"Pancho Segura wants me to think about situations. But I am not the type of player who responds well to a lot of thinking," recently retired tennis pro Andre Agassi said, commenting about his former coach in 1993.

Coaches continually talk about the importance of being mentally tough, one's ability to come through in the clutch, but unless you have some kind of game with good fundamentals, you may have little chance to succeed.

Too often, young players are trying to use particular strokes that do not match their body type.

For example, a rapidly growing boy who is incapable of moving well is frequently suited with big complicated strokes.

When he struggles to fetch a routine ball, his big loopy forehand strokes look awkward. When an instructor is coaching his new student, he must understand the person's anatomical skills.

In other words, when a coach has four students on his coach, he probably will implement four different strategies for each player. Therefore, the slow-moving athlete may need to construct a simple backswing (No. 2 or No. 3 modern game approach) instead of the bigger, more-complicated No. 5 backswing.

In order for a player's strokes to be effective, she must be able to arrive at the ball on time with great comfort.

To be a great player, one must utilize her footwork skills with her groundstroking talents.

"You can be the best ball striker there is. But if you can't get to the ball, it doesn't matter," Martina Navratilova said on the subject.

Winning
Whether I've been instructing hundreds of players each year or viewing several hundred more on the junior circuit, the players with the best strokes are winning most of the contests.

Sure, there are exceptions, particularly at the recreational level, where solid athletic ability might aid a player in the 3.0 or 3.5 level.

However, if the CTA league player is competitive, he or she will seek out a "stroke" coach to improve flawed technique.

Last month, four 10-year-old advanced beginners arrived on court and not one junior had solid groundstroking fundamentals. In particular, each child struggled with the beginning and the ending of their strokes.

The general approach was to "poke" at the ball and hope for the best. However, each player was coachable; they all wanted to learn a new approach.

It was also clear to me that there was a direct relationship between their stroking skills and their love of the game.

To my astonishment, all four kids completely revamped their groundstrokes in a span of a few weeks and the smiles on their faces told the rest of the story.

One of the methods that we use to measure a person's stroking abilities is to have the kids hit strategic objects. Most importantly, every tennis player is on the move when he is attempting to hit targets in specific areas.

Fun

Also noteworthy, use fun items (blown up toys, animals, topical movie figures, pockets attached to the net with different colors and more) to stimulate the environment.

When adults or juniors are motivated, they will do almost anything to achieve their goals.

To me, it is crucial to have our students stroking the balls like the top pros.

Yes, we want our players to aim to the highest mountain with little to no limitations. One never knows who the next superstar will be; if they have a passion to succeed, don't ever dampen their enthusiasm.

If the player soon develops solid fundamentals, her love of the game will increase as well as their time on the practice court. And when the strokes are honed and solid, the love of the game rises.

- Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Director of Tennis and the Community Tennis Association President. Doug and his wife Leslie have enjoyed teaching players of all abilities at Hideaway Beach for over a decade. He can be reached by e-mail at DBrowne912@aol.com.

 

Matt Browne on the road winning the title in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Well-documented

As a long-time junior tennis coach who has taken kids throughout the state and nation, I have a well-documented checklist to help prepare my students during competition on the road:

Use MapQuest or a GPS device to locate exact tournament location.

 Use the Internet to reserve hotel rooms.

 Check into hotel and unpack luggage.

 Immediately drive (set automobile odometer) to the tournament site and gauge travel time. If the event starts on a weekend, allow extra time on Monday or Tuesday.

Set three different alarms. Call front desk for wake-up call, set the in-house hotel alarm and finally, set the cell phone alarm.

 For early match times, wake up at least three hours in advance.

 An eat-to-win dinner w/ pasta, no alcohol, and get to bed early.

 Go over the next day's plan and make necessary notes to free up the mind for a good night's   sleep.

 Shower, get dressed and begin to eat a nutritious meal with water.

 Travel to the practice venue with plenty of practice tennis balls and begin slow warm-up exercises.

 Allow ample time to serve, return serve and mimic strokes that will occur in the match.

 If possible, scout future opponents for best preparation.

 Pack plenty of water, extra equipment and re-string each racket before departure.

 Shop for protein bars, bananas, caps, towels and other accessories for all weather conditions.

 Allow extra time for pre-game meals, pre-game hitting sessions and ample stretching.

Big dividends

OK, we have outlined our tasks to the finest details; one would argue that we are a little too persnickety, but it will pay big dividends throughout the excursion.

If you are fortunate to have a scouting report, make sure to put it to full use.

For example, if you are playing against a big serving duo, spend most of your time on service returns in order to negate their strengths.

If your coach or peer has alerted you to the opponent's excessive lobbing, practice plenty of overhead smashes before the match.

Remember what Benjamin Franklin once said, "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."

In the case of the winning tennis entrant, you will unclog your mind if you have all of the details covered.

If your mind is operating at its best, your body will soon follow.

If you have fully rehearsed before each competition, you may overwhelm your opponents and they may not have the time to recover.

Psyche them out

If you are ready to "jump" on your foes from the outset, you may ultimately psyche them out of winning the big USTA match.

Good luck and let me know how you do when you travel to your next tennis outing.

 Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Director of Tennis and the Community Tennis Association President. Doug and his wife Leslie have enjoyed teaching players of all abilities at Hideaway Beach for over a decade. He can be reached by e-mail at DBrowne912@aol.com.
 

Last week, I read a fascinating article about the pro tour and who is coaching whom.

As one would suspect, there have been numerous coaching divorces over the years, which should surprise no one.

But the one aspect of the pro coaching world that piqued my mind was that there are few women coaching on the WTA tour.

Look no further than legend Martina Navratilova, arguably one of the greatest tennis players of all time. And, if we combine her singles record with her doubles feats, she and friend Billie Jean King stand alone.

In my mind, Navratilova can still trade balls with any highly ranked player and most importantly, offer a wealth of knowledge to her young protege.

And, if Martina Navratilova wanted to observe her student competing in a big practice match, she could hire a hitting partner and view the match on the sidelines.

Look what Navratilova had to endure to become the No. 1 player in the world. She had to leave the comforts of home, learn a new language, eat new foods and compete in the dog-eat-dog world of professional sports.

Struggles

Navratilova's early struggles are well documented; former tennis star Ilie Nastase ridiculed her for her weight and clearly doubted her commitment to the game.

Not only did Navratilova alter her eating habits, she also embraced the fitness world (including nutrition) well before it gained its current popularity.

With her stronger body and mind, Navratilova rose to the top of the world rankings.

Today, she is one of the rising tennis television broadcasters and her opinions about the game are refreshing and candid.

Have you ever witnessed a press conference after Martina had a set back? Without a doubt, she is one of the most gracious "losers" I have ever had the pleasure to listen to.

Instead of focusing on herself, she eliminates her own ego and will talk about how well her opponent played on that given day.

Wisdom

Do you think she could pass on this wisdom to her students?

I had the pleasure of spending a small amount of time with her at the old Tournament of Champions event in Haines City, Fla. (in 1983, she was the No. 1 player in the world) and her selfless attitude shined through.

On this particular occasion, I was practicing with her fitness partner, Nancy Lieberman, when she came up to my wife and asked, "Is it OK for me to sit down here next to you?

"I would really like to watch Nancy hitting some balls," Navratilova continued.

Leslie Browne looked up, stunned and said, "Of course."

For the next 10 minutes, Navratilova, chatting with Leslie Browne, offered one compliment after another; "It is so nice of your husband to hit with my friend, he is clearly a better player and for him to take the time �"

A short time after we finished our hit, Navratilova came over and gave me a polite "nod" and moved on to the practice court.

One of the many reasons I believe that Navratilova would be a great coach is due to Jimmy Connor's accomplishments with American star Andy Roddick.

Many tennis experts were skeptical about the Connors-Roddick arrangement; how could the two egos co-exist?

Frankly, I was delighted to see the partnership excel, but was surprised.

Immediately after the two had worked together in California, Roddick's on-court confidence was apparent and his two-handed backhand looked improved.

Perhaps more importantly, Roddick's foes could feel the Connors mystique and that aura echoed throughout the tennis world.

Imagine if Navratilova were the primary coach for Serena Williams. Soon after their partnership, I believe that we would see a sculpted, well-conditioned world-class athlete who would be motivated to dominate the women's tour like we have never seen.

Win

With Navratilova's influence, I believe that Serena could win the Grand Slam of tennis: Winning the Australian, French, Wimbledon and the US Open.

Is it OK for me to dream?

- Doug Browne is the Hideaway Beach Director of Tennis and the Community Tennis Association President. Doug and his wife Leslie have enjoyed teaching players of all abilities at Hideaway Beach for over a decade. He can be reached by e-mail at DBrowne912@aol.com.