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The Robotic Assisted Tennis Sleeve is a feasible, safe, and efficient non-surgical treatment for those who have difficulty learning advanced techniques of the swing-paths, joint-angles, backswings, and finishes of professional players.

Robotic Assisted Tennis Sleeve Specifications:

Systems Integrators - System integrators are used to establish the requirements of a motion in the swing-paths of the classic, straight, or bent-arm forehands.

Robotic Rotary Joint - Consisting of a stationary part connected to the arm of the robot and a rotating part connected to the wrist and sleeve allowing for electrical and pneumatic cables to stay in place while cables required for the sleeve are free to rotate.

Internal Sensor - An apparatus within the manipulator arm that sends information on motion to a control unit.

Presence-Sensing Safeguarding Device - A mechanism used to sense and detect when an object enters a given area that could potential hurt the player.

Rotational Motion - Describes circular movement with respect to the axis.

Systems Compensator - A remote device that involves multiple shear pads to help with spin, swing-path and speed operations. Refers to position-level and velocity-level.

Acceleration-Level - The measure of variation of joint speeds over time. Double and single differentiation of this level gives the overall change in position and change in position overtime, respectively.

Resolved-rate - Determining the joint's overall changed in velocity over time based on restrictions of the end-effector's motion.

Velocity-level - The measure of variation of joint position over time. Yields the overall change in position. Single differentiation yields the change in joint speed over time.

Manual Programming - The user physically sets specific tasks and limits on the robot.

Biomimetic - Imitation of biological systems occurring in nature

Inverse Kinematics - Determination of a joint's overall change in position based on restrictions on the end-effector's motion of a robot.

Awareness Signal - A sound or light that alerts one if joint angles are too extreme.

Interface - The separation between robots and the equipment not nearby. The sensors that are required for communication between the devices use signals relaying input and output data.

Energy Source - Energy is provided by conversion of various types of sources such spin, backswing and follow-through.

Equality constraint - The end-effector's change of position, movement and location must be equal to counter-movement of the opposite arm action.

Fixed Automation - Automated, electronically controlled system for classic, straight, bent or circular motions. These systems are mainly used for students who have little flexibility.

Flexibility - The diverse jobs that a robot is capable of executing.

Fully Constrained Sleeve - The number of equality constraints on the robot are equal to the number of independent joints.

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DR. MARK KOVACS, PhD., CSCS
Senior Manager of Strength & Conditioning/Sports Science
USTA Training Center in Boca Raton, FL

Dr. Kovacs was an accomplished player and coach before transitioning to a career as a sport science expert. As a player he was a collegiate All-American and NCAA champion at Auburn University. He has a Masters degree in Exercise Science from Auburn and a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from The University of Alabama. Dr. Kovacs is an Associate Editor of the Strength and Conditioning Journal and co-author of tennis book titled "Tennis Training-Enhancing On-Court Performance". Mark is a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the NSCA, certified Health/Fitness Instructor through the American College of Sports Medicine, USPTA certified coach and United States Track and Field Level II Sprints Coach. Before starting with the USTA, Mark was an Assistant Professor of Exercise Science and Wellness at Jacksonville State University.

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DR. MARK KOVACS, PhD., CSCS
Senior Manager of Strength & Conditioning/Sports Science
USTA Training Center in Boca Raton, FL

Dr. Kovacs was an accomplished player and coach before transitioning to a career as a sport science expert. As a player he was a collegiate All-American and NCAA champion at Auburn University. He has a Masters degree in Exercise Science from Auburn and a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from The University of Alabama. Dr. Kovacs is an Associate Editor of the Strength and Conditioning Journal and co-author of tennis book titled "Tennis Training-Enhancing On-Court Performance". Mark is a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the NSCA, certified Health/Fitness Instructor through the American College of Sports Medicine, USPTA certified coach and United States Track and Field Level II Sprints Coach. Before starting with the USTA, Mark was an Assistant Professor of Exercise Science and Wellness at Jacksonville State University.

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Jerry Cape, USPTA, Tennis Professional, Punahou School, Honolulu, Hawaii gives a tip on attacking the return of serve with the Red, Yellow and Green Light principal.

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Watch before and after footage of Steve Johnson playing at the 2007 USTA Boys National Open in Hawaii and the 2013 Indian Wells Tournament. Steve's Kick Serve rivals any of the current ATP players.

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ESPN Tennis article, Click here to read more about the upset and tournament.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School. Justin Gimelstob talks about the current state of American Tennis. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to teaching the game of tennis.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School interviews Punahou senior Scout Shutter.

Tennis Recruiting Network article, Click here to read more about Scout's incredible journey.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School. After meeting with the Punahou IT Department and discussing future technology, our tennis school decided to order iPads instead of a video camera to film private and group lessons.
There are many new apps being developed that can do slow motion and frame-by-frame analysis.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School explains how PHYSICAL PREPARATION is one of the three keys to athletic success.

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In this video, Dr. Porter about todays game. Is it "modern" or "current tennis"?

Dr. Porter does more than just coach. As a full professor in the Exercise and Sports Science Division he teaches many of the core courses required by Exercise and Sports Science majors. He is the faculty liaison overseeing the University's Fitness Center and is responsible for the Faculty Fitness Program and the "personal fitness trainers" assigned to selected faculty and staff members. He also volunteers his time to teach religion classes on campus.

Dr. Porter, a USPTA Master Professional is also active in tennis on the national and international level. He was a past President of the United States Professional Tennis Association, a 14,000-member organization of tennis teaching professionals worldwide. Dr. Porter is a much sought-after speaker and has given clinics and workshops for the ATP, the ITF, the USPTA, and the USTA. He has spoken in the former Soviet Union, Mainland China, Malaysia, Singapore, the South Pacific, Mexico, and South America.

Dr. Porter is a member of MENSA. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from BYU in Provo, Utah and his Doctorate from the University of Hawaii. He loves to read, listen to music, and spend time with his family. He is active in church work for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served as a missionary to New England as a young man. He is married to Lorrie Porter and they have four children, Terah, Lincoln, Dillon and Taylor.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School shows an iPad version of the popular "Tennis Flashcards" game.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School shows an update on students who are using the Keiki 65 Tennis Racket.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School shows the trend of racket head sizes.

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Jerry Hubbard, USPTA Tennis Professional, demonstrates daily stretching exercises.

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Paul Zientarski, PE (LRPE) Coordinator, PE4Life Consultant.

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Paul Zientarski, PE (LRPE) Coordinator, PE4Life Consultant.

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Paul Zientarski, PE (LRPE) Coordinator, PE4Life Consultant.

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Paul Zientarski, PE (LRPE) Coordinator, PE4Life Consultant.

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Paul Zientarski, PE (LRPE) Coordinator, PE4Life Consultant.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School shows a fun doubles drill.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School shows the trend of the current one-handed backhand resurgence.

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About Allen Fox - Author, Speaker, Consultant:

Allen Fox, Ph.D. earned a B.A. degree in physics and a Ph.D. in psychology from UCLA where he won the NCAA Singles and Doubles titles and where he was named UCLA Athlete of the Year and All University of California Athlete of the Year. With the same competitive zeal that propelled him to the number four ranking in the United States, to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and a 3-time member of the US Davis Cup Team, he coached and built the Pepperdine University tennis team into a national power, mentoring, among others, renowned coach, Brad Gilbert. Dr Fox's Pepperdine teams were ranked among the nation's Top 5 for 10 consecutive years and reached 2 NCAA Team Finals.

Dr. Fox wrote the tennis best sellers, "If I'm the Better Player, Why Can't I Win?" and "Think to Win," and most recently, "Tennis: Winning the Mental Match." He is an editor of and contributor to Tennis Magazine, writes for various web sites, and is well-known for his 1-Minute Clinics on the Tennis Channel. These have been showing for the last three years. He also lectures around the world on tennis psychology, including at the national conferences of the USTA, USPTA, and the PTR. In addition, Dr. Fox consults on the mental issues of tennis with players of all levels, from recreational players to pros and is the Mental Fitness Director at the Weil Tennis Academy in Ojai, CA.

A regular on the Tennis Channel, Dr. Allen Fox is the author of three previous books, "IF I'M THE BETTER PLAYER, WHY CAN'T I WIN?", "THINK TO WIN," and "THE WINNER'S MIND, a Competitor's Guide to Sports and Business Success." Dr. Fox is an editor and writer for Tennis Magazine and for his web site, allenfoxtennis.net.

WHAT'S IN HIS NEW BOOK, Tennis: Winning the Mental Match?

CHAPTER 1: WHY DO WE WANT TO WIN? Winning a tennis match feels more important than it is because players are genetically wired to compete for position on the social hierarchy. The emotions of a tennis match resemble those of a fight. Players may realize that winning a match doesn't really matter, but they will always want to win anyway.

CHAPTER 2: THE EMOTIONAL ISSUES OF COMPETITION: Tennis is inherently an emotional game. Because match outcomes feel important but are ultimately uncontrollable, matches can become stressful. There is often an unconscious urge to escape this stress, which leads to counterproductive behaviors, among which are anger, tanking, and excuse-making. These can be overpowered by the conscious mind, but it requires understanding, high motivation, and constant effort.

CHAPTER 3: USING EMOTION TO HELP YOU WIN: Your emotions will dramatically affect your tennis performance. We discuss how to keep counterproductive emotions in check and how to create productive ones that will help you win. Topics include the use of adrenalin, profiting from the time between points, and maintaining an optimal excitation level.

CHAPTER 4: REDUCING THE STRESS: Matches can become overly stressful, and this hinders performance. Stress can be reduced by developing a more realistic perspective of the game. Included are accepting outcomes that can't be controlled; resisting a narrow focus on winning; avoiding excessive perfectionism; getting over losses quickly; and using goals for hope and motivation rather than allowing them to become expectations and cause stress.

CHAPTER 5: THE PROBLEMS OF FINISHING: Most players become nervous and stressed when they are ahead and face the hurdle of finishing the match against a dangerous opponent. The unique tennis scoring system intensifies this problem. The closer players get to winning, the greater the stress. Trying to reduce it gives rise to counterproductive behaviors such as procrastinating the finish or becoming "overconfident" and easing up with a lead.

CHAPTER 6: CHOKING - ITS CAUSES AND HOW TO MINIMIZE ITS EFFECTS: Choking is most frequent at the finish of games, sets, and matches due to the uncertainty of outcome. You can limit choking damage by immediate acceptance of this uncertainty. Avoid stressful thoughts of winning by using rituals, focusing, and relaxation techniques. Rid yourself of the idea that choking will make you lose, and recognize that there are usually multiple opportunities to win, not just one.

CHAPTER 7: CONFIDENCE AND HOW TO GET IT IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT: Confidence, aka self-belief, comes mostly from winning. Though it's more difficult, you can win without it by replacing it with sufficient emotional discipline. Slumps and hot streaks occur in cycles and both end naturally with time. Stressing over a slump prolongs it. You can speed its ending by several methods which we discuss.

CHAPTER 8: GAME PLANS: Game plans give your efforts direction and structure. They can rely primarily on offence or defense but should be consistent with your personality. With Plan A you are looking for a match-up where you have a relative advantage, most commonly pitting your strengths against your opponent's weaknesses. With Plan B, which you always employ simultaneously with Plan A, you attempt to tire your opponent mentally.

CHAPTER 9: BREAKING DOWN YOUR OPPONENT MENTALLY: You can weaken your opponent mentally by using dominance techniques. Be aware of momentum development - maintain it when you're winning and break it when you aren't. Take advantage of the let-downs that occur in transitional situations: at the end of sets, after long points, after service breaks, and after long games. Learn to resist becoming psyched out by opponents.

CHAPTER 10: MAINTAINING MENTAL EFFECTIVENESS IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE: Remember the Golden Rule of tennis: Never do anything on court that doesn't help you win. Decide beforehand how you will handle the frustrations and errors that are likely to occur during match play. Understand the value of intensity and its role in playing percentage tennis. Players who have beaten you too frequently get into your head. Beating them requires exceptional emotional discipline and focus. Learn to deal with injuries, both yours and those of your opponents.

CHAPTER 11: THE VALUE OF OPTIMISM: Being optimistic is always helpful during competition. If it does not occur naturally you can become more optimistic by deliberately focusing on the real positives that exist in every situation. Monitor your thoughts and be alert to negative ones. When one occurs replace it immediately with a positive one. A bad attitude is difficult to change in mid-match, so make sure to start out with a good one. When you are behind, hope is your most crucial asset, and it is always realistic.

CHAPTER 12: DEVELOPING YOUR GAME AND THE ROLE OF PARENTS: Tennis is a difficult game and not enjoyable until you can control the ball with some level of consistency. The "middle game" is the heart of any player's game, and is learned by intelligent, repetitious practice, Tennis should generally be made fun for beginning youngsters, but some little push may occasionally be necessary. Tournaments can be motivating for kids, but they are stressful for parents and can impel even a good parent to act improperly.

CHAPTER 13: COURAGE AND HIGHER VALUES: Competing successfully in tennis is helped by focusing on character development rather than on winning. Everybody wants to win anyway. Working to develop higher values such as courage, unselfishness, consideration for others, appreciation, and morality is good for your character and will, as a by-product, reduce your stress and help you win.

CHAPTER 14: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF DOUBLES: An important doubles skill is the ability to make your partner play better. You affect your partner's emotional state and level of play with your gestures and words. Champions are not concerned with parceling out blame for a loss; rather they are focused on doing what it takes to win. You can also disrupt the opposing team by attacking the weaker player and by intimidation.

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Fred Wong, USPTA, Punahou School shows a gravity-drop swinging exercise to help with learning the loop forehand.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School shows a progressive part-method for teaching pronation.

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Unknown Aussie breaks record for fastest serve three times in same match (?)
by Chris Chase:

Australia's Samuel Groth, ranked No. 340 and best known in tennis circles for being the ex-husband of tennis player Jarmila Groth, set an unofficial ATP record last week when he hit a serve 164.3 mph at a challenger event in South Korea. That breaks the previous record of 156 mph, set by Ivo Karlovic at a Davis Cup match last year.

Groth's serve increased the record by a whopping 5.3 percent. To put that into context, that'd be like Usain Bolt lowering his 100 meter world record from 9.58 to 9.07.

''I just threw it up and absolutely smashed it down the T and it popped up on the gun at 263 [kilometers per hour] and I was a bit like, 'Whoa, whoa,''' Groth told The Age. ''It became a bit of a talking point around the guys; I guess it's not something you see too often, where suddenly 263 pops up on a radar gun.''

The 24-year-old also hit serves of 158.9 mph and 157.5 mph in the same match. This means that the three fastest serves in the history of tennis occurred in the same 60-minute stretch courtesy a player never ranked inside the top 200 at a tournament in a country that's home to one player ranked in the top 500. Oh, and none of it is on tape.

The ATP doesn't officially recognize speed records because of a lack of reliability in monitoring equipment. Still, the governing body of tennis confirmed that the radar gun at the Busan event was working and that other data collected was within appropriate range. Oh, like those other two serves that were faster than any other serves in history? And the one that was more than 8 mph faster than the previous record?

I'm not saying Groth didn't thrice break the record, nor am I suggesting that speed records can't be set by journeymen. I'm merely suggesting that three record-setting serves from a radar gun at a challenger event in South Korea is a dish best served fishy.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School shows a fun game called "Baseball Tennis" for 5, 6, 7 & 8 year olds.

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DR. MARK KOVACS, PhD., CSCS
Senior Manager of Strength & Conditioning/Sports Science
USTA Training Center in Boca Raton, FL

Dr. Kovacs was an accomplished player and coach before transitioning to a career as a sport science expert. As a player he was a collegiate All-American and NCAA champion at Auburn University. He has a Masters degree in Exercise Science from Auburn and a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from The University of Alabama. Dr. Kovacs is an Associate Editor of the Strength and Conditioning Journal and co-author of tennis book titled "Tennis Training-Enhancing On-Court Performance". Mark is a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the NSCA, certified Health/Fitness Instructor through the American College of Sports Medicine, USPTA certified coach and United States Track and Field Level II Sprints Coach. Before starting with the USTA, Mark was an Assistant Professor of Exercise Science and Wellness at Jacksonville State University.

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DR. MARK KOVACS, PhD., CSCS
Senior Manager of Strength & Conditioning/Sports Science
USTA Training Center in Boca Raton, FL

Dr. Kovacs was an accomplished player and coach before transitioning to a career as a sport science expert. As a player he was a collegiate All-American and NCAA champion at Auburn University. He has a Masters degree in Exercise Science from Auburn and a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from The University of Alabama. Dr. Kovacs is an Associate Editor of the Strength and Conditioning Journal and co-author of tennis book titled "Tennis Training-Enhancing On-Court Performance". Mark is a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the NSCA, certified Health/Fitness Instructor through the American College of Sports Medicine, USPTA certified coach and United States Track and Field Level II Sprints Coach. Before starting with the USTA, Mark was an Assistant Professor of Exercise Science and Wellness at Jacksonville State University.

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ESPN Special on the benefits of unstructured, free play.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School shows a comparison of the new modern forehand to the old modern forehand of the 90's.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School shows a clip of Poncho Gonzales playing at Punahou in 1969.

From ATP.com

Very much his own man, a loner and an acerbic competitor, Richard Alonzo "Pancho" Gonzalez was probably as good as anyone who ever played the game, if not better. Most of his great tennis was played beyond wide public attention, on the nearly secret pro tour amid a small band of gypsies of whom he was the ticket-selling mainstay. His rages against opponents, officials, photographers, newsmen and even spectators were frequently spectacular - but they only served to intensify his own play, and didn't disturb his concentration, as fits of temper do most others. Pancho got mad and played better. "We hoped he wouldn't get upset; it just made him tougher," said Rod Laver. "Later when he got older, he would get into arguments to stall for time and rest, and we had to be careful that it didn't put us off our games." Gonzalez, a right-hander, born May 9, 1928, in Los Angeles, was always out of the tennis mainstream, a fact that seemed to goad him to play harder. Because he came from a Chicano family, he was never acceptable in the supposedly proper upper circles of his city's tennis establishment. And because he was a truant he wasn't permitted to play in Southern California junior tournaments. Once he got out of the Navy in 1946 there was no preventing him from mixing in the game, and beating everyone. He had a marvellously pure and effortless service action that delivered thunderbolts, and he grew up as an attacker on fast West Coast concrete. Although not regarded as anything more than promising on his second trip East in 1948, he was at age 20 ready to win the big one, the U.S. Championship at Forest Hills. Ranked 17th nationally at the time, and seeded eighth, he served and volleyed his way to the final, where he beat South African Eric Sturgess with ease, 6-2, 6-3, 14-12. The following year Gonzalez met the favourite, a Southern California antagonist, top-seeded Ted Schroeder. It was one of the most gripping finals. Schroeder won the first two sets as expected, but they were demanding and exhausting, 18-16, 6-2, and after that Gonzalez rolled up the next three, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4, for the title. In 1949 Pancho also helped the U.S. hold the Davis Cup against Australia, then went for the money, turning pro to tour against the monarch, Jack Kramer. Gonzalez was too green for Kramer, losing, 96-27, and he faded from view for several agonizing years. When Kramer retired, Gonzalez won a tour over Don Budge, Pancho Segura and Frank Sedgman in 1954 to determine Jack's successor, and stood himself as Emperor Pancho, proud and imperious, for a long while, through the challenges of Tony Trabert, Ken Rosewall, Lew Hoad, Ashley Cooper, Mal Anderson, Alex Olmedo and Segura. For a decade Gonzalez and pro tennis were synonymous. A promoter couldn't hope to rally crowds unless Pancho was on the bill. During his reign Pancho won the U.S. Pro singles a record eight times of 11 finals between 1951 and 1964, and Wembley in London, considered the world pro championship, 4 times of 5 finals between 1950 and 1956. By the time Rosewall and Laver were reaching their zeniths during the mid- and late-1960s, the aging Gonzalez hung on as a dangerous foe, still capable of defeating all. In 1964, his last serious bid for his ninth U.S. Pro title, he lost the final to Laver in four hard sets on grass in a rainstorm. Yet there was still much more glory ahead. In 1968, at 40, he beat the defending champion, 31-year-old Roy Emerson, to attain the semis of the first major open, the French, to be beaten by Laver. Three months later, at the initial U.S. Open, he toppled second-seeded Tony Roche (the 23-year-old Wimbledon finalist) to make the quarters, where he defeated Tom Okker. A year later, this grandfather (literally) electrified Wimbledon by overcoming Charlie Pasarell in the tournament's longest match, 112 games, a first-rounder that consumed five hours, 12 minutes, a major tourney record that stood until 1992, eclipsed by 14 minutes by Stefan Edberg over Michael Chang at the U.S. Open. The marathon with Pasarell began one afternoon and concluded on the next after darkness intervened. In winning, 22-24, 1-6, 16-14, 6-3, 11-9, Gonzalez saved seven match points in the 5th set. Later that year, he beat John Newcombe, Rosewall, Stan Smith and Arthur Ashe in succession to win $12,500, second-highest prize of the year, and the title at a rich tournament at Las Vegas. Early in 1970, in the opener of a series of $10,000 winner-take-all challenge matches leading to a grand final, he toppled Laver. The Aussie, just off his second Grand Slam year (and the eventual winner of this tournament), was clearly No. 1in the world, but Pancho warmed a crowd of 14,761 at New York's Madison Square Garden with a 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory. Three months before his 44th birthday, in 1972, he was the oldest to record a tournament title in the opener, winning Des Moines (Iowa) over 24-year-old French Davis Cupper Georges Goven. That year he was No. 9 in the U.S., the oldest to rank so high, and equalled Vic Seixas; Top Ten longevity span of 24 years. As for the World Top Ten, he is alone in that he was a member in 1948-49 and again in 1968-69, ranking No. 1 in 1949, No. 6 in 1969. In 1968, though still active, he was named to the Hall of Fame and he was a consistent winner on the Grand Masters tour for the over-45 champs beginning in 1973. Although his high-speed serve, so effortlessly delivered, was a trademark, Gonzalez, a 6-foot-2, 180-pounder, was a splendid athlete and tactician who excelled at defence, too. "My legs, retrieving, lobs and change-of-pace service returns meant as much or more to me than my power," he said. "But people overlooked that because of the reputation of my serve." He won $911,078 between 1950 and 1972, and crossed the million mark as a Grand Master. Altogether as amateur and pro he won 74 singles titles. He was married six times, the last to a good player, Rita Agassi, sister of another all-timer, Andre Agassi, by whom he had a son. Not a bad tennis bloodline for the young man, Skylar Gonzalez. Gonzalez died July 3, 1995, of cancer in Las Vegas, where he had been a teaching pro for some time.

MAJOR TITLES (4) - US. singles, 1948, 1949; French doubles,1949; Wimbledon doubles, 1949.
OTHER U.S. TITLES (17) - Indoor singles, 1949; Clay Court singles, 1948, 1949; Indoor mixed 1949, with Gusty Moran; Pro singles, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961; Pro doubles, 1953, with Don Budge; 1954, 1958, with Pancho Segura;1957, with Ken Rosewall 1969, with Rod Laver. DAVIS CUP - 1949; record: 2-0 in singles.
SINGLES RECORD IN THE MAJORS - Australian (2-1), French (9-2), Wimbledon (10-5), US. (23-7). - Residence: Las Vegas, Nevada
Singles titles: 3, 1972--(1) Des Moines 1971--(1) Los Angeles
1970--(1) WCT Las Vegas
Won U.S. National Championships, 1948, 49. Won U.S. National Clay Court
Championships, 1948, 49. Won U.S. National Indoor championships in 1949.
Member of 1949 U.S. Davis Cup team. Won 1949 French Open and Wimbledon doubles titles (w/Parker).
Resident pro and Tennis Director at Caesar's Palace since 1970. Won the inaugural ATP Great Player of the Past Award in 1975.

Bio Courtesy: Bud Collins

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School, explains the the importance of controlling fingertip pressure and the effects of grip size.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School, explains the differences between grip pressure and grip strength.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School, explains the differences between weak and strong volley grips.

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"Git a Grip" - Lee Couillard, USPTA 2012 Hawaii Convention

Testing Hand Grip-Strength using a Hand Dynamometer.

I. Weak Hands = Weak Player. There is no such thing as a player with weak hands and a strong body, it doesn't work that way!
a. The grip is the only part of the racket that you make contact with.
b. Grip affects the release point.

ll. There are 35 muscles involved in movement of the forearm and hand, with most of these involving gripping activities.
a. Flexor vs extensor
b. Hand is a pliers - test thumb to fingers
c. Every angle must be trained. Body Posture
d. Various studies show that grip strength is greater with less flexion in the elbow.

III. Circadian Rhythm (Body Clock)
a. Peak Performance throughout the day with peaking in men in the late afternoon. (Cappert, 1999)

IV. Gender Differences
a. Males
b. Females

V. Nutrition
a. This simple method of non-invasive measurement may provide nutritionists and medical professionals with valuable screening data, prior to further more invasive testing.

VI. Racket Technology
a. Light vs Heavy
b. Tennis Elbow

VII. Grip Classification, Grip Size
a. Strong Grips
b. Weak Grips
c. Neutral Grips

VIII. Soft Power
a. Manual Dexterity
b. Touch and Dexterity

IX. Best training exercises.
a. Dead lifts, Kettle balls, Ropes, Tug-O-War, Pull-ups, etc.

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Jack Sock at the 2012 Honolulu USTA $50,000 Challenger.

Jack Sock (born September 24, 1992) is an American tennis player. The men's junior US Open champion in 2010, he is best known for winning the 2011 US Open mixed doubles title with fellow American Melanie Oudin.

Junior Career

Sock played his first ITF junior tournament in October 2008, aged 16, at the Pan American Championships.. In the 2009 US Open, his third junior tournament, he reached the semifinals of the junior doubles with Matthew Kandath, and the third round of the junior singles.

Sock played relatively infrequently on the junior circuit, however, entering just two further tournaments: the Dunlop Orange Bowl in 2009 and the junior singles at the 2010 U.S. Open.[2] At this tournament, he received a wildcard entry, but proceeded to the final. There, he defeated fellow American Denis Kudla, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, to become the first American winner of the junior championships since Andy Roddick in 2000.[3] He won the Boy's Junior National Tennis Championship in 2010 and 2011, earning a wildcard in both years for the main draw of the US Open.

Sock graduated from Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, Kansas on May 22, 2011. He was 80-0 in his Kansas 6A High School Tennis career, winning 4 consecutive state championships.

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Lee Couillard designed the Keiki 65. The 2011 Keiki 65 is the first "high performance" junior racket on the market designed specifically for Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders. Lee is the Head Tennis Professional at Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii. Lee has been teaching tennis to Punahou's Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades for the past 22 years. He has a "Little Tennis" certification from the United States Professional Tennis Association and is a National USTA QuickStart Trainer.

Until now, there has not been any option for younger players to experience the feel and touch of a smaller racket head size. Like adults, junior players need a personalized racket based on their athleticism, size and strength.

Choosing a racket for a junior player can be a daunting task. The numerous lengths, e.g.; 19", 21", 23' and 25" rackets can be confusing depending on the above factors. However, there can be some overlap when choosing a length of the racket and the Keiki 65 is ideal for all players age 8 and under.

The Keiki 65's desired performance characteristics; e.g., lightweight, smaller head size, high strength, durability, responsiveness, shock-absorbing, etc. and the need to tailor these properties to the skill level of a young child was the motivation behind its development. The design goal was to make a proportional racket in head, length and grip size for a young child and not max out on the legal trampoline-effect limit. The concept from the start is to train proprioception and that can only be done by using a smaller head size. The early years of child should be about forging the correct contact point, like in a baseball swing. There is no need to over-analyze anyone's particular swing. Their strength and sense of timing will take charge. Let them develop their swing by swinging; however, insist they get into the proper position at the very start.

The Keiki 65's longer shaft forces the contact point farther away from the body. As the contact point becomes more consistent, a larger personalized racket can be selected for the child. Again, the emphasis here is to start small and then go bigger, not the other way around. The answer here to a good swing is to adjust the whole body, not increase the size of the head to accommodate poor contact.

In what has now become an intense market, performance rackets are lacking at the ever-increasing younger age groups. "Sensitivity" and "feel" are juxtaposed to shock and vibration, and tennis rackets are designed according to the skill and performance level of the individual athlete; smaller head size, quick and responsive for the better player -- big head size, larger sweet spot for the slower, recreational novice player.

In the 1970's, the development of the Prince 110 sq. in. tennis racket was one of the most significant factors in the growth of tennis as a recreational sport in the United States and elsewhere. The improvement in equipment continues to be a major factor in the development of the tennis industry today and the 110 sq. in. racket is now not a popular racket with the more advanced players.

Innovation will continue to change the sport of tennis, so watch for the next new wave of junior rackets with a wide range of different head sizes.

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Many coaches and professionals featured on the Tennis Channel are here too! Just use the search button at the top of the page.

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About Allen Fox - Author, Speaker, Consultant:

Allen Fox, Ph.D. earned a B.A. degree in physics and a Ph.D. in psychology from UCLA where he won the NCAA Singles and Doubles titles and where he was named UCLA Athlete of the Year and All University of California Athlete of the Year. With the same competitive zeal that propelled him to the number four ranking in the United States, to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and a 3-time member of the US Davis Cup Team, he coached and built the Pepperdine University tennis team into a national power, mentoring, among others, renowned coach, Brad Gilbert. Dr Fox's Pepperdine teams were ranked among the nation's Top 5 for 10 consecutive years and reached 2 NCAA Team Finals.

Dr. Fox wrote the tennis best sellers, "If I'm the Better Player, Why Can't I Win?" and "Think to Win," and most recently, "Tennis: Winning the Mental Match." He is an editor of and contributor to Tennis Magazine, writes for various web sites, and is well-known for his 1-Minute Clinics on the Tennis Channel. These have been showing for the last three years. He also lectures around the world on tennis psychology, including at the national conferences of the USTA, USPTA, and the PTR. In addition, Dr. Fox consults on the mental issues of tennis with players of all levels, from recreational players to pros and is the Mental Fitness Director at the Weil Tennis Academy in Ojai, CA.

A regular on the Tennis Channel, Dr. Allen Fox is the author of three previous books, "IF I'M THE BETTER PLAYER, WHY CAN'T I WIN?", "THINK TO WIN," and "THE WINNER'S MIND, a Competitor's Guide to Sports and Business Success." Dr. Fox is an editor and writer for Tennis Magazine and for his web site, allenfoxtennis.net.

WHAT'S IN HIS NEW BOOK, Tennis: Winning the Mental Match?

CHAPTER 1: WHY DO WE WANT TO WIN? Winning a tennis match feels more important than it is because players are genetically wired to compete for position on the social hierarchy. The emotions of a tennis match resemble those of a fight. Players may realize that winning a match doesn't really matter, but they will always want to win anyway.

CHAPTER 2: THE EMOTIONAL ISSUES OF COMPETITION: Tennis is inherently an emotional game. Because match outcomes feel important but are ultimately uncontrollable, matches can become stressful. There is often an unconscious urge to escape this stress, which leads to counterproductive behaviors, among which are anger, tanking, and excuse-making. These can be overpowered by the conscious mind, but it requires understanding, high motivation, and constant effort.

CHAPTER 3: USING EMOTION TO HELP YOU WIN: Your emotions will dramatically affect your tennis performance. We discuss how to keep counterproductive emotions in check and how to create productive ones that will help you win. Topics include the use of adrenalin, profiting from the time between points, and maintaining an optimal excitation level.

CHAPTER 4: REDUCING THE STRESS: Matches can become overly stressful, and this hinders performance. Stress can be reduced by developing a more realistic perspective of the game. Included are accepting outcomes that can't be controlled; resisting a narrow focus on winning; avoiding excessive perfectionism; getting over losses quickly; and using goals for hope and motivation rather than allowing them to become expectations and cause stress.

CHAPTER 5: THE PROBLEMS OF FINISHING: Most players become nervous and stressed when they are ahead and face the hurdle of finishing the match against a dangerous opponent. The unique tennis scoring system intensifies this problem. The closer players get to winning, the greater the stress. Trying to reduce it gives rise to counterproductive behaviors such as procrastinating the finish or becoming "overconfident" and easing up with a lead.

CHAPTER 6: CHOKING - ITS CAUSES AND HOW TO MINIMIZE ITS EFFECTS: Choking is most frequent at the finish of games, sets, and matches due to the uncertainty of outcome. You can limit choking damage by immediate acceptance of this uncertainty. Avoid stressful thoughts of winning by using rituals, focusing, and relaxation techniques. Rid yourself of the idea that choking will make you lose, and recognize that there are usually multiple opportunities to win, not just one.

CHAPTER 7: CONFIDENCE AND HOW TO GET IT IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT: Confidence, aka self-belief, comes mostly from winning. Though it's more difficult, you can win without it by replacing it with sufficient emotional discipline. Slumps and hot streaks occur in cycles and both end naturally with time. Stressing over a slump prolongs it. You can speed its ending by several methods which we discuss.

CHAPTER 8: GAME PLANS: Game plans give your efforts direction and structure. They can rely primarily on offence or defense but should be consistent with your personality. With Plan A you are looking for a match-up where you have a relative advantage, most commonly pitting your strengths against your opponent's weaknesses. With Plan B, which you always employ simultaneously with Plan A, you attempt to tire your opponent mentally.

CHAPTER 9: BREAKING DOWN YOUR OPPONENT MENTALLY: You can weaken your opponent mentally by using dominance techniques. Be aware of momentum development - maintain it when you're winning and break it when you aren't. Take advantage of the let-downs that occur in transitional situations: at the end of sets, after long points, after service breaks, and after long games. Learn to resist becoming psyched out by opponents.

CHAPTER 10: MAINTAINING MENTAL EFFECTIVENESS IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE: Remember the Golden Rule of tennis: Never do anything on court that doesn't help you win. Decide beforehand how you will handle the frustrations and errors that are likely to occur during match play. Understand the value of intensity and its role in playing percentage tennis. Players who have beaten you too frequently get into your head. Beating them requires exceptional emotional discipline and focus. Learn to deal with injuries, both yours and those of your opponents.

CHAPTER 11: THE VALUE OF OPTIMISM: Being optimistic is always helpful during competition. If it does not occur naturally you can become more optimistic by deliberately focusing on the real positives that exist in every situation. Monitor your thoughts and be alert to negative ones. When one occurs replace it immediately with a positive one. A bad attitude is difficult to change in mid-match, so make sure to start out with a good one. When you are behind, hope is your most crucial asset, and it is always realistic.

CHAPTER 12: DEVELOPING YOUR GAME AND THE ROLE OF PARENTS: Tennis is a difficult game and not enjoyable until you can control the ball with some level of consistency. The "middle game" is the heart of any player's game, and is learned by intelligent, repetitious practice, Tennis should generally be made fun for beginning youngsters, but some little push may occasionally be necessary. Tournaments can be motivating for kids, but they are stressful for parents and can impel even a good parent to act improperly.

CHAPTER 13: COURAGE AND HIGHER VALUES: Competing successfully in tennis is helped by focusing on character development rather than on winning. Everybody wants to win anyway. Working to develop higher values such as courage, unselfishness, consideration for others, appreciation, and morality is good for your character and will, as a by-product, reduce your stress and help you win.

CHAPTER 14: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF DOUBLES: An important doubles skill is the ability to make your partner play better. You affect your partner's emotional state and level of play with your gestures and words. Champions are not concerned with parceling out blame for a loss; rather they are focused on doing what it takes to win. You can also disrupt the opposing team by attacking the weaker player and by intimidation.

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About Allen Fox - Author, Speaker, Consultant:

Allen Fox, Ph.D. earned a B.A. degree in physics and a Ph.D. in psychology from UCLA where he won the NCAA Singles and Doubles titles and where he was named UCLA Athlete of the Year and All University of California Athlete of the Year. With the same competitive zeal that propelled him to the number four ranking in the United States, to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and a 3-time member of the US Davis Cup Team, he coached and built the Pepperdine University tennis team into a national power, mentoring, among others, renowned coach, Brad Gilbert. Dr Fox's Pepperdine teams were ranked among the nation's Top 5 for 10 consecutive years and reached 2 NCAA Team Finals.

Dr. Fox wrote the tennis best sellers, "If I'm the Better Player, Why Can't I Win?" and "Think to Win," and most recently, "Tennis: Winning the Mental Match." He is an editor of and contributor to Tennis Magazine, writes for various web sites, and is well-known for his 1-Minute Clinics on the Tennis Channel. These have been showing for the last three years. He also lectures around the world on tennis psychology, including at the national conferences of the USTA, USPTA, and the PTR. In addition, Dr. Fox consults on the mental issues of tennis with players of all levels, from recreational players to pros and is the Mental Fitness Director at the Weil Tennis Academy in Ojai, CA.

A regular on the Tennis Channel, Dr. Allen Fox is the author of three previous books, "IF I'M THE BETTER PLAYER, WHY CAN'T I WIN?", "THINK TO WIN," and "THE WINNER'S MIND, a Competitor's Guide to Sports and Business Success." Dr. Fox is an editor and writer for Tennis Magazine and for his web site, allenfoxtennis.net.

WHAT'S IN HIS NEW BOOK, Tennis: Winning the Mental Match?

CHAPTER 1: WHY DO WE WANT TO WIN? Winning a tennis match feels more important than it is because players are genetically wired to compete for position on the social hierarchy. The emotions of a tennis match resemble those of a fight. Players may realize that winning a match doesn't really matter, but they will always want to win anyway.

CHAPTER 2: THE EMOTIONAL ISSUES OF COMPETITION: Tennis is inherently an emotional game. Because match outcomes feel important but are ultimately uncontrollable, matches can become stressful. There is often an unconscious urge to escape this stress, which leads to counterproductive behaviors, among which are anger, tanking, and excuse-making. These can be overpowered by the conscious mind, but it requires understanding, high motivation, and constant effort.

CHAPTER 3: USING EMOTION TO HELP YOU WIN: Your emotions will dramatically affect your tennis performance. We discuss how to keep counterproductive emotions in check and how to create productive ones that will help you win. Topics include the use of adrenalin, profiting from the time between points, and maintaining an optimal excitation level.

CHAPTER 4: REDUCING THE STRESS: Matches can become overly stressful, and this hinders performance. Stress can be reduced by developing a more realistic perspective of the game. Included are accepting outcomes that can't be controlled; resisting a narrow focus on winning; avoiding excessive perfectionism; getting over losses quickly; and using goals for hope and motivation rather than allowing them to become expectations and cause stress.

CHAPTER 5: THE PROBLEMS OF FINISHING: Most players become nervous and stressed when they are ahead and face the hurdle of finishing the match against a dangerous opponent. The unique tennis scoring system intensifies this problem. The closer players get to winning, the greater the stress. Trying to reduce it gives rise to counterproductive behaviors such as procrastinating the finish or becoming "overconfident" and easing up with a lead.

CHAPTER 6: CHOKING - ITS CAUSES AND HOW TO MINIMIZE ITS EFFECTS: Choking is most frequent at the finish of games, sets, and matches due to the uncertainty of outcome. You can limit choking damage by immediate acceptance of this uncertainty. Avoid stressful thoughts of winning by using rituals, focusing, and relaxation techniques. Rid yourself of the idea that choking will make you lose, and recognize that there are usually multiple opportunities to win, not just one.

CHAPTER 7: CONFIDENCE AND HOW TO GET IT IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT: Confidence, aka self-belief, comes mostly from winning. Though it's more difficult, you can win without it by replacing it with sufficient emotional discipline. Slumps and hot streaks occur in cycles and both end naturally with time. Stressing over a slump prolongs it. You can speed its ending by several methods which we discuss.

CHAPTER 8: GAME PLANS: Game plans give your efforts direction and structure. They can rely primarily on offence or defense but should be consistent with your personality. With Plan A you are looking for a match-up where you have a relative advantage, most commonly pitting your strengths against your opponent's weaknesses. With Plan B, which you always employ simultaneously with Plan A, you attempt to tire your opponent mentally.

CHAPTER 9: BREAKING DOWN YOUR OPPONENT MENTALLY: You can weaken your opponent mentally by using dominance techniques. Be aware of momentum development - maintain it when you're winning and break it when you aren't. Take advantage of the let-downs that occur in transitional situations: at the end of sets, after long points, after service breaks, and after long games. Learn to resist becoming psyched out by opponents.

CHAPTER 10: MAINTAINING MENTAL EFFECTIVENESS IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE: Remember the Golden Rule of tennis: Never do anything on court that doesn't help you win. Decide beforehand how you will handle the frustrations and errors that are likely to occur during match play. Understand the value of intensity and its role in playing percentage tennis. Players who have beaten you too frequently get into your head. Beating them requires exceptional emotional discipline and focus. Learn to deal with injuries, both yours and those of your opponents.

CHAPTER 11: THE VALUE OF OPTIMISM: Being optimistic is always helpful during competition. If it does not occur naturally you can become more optimistic by deliberately focusing on the real positives that exist in every situation. Monitor your thoughts and be alert to negative ones. When one occurs replace it immediately with a positive one. A bad attitude is difficult to change in mid-match, so make sure to start out with a good one. When you are behind, hope is your most crucial asset, and it is always realistic.

CHAPTER 12: DEVELOPING YOUR GAME AND THE ROLE OF PARENTS: Tennis is a difficult game and not enjoyable until you can control the ball with some level of consistency. The "middle game" is the heart of any player's game, and is learned by intelligent, repetitious practice, Tennis should generally be made fun for beginning youngsters, but some little push may occasionally be necessary. Tournaments can be motivating for kids, but they are stressful for parents and can impel even a good parent to act improperly.

CHAPTER 13: COURAGE AND HIGHER VALUES: Competing successfully in tennis is helped by focusing on character development rather than on winning. Everybody wants to win anyway. Working to develop higher values such as courage, unselfishness, consideration for others, appreciation, and morality is good for your character and will, as a by-product, reduce your stress and help you win.

CHAPTER 14: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF DOUBLES: An important doubles skill is the ability to make your partner play better. You affect your partner's emotional state and level of play with your gestures and words. Champions are not concerned with parceling out blame for a loss; rather they are focused on doing what it takes to win. You can also disrupt the opposing team by attacking the weaker player and by intimidation.

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Tiffany Akiyama, USPTA, Tennis Professional, Punahou School, Honolulu, HI conducts a summer demo - "Pokemon Hits," Part 2.

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Tiffany Akiyama, USPTA, Tennis Professional, Punahou School, Honolulu, HI conducts a summer demo - "Pokemon Hits."

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School, Honolulu, HI, demonstrates some great exercises to develop strength, endurance, balance and coordination.

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Novak Djokovic demonstrates basic stretching and flexibility exercises everyone should do.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School, Honolulu, HI shows a serve game called H.O.R.S.E. Same as in basketball, the server controls the game by completing the serves in the correct ("called-out") service boxes. As soon as the game is over the players challenge other players.

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Chris, AP Physics student at Punahou School, Honolulu, HI explains the physics behind standing and serving vs pushing off the ground (explosive serve.)

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School, Honolulu, HI shows a tip from Lynne Rolley on the approach shot. In this video the students learn to "back into" their approach shots.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School, Honolulu, HI expands upon the difference in the scoring system in tennis vs other sports.

The scoring system in tennis is much more challenging than in any other sport because of the emphasis on the importance of certain points at certain times in each game and set. Also, the value of certain points are greater if they are converted as in case of break points won. Note that it is not the number of break points that matters, however, it is the number of break points in different games that counts, especially if they have NOT been converted. This can be emotionally devastating.

Even though there is no time clock and points are not accumulating like in a basketball or football game, there are very few instances where the player that won had less points than the runner-up, so it is possible to lose more points that your opponent and still win the match. So, it is important to not fall too far behind on the total count. To make basketball similar to tennis, and to make it more exciting, they could give bonus points for leading after each quarter. Now the pressure would be on and you would see a quicker pace at the end of each quarter and a higher degree of intensity.

In this video, Federer came within 2 points of equaling the total amount of points won, however, he could not find enough energy to come back and tie the score and then move ahead in total points won. He trailed in total points won since the start of the second set.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School, Honolulu, HI expands upon Plato's concept of the "Hard and Soft" nature.

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About Allen Fox - Author, Speaker, Consultant:

Allen Fox, Ph.D. earned a B.A. degree in physics and a Ph.D. in psychology from UCLA where he won the NCAA Singles and Doubles titles and where he was named UCLA Athlete of the Year and All University of California Athlete of the Year. With the same competitive zeal that propelled him to the number four ranking in the United States, to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and a 3-time member of the US Davis Cup Team, he coached and built the Pepperdine University tennis team into a national power, mentoring, among others, renowned coach, Brad Gilbert. Dr Fox's Pepperdine teams were ranked among the nation's Top 5 for 10 consecutive years and reached 2 NCAA Team Finals.

Dr. Fox wrote the tennis best sellers, "If I'm the Better Player, Why Can't I Win?" and "Think to Win," and most recently, "Tennis: Winning the Mental Match." He is an editor of and contributor to Tennis Magazine, writes for various web sites, and is well-known for his 1-Minute Clinics on the Tennis Channel. These have been showing for the last three years. He also lectures around the world on tennis psychology, including at the national conferences of the USTA, USPTA, and the PTR. In addition, Dr. Fox consults on the mental issues of tennis with players of all levels, from recreational players to pros and is the Mental Fitness Director at the Weil Tennis Academy in Ojai, CA.

A regular on the Tennis Channel, Dr. Allen Fox is the author of three previous books, "IF I'M THE BETTER PLAYER, WHY CAN'T I WIN?", "THINK TO WIN," and "THE WINNER'S MIND, a Competitor's Guide to Sports and Business Success." Dr. Fox is an editor and writer for Tennis Magazine and for his web site, allenfoxtennis.net.

WHAT'S IN HIS NEW BOOK, Tennis: Winning the Mental Match?

CHAPTER 1: WHY DO WE WANT TO WIN? Winning a tennis match feels more important than it is because players are genetically wired to compete for position on the social hierarchy. The emotions of a tennis match resemble those of a fight. Players may realize that winning a match doesn't really matter, but they will always want to win anyway.

CHAPTER 2: THE EMOTIONAL ISSUES OF COMPETITION: Tennis is inherently an emotional game. Because match outcomes feel important but are ultimately uncontrollable, matches can become stressful. There is often an unconscious urge to escape this stress, which leads to counterproductive behaviors, among which are anger, tanking, and excuse-making. These can be overpowered by the conscious mind, but it requires understanding, high motivation, and constant effort.

CHAPTER 3: USING EMOTION TO HELP YOU WIN: Your emotions will dramatically affect your tennis performance. We discuss how to keep counterproductive emotions in check and how to create productive ones that will help you win. Topics include the use of adrenalin, profiting from the time between points, and maintaining an optimal excitation level.

CHAPTER 4: REDUCING THE STRESS: Matches can become overly stressful, and this hinders performance. Stress can be reduced by developing a more realistic perspective of the game. Included are accepting outcomes that can't be controlled; resisting a narrow focus on winning; avoiding excessive perfectionism; getting over losses quickly; and using goals for hope and motivation rather than allowing them to become expectations and cause stress.

CHAPTER 5: THE PROBLEMS OF FINISHING: Most players become nervous and stressed when they are ahead and face the hurdle of finishing the match against a dangerous opponent. The unique tennis scoring system intensifies this problem. The closer players get to winning, the greater the stress. Trying to reduce it gives rise to counterproductive behaviors such as procrastinating the finish or becoming "overconfident" and easing up with a lead.

CHAPTER 6: CHOKING - ITS CAUSES AND HOW TO MINIMIZE ITS EFFECTS: Choking is most frequent at the finish of games, sets, and matches due to the uncertainty of outcome. You can limit choking damage by immediate acceptance of this uncertainty. Avoid stressful thoughts of winning by using rituals, focusing, and relaxation techniques. Rid yourself of the idea that choking will make you lose, and recognize that there are usually multiple opportunities to win, not just one.

CHAPTER 7: CONFIDENCE AND HOW TO GET IT IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT: Confidence, aka self-belief, comes mostly from winning. Though it's more difficult, you can win without it by replacing it with sufficient emotional discipline. Slumps and hot streaks occur in cycles and both end naturally with time. Stressing over a slump prolongs it. You can speed its ending by several methods which we discuss.

CHAPTER 8: GAME PLANS: Game plans give your efforts direction and structure. They can rely primarily on offence or defense but should be consistent with your personality. With Plan A you are looking for a match-up where you have a relative advantage, most commonly pitting your strengths against your opponent's weaknesses. With Plan B, which you always employ simultaneously with Plan A, you attempt to tire your opponent mentally.

CHAPTER 9: BREAKING DOWN YOUR OPPONENT MENTALLY: You can weaken your opponent mentally by using dominance techniques. Be aware of momentum development - maintain it when you're winning and break it when you aren't. Take advantage of the let-downs that occur in transitional situations: at the end of sets, after long points, after service breaks, and after long games. Learn to resist becoming psyched out by opponents.

CHAPTER 10: MAINTAINING MENTAL EFFECTIVENESS IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE: Remember the Golden Rule of tennis: Never do anything on court that doesn't help you win. Decide beforehand how you will handle the frustrations and errors that are likely to occur during match play. Understand the value of intensity and its role in playing percentage tennis. Players who have beaten you too frequently get into your head. Beating them requires exceptional emotional discipline and focus. Learn to deal with injuries, both yours and those of your opponents.

CHAPTER 11: THE VALUE OF OPTIMISM: Being optimistic is always helpful during competition. If it does not occur naturally you can become more optimistic by deliberately focusing on the real positives that exist in every situation. Monitor your thoughts and be alert to negative ones. When one occurs replace it immediately with a positive one. A bad attitude is difficult to change in mid-match, so make sure to start out with a good one. When you are behind, hope is your most crucial asset, and it is always realistic.

CHAPTER 12: DEVELOPING YOUR GAME AND THE ROLE OF PARENTS: Tennis is a difficult game and not enjoyable until you can control the ball with some level of consistency. The "middle game" is the heart of any player's game, and is learned by intelligent, repetitious practice, Tennis should generally be made fun for beginning youngsters, but some little push may occasionally be necessary. Tournaments can be motivating for kids, but they are stressful for parents and can impel even a good parent to act improperly.

CHAPTER 13: COURAGE AND HIGHER VALUES: Competing successfully in tennis is helped by focusing on character development rather than on winning. Everybody wants to win anyway. Working to develop higher values such as courage, unselfishness, consideration for others, appreciation, and morality is good for your character and will, as a by-product, reduce your stress and help you win.

CHAPTER 14: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF DOUBLES: An important doubles skill is the ability to make your partner play better. You affect your partner's emotional state and level of play with your gestures and words. Champions are not concerned with parceling out blame for a loss; rather they are focused on doing what it takes to win. You can also disrupt the opposing team by attacking the weaker player and by intimidation.

Download file (right-click and "save as...")

About Allen Fox - Author, Speaker, Consultant:

Allen Fox, Ph.D. earned a B.A. degree in physics and a Ph.D. in psychology from UCLA where he won the NCAA Singles and Doubles titles and where he was named UCLA Athlete of the Year and All University of California Athlete of the Year. With the same competitive zeal that propelled him to the number four ranking in the United States, to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and a 3-time member of the US Davis Cup Team, he coached and built the Pepperdine University tennis team into a national power, mentoring, among others, renowned coach, Brad Gilbert. Dr Fox's Pepperdine teams were ranked among the nation's Top 5 for 10 consecutive years and reached 2 NCAA Team Finals.

Dr. Fox wrote the tennis best sellers, "If I'm the Better Player, Why Can't I Win?" and "Think to Win," and most recently, "Tennis: Winning the Mental Match." He is an editor of and contributor to Tennis Magazine, writes for various web sites, and is well-known for his 1-Minute Clinics on the Tennis Channel. These have been showing for the last three years. He also lectures around the world on tennis psychology, including at the national conferences of the USTA, USPTA, and the PTR. In addition, Dr. Fox consults on the mental issues of tennis with players of all levels, from recreational players to pros and is the Mental Fitness Director at the Weil Tennis Academy in Ojai, CA.

A regular on the Tennis Channel, Dr. Allen Fox is the author of three previous books, "IF I'M THE BETTER PLAYER, WHY CAN'T I WIN?", "THINK TO WIN," and "THE WINNER'S MIND, a Competitor's Guide to Sports and Business Success." Dr. Fox is an editor and writer for Tennis Magazine and for his web site, allenfoxtennis.net.

WHAT'S IN HIS NEW BOOK, Tennis: Winning the Mental Match?

CHAPTER 1: WHY DO WE WANT TO WIN? Winning a tennis match feels more important than it is because players are genetically wired to compete for position on the social hierarchy. The emotions of a tennis match resemble those of a fight. Players may realize that winning a match doesn't really matter, but they will always want to win anyway.

CHAPTER 2: THE EMOTIONAL ISSUES OF COMPETITION: Tennis is inherently an emotional game. Because match outcomes feel important but are ultimately uncontrollable, matches can become stressful. There is often an unconscious urge to escape this stress, which leads to counterproductive behaviors, among which are anger, tanking, and excuse-making. These can be overpowered by the conscious mind, but it requires understanding, high motivation, and constant effort.

CHAPTER 3: USING EMOTION TO HELP YOU WIN: Your emotions will dramatically affect your tennis performance. We discuss how to keep counterproductive emotions in check and how to create productive ones that will help you win. Topics include the use of adrenalin, profiting from the time between points, and maintaining an optimal excitation level.

CHAPTER 4: REDUCING THE STRESS: Matches can become overly stressful, and this hinders performance. Stress can be reduced by developing a more realistic perspective of the game. Included are accepting outcomes that can't be controlled; resisting a narrow focus on winning; avoiding excessive perfectionism; getting over losses quickly; and using goals for hope and motivation rather than allowing them to become expectations and cause stress.

CHAPTER 5: THE PROBLEMS OF FINISHING: Most players become nervous and stressed when they are ahead and face the hurdle of finishing the match against a dangerous opponent. The unique tennis scoring system intensifies this problem. The closer players get to winning, the greater the stress. Trying to reduce it gives rise to counterproductive behaviors such as procrastinating the finish or becoming "overconfident" and easing up with a lead.

CHAPTER 6: CHOKING - ITS CAUSES AND HOW TO MINIMIZE ITS EFFECTS: Choking is most frequent at the finish of games, sets, and matches due to the uncertainty of outcome. You can limit choking damage by immediate acceptance of this uncertainty. Avoid stressful thoughts of winning by using rituals, focusing, and relaxation techniques. Rid yourself of the idea that choking will make you lose, and recognize that there are usually multiple opportunities to win, not just one.

CHAPTER 7: CONFIDENCE AND HOW TO GET IT IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT: Confidence, aka self-belief, comes mostly from winning. Though it's more difficult, you can win without it by replacing it with sufficient emotional discipline. Slumps and hot streaks occur in cycles and both end naturally with time. Stressing over a slump prolongs it. You can speed its ending by several methods which we discuss.

CHAPTER 8: GAME PLANS: Game plans give your efforts direction and structure. They can rely primarily on offence or defense but should be consistent with your personality. With Plan A you are looking for a match-up where you have a relative advantage, most commonly pitting your strengths against your opponent's weaknesses. With Plan B, which you always employ simultaneously with Plan A, you attempt to tire your opponent mentally.

CHAPTER 9: BREAKING DOWN YOUR OPPONENT MENTALLY: You can weaken your opponent mentally by using dominance techniques. Be aware of momentum development - maintain it when you're winning and break it when you aren't. Take advantage of the let-downs that occur in transitional situations: at the end of sets, after long points, after service breaks, and after long games. Learn to resist becoming psyched out by opponents.

CHAPTER 10: MAINTAINING MENTAL EFFECTIVENESS IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE: Remember the Golden Rule of tennis: Never do anything on court that doesn't help you win. Decide beforehand how you will handle the frustrations and errors that are likely to occur during match play. Understand the value of intensity and its role in playing percentage tennis. Players who have beaten you too frequently get into your head. Beating them requires exceptional emotional discipline and focus. Learn to deal with injuries, both yours and those of your opponents.

CHAPTER 11: THE VALUE OF OPTIMISM: Being optimistic is always helpful during competition. If it does not occur naturally you can become more optimistic by deliberately focusing on the real positives that exist in every situation. Monitor your thoughts and be alert to negative ones. When one occurs replace it immediately with a positive one. A bad attitude is difficult to change in mid-match, so make sure to start out with a good one. When you are behind, hope is your most crucial asset, and it is always realistic.

CHAPTER 12: DEVELOPING YOUR GAME AND THE ROLE OF PARENTS: Tennis is a difficult game and not enjoyable until you can control the ball with some level of consistency. The "middle game" is the heart of any player's game, and is learned by intelligent, repetitious practice, Tennis should generally be made fun for beginning youngsters, but some little push may occasionally be necessary. Tournaments can be motivating for kids, but they are stressful for parents and can impel even a good parent to act improperly.

CHAPTER 13: COURAGE AND HIGHER VALUES: Competing successfully in tennis is helped by focusing on character development rather than on winning. Everybody wants to win anyway. Working to develop higher values such as courage, unselfishness, consideration for others, appreciation, and morality is good for your character and will, as a by-product, reduce your stress and help you win.

CHAPTER 14: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF DOUBLES: An important doubles skill is the ability to make your partner play better. You affect your partner's emotional state and level of play with your gestures and words. Champions are not concerned with parceling out blame for a loss; rather they are focused on doing what it takes to win. You can also disrupt the opposing team by attacking the weaker player and by intimidation.

Download file (right-click and "save as...")

About Allen Fox - Author, Speaker, Consultant:

Allen Fox, Ph.D. earned a B.A. degree in physics and a Ph.D. in psychology from UCLA where he won the NCAA Singles and Doubles titles and where he was named UCLA Athlete of the Year and All University of California Athlete of the Year. With the same competitive zeal that propelled him to the number four ranking in the United States, to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and a 3-time member of the US Davis Cup Team, he coached and built the Pepperdine University tennis team into a national power, mentoring, among others, renowned coach, Brad Gilbert. Dr Fox's Pepperdine teams were ranked among the nation's Top 5 for 10 consecutive years and reached 2 NCAA Team Finals.

Dr. Fox wrote the tennis best sellers, "If I'm the Better Player, Why Can't I Win?" and "Think to Win," and most recently, "Tennis: Winning the Mental Match." He is an editor of and contributor to Tennis Magazine, writes for various web sites, and is well-known for his 1-Minute Clinics on the Tennis Channel. These have been showing for the last three years. He also lectures around the world on tennis psychology, including at the national conferences of the USTA, USPTA, and the PTR. In addition, Dr. Fox consults on the mental issues of tennis with players of all levels, from recreational players to pros and is the Mental Fitness Director at the Weil Tennis Academy in Ojai, CA.

A regular on the Tennis Channel, Dr. Allen Fox is the author of three previous books, "IF I'M THE BETTER PLAYER, WHY CAN'T I WIN?", "THINK TO WIN," and "THE WINNER'S MIND, a Competitor's Guide to Sports and Business Success." Dr. Fox is an editor and writer for Tennis Magazine and for his web site, allenfoxtennis.net.

WHAT'S IN HIS NEW BOOK, Tennis: Winning the Mental Match?

CHAPTER 1: WHY DO WE WANT TO WIN? Winning a tennis match feels more important than it is because players are genetically wired to compete for position on the social hierarchy. The emotions of a tennis match resemble those of a fight. Players may realize that winning a match doesn't really matter, but they will always want to win anyway.

CHAPTER 2: THE EMOTIONAL ISSUES OF COMPETITION: Tennis is inherently an emotional game. Because match outcomes feel important but are ultimately uncontrollable, matches can become stressful. There is often an unconscious urge to escape this stress, which leads to counterproductive behaviors, among which are anger, tanking, and excuse-making. These can be overpowered by the conscious mind, but it requires understanding, high motivation, and constant effort.

CHAPTER 3: USING EMOTION TO HELP YOU WIN: Your emotions will dramatically affect your tennis performance. We discuss how to keep counterproductive emotions in check and how to create productive ones that will help you win. Topics include the use of adrenalin, profiting from the time between points, and maintaining an optimal excitation level.

CHAPTER 4: REDUCING THE STRESS: Matches can become overly stressful, and this hinders performance. Stress can be reduced by developing a more realistic perspective of the game. Included are accepting outcomes that can't be controlled; resisting a narrow focus on winning; avoiding excessive perfectionism; getting over losses quickly; and using goals for hope and motivation rather than allowing them to become expectations and cause stress.

CHAPTER 5: THE PROBLEMS OF FINISHING: Most players become nervous and stressed when they are ahead and face the hurdle of finishing the match against a dangerous opponent. The unique tennis scoring system intensifies this problem. The closer players get to winning, the greater the stress. Trying to reduce it gives rise to counterproductive behaviors such as procrastinating the finish or becoming "overconfident" and easing up with a lead.

CHAPTER 6: CHOKING - ITS CAUSES AND HOW TO MINIMIZE ITS EFFECTS: Choking is most frequent at the finish of games, sets, and matches due to the uncertainty of outcome. You can limit choking damage by immediate acceptance of this uncertainty. Avoid stressful thoughts of winning by using rituals, focusing, and relaxation techniques. Rid yourself of the idea that choking will make you lose, and recognize that there are usually multiple opportunities to win, not just one.

CHAPTER 7: CONFIDENCE AND HOW TO GET IT IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT: Confidence, aka self-belief, comes mostly from winning. Though it's more difficult, you can win without it by replacing it with sufficient emotional discipline. Slumps and hot streaks occur in cycles and both end naturally with time. Stressing over a slump prolongs it. You can speed its ending by several methods which we discuss.

CHAPTER 8: GAME PLANS: Game plans give your efforts direction and structure. They can rely primarily on offence or defense but should be consistent with your personality. With Plan A you are looking for a match-up where you have a relative advantage, most commonly pitting your strengths against your opponent's weaknesses. With Plan B, which you always employ simultaneously with Plan A, you attempt to tire your opponent mentally.

CHAPTER 9: BREAKING DOWN YOUR OPPONENT MENTALLY: You can weaken your opponent mentally by using dominance techniques. Be aware of momentum development - maintain it when you're winning and break it when you aren't. Take advantage of the let-downs that occur in transitional situations: at the end of sets, after long points, after service breaks, and after long games. Learn to resist becoming psyched out by opponents.

CHAPTER 10: MAINTAINING MENTAL EFFECTIVENESS IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE: Remember the Golden Rule of tennis: Never do anything on court that doesn't help you win. Decide beforehand how you will handle the frustrations and errors that are likely to occur during match play. Understand the value of intensity and its role in playing percentage tennis. Players who have beaten you too frequently get into your head. Beating them requires exceptional emotional discipline and focus. Learn to deal with injuries, both yours and those of your opponents.

CHAPTER 11: THE VALUE OF OPTIMISM: Being optimistic is always helpful during competition. If it does not occur naturally you can become more optimistic by deliberately focusing on the real positives that exist in every situation. Monitor your thoughts and be alert to negative ones. When one occurs replace it immediately with a positive one. A bad attitude is difficult to change in mid-match, so make sure to start out with a good one. When you are behind, hope is your most crucial asset, and it is always realistic.

CHAPTER 12: DEVELOPING YOUR GAME AND THE ROLE OF PARENTS: Tennis is a difficult game and not enjoyable until you can control the ball with some level of consistency. The "middle game" is the heart of any player's game, and is learned by intelligent, repetitious practice, Tennis should generally be made fun for beginning youngsters, but some little push may occasionally be necessary. Tournaments can be motivating for kids, but they are stressful for parents and can impel even a good parent to act improperly.

CHAPTER 13: COURAGE AND HIGHER VALUES: Competing successfully in tennis is helped by focusing on character development rather than on winning. Everybody wants to win anyway. Working to develop higher values such as courage, unselfishness, consideration for others, appreciation, and morality is good for your character and will, as a by-product, reduce your stress and help you win.

CHAPTER 14: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF DOUBLES: An important doubles skill is the ability to make your partner play better. You affect your partner's emotional state and level of play with your gestures and words. Champions are not concerned with parceling out blame for a loss; rather they are focused on doing what it takes to win. You can also disrupt the opposing team by attacking the weaker player and by intimidation.

Download file (right-click and "save as...")

About Allen Fox - Author, Speaker, Consultant:

Allen Fox, Ph.D. earned a B.A. degree in physics and a Ph.D. in psychology from UCLA where he won the NCAA Singles and Doubles titles and where he was named UCLA Athlete of the Year and All University of California Athlete of the Year. With the same competitive zeal that propelled him to the number four ranking in the United States, to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and a 3-time member of the US Davis Cup Team, he coached and built the Pepperdine University tennis team into a national power, mentoring, among others, renowned coach, Brad Gilbert. Dr Fox's Pepperdine teams were ranked among the nation's Top 5 for 10 consecutive years and reached 2 NCAA Team Finals.

Dr. Fox wrote the tennis best sellers, "If I'm the Better Player, Why Can't I Win?" and "Think to Win," and most recently, "Tennis: Winning the Mental Match." He is an editor of and contributor to Tennis Magazine, writes for various web sites, and is well-known for his 1-Minute Clinics on the Tennis Channel. These have been showing for the last three years. He also lectures around the world on tennis psychology, including at the national conferences of the USTA, USPTA, and the PTR. In addition, Dr. Fox consults on the mental issues of tennis with players of all levels, from recreational players to pros and is the Mental Fitness Director at the Weil Tennis Academy in Ojai, CA.

A regular on the Tennis Channel, Dr. Allen Fox is the author of three previous books, "IF I'M THE BETTER PLAYER, WHY CAN'T I WIN?", "THINK TO WIN," and "THE WINNER'S MIND, a Competitor's Guide to Sports and Business Success." Dr. Fox is an editor and writer for Tennis Magazine and for his web site, allenfoxtennis.net.

WHAT'S IN HIS NEW BOOK, Tennis: Winning the Mental Match?

CHAPTER 1: WHY DO WE WANT TO WIN? Winning a tennis match feels more important than it is because players are genetically wired to compete for position on the social hierarchy. The emotions of a tennis match resemble those of a fight. Players may realize that winning a match doesn't really matter, but they will always want to win anyway.

CHAPTER 2: THE EMOTIONAL ISSUES OF COMPETITION: Tennis is inherently an emotional game. Because match outcomes feel important but are ultimately uncontrollable, matches can become stressful. There is often an unconscious urge to escape this stress, which leads to counterproductive behaviors, among which are anger, tanking, and excuse-making. These can be overpowered by the conscious mind, but it requires understanding, high motivation, and constant effort.

CHAPTER 3: USING EMOTION TO HELP YOU WIN: Your emotions will dramatically affect your tennis performance. We discuss how to keep counterproductive emotions in check and how to create productive ones that will help you win. Topics include the use of adrenalin, profiting from the time between points, and maintaining an optimal excitation level.

CHAPTER 4: REDUCING THE STRESS: Matches can become overly stressful, and this hinders performance. Stress can be reduced by developing a more realistic perspective of the game. Included are accepting outcomes that can't be controlled; resisting a narrow focus on winning; avoiding excessive perfectionism; getting over losses quickly; and using goals for hope and motivation rather than allowing them to become expectations and cause stress.

CHAPTER 5: THE PROBLEMS OF FINISHING: Most players become nervous and stressed when they are ahead and face the hurdle of finishing the match against a dangerous opponent. The unique tennis scoring system intensifies this problem. The closer players get to winning, the greater the stress. Trying to reduce it gives rise to counterproductive behaviors such as procrastinating the finish or becoming "overconfident" and easing up with a lead.

CHAPTER 6: CHOKING - ITS CAUSES AND HOW TO MINIMIZE ITS EFFECTS: Choking is most frequent at the finish of games, sets, and matches due to the uncertainty of outcome. You can limit choking damage by immediate acceptance of this uncertainty. Avoid stressful thoughts of winning by using rituals, focusing, and relaxation techniques. Rid yourself of the idea that choking will make you lose, and recognize that there are usually multiple opportunities to win, not just one.

CHAPTER 7: CONFIDENCE AND HOW TO GET IT IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT: Confidence, aka self-belief, comes mostly from winning. Though it's more difficult, you can win without it by replacing it with sufficient emotional discipline. Slumps and hot streaks occur in cycles and both end naturally with time. Stressing over a slump prolongs it. You can speed its ending by several methods which we discuss.

CHAPTER 8: GAME PLANS: Game plans give your efforts direction and structure. They can rely primarily on offence or defense but should be consistent with your personality. With Plan A you are looking for a match-up where you have a relative advantage, most commonly pitting your strengths against your opponent's weaknesses. With Plan B, which you always employ simultaneously with Plan A, you attempt to tire your opponent mentally.

CHAPTER 9: BREAKING DOWN YOUR OPPONENT MENTALLY: You can weaken your opponent mentally by using dominance techniques. Be aware of momentum development - maintain it when you're winning and break it when you aren't. Take advantage of the let-downs that occur in transitional situations: at the end of sets, after long points, after service breaks, and after long games. Learn to resist becoming psyched out by opponents.

CHAPTER 10: MAINTAINING MENTAL EFFECTIVENESS IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE: Remember the Golden Rule of tennis: Never do anything on court that doesn't help you win. Decide beforehand how you will handle the frustrations and errors that are likely to occur during match play. Understand the value of intensity and its role in playing percentage tennis. Players who have beaten you too frequently get into your head. Beating them requires exceptional emotional discipline and focus. Learn to deal with injuries, both yours and those of your opponents.

CHAPTER 11: THE VALUE OF OPTIMISM: Being optimistic is always helpful during competition. If it does not occur naturally you can become more optimistic by deliberately focusing on the real positives that exist in every situation. Monitor your thoughts and be alert to negative ones. When one occurs replace it immediately with a positive one. A bad attitude is difficult to change in mid-match, so make sure to start out with a good one. When you are behind, hope is your most crucial asset, and it is always realistic.

CHAPTER 12: DEVELOPING YOUR GAME AND THE ROLE OF PARENTS: Tennis is a difficult game and not enjoyable until you can control the ball with some level of consistency. The "middle game" is the heart of any player's game, and is learned by intelligent, repetitious practice, Tennis should generally be made fun for beginning youngsters, but some little push may occasionally be necessary. Tournaments can be motivating for kids, but they are stressful for parents and can impel even a good parent to act improperly.

CHAPTER 13: COURAGE AND HIGHER VALUES: Competing successfully in tennis is helped by focusing on character development rather than on winning. Everybody wants to win anyway. Working to develop higher values such as courage, unselfishness, consideration for others, appreciation, and morality is good for your character and will, as a by-product, reduce your stress and help you win.

CHAPTER 14: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF DOUBLES: An important doubles skill is the ability to make your partner play better. You affect your partner's emotional state and level of play with your gestures and words. Champions are not concerned with parceling out blame for a loss; rather they are focused on doing what it takes to win. You can also disrupt the opposing team by attacking the weaker player and by intimidation.

Download file (right-click and "save as...")

About Allen Fox - Author, Speaker, Consultant:

Allen Fox, Ph.D. earned a B.A. degree in physics and a Ph.D. in psychology from UCLA where he won the NCAA Singles and Doubles titles and where he was named UCLA Athlete of the Year and All University of California Athlete of the Year. With the same competitive zeal that propelled him to the number four ranking in the United States, to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and a 3-time member of the US Davis Cup Team, he coached and built the Pepperdine University tennis team into a national power, mentoring, among others, renowned coach, Brad Gilbert. Dr Fox's Pepperdine teams were ranked among the nation's Top 5 for 10 consecutive years and reached 2 NCAA Team Finals.

Dr. Fox wrote the tennis best sellers, "If I'm the Better Player, Why Can't I Win?" and "Think to Win," and most recently, "Tennis: Winning the Mental Match." He is an editor of and contributor to Tennis Magazine, writes for various web sites, and is well-known for his 1-Minute Clinics on the Tennis Channel. These have been showing for the last three years. He also lectures around the world on tennis psychology, including at the national conferences of the USTA, USPTA, and the PTR. In addition, Dr. Fox consults on the mental issues of tennis with players of all levels, from recreational players to pros and is the Mental Fitness Director at the Weil Tennis Academy in Ojai, CA.

A regular on the Tennis Channel, Dr. Allen Fox is the author of three previous books, "IF I'M THE BETTER PLAYER, WHY CAN'T I WIN?", "THINK TO WIN," and "THE WINNER'S MIND, a Competitor's Guide to Sports and Business Success." Dr. Fox is an editor and writer for Tennis Magazine and for his web site, allenfoxtennis.net.

WHAT'S IN HIS NEW BOOK, Tennis: Winning the Mental Match?

CHAPTER 1: WHY DO WE WANT TO WIN? Winning a tennis match feels more important than it is because players are genetically wired to compete for position on the social hierarchy. The emotions of a tennis match resemble those of a fight. Players may realize that winning a match doesn't really matter, but they will always want to win anyway.

CHAPTER 2: THE EMOTIONAL ISSUES OF COMPETITION: Tennis is inherently an emotional game. Because match outcomes feel important but are ultimately uncontrollable, matches can become stressful. There is often an unconscious urge to escape this stress, which leads to counterproductive behaviors, among which are anger, tanking, and excuse-making. These can be overpowered by the conscious mind, but it requires understanding, high motivation, and constant effort.

CHAPTER 3: USING EMOTION TO HELP YOU WIN: Your emotions will dramatically affect your tennis performance. We discuss how to keep counterproductive emotions in check and how to create productive ones that will help you win. Topics include the use of adrenalin, profiting from the time between points, and maintaining an optimal excitation level.

CHAPTER 4: REDUCING THE STRESS: Matches can become overly stressful, and this hinders performance. Stress can be reduced by developing a more realistic perspective of the game. Included are accepting outcomes that can't be controlled; resisting a narrow focus on winning; avoiding excessive perfectionism; getting over losses quickly; and using goals for hope and motivation rather than allowing them to become expectations and cause stress.

CHAPTER 5: THE PROBLEMS OF FINISHING: Most players become nervous and stressed when they are ahead and face the hurdle of finishing the match against a dangerous opponent. The unique tennis scoring system intensifies this problem. The closer players get to winning, the greater the stress. Trying to reduce it gives rise to counterproductive behaviors such as procrastinating the finish or becoming "overconfident" and easing up with a lead.

CHAPTER 6: CHOKING - ITS CAUSES AND HOW TO MINIMIZE ITS EFFECTS: Choking is most frequent at the finish of games, sets, and matches due to the uncertainty of outcome. You can limit choking damage by immediate acceptance of this uncertainty. Avoid stressful thoughts of winning by using rituals, focusing, and relaxation techniques. Rid yourself of the idea that choking will make you lose, and recognize that there are usually multiple opportunities to win, not just one.

CHAPTER 7: CONFIDENCE AND HOW TO GET IT IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT: Confidence, aka self-belief, comes mostly from winning. Though it's more difficult, you can win without it by replacing it with sufficient emotional discipline. Slumps and hot streaks occur in cycles and both end naturally with time. Stressing over a slump prolongs it. You can speed its ending by several methods which we discuss.

CHAPTER 8: GAME PLANS: Game plans give your efforts direction and structure. They can rely primarily on offence or defense but should be consistent with your personality. With Plan A you are looking for a match-up where you have a relative advantage, most commonly pitting your strengths against your opponent's weaknesses. With Plan B, which you always employ simultaneously with Plan A, you attempt to tire your opponent mentally.

CHAPTER 9: BREAKING DOWN YOUR OPPONENT MENTALLY: You can weaken your opponent mentally by using dominance techniques. Be aware of momentum development - maintain it when you're winning and break it when you aren't. Take advantage of the let-downs that occur in transitional situations: at the end of sets, after long points, after service breaks, and after long games. Learn to resist becoming psyched out by opponents.

CHAPTER 10: MAINTAINING MENTAL EFFECTIVENESS IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE: Remember the Golden Rule of tennis: Never do anything on court that doesn't help you win. Decide beforehand how you will handle the frustrations and errors that are likely to occur during match play. Understand the value of intensity and its role in playing percentage tennis. Players who have beaten you too frequently get into your head. Beating them requires exceptional emotional discipline and focus. Learn to deal with injuries, both yours and those of your opponents.

CHAPTER 11: THE VALUE OF OPTIMISM: Being optimistic is always helpful during competition. If it does not occur naturally you can become more optimistic by deliberately focusing on the real positives that exist in every situation. Monitor your thoughts and be alert to negative ones. When one occurs replace it immediately with a positive one. A bad attitude is difficult to change in mid-match, so make sure to start out with a good one. When you are behind, hope is your most crucial asset, and it is always realistic.

CHAPTER 12: DEVELOPING YOUR GAME AND THE ROLE OF PARENTS: Tennis is a difficult game and not enjoyable until you can control the ball with some level of consistency. The "middle game" is the heart of any player's game, and is learned by intelligent, repetitious practice, Tennis should generally be made fun for beginning youngsters, but some little push may occasionally be necessary. Tournaments can be motivating for kids, but they are stressful for parents and can impel even a good parent to act improperly.

CHAPTER 13: COURAGE AND HIGHER VALUES: Competing successfully in tennis is helped by focusing on character development rather than on winning. Everybody wants to win anyway. Working to develop higher values such as courage, unselfishness, consideration for others, appreciation, and morality is good for your character and will, as a by-product, reduce your stress and help you win.

CHAPTER 14: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF DOUBLES: An important doubles skill is the ability to make your partner play better. You affect your partner's emotional state and level of play with your gestures and words. Champions are not concerned with parceling out blame for a loss; rather they are focused on doing what it takes to win. You can also disrupt the opposing team by attacking the weaker player and by intimidation.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School, Honolulu, HI talks about the Music and Rhythm - Part 2.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School, Honolulu, HI talks about music and rhythm.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School, Honolulu, HI talks about the "Art of Rhythm."

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School, Honolulu, HI talks about rhythm and footwork patterns in tennis and dance.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School, Honolulu, HI talks about the interdependence of rhythm and tempo.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School, Honolulu, HI talks about rhythm.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School, Honolulu, HI shows the difference between arm and racket extension at contact.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School, Honolulu, HI comments on the conservative grip that ATP Player Kevin Kim uses in today's current game. Kevin holds the grip on the backhand side in between the continental and eastern backhand grip. With this grip he is able to generate good topspin by using a full arm circle follow through and also can rip the ball flat or take the ball early. Kevin's backhand grip is much different than many of the one-handed European clay court player's who use a more extreme eastern backhand grip. So, if you are blessed with good hard-court instincts, try using the more conservative hammer grip to rip into your one handed backhand.

Dennis Ralston's six keys to hitting the backhand:

1. Make sure you have proper balance. Don't lean to far forward as it will end up hitting the ball into the net.

2. Keep the right shoulder up to prevent yourself from leaning too far forward.

3. Reach back with your opposite arm to ensure a backswing that is long enough. If you take too short a backswing, you won't build up momentum; you will brush up and over the ball and it won't go anywhere.

4. Don't think about transferring your weight forward. If you are on balance and let the racket head go through the path of the ball, that is all you need worry about. The weight transfer will take care of itself. If you think too much as you are about to meet the ball, it will only hurt you. Don't try too hard to move your weight into the shot, because you'll end up muscling the ball instead of stroking it.

5. Make contact just in front of your body and get your feet into position. If you have time, your feet should be parallel with the baseline.

6. Follow through out toward your target. For topspin, your racket head should finish higher than it would on a flat backhand.

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Brent Hunter, USPTA, Tennis Professional, Punahou School, Honolulu, HI demonstrates a cardio tennis drill, "Ships In The Night."

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Alex Kuneztov in action at the 2011 Honolulu Challenger.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School, Honolulu, HI shows a serve progression to cure the Waitress Serve.

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Michael Russell in action at the 2011 Honolulu Challenger.

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Jesse Witten in action at the 2011 Honolulu Challenger.

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WAIPAHU, Hawaii January 30, 2011 - No.6 seed Ryan Harrison defeated Alex Kuznetsov 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 for the singles title of the 2011 Honolulu Challenger, a $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit Challenger event, at the Pasty T. Mink Central Oahu Regional Park, January 23 - 30.

"I was really happy with the way I was playing today, especially in the third set," said Harrison who lost his serve rhythm in the second set due to a two-hour rain delay, "I'm looking forward to continuing it throughout this season."
"He came out playing much better after the rain delays," said Harrison who was up 5-2 in the third, but gave away two games before closing it out and taking the title. "I had to settle back in, settle myself down and start to play a more positive, aggressive game style towards the end of the game."
Harrison earned his place by taking out No.1 seed Michael Russell in yesterday's semifinal match. Harrison who won this year's USTA Australian Open Wild Card Playoff and competed in the 2011 Australian Open last week The 18-year-old Harrison had a breakout season in 2010, establishing himself as one of the rising stars in men's tennis.

"He's one hell of a player," said Kuznetsov who has beat Harrison twice before. "He's young and has a bright future ahead."
Kuznetsov, who took out two seeds - No.8 Jesse Witten and No. 5 Bobby Reynolds, each in three sets, en route to the finals. This is Kuznetsov's third showing in Hawaii. In November 2004, he played both the Waikoloa Futures and Honolulu Futures and lost in the semifinals, both to Wayne Odesnik.

"This match could have gone either way today," said Harrison. "He's obviously been a dominance on the tour for the U.S., especially on the Challenger Circuit for the last couple years. I look forward to having more battles with him in the years to come."
No.1 seed of Harrison and partner Travis Rettenmaier, claim the doubles title by walk over. Robert Kendrick -of the No.2 seeded team together with Kuznetsov - pulled out due to injury.

The 2011 Honolulu Challenger presented by American Saving Bank was held at the Patsy T. Mink Central Oahu Regional Park Tennis Complex, 94-801 Kamehameha Highway in Waipahu, and runs January 23 - 30, 2011.

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Sam Groth clocked the fastest serve at the 2009 Australian Open - 145 mph.

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Ah, angled and shoe-string volleys, short points and pressure tennis. Not anymore. Don McCormick, former Canadian Davis Cup player talks about playing on the ATP tour in the early 70's. Don played in an era when serve-and-volley dominated the game of mens tennis. Don has played tennis greats such as Arthur Ashe, Rod Laver, Stan Smith, Ken Rosewall, John Newcombe and Tony Roche.

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Don McCormick, former Canadian Davis Cup player talks about playing on the ATP tour in the early 70's. There was a time when Americans ruled the red clay. Don has played tennis greats such as Arthur Ashe, Rod Laver, Stan Smith, Ken Rosewall, John Newcombe and Tony Roche.

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Don McCormick, former Canadian Davis Cup player talks about playing on the ATP tour in the early 70's.

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Joe Curcio, USPTA/USPTR, Head Tennis Professional, Oahu Club, shows a tip on getting your students to turn their shoulders on the volley.

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Mark Beede, USPTA, Director, Hawaii Pacific Tennis Foundation, shows a tip on how to get more angular momentum on the modern day forehand.

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Hector Mendoza, USPTA, Mauna Kea Resort, shows a tip on how to "Get Vertical" on the serve.

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Paul Salitsky, Lecturer

Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior

Degrees:

1995 PhD Temple University (Exercise Science/Sport Psychology)
1990 MA University of Maryland - College Park (Kinesiology)
1977 BA American University (Psychology)
1975 AA Hagerstown Junior College (Liberal Arts)
Research Interests:

Sport & Exercise Psychology, momentum in sport, emerging leadership, coaching education, exercise and cancer patients/survivors, coaching youth sport

Awards:
Certified Consultant - Association for Applied Sport Psychology
Professional Societies:
US Olympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry
American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, & Dance
American Psychological Association (Div. 47)
American College of Sports Medicine
Association of Applied Sport Psychology
International Society of Sport Psychology
International Society of Sports Vision
North American Society for the Psychology of Sport & Physical Activity
North American Society for the Sociology of Sport
USA Volleyball Resource Advisory Committee for Sports Medicine & Performance
USA Track & Field Sport Psychology Committee

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Paul Salitsky, Lecturer

Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior

Degrees:

1995 PhD Temple University (Exercise Science/Sport Psychology)
1990 MA University of Maryland - College Park (Kinesiology)
1977 BA American University (Psychology)
1975 AA Hagerstown Junior College (Liberal Arts)
Research Interests:

Sport & Exercise Psychology, momentum in sport, emerging leadership, coaching education, exercise and cancer patients/survivors, coaching youth sport

Awards:
Certified Consultant - Association for Applied Sport Psychology
Professional Societies:
US Olympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry
American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, & Dance
American Psychological Association (Div. 47)
American College of Sports Medicine
Association of Applied Sport Psychology
International Society of Sport Psychology
International Society of Sports Vision
North American Society for the Psychology of Sport & Physical Activity
North American Society for the Sociology of Sport
USA Volleyball Resource Advisory Committee for Sports Medicine & Performance
USA Track & Field Sport Psychology Committee

Download file (right-click and "save as...")

Paul Salitsky, Lecturer

Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior

Degrees:

1995 PhD Temple University (Exercise Science/Sport Psychology)
1990 MA University of Maryland - College Park (Kinesiology)
1977 BA American University (Psychology)
1975 AA Hagerstown Junior College (Liberal Arts)
Research Interests:

Sport & Exercise Psychology, momentum in sport, emerging leadership, coaching education, exercise and cancer patients/survivors, coaching youth sport

Awards:
Certified Consultant - Association for Applied Sport Psychology
Professional Societies:
US Olympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry
American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, & Dance
American Psychological Association (Div. 47)
American College of Sports Medicine
Association of Applied Sport Psychology
International Society of Sport Psychology
International Society of Sports Vision
North American Society for the Psychology of Sport & Physical Activity
North American Society for the Sociology of Sport
USA Volleyball Resource Advisory Committee for Sports Medicine & Performance
USA Track & Field Sport Psychology Committee

Download file (right-click and "save as...")

Paul Salitsky, Lecturer

Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior

Degrees:

1995 PhD Temple University (Exercise Science/Sport Psychology)
1990 MA University of Maryland - College Park (Kinesiology)
1977 BA American University (Psychology)
1975 AA Hagerstown Junior College (Liberal Arts)
Research Interests:

Sport & Exercise Psychology, momentum in sport, emerging leadership, coaching education, exercise and cancer patients/survivors, coaching youth sport

Awards:
Certified Consultant - Association for Applied Sport Psychology
Professional Societies:
US Olympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry
American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, & Dance
American Psychological Association (Div. 47)
American College of Sports Medicine
Association of Applied Sport Psychology
International Society of Sport Psychology
International Society of Sports Vision
North American Society for the Psychology of Sport & Physical Activity
North American Society for the Sociology of Sport
USA Volleyball Resource Advisory Committee for Sports Medicine & Performance
USA Track & Field Sport Psychology Committee

Download file (right-click and "save as...")

Paul Salitsky, Lecturer

Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior

Degrees:

1995 PhD Temple University (Exercise Science/Sport Psychology)
1990 MA University of Maryland - College Park (Kinesiology)
1977 BA American University (Psychology)
1975 AA Hagerstown Junior College (Liberal Arts)
Research Interests:

Sport & Exercise Psychology, momentum in sport, emerging leadership, coaching education, exercise and cancer patients/survivors, coaching youth sport

Awards:
Certified Consultant - Association for Applied Sport Psychology
Professional Societies:
US Olympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry
American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, & Dance
American Psychological Association (Div. 47)
American College of Sports Medicine
Association of Applied Sport Psychology
International Society of Sport Psychology
International Society of Sports Vision
North American Society for the Psychology of Sport & Physical Activity
North American Society for the Sociology of Sport
USA Volleyball Resource Advisory Committee for Sports Medicine & Performance
USA Track & Field Sport Psychology Committee

Download file (right-click and "save as...")

Paul Salitsky, Lecturer

Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior

Degrees:

1995 PhD Temple University (Exercise Science/Sport Psychology)
1990 MA University of Maryland - College Park (Kinesiology)
1977 BA American University (Psychology)
1975 AA Hagerstown Junior College (Liberal Arts)
Research Interests:

Sport & Exercise Psychology, momentum in sport, emerging leadership, coaching education, exercise and cancer patients/survivors, coaching youth sport

Awards:
Certified Consultant - Association for Applied Sport Psychology
Professional Societies:
US Olympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry
American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, & Dance
American Psychological Association (Div. 47)
American College of Sports Medicine
Association of Applied Sport Psychology
International Society of Sport Psychology
International Society of Sports Vision
North American Society for the Psychology of Sport & Physical Activity
North American Society for the Sociology of Sport
USA Volleyball Resource Advisory Committee for Sports Medicine & Performance
USA Track & Field Sport Psychology Committee

Download file (right-click and "save as...")

Paul Salitsky, Lecturer

Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior

Degrees:

1995 PhD Temple University (Exercise Science/Sport Psychology)
1990 MA University of Maryland - College Park (Kinesiology)
1977 BA American University (Psychology)
1975 AA Hagerstown Junior College (Liberal Arts)
Research Interests:

Sport & Exercise Psychology, momentum in sport, emerging leadership, coaching education, exercise and cancer patients/survivors, coaching youth sport

Awards:
Certified Consultant - Association for Applied Sport Psychology
Professional Societies:
US Olympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry
American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, & Dance
American Psychological Association (Div. 47)
American College of Sports Medicine
Association of Applied Sport Psychology
International Society of Sport Psychology
International Society of Sports Vision
North American Society for the Psychology of Sport & Physical Activity
North American Society for the Sociology of Sport
USA Volleyball Resource Advisory Committee for Sports Medicine & Performance
USA Track & Field Sport Psychology Committee

Download file (right-click and "save as...")

Paul Salitsky, Lecturer

Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior

Degrees:

1995 PhD Temple University (Exercise Science/Sport Psychology)
1990 MA University of Maryland - College Park (Kinesiology)
1977 BA American University (Psychology)
1975 AA Hagerstown Junior College (Liberal Arts)
Research Interests:

Sport & Exercise Psychology, momentum in sport, emerging leadership, coaching education, exercise and cancer patients/survivors, coaching youth sport

Awards:
Certified Consultant - Association for Applied Sport Psychology
Professional Societies:
US Olympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry
American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, & Dance
American Psychological Association (Div. 47)
American College of Sports Medicine
Association of Applied Sport Psychology
International Society of Sport Psychology
International Society of Sports Vision
North American Society for the Psychology of Sport & Physical Activity
North American Society for the Sociology of Sport
USA Volleyball Resource Advisory Committee for Sports Medicine & Performance
USA Track & Field Sport Psychology Committee

Download file (right-click and "save as...")

Rusty Komori, USPTA, Head Boys Varsity Coach, demonstrates the "Offense - Defense Doubles Drill."

From MIDWEEK MAGAZINE

After 20 straight state titles, 17 under tennis coach Rusty Komori, Punahou is the most dominant prep team in U.S. history.

Forget the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Lakers and the footballers from Brazil. If you want to see real dominance, go visit the hard courts of Manoa, where the Punahou Buffanblu have held sway on the rest of the Hawaii tennis world for the past two decades.

That's right, in May they won their 20th straight state title. And counting.

The advent of the Internet and cell phones for everyone, and a pair of Bushes in the White House, and still every school year ends the same: another state tennis championship for the Punahou boys.

Trivia: What was the last other team to win the state title? Lahainaluna, in 1990. Before that, Punahou won the previous seven, meaning it's won 27 of the past 28 titles, and since 1969, 35 of 42. Michael Gearen started the current streak as coach in 1991-92, and then Bernard Gusman coached one year before Komori took over for the past 17 - and counting.

Komori is a 1987 Damien graduate who didn't take up tennis seriously until his sophomore year. But once he began his love affair with that fuzzy little yellow ball, he hasn't looked back.

"The reason I went to tennis, I really liked the team sports, but with tennis, if you want to be good, it all depends on you," says Komori, who started out playing baseball and soccer. "If you want to be bad, it only depends on you as well! That's a good thing. You just have to hit it in one more time than your opponent."

He graduated high school ranked fourth in the state and went on to accept one of the first tennis scholarships offered by Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., where he earned a degree in communications with the intention of continuing on to law school.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the courthouse. He began working as a pro at Waialae Country Club where, as you might imagine, a lot of members are lawyers. As he helped them with their ground strokes, he began to notice many of them were wearing thick glasses, so he asked them what they did all day as lawyers.

"They said, 'Read,'" says Komori. "I knew I didn't want to read things. I didn't want to read all day, so I stuck with tennis and so far, no glasses!"

As a leader of young men, Komori maintains his own style: He is neither bombastic nor authoritarian, but rather exudes a cool, quiet confidence that his players respect. He leads with his actions. Stressing the importance of fitness, he often runs laps with his boys before they ever take to the court.

"I always tell my captains, 'You need to lead by example,'" says Komori, a confirmed bachelor who keeps in shape by running with a 2-year-old Maltese named, wait for it, Ace. "And if they need to, then I need to as well. You can do 99 things right, but if we do one thing wrong, everyone will remember that one thing. So we cannot allow ourselves to do any one thing wrong. That's why I stress self-discipline."

By keeping his rules simple, there is little confusion on what he expects from his players.

"I have two rules for varsity: listening and lateness," says Komori. "Parents like my rules because that's something they want instilled in their kids. I instill self-discipline, respect for the opponent, I try to have them be the best representative of themselves, the program and Punahou School.

"I want them to become really good people beyond high school. Tennis and the adversities they face in it prepares them for life outside of high school."

Komori has a keen awareness that most of his students will not follow his lead and make a career out of tennis. For some, it will lead to college scholarships, but for the majority it will become a recreational diversion and as the years pile on, a way to keep off unwanted pounds and keep the ticker strong.

He understands that he is not shaping their lives, but enriching them. This is a lesson he learned from his old mentor and current colleague Rick Aquino at Mililani Recreational Center.

"Rick once told me, 'You are going to need more than I can give,'" recalls Komori. "What he meant by that was he didn't want to just keep me for himself, but rather he was looking at me developing as a person, and he was adding to me.

"If there were other coaches or tennis clinics that would add to me, then that would be fine. So I look at my players not as my players, but rather how can I add to that player's development? How can other pros add to it? It's hard for one pro to be there all the time. If we all share this philosophy then all the players can flourish."

Once the physical work-out for the day is done, he likes to leave players with championship thoughts such as "Challenges make life interesting, overcoming them makes life meaningful." And this one from Arthur Ashe: "You never play an opponent, you are playing yourself and your own highest standards."

Ashe's words ring especially true with Komori as he has to remotivate himself every year to stay hungry and keep the streak alive.

"Every year it seems like someone is saying, 'You have to beat this record or that record,'" says Komori, who passed Cal Lee's record two years ago for the most consecutive state championships. "It's a lot of pressure, but only you can give yourself pressure and you can feed on it, channel it - and suddenly it becomes exciting."

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Rusty Komori, USPTA, Head Boys Varsity Coach, demonstrates the "Doubles Reflex Volley Game."

From MIDWEEK MAGAZINE

After 20 straight state titles, 17 under tennis coach Rusty Komori, Punahou is the most dominant prep team in U.S. history.

Forget the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Lakers and the footballers from Brazil. If you want to see real dominance, go visit the hard courts of Manoa, where the Punahou Buffanblu have held sway on the rest of the Hawaii tennis world for the past two decades.

That's right, in May they won their 20th straight state title. And counting.

The advent of the Internet and cell phones for everyone, and a pair of Bushes in the White House, and still every school year ends the same: another state tennis championship for the Punahou boys.

Trivia: What was the last other team to win the state title? Lahainaluna, in 1990. Before that, Punahou won the previous seven, meaning it's won 27 of the past 28 titles, and since 1969, 35 of 42. Michael Gearen started the current streak as coach in 1991-92, and then Bernard Gusman coached one year before Komori took over for the past 17 - and counting.

Komori is a 1987 Damien graduate who didn't take up tennis seriously until his sophomore year. But once he began his love affair with that fuzzy little yellow ball, he hasn't looked back.

"The reason I went to tennis, I really liked the team sports, but with tennis, if you want to be good, it all depends on you," says Komori, who started out playing baseball and soccer. "If you want to be bad, it only depends on you as well! That's a good thing. You just have to hit it in one more time than your opponent."

He graduated high school ranked fourth in the state and went on to accept one of the first tennis scholarships offered by Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., where he earned a degree in communications with the intention of continuing on to law school.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the courthouse. He began working as a pro at Waialae Country Club where, as you might imagine, a lot of members are lawyers. As he helped them with their ground strokes, he began to notice many of them were wearing thick glasses, so he asked them what they did all day as lawyers.

"They said, 'Read,'" says Komori. "I knew I didn't want to read things. I didn't want to read all day, so I stuck with tennis and so far, no glasses!"

As a leader of young men, Komori maintains his own style: He is neither bombastic nor authoritarian, but rather exudes a cool, quiet confidence that his players respect. He leads with his actions. Stressing the importance of fitness, he often runs laps with his boys before they ever take to the court.

"I always tell my captains, 'You need to lead by example,'" says Komori, a confirmed bachelor who keeps in shape by running with a 2-year-old Maltese named, wait for it, Ace. "And if they need to, then I need to as well. You can do 99 things right, but if we do one thing wrong, everyone will remember that one thing. So we cannot allow ourselves to do any one thing wrong. That's why I stress self-discipline."

By keeping his rules simple, there is little confusion on what he expects from his players.

"I have two rules for varsity: listening and lateness," says Komori. "Parents like my rules because that's something they want instilled in their kids. I instill self-discipline, respect for the opponent, I try to have them be the best representative of themselves, the program and Punahou School.

"I want them to become really good people beyond high school. Tennis and the adversities they face in it prepares them for life outside of high school."

Komori has a keen awareness that most of his students will not follow his lead and make a career out of tennis. For some, it will lead to college scholarships, but for the majority it will become a recreational diversion and as the years pile on, a way to keep off unwanted pounds and keep the ticker strong.

He understands that he is not shaping their lives, but enriching them. This is a lesson he learned from his old mentor and current colleague Rick Aquino at Mililani Recreational Center.

"Rick once told me, 'You are going to need more than I can give,'" recalls Komori. "What he meant by that was he didn't want to just keep me for himself, but rather he was looking at me developing as a person, and he was adding to me.

"If there were other coaches or tennis clinics that would add to me, then that would be fine. So I look at my players not as my players, but rather how can I add to that player's development? How can other pros add to it? It's hard for one pro to be there all the time. If we all share this philosophy then all the players can flourish."

Once the physical work-out for the day is done, he likes to leave players with championship thoughts such as "Challenges make life interesting, overcoming them makes life meaningful." And this one from Arthur Ashe: "You never play an opponent, you are playing yourself and your own highest standards."

Ashe's words ring especially true with Komori as he has to remotivate himself every year to stay hungry and keep the streak alive.

"Every year it seems like someone is saying, 'You have to beat this record or that record,'" says Komori, who passed Cal Lee's record two years ago for the most consecutive state championships. "It's a lot of pressure, but only you can give yourself pressure and you can feed on it, channel it - and suddenly it becomes exciting."

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Troy Hotz, Punahou Strength and Conditioning Coach, Punahou School, explains some do's and don'ts when attempting squats.

Keith Wassung writes: The barbell front squat is a phenomenal, yet seldom performed version of the regular barbell squat. This exercise directs a great deal of focus onto the front part of the thigh, especially the vastus medalis, which is the part of the lower thigh above the knee that looks like a teardrop, the rectus femoris, or center thigh, and the hamstrings. There is also an effect on the hips, lower back and to some extent, the abdominal wall. The front squat is not a replacement for the back squat, but if done effectively, can be a tremendous boost to overall lower body strength, development and flexibility. Here's the rest of his excellent write-up.

Front squats are tricky to get used to-but its important that you develop the technical skills needed to become comfortable with this movement. In the majority of cases, people feel awkward when first attempting this exercise, which often results in them failing to include it in their routine.

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Troy Hotz, Punahou Strength and Conditioning Coach demonstrates the Clean and Jerk.

HUGE STRENGTH GAINS POSSIBLE, BY MIKE CONLEY

Olympic weight lifting is likely the best kept secret when it comes to fitness. Walk into any gym these days and you will be hard pressed to find anyone doing a clean or a snatch. I have read several books on the topic and even purchased a "how to video" on performing the lifts correctly. Now I do not have any dreams of being a professional Olympic weightlifter but I do understand its value in developing my fitness level. Nothing compares to Olympic lifts in terms of speed development, flexibility, total body strength and muscle gains.

Actually, there are really only two Olympic lifts, the snatch and the clean and jerk. A snatch is a combination of a dead lift, barbell shrug, and an over head squat performed in one fluid movement. The clean and jerk is a combination of a dead lift, upright row, front squat and a push press.

How effective are Olympic lifts; the vertical leap is a very basic measure of athletic ability - Olympic weightlifters surpass everyone. Michael Stone, PhD and currently professor of exercise science at Eastern State University talks about a test he performed when working at the Olympic Training Center. "We measured vertical jumps of athletes in nearly every sport and Olympic weightlifters had higher average jumps than all other groups - basketball players, gymnast, sprinters, everybody". Even the bulkiest lifters are capable of incredible lifts.

So what is it about these lifts that have mystical effects on the body? They engage nearly all of your muscles to move the weight faster and farther than traditional bodybuilding movements. Actually, each repetition only takes a couple of seconds from start to finish targeting fast twitch muscle fibers. Fast twitch muscles offer the greatest potential for size and strength gains. These are also the muscles that are most often overlooked in the typical weight lifting routine.
If Olympic weightlifting is so superior, why is it you seldom see anyone performing these lifts in the local gyms? The primary reason is they are technically difficult to perform. A bicep curl or a triceps press are relatively easy movements and require very little instruction. A snatch or clean and jerk require a qualified instructor to teach the movements, otherwise, you risk injury or at the very least, incorrect execution.
Luckily there is a shortcut to experience the benefits of Olympic weightlifting. With these lifts there are two phases: the pull and the catch. During the pull you explode upward pulling the barbell off the floor and in front of your thighs as if you were trying to jump to the ceiling. During the catch phase you quickly move your body under the bar and catch the weight on your shoulders or above your head.
lwyn Cosgrove, C.S.C.S, a certified weightlifting coach says "In my experience, 95 percent of the benefits of Olympic lifts come from the pull phase", which is the simplest and safest movement. "Almost all of the technical difficulties occur during the catch phase". That is why he has eliminated the catch phase from nearly all of his training programs and probably a pretty good reason why you should too. He went on to say "Most men need to worry about the catch only if they are interested in competing in the sport".
There are many resources to learn Olympic weight lifting, I would suggest you learn the moves and watch your athletic performance take off.

Mike Conley is an accomplished Webmaster and publisher of www.healthy-diet-weightloss-and-exercise.com [http://www.healthy-diet-weightloss-and-exercise.com] where he provides information on healthy eating,weightloss and exercise [http://www.healthy-diet-weightloss-and-exercise.com/eating_healthy_and_exercising_equal_weight_loss.php]. We encourage you to crab a cup of coffee or your favorite beverage and see what Mike has to say on the subject.

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Lee Couillard, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional, Punahou School, explains the differences between the bent and straight arm forehand technique.

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Fumiya Nakano, Ashley Ohira, Fred Wong & Jeff Matsunaga use 4 stations, e.g., Labryrinth, Tap-the-Bucket, Bunny Hopscotch, to help with movement and footwork.