:23:00.001-05:002013-01-04T03:32:49.338-05:00

I wanted to write an article about eye-hand coordination and then I decided not. I don't know that I needed to be told this, but perhaps I was told so. I have only been taught by a few pros, not that I didn't need nor still need some professional (psychiatric) help. I do, but this one pro who taught me all of one lesson back in the 80's said, "You just like being athletic. Quit

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-27504556607645184502013-01-03T01:21:00.001-05:002013-01-03T01:21:12.423-05:00

This is one of my articles from the "We've All Heard this Before" file, but I am still amazed. Playing tennis with a group a few weeks ago, I look over beyond a few vacant courts and I see this man at the net feeding (attempting to do so) balls to his three or four year old son (I assume). His son is about two feet behind the baseline, doing his best to swing the adult racket at the ball,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-74448657268824749962012-12-22T18:46:00.000-05:002012-12-30T18:26:11.588-05:00

Not that this hasn’t happened before, but this time I was purely a spectator. The other day while out at the sometimes-more-casual-than-I-would-prefer Moose League (actually not a league – just sounds good), I was coming off court and noticed about four or five players debating whether or not two different sets of balls were dead (no longer suited for play). We are never lacking for

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-52720549224670079662012-12-17T00:02:00.000-05:002012-12-21T16:40:58.690-05:00

I wrote this article several years ago when I was in the fitness biz, which I imagine I still am involved with in some fashion. I can't say I have learned much more about holiday eating since then. Much still holds true and except for those who are predisposed to over-eating (and perhaps these individuals as well) - we tend to eat more (or gain more body-fat) over the holiday season. This is

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-75042647299257608782012-12-02T18:07:00.000-05:002012-12-05T16:55:10.032-05:00

I was a lifeguard as a teenager, have been on or in three oceans, sailed many seas and lived in four coastal towns. In fact, I am overlooking the lake as I write this. But who is the first in my family to scuba dive? My sister. She recently went on a diving trip to the Grand Bahamas with Columbia Scuba, hosted by UNEXSO. I had no idea they took along a National Geographic film crew..

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-19704649262049494062012-11-27T15:46:00.000-05:002012-12-05T16:54:07.378-05:00

This is a follow up to my article Cats Don't Love Tennis.  I was bouncing around the Web searching for information for an upcoming article and I stumbled across the following video. Of course most of us are aware of this, but this is proof for those of you who are still trying to get your cat to play with a tennis ball for more than two seconds and actually enjoy it.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-88428562415258694502012-11-27T00:19:00.000-05:002012-12-05T16:54:29.861-05:00

I know this is exciting stuff. Not really, but you have to love those little things you buy and use that always work and don't seem to go away This is one of them. Fortunately, I can't lose it. 8 months later and it has a few more dings in the base from being dropped on the tennis court, falling off a piece of gym equipment or being launched from my bicycle during some crazy maneuver. I don't

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-64858179741463802962012-11-26T23:05:00.000-05:002012-11-27T10:15:56.053-05:00

I saw this tweet in my in-box a few hours ago from @mrsgnation (supposedly Brad Gilbert's wife - unconfirmed) and the image in the preview pane, at quick glance, looked like a cow. Well it's not - it's a goat. And her (@mrsgnation) tag line "I know things." is quite catchy with this in-your- face image of a goat in a field of grass and flowers.  This reminded me of a totally relative yet

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-79283572577675787462012-11-26T20:32:00.000-05:002012-11-27T13:43:50.909-05:00

All cohesion and teamwork can come together on the tennis court between friends and then again, well...maybe not. Most of us know the potential dangers of mixed doubles teams consisting of significant others and spouses. See 'Til Match Point Do We Part. And many of us male doubles partners may have some of the same issues to address on court, perhaps in a different manner, right or wrong (

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-80442108540540374842012-11-19T20:52:00.000-05:002012-11-26T01:28:51.981-05:00

In February of 2006, while at my desk, speaking with one of my members at the gym, one of our personal trainers shouted, "We have a member down". From where I was, I got a glimpse of the scene, realizing a few people were assisting someone on the main work-out floor. I ran to the small white wall-mounted cabinet which contains the AED (Automated External Defibrillator) we had recently

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-24296255919345492132012-09-03T15:02:00.000-04:002012-11-26T01:28:33.517-05:00

Okay, I stepped off the radar screen for nearly five months. There has been a new edition (addition as well) to the family (she’s wonderful). We are working on developing a new Web app, I am launching a Web development business with some associates and I have yet to take Our Tennis Team to the point I planned to many years ago. There is much to do. But, life is good. And then I learn

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-56593687133523978042012-05-16T09:11:00.000-04:002012-12-22T11:19:48.125-05:00

The following was inspired by my father, who served us all and fought in a war rarely recognized. Thankfully he is still living, vibrant and often, my tennis partner. In addition, I was more so inclined to write about this as I was the thankful recipient of a book (for which my father contributed) accounting for many events and the day-to-day lives of those who were ultimately called

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-37268243663809955902012-05-03T22:12:00.000-04:002012-11-26T21:02:40.140-05:00

This is a wonderful beef dish when done right and can be cooked court-side if you have a grill at your club.  If not, this is one of the few tasty beefs you can enjoy cold and serve at your next match or later in salads, or in other ways, such as hors devours.  Throw in a horse radish dip and you are done. London Broil is not a cut of beef as some butchers would have you believe.&

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-36798133454730681482012-04-30T20:03:00.000-04:002013-04-06T18:32:50.716-04:00

About 17 or so years ago I moved away from a flat first serve to a slice (which doesn’t imply kick/topsin) serve. Prior I was tossing more directly into the court rather than more down the base line and ripping it. Flat power (relative to level of play) serving, using so much forward motion of the body can be quite exhausting, inefficient use of the body and the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-39584049482869705802012-04-27T19:22:00.003-04:002012-11-26T21:06:07.476-05:00

Many years ago I lived at this dated, yet wonderful apartment community in Charlotte, NC. The architecture was timeless, not a single hardwood was felled unnecessarily, the property sat on rolling hills and it was on Providence Road. One could look at all 20 plus miles of Providence Road and not find a bad neighborhood or community, no matter how intense the search. My apartment was

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-81392527204566660402012-04-26T17:28:00.000-04:002012-11-26T21:06:19.917-05:00

I was living at an apartment community and although I could not be classified as a certified teaching pro, I mentioned to the property management that I would be glad to assist anyone wishing to learn how to play tennis. No big deal - I was willing to charge a measly $20 to $30 dollars an hour. I also took the opportunity to assist the community staff with establishing a schedule for the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-23739260742793553782012-04-26T00:40:00.000-04:002012-11-26T21:06:45.514-05:00

Oh, how do I say this? Do I need to? A well executed backhand slice is one of the nastiest shots in tennis to deal with. How do I know? Because I use it to a fault, perhaps not. I use the backhand slice when it becomes so effective and affordable. Send me a weak shot about waist or chest high and I’m giving you back a ball that is difficult to interpret and may not leave the court

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-49330539563159566512012-04-25T16:10:00.000-04:002012-11-26T21:07:36.352-05:00

I don’t know if an inordinate amount of British fans are following us or if soccer has the international presence I assumed it always has had. I believe the latter to be true as I went to check my Twitter account and was inundated with endless tweets about Chelsea. Andy Murray could have just won the French Open or Wimbledon and I don’t believe this would have passed through all the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-39419424981475495072012-04-23T23:48:00.000-04:002012-11-26T21:07:56.633-05:00

I bumped into an excellent video by Tom Avery on maximizing the one-hand top spin backhand stroke. This video is concise and covers his instruction from the proper points of view, making Tom's explanation easy to understand. As soon as he had covered the basic parts of the stroke and completed a full swing from preparation to finish, I was reminded of one player, Roger Federer. I remember

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-8118926972339724602012-04-20T22:31:00.000-04:002012-11-26T21:08:18.051-05:00

I here about some crazy things taking place when couples get together, but I’m not much into all that strange stuff. I’ve been there, but not on the couple level – my keys stay in my pocket if you know what I mean. But, when you are hanging out with some tennis friends, having dinner and a few many (oxymoron) drinks, enjoying a nice spring evening, and the host asks, “Have you seen my

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-1254911538529315302012-04-20T21:01:00.000-04:002012-11-30T06:02:25.595-05:00

We have all heard of eye-hand coordination, which to me relates to when one’s eyes are (through the brain) sending an adequate signal to the hands to perform the task at hand more accurately, with the most appropriate sense of direction and velocity. I was reminded of this again by a tweet by Rick Salas @tennistennis. One could probably paint this picture in at least a dozen different

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-30837167679717021052012-04-20T20:15:00.000-04:002012-11-26T21:10:42.089-05:00

Just created Pick a Pro on Find It. Trying to get our clothing on Amazon and I haven't written a thing in almost two weeks. Shoot me. On top of this, I have only played about 8 hours of tennis in the meantime.  I need some damn release - Moose League tennis tomorrow. These and a few other things will be mentioned in our newsletter, SPIN, to be published in a few days. In the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-65565204517333748412012-04-05T00:17:00.005-04:002012-11-26T21:10:59.925-05:00

I showed praise for Jo-Willie (no disrespect at all – he has a killer first name) in my article Da Huh in Doha (Can I get a Mop Please?), regarding a match between him and Gael Monfils. I believe we are giving audience to some of the best men’s tennis we have seen since the 70’s or early 90’s – just an opinion. The matches in the first decade of the new millennium were becoming too

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-59747085392345139462012-04-01T08:18:00.001-04:002012-11-26T21:11:48.077-05:00

I decided to sit down recently and watch a replay of the final match of this year’s ExxonMobil Open in Doha on Tennis Channel. It is Tsonga against Monfils and I’m loving watching these two French countrymen battle it out on court. It may not look like this at a glance as both players are such gentlemen on court. Looking at the actual play of game, they are mixing it up with some

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4039813065831069628.post-69529389499588311442012-03-30T00:46:00.001-04:002012-11-26T21:12:23.826-05:00

I don’t know what has been going on with Bernard Tomic and his father/(coach I guess), but obviously Ward isn’t ready for the Beave to go it on his own yet. Actually, this is a bad analogy, because Ward and June would allow Beaver to venture out into Mayfield and make his own mistakes. Eddie Haskell was usually his only obstacle. Of course Wally would save the day, but only if necessary.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0