One of the most common questions I get from junior tennis parents is should my child home school? Is it the only way they can develop into a division 1 collegiate athlete? And I get that question not because they’re in love with the idea of homeschooling. It’s because they feel like they’re being forced into it by the current junior tennis structure. Most parents don’t actually want their child to homeschool. They want to keep them in regular school. Well I have a way to work around part of the ...
Apr 23, 2023•12 min
This can probably be said for most individual sports as well. Team sports have the advantage of having everything organized for the players. There’s a coach. A season. A set schedule. Set practice times. Uniforms. Etc.. Sure, there’s still a cost to all that, but all the information is put together, and handed out to the parents. They know what to expect, what their schedule is, and then put on their uber hat and drive the kids everywhere. That doesn’t exist in junior tennis. www.aubonetennis.co...
Mar 04, 2023•16 min
Junior tennis ranking systems for people to be obsessed with have existed for decades. UTR is just another system with its own advantages and disadvantages. What’s changed is how academies, parents, and players have easy access to seeing the “ratings” thus exposing how much they actually look at them. Click below for the full blog. Hope you enjoy the episode! http://www.aubonetennis.com/blog/utr
Feb 08, 2023•23 min
Ohhhhh I've been wanting to write this one for a while. Innocent well-intentioned actions can do more harm than we think. We overlook the consequences of actions that WE think don't mean anything. But it's not what we think. It's what is. I've worked with some players and parents who look at the draw and all it is is a waste of their time. It changes nothing for them. I've worked with others who can't help but look at their second round opponent, believe it's an easier match than the first one, ...
Jan 25, 2023•14 min
Tennis is far behind when it comes to using video technology in their coaching methods. All major sports are using them and it's time for tennis to catch up! In this episode I discuss the benefits of using video technology, and how it can help in the development of a player. Click below for the blog portion! https://www.aubonetennis.com/blog/whyvideoissoimportant
Jan 13, 2023•13 min
We have a tendency to spend too much time talking about bad calls after a match. Even if they happened at big moments in the match, how did you lose all the other points? How did you get down 5-4 40-30 match point in the third set anyway? How did you lose a set prior to that? We need to focus on the biggest reason you lost. Was it the 36 forehand unforced errors? Or the 14 doubles faults? Let's put our attention there instead of the 4 or 5 bad calls you THINK went against you. www.aubonetennis.c...
Dec 27, 2022•10 min
Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion.” Simon Sinek When you stop to think about it, it’s incredibly difficult. The balance we ask kids to find, while going through the biggest hormonal change in their life, is tough. Most parents and coaches (yes, not all) try to preach about not worrying about today’s results. They ask the kids to focus on getting better and not care if they win or lose. “Just give 100% of your ene...
Dec 20, 2022•10 min
Juniors in the United States talk about the pressure to win. The pressure to get their UTR up and get into college division. The pressure to win because success in tennis is unfortunately how they define their self-worth. Can you imagine having to win just so your mandatory military sentence is not so intense? In Israel (and maybe other countries too), if you’re one of the best amateur athletes in your sport, you’ll be allowed to continue training while completing your service. If you’re not one...
Dec 13, 2022•17 min
"Five minutes before entering the central office, I suddenly felt really bad, extremely nervous. I started to cry. I even had to go throw up a bit.” Stan Wawrinka discussing his emotions before walking on the court for the 2016 US Open final. He won the match and the title. “You know, half an hour before the match I didn’t even want to step on the court, because I just really felt really bad, and I had to, like, lock myself in the physio room and I had to talk to my psychologist. I was actually ...
Nov 10, 2022•13 min
I prefer to work on a few things at a time for a long time. If a player works on too many things at once, they’ll be mediocre at everything, great at nothing. It’s better to master the most important things first, then start adding in everything else later. 1. Footwork 2. A Weapon 3. 2nd Serve 4. First Volley 5. Mental Skills (could be #1!) Here is the link to the blog!...
Oct 28, 2022•11 min
Strictly coaching the tennis aspect of the game can be easy. High percentage is cross court. On the run is open stance. Contact point in front. Follow through. Weight forward. All that and more. Even the non coaches who’ve watched and studied tennis for years as a hobby can point out basic things that are done incorrectly. But when you’re coaching a player, you’re not just coaching the game. You’re coaching the person. Their personality. The moment. The day. The energy. The mood. Everything that...
Oct 22, 2022•10 min
When people believe their basic qualities can be developed, failures may still hurt, but failures don’t define them. And if abilities can be expanded-if change and growth are possible-then there are still many paths to success.” - Carol Dweck “Mindset” Losing is always going to be painful, even if you lose the right way. For parents who don't have a tennis background, they're not sure what they see in a match. They just see a bunch of shots and the result. And if their own experiences serve them...
Oct 14, 2022•11 min
If you're a competitive tennis player like I was, you need match play skills! And these skills are different than technical skills. They include: - how to use your strengths and hide your weaknesses - how to position yourself - what adjustments to make in your strategy - developing the routines in between points such as how to breathe, when to take time, when to play fast - how to handle cheating The best way to develop these skills is.....having coached practice match play, and having your coac...
Oct 04, 2022•16 min
“Does my child need to homeschool to make it to division 1 collegiate tennis?” - Junior Tennis Parent It’s a question parents ask themselves all the time. They hear the stories of players coming out of IMG, Saddlebrook and other academies. They hear the stories of former successful players practicing 4-5 hours of tennis a day, doing fitness, and think that might be the only way. I’m here to say…….it’s not the only way. But the things home school programs offer must be done some how and this is w...
Sep 27, 2022•17 min
If someone’s tournament schedule isn’t handled appropriately, they won’t be prepared to play well. And if they don’t know what constitutes an appropriate tournament schedule, they’ll incorrectly have high expectations going into an event. They’ll be all excited as they’re playing their first tournament in a while. They’ve practiced a lot. They think they’re ready to compete! And then boom! They experience nerves under pressure for the first time in weeks. Odds are, they’re going to struggle....
Sep 22, 2022•11 min
