College Tennis Exposure Camp

College Tennis Academy

Directed by Coach Ed Krass former Harvard Coach.  Visit him at www.collegetennis.com

• University of South Florida – Tampa, Florida
  June 13-18, 2010
• Brown University – Providence, Rhode Island
  July 5-10, 2010
• Lehigh University – Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
  July 18-23, 2010
  July 25-30, 2010
  August 1-6, 2010

Experience real college practices from head college coaches throughout the U.S. Learn secrets to maximize your college recruiting efforts. The Camp is open to all players, ages 15-18, interested in playing college tennis. We are the only tennis camp taught exclusively by head college tennis coaches. On-court instruction and training is conducted in the same style and intensity that top collegiate players experience

Any student athlete who goes to college and competes in tennis along with working toward and achieving a degree gets the best of all worlds.  In our society today an education is a requirement. If a student can work toward that goal and along the way play one of the greatest games ever created then they are blessed.

After college tennis can continue and provide benefits for individuals in all walks of life.  The health aspect along with the “socializing” associated with tennis can provide contacts in both work and social settings.  It is truly a “lifetime” sport.

At Concord our priorities are academics, athletics, and social.  These translate in life to work, family and fun.  The plan is the same, the words have changed but the results can be ever so exciting.

Come play tennis at Concord University.

Joe Blankenship
Tennis Coach
Concord University
Athens, West Virginia  24712
1-304-384-5295

Coker College

The big complaint surrounding college tennis today is in regard to the number of international players on the teams. I honestly believe that most college coaches, especially small colleges, try to recruit American players. One prominent coach is Jody Davis of Coastal Carolina and of course Luke Jensen of Syracuse. Those are two division 1 programs but most coaches like me, in small Division 2 schools, would give their best to put American kids on their team.

I think that the hold-up is this. Most international kids market themselves better than most American kids do. They prepare videos and resumes and they contact the coaches first. Nothing feels better to a coach as when a recruit expresses their desire to be a part of their team. So here are 4 of my suggestions to the aspiring American junior who wishes to play college tennis:

1)      Build a resume. There are many formats of resume out there. Make sure you get one that is easy to read and highlights your accomplishments without too much “fluff”. Coaches are busy people so don’t waste their time. Make it short and sweet. Make sure you put down all your tennis accomplishments and also your GPA and SAT scores. It will eliminate a lot of questions very quickly and the coach can then determine whether you will fit with their school.

2)      Produce a video. With the technology these days, it is rather easy to come up with a video of yourself. Make sure you do two things on the video. First, make sure you film yourself playing matches or points. Secondly, stay away from too much editing and staging of the process. A match video works best. Send a DVD or even a link to your website or you tube video.

3)      Contact the coaches of colleges that you are interested in. Do not send out mass emails. Take the time to write out a thoughtful email or better yet, a handwritten letter. I have deleted many emails in my life but I am yet to delete a handwritten letter from a recruit! Specify why you would like to join their particular program. And why you would be an asset to their team. Attach your resume along with the video.

4)      Feel free to call the coaches. Coaches are free to receive all the calls they want from recruits but they are only allowed to make one phone call per week to each recruit. Do not be bashful. Ask the coaches if they are still interested. Ask them if you will fit in the team. Ask if you can come for a visit. If you like the school enough, show up to a match. Watch the team play and react to different situations.

Along with this, here are 4 things not to do when attempting to market yourself:

1)      Don’t make your parents do the work. Do it yourself. Build your own resume. Write your own letters. Make your own phone calls. Nothing makes a coaches’ heart jump more than a phone call from a recruit and nothing annoys a coach more than talking to parents who are trying to sell their kids.

2)      Don’t play the recruiting game. If you find out that a particular school is not for you, let them know so as quickly as you can. Don’t drag them along.

3)      Don’t ask for a full ride or any scholarships at the beginning of your conversations. Get to know the coach and the players and the school. After you have built a relationship with the coach and you are admitted to the school, then comes the time to decide about financial aid. Coaches have limited money and they aren’t going to give out free money to a stranger. They must feel comfortable with you enough to where they want to have you on their team for four years!

4)      Don’t play yourself up. That’s the job of your resume. Be humble. Coaches have many contacts and resources to really find out how good you are. If they are interested, they will know how good you are especially in Division 2 when you can have a try-out. Your job is to find out whether the school and coach is a good fit for you.

So, basically, my advice to all you young guns out there is to be proactive. Do not live in a fantasy world that some college coach will come along and offer you a full ride. Scholarships are out there but there are not many full rides, especially for the guys. Do your best and be proactive. A coach cannot recruit you if they don’t even know you exist! All the best!

Take care.

Alvin

Alvin Cheng
Head Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach
Coker College
300 E College Avenue
Hartsville SC 29550
(843) 383-8076 (office)
(843)383-8167 (fax)

Look for the upcoming launch of his new comprehensive education and certification program.

The Steve Smith Tennis Academy is located in Tampa Florida.

Mailing Address: C/O Tennissmith 13176 N. Dale Mabry, ste. 160 Tampa, FL 33618 Phone Numbers: Office: 813.265.3278 Fax: 813.253.7405 Tell him Tom from College Tennis Camp sent you.

Educational Headquarters:
Hillsborough Community College Tennis Complex
3901 West Tampa Bay Blvd.
Tampa, FL  33614 (Located directly west of Raymond James Stadium)

Balance – Far too many players shift their weight forward during the toss, rather than during the hit. Shifting forward too early robs the swing of power and rhythm. Release the toss with the legs evenly weighted, consciously keeping your weight centered.

Effort – Unlike golfers who hit the ball farther when not trying, most servers tense up and try and hit the ball hard, often producing just the opposite result. The first key to an effortless service begins with a relaxed grip. Visualize the great servers – Sampras and Federer – and note how loose and flowing they appear, from start to finish.

Rhythm – The two parts of the serve are the toss and the swing, but often an overly high toss disrupts the rhythm. Somehow when trying to “serve tall” that prompt influences the toss rather than the hit, for when the toss is too high the swing comes to a dead stop while waiting for the ball.

Serve to a musical tempo, where you can count one-two-three. More or less ONE – start the arms, TWO – toss, TWO and ONE HALF – knee bend and racquet drop, and THREE – turn and extend up and into the hit. With practice, the tempo and three count beat becomes habitual.

Spin – Side spin or topspin will make the ball curve down (and hopefully into the service box) as the ball crosses the net. To develop a spin serve, moving toward (not necessarily all the way mind you but at least toward) a continental or volley grip will place the racquet on edge as it approaches the ball.

Snap – Whether using a wet towel in a locker room, or even some type of whip, the secret is to pull forcefully and then stop the hand to snap the towel or whip, or in this instance the racquet. Good serves have a loose whip like look and feel, where at the top of the swing the hand actually slows down while the racquet speeds up. Loose and whippy are the keys.

Systematic Practice – Yes I said there are five keys, but truly none of this works in the “quick fix tip of the day” method. Improving your serve will take repeated practice. Pay specific attention to your balance, tension, rhythm, and snap. And when you put this all together with a whip like hit at he top of the swing – ladies and gentlemen you will have arrived !!!!!

To learn more, visit EssentialTennisInstruction.com and get a copy of a free report that reveals how to avoid costly mistakes on your tennis serve.

Jim McLennan has played, studied and taught tennis for some 40 years and started Essential Tennis Instruction for players that are ready to take their game to the next level

EssentialTennisInstruction.com

College tennis is exciting.  Pro tennis is amazing in its own right. Many players have the dream of some day turning Pro. It’s a valid and worthy goal.

Some coaches  believe there just might be a better way to turn Pro and help you to become a better player in the process. That way is to play College Tennis.

Playing college tennis can help you to develop more as a player both mentally and physically. You get exposed to very good competition and excellent coaching.

To learn what it would be like to play college tennis, you may want to attend a college tennis exposure camp. Some of these camps are organized by Head college coaches, which would be a real asset to any player wanting to play in college.

What if tennis could even help pay for your education? It may be possible for some players to have some or even all of their education paid for through a college scholarship. Yes it is competitive, but isn’t that what makes you the great player you are today?

College tennis has helped lead the way for several touring Pros like John Isner, Bryan Brothers, and the McEnroes to name just a few. Not bad company indeed!

I have seen many articles talking about the physical dedication needed to start your journey toward playing college tennis. I think the physical component is very important, however something of equal value or even more important is the Mental component.

The mind plays a significant role in what you can or can’t do in life. Many elite in any field will say the mind is responsible for most of their success.

Many great coaches would love to see more players choose the college route. We hope to have some of these coaches sharing their experience on the subject for you to read. The site is open to anyone interested.

I’ve tried many brands of shoes and cannot believe the comfort of my Asics Gel Resolution they are far and away the most comfortable shoe I have personally used.  Especially with  with a cushioning pair of Thorlo socks, your feet will be thanking you.

Tennis Warehouse and Tennis Plaza are two of the best places to shop for tennis equipment online.  I personally recommend them.

With so many training ideas out there, how does one decipher what works and what doesn’t?

One strategy is to find someone getting the results you want, find out what they are doing, do the same thing.  Sounds simple and obvious but very few people use this strategy, or they model people getting mediocre results.  For example if you want to increase your speed on the court and you find someone who is already very fast on the court but is constantly injured, they may not be the best person to model.

Fitness is an essential component of a world class tennis player.  No champion is without a certain level of physical fitness.

Physical tennis training is about nutrition, endurance, strength and body composition.

Your body composition is affected by the other three (nutrition, endurance, strength)  you want to carry only the weight necessary to do what you need to do on the court effectively.  Having  a low fat percentage. Not carrying additional muscle that is not usable in tournament conditions, can go a long way toward building a lightweight endurance machine.

Nutrition, the fuel on and off the court.  This comprises of what your are eating and what you may be drinking.  You cannot go wrong with as natural as possible, whole grains.  High quality protein sources organic if available, organic is not absolutely necessary however as some would have you believe, it’s an ideal. Make sure you take in proper fluids and if you’re in tournament conditions of over an hour, think about electrolyte replacement.

Endurance exercises should be related to what you experience in a tennis match.  Being able to sprint for 25-35 seconds  with a rest of 25 seconds would serve you better than long distance running.

Strength should be developed mostly on the court through  tennis specific exercises.  There are many new training tools used.  Some examples: Cones, elastic bands, medicine balls and many more.  These can be best used with actual tennis motions for developing core muscles which are extremely important in physical tennis training.  Later you may want to lift some weights for maximal muscle strength but it should only be a very small part of training, some coaches even go so far as to say it should not even be used.  Many pro fighters use only body weight exercises and medicine balls.

What physical tennis training methods have worked for you or someone you know personally?

If you played college tennis, attended a camp growing up or have students who have.  Please share your experiences with us.

game that will improve not only individual tennis skills but will enhance

the overall game of tennis.

ATP Professional tennis players continue to play One on One doubles daily

to help them improve their games and to stay sharp for competition.  I

played this game with my partners back in 1992 when I achieved the #1 ATP

Doubles Ranking.

Ed Krass has taken a very popular competitive game and brought it to life.

We should thank Mr Krass for having the courage to think outside the box

and give tennis players another reason to hit the courts.

- Kelly Jones

Taking your game to a whole new level is One-on-One Doubles . It’s a great workout, it has helped me with quick volleys, stretch volleys and overheads.

Some experts say tennis or any sport for that matter can be as high as ninety percent mental.

Here is one simple philosophy anyone can use to improve today on the court ”Your next shot is more important than your last mistake” as said by Tom Veneziano .

Below is an article Tom wrote and gave us permission to publish enjoy!

Relax In Your Tennis Match

Play Automatic Instinctive Tennis Like A Pro

To relax and play automatic, instinctive and spontaneous tennis requires a new way of thinking. Playing “in the zone” is not conscious but subconscious. Why do players have trouble letting go and playing subconsciously? Because most players have not yet learned to shut off their anxious, racing mind. The mind that is constantly racing is the enemy of relaxed, instinctive and subconscious play.

Interestingly enough, players often achieve this mental state when they are tired. That’s right, tired! Why? Because players can become so tired that they stop consciously thinking and just play. They unknowingly shift from the conscious to the subconscious mindset, eliminating the anxiety. Voila! The ideal mental performance state.

Below is a video of one of my group lessons where I briefly explain this crucial concept of accessing the subconscious.

One of the critical points made at the end of the video was that you can have a relaxed mindset and miss, or you can have an anxious mindset and miss. Take your choice! You might as well choose the relaxed mindset and learn something from your miss.

You can begin to achieve this relaxed mindset by learning to shut off your racing mind just like you would shut off a radio. Just click your mind off and stop thinking! This is a big part of the Relax Technique, a mental system I have taught hundreds of players to use, and it works.

Once you have learned to shut your conscious, racing mind off and turn your relaxed, subconscious mind on, you will see the ball, the court, your opponent and the openings like never before. Everything seems to slow down! Your reactions improve, your accuracy improves, every aspect of the game improves because every aspect of the game is influenced by how you think!

On the other hand if you are anxious and your mind is racing, everything seems to speed up and you begin to miscalculate. The ball appears to be traveling at the speed of sound! You cannot find the openings, the court, where your opponent is positioned or even where you are on the court. Everything is a blur!

You must learn to master subconscious play in your matches. Stop trying to control every little detail. Let go! But take note, letting go and playing relaxed, subconscious tennis does not mean you will make every shot. Making the shot or missing the shot is not the issue. Thinking correctly is the issue. Do not “let go” in your match, miss a shot and then think, “well, that didn’t work!” and immediately abandon your correct mental attitude. Stay the course and you will be rewarded with a new level of thinking that few players experience. Relaxed, automatic, instinctive play that is the signature of a Champion.

Bruce Lee, the great martial artist, was asked in an interview what he did to react so quickly. He answered, “When the opportunity arises I do nothing…it just happens by itself.”

One of your goals is to let your situation on the court “happen by itself.” You can achieve this goal, but not if you insist on taking back conscious control. You must learn to lose control consciously in order to gain control subconsciously.  -Tom Veneziano

Thank you Tom for your article!

I believe the mind plays the largest role in your success on and off the court. It only makes sense then that we spend the majority of our time here, which will help us develop into the Tennis Jedi within us all.

Tennis and the mind.  In your experience how much has the mind played a role in your development?

Here is another article below from Sean Craft:

THE MENTAL COMPONENT OF TENNIS : RECOVERING FROM A BAD LOSS
We’ve all been there. Whether you’ve been playing tennis competitively for only a few months or a number of years, every one of us at some point has walked off the court at the end of a match feeling dejected after having suffered what we consider to be a “bad” loss. While bad losses are subjective in their definition – meaning that you may have lost to an opponent you know to be of inferior skill level, or perhaps lost a terrific match that came down to just a few points that all went your opponents way, played two great sets before fading in the third, or were simply blown off the court by a far superior opponent, the feeling afterwords is very much the same for all of us. We’re upset, perhaps a little depressed, and would give anything to avoid having to feel like that again. Here in this article we will offer several tips on how to mentally bounce back after a bad loss and offer examples of how and when top touring professionals have been able to do the same.

Return to the site of previous successes – Tennis players are all a bit superstitious (some much more so than others) and have their favorite places to play or even their favorite court at a venue they play at all the time. Whether it’s the surface of the court or for reasons that make less sense logically, when we find ourselves in that comfortable setting we feel bulletproof. In 2008 after suffering a straight sets defeat to Rafael Nadal in the French Open final – one of which being a dreaded ‘bagel’ set, Roger Federer decided that rather than stew over the loss to his arch rival he would get right back up on the horse and play the Gerry Weber Open – a grass court tournament held in Germany as a warm up to Wimbledon, and a tournament Roger has never lost a match at in his career. Consequently the world #1 was able to immediately extricate those negative thoughts from his head and regain his focus by returning to the site of where he had (and still has) never tasted anything other than the sweet nectar of victory.

Learn from every match you play – Sounds easy enough, but you would be amazed at how while you can easily recall every agonizing detail of why you lost a match you might struggle to recall in such sharp detail as to the reasons why you won a match. You might struggle even more to recall what it was that your opponent was doing to give you trouble in a match that you walked away as the victor from as it is human nature to focus more on the result itself than the process which leads to the result. If on one hand you wipe your opponent out 6-0, 6 -1, there really isn’t a lot you are going to learn from the experience, but on the other hand if you defeat your opponent 6-4, 7-5 or even get stretched to a third set, your opponent was obviously doing something to give you trouble. You might think to yourself that your opponent only got that close because your backhand wasn’t working that day, but the truth of the matter is that your opponent was doing something specific to ensure that it wouldn’t hold up to the standards you expect from that shot and the sooner you can admit that to yourself the sooner you can key in on that in your next practice session and turn that weakness into a strength for your next match.

Let go of the fear – One of the biggest hurdles I see both junior and adult players struggle to overcome is the fear of making mistakes rather than accepting that they are going to happen. They spend hours working to perfect their ground stroke, their serve, their volley, etc. that when it comes time to use what they’ve spent hours practicing they become almost paralyzed by the fear of screwing it up in a match. Their feet seem stuck to the court, their groundstroke’s become too short, their volleys too long, you name it and it happens. Mistakes are a part of the game right up through the very top levels. Roger Federer has unarguably the most beautiful forehand in tennis and I promise that you’ve seen him shank a few right into the stands. Accepting that from time to time that shot(s) will fail you, immediately shaking it off, and focusing instead on what it was that resulted in the miss and then not repeating it the next time your opponent offers it up will pay huge dividends in the long run and hopefully prevent a few misses from turning into an ugly loss at the hands of a less skilled opponent . I recently played a match where my opponent kept rolling in second serves to my backhand on the ad court and setting up one of my favorite shots (backhand up the line) that I must have missed close to ten times before I finally got it sorted out and then I never missed one after that. Eventually I was able to get in his head and force him to go for bigger second serves which resulted in an avalanche of double faults on his part and stemmed the tide of the match in my favor.

Focus on off court conditioning – In my own opinion, one of the worst feelings in tennis is knowing that for two sets you were “right there” with your opponent and then you simply run out of gas in the third before going down meekly 6-2. Proper (or improper) conditioning has a lot to do with which end of that equation you end up on. The saying that Andre Agassi made famous when he began training with the legendary Gil Reyes was that “the strong body obeys while the weak body commands”, meaning that if properly conditioned your body can and will do pretty much anything you ask of it, but if you are not match fit your body will abandon you when you least want it to. The second act of Andre’s career in which he went on to capture the career Grand Slam and regain his world #1 status after dropping all the way to 141 in the rankings is evidence that what he said is true, and by focusing on tennis specific training such as interval sprinting and lateral runs as well as plyometrics and weight training, the carryover effect into your next match will be tremendously positive both physically and psychologically.

Accept that losing is part of the game – Winning or losing a tennis match is at best a 50/50 proposition, and one of the most important keys to shaking off a bad loss is accepting that sometimes it’s just not going to go your way in spite of your best efforts. This is not to suggest that you didn’t practice hard enough, didn’t want it bad enough, or that you are inferior or unworthy in some way, it’s just a fact that there will always be a mathematical chance that you will end up holding the short straw once the dust has settled from your match. Losing doesn’t make you a bad player or a bad person, but rather it offers you an opportunity to grow developmentally. When training juniors I hope to see them win about 75% of the time – enough to keep them engaged and wanting to strive for greater success, but experiencing defeat enough to realize that they don’t yet have all the answers and need to address certain areas of their game in practice so as to eventually realize their full potential. That same lesson can be easily learned by adults. Even if we go through stretches where we lose a few (or more than a few) matches in succession, tennis is a sport of a lifetime and if you can keep your thoughts on the big picture rather than on just one match or a few matches, the easier it will be to rebound from a bad loss or two and ultimately realize your full potential as well.

-Sean Craft