TennisIDENTITY

Love tennis? Embrace that slide; Brad Gilbert talks clay.

So you're a hard-court hot-shot. How do you do on clay? If you are like many U.S. trained players you might be a clay court-avoider. Not a good idea says Brad Gilbert, player turned coach, commentator and former spokesperson for Har-Tru.*

Gilbert says the U.S. needs a bigger clay court culture. Why? Because, "more than 80% of the top 10 players in the world have spent at least half their training time on clay, a stat that goes back to 1968."  

"Clay teaches discipline and how to build a point," says Gilbert. "There are no cheap shots. It's harder to put the ball away." Like many Americans, Gilbert admits he didn't embrace the surface, something he still regrets. 

Playing on clay means:

Long points -- which translate to improved decision making, patience and mental toughness; 

Occasional irregular bounces and condition changes -- making strokes more adaptable; 

Learning angles and spin control -- it's tough to end a point so players learn shot variety;

Healthier joints -- the surface is more forgiving especially if you move well. Roger Federer is a great example of a top clay courter that could play into his mid 30s. Anyone over 45 will feel the difference as it's so much easier on the body.

Gilbert recommends that competitive players spend at least half their training time on clay (like those in the top 10) if looking to grow their game. High school or college players using hard courts should use time-off to work on clay, focusing on topspin, accuracy and consistency.

Dubs lovers, clay-play teaches you to be more accurate and deliberate, ready for anything to come back. 

 Problem is, clay tennis courts are harder to find in the U.S. than in most tennis playing countries. Argentina and Spain are loaded. Cheaper to maintain, hard has been the go-to surface in the States for a long time. Clearly U.S. tennis needs to embrace the slide and add more clay, especially where competing kids are learning. 

Is it coming? Florida, a training hot-spot and home to many playing seniors has 50% of the nation's clay. More regions should follow suit. There are also a growing number of junior clay court tournaments popping up around the country. In 2011 for example, The Orange Bowl, also in Florida, changed its surface to clay. Some larger tennis academies have added clay courts. John McEnroe's Academy in New York has 10 Har-Tru and 10 hard.

One clay court teaching specialist is the Academia Sanchez-Casal in Naples, Florida, sister academy to the famed academy of same name in Barcelona, Spain. The program offers 37 clay and 1 hard court. 

Hard court lovers, there IS method to the dirty madness. 

*Har-Tru, a clay court brand,  is the world's largest manufacturer of clay court surfaces.

 

 

 

Tennis on an aircraft carrier. More in March.

The new QuickStart lines are down on hard courts across the US -- those faint lines that delineate smaller courts that get younger kids playing more successfully when combined with kid sized equipment. Now to get them out there.

Last week USTA Eastern set up a court inside the landmark Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York (the museum is in a retired aircraft carrier) giving hundreds of kids the chance to introduce themselves to the game in a very cool setting.

Pictured, Patrick McEnroe, General Manager of USTA Player Development, chats with two aspiring hot shots. “...this is great to get the message out to people,” said McEnroe during a clinic. “I think those of us inside the tennis world know about [Quick Start], but most people don’t. And this could show the average family with kids that tennis really can be kid-friendly.” 

Lots of tennis events coming up in the US in March kicking off with Tennis Night in America March 5 at Madison Square Garden (where I once watched the Grateful Dead play...Times have changed).

5 things players do wrong when looking to grow game. Tips from the new Blackman Tennis Academy.

Martin Blackman opens Blackman Tennis Academy in Delray Beach, Florida today. "After three very rewarding years wth USTA Player Development, I want to get back to my passion of coaching committed junior players," said Blackman. 

Blackman is the former USTA Senior Director of Talent Identification and Development, past head of the Junior Champions Center in College Park, Maryland and Men's Tennis Coach at American University. His new academy will operate as a boutique training facility that will focus on developing high performance players. 

I asked Blackman the 5 most common things players at all levels do wrong when looking to grow their game. Here is his list:

1. Most players who do not consider themselves high performance do not set long-terms goals for themselves. Learn from recreational runners; most of the runners I know have goals and benchmarks for their ‘times’ and training. They stay motivated and focused by going after their goals and hitting their benchmarks. Tennis players of all levels should meet with their instructor or ‘team captain’ or doubles partner to set short, mid and long-term goals for their game.

2. Most players forget that tennis is characterized by three major elements:

    Tennis is a running game.

    Tennis technique is dictated by parameters (a range of acceptability for grips and stroke production).

    Tennis is a game of errors not winners.

Those three elements define tennis at every level; athleticism, technical competency and tenacity are the trifecta of tennis. Players should seek an honest appraisal of those three aspects of their game, and ask their coach to formulate a plan to improve one area at a time. The goals should be realistic, based on the limitations of the player’s abilities and the amount of time that they are able to devote to training. 

3. Most players don’t understand the role of practice. The terms ‘deep practice’ and ‘deliberate practice’ describe the neural processes involved with learning skills. Repetitions of any sort create neural pathways in the brain, therefore, if I have been hitting my forehand the wrong way for 10 years, I won’t be able to fix it in ten days!

The rule of thumb is, the more ingrained the habit, the more deliberate the practice necessary to correct it. Supervised drills and repetition will replace "bad habits" with the correct technique. Supervision is a necessity for correcting a bad habit, because the player will invariably return to the old habit when fatigued or unfocused.

 The flip side is, when the player – typically a young child - is taught the right way the first time, he or she can engage in deep or deliberate practice on their own, without supervision. In tennis, this could mean practice sets, or hitting against a backboard or shadowing.

4. Many players need to spend more time practicing patterns off the serve and return. At every level of instruction and play we don’t spend enough time on the serve and return. The serve especially, is the beginning of holding serve, which should be a tactical goal for players of all levels.

As a coach, I love to work on ground stroke and transition patterns, getting high reps and getting my player to move and execute correctly, to high percentage targets. But now, in order to help my players improve their serves and returns, I often start the drill with them serving or returning, to give the drill a more realistic context. I will not feed the ball unless the player makes the serve or return, and my feed will be based on the strength and placement of their serve.

Having said that, the serve is the most complex stroke in the game, and must be worked on in isolation as well, to ensure good reproducible techniques.

5. ‘Playing up’ too much.  Everyone wants to play up! Tennis players love to play players that are better or ranked higher than they are. There is a simple reason for this, when we play up; there is no pressure! We typically hit out, and play better than we would in a high pressure situation. There is one big problem with this desire to always play up:

Playing up means losing. Playing up all the time, means losing all the time.

I can’t think of any reminder more important to coaches, players and parents alike, than WINNING IS A HABIT!

 

Sloane Stephens. On growing up tennis, style and Korean BBQ.

Sloane Stephens often comes up when discussing young US tennis talents. Keep an eye out for her at the inaugural Citi Open at the Tennis Center in College Park Maryland but get to know her first. At 18, she's ranked 125 in the world (WTA):

How old were you when you started tennis? I was 9 years old when I started taking tennis lessons.

When did you click as "committed" to the game? I started playing USTA tournaments when I was 10 but everything really didn't "click" for me until I was 12.

As you spent years focused on growing your game did you feel torn about missing some of the regular teen stuff friends were doing? This was definitely a tough issue for me. I was home-schooled from 6th grade on so I always knew that I was missing school activities and gatherings with my friends. 

What would you say to teen players who are struggling with this? In the long run, the commitment to tennis pays off. I love tennis, so personally, I didn't mind the sacrifice. For teen players who are struggling, I would encourage them to follow their dreams and not let anything stand in the way. 

Favorite surface? Red Clay!

Tennis racquet? Head Prestige.

Tennis apparel sponsor? Under Armour. The best!

Do you get to pick what you wear on court? I pretty much have a choice of a number of different outfits that I travel with. Under Armour makes sure that I have a variety of outfits and colors.

Do you like a certain style? I like to be comfortable...and sporty!

Any pre-match rituals? I listen to my pre-match playlist.

Favorite band/singer? Beyonce.

I saw you featured in Teen Vogue. Did you have fun doing that piece? I really loved doing the shoot for Teen Vogue. It was a lot of fun and it was really cool to learn about all that happens in a photo shoot. The preparation was unreal! Video here.

Favorite foods? My Grandma's macaroni and cheese and Korean BBQ

Favorite color(s)? Orange and pink.

Most inspirational tennis player? Kim Clijsters.

Favorite thing to do with your free time (not tennis)? Spend time with my Grandparents, my family and friends. 

Goals for 2011? Strengthen my serve. Get into the WTA top 100. 

Follow Stephens at home and on-tour via Twitter @sloanetweets. The Citi Open runs July 23-31, 2011. You can follow it on Twitter @CitiOpen.