Airline profits are at an all time high and planes are the largest ever but passenger c0mfort is at its lowest. Why? Get the details at ErgonomicsDr.com or click on
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Illustration by Moron Eel
Dr. Gary Polan, O.D. (DrGaryPolan.com) has been the local “go to” Developmental Optometrist for TennisDr students for many years. Whether you struggle with reading or seeing a 130 mph serve, ALL visual skills can be improved! Dr. Polan was one of Dr. Robert Klepper’s “Weekend Warrior” programs on ESPN Radio 710AM a few years ago. Dr. Polan spoke about growing up with Dodger Baseball, seeing a fastball, helping our reading skills, and Sports Vision Training. Did you know that about 5% of all Americans have severe reading disabilities that can be cured? How about that we spend over 10 hours a day looking at a screen which makes our eye muscles less fit?
Probably the oldest tennis tournament in the country, if you haven’t been to “The Ojai”, you haven’t seen tennis!
No. 13 Stanford Fights Back To Beat No. 19 USC Women In Pac-12 Title Match -Trojans take a 4-2 loss to the Cardinal in Ojai. April 20, 2016
OJAI, CALIF. — The No. 19 USC women’s tennis team carried a nine-match win streak into today’s showdown in Ojai. The Pac-12 Championship was on the line, with the No. 19 Women of Troy squaring off against No. 13 Stanford in a battle for the conference crown at the Ojai Valley Athletic Club. USC would craft an early lead, but the Cardinal would work its way into control of this one, finally topping the Trojans 4-2 in a comeback push to claim the 2016 Pac-12 crown. The USC women now hold a 12-5 overall record and will wait to resume team competition once the NCAA Team Championship bracket announcement is made on May 3. Tomorrow marks the start of the Pac-12 Championships, running April 21-24 in Ojai with conference singles and doubles titles up for grabs.
The TennisDr encourages everyone to play this lifetime sport for fun and exercise. I work with many who want an introduction so they can hit more and pick up balls less. Great!
On the other hand, for those bitten by the “Tennis Bug”, who want to be the best they can be–this note is for you! The “Academy Style” is the most successful way to coach all levels of players because after the main strokes are created, players are matched by level of proficiency, individual skills, and sequences of skills are isolated for repetition and improvement.
After that, all the skill sets are tested under competitive conditions to assess execution under pressure. A 10 or 15 point format rather than standard tennis scoring (e.g. love, 15, 30…) is most conducive to tweaking decision making and shot selection during competition. Longer competition formats also give servers and receivers plenty of time to tinker with execution and strategy against particular peers and their shots.
Coaching “under fire” provides strategic and/or executional feedback between points like college tennis. You will quickly notice that tennis practice and tennis competition, pose very different challenges. Proper practice, like academic homework, deserves at least twice the minutes of competition.The “Academy Style” is used at all the major universities. College tennis is the only daily competition in which coaching is allowed during a match. That is why the best tennis coaches in the world are American college tennis coaches. They must learn to interject strategy and encouragement during natural breaks (30 or 90 seconds!) in play while watching 2 or 3 matches at a time!
Players looking to raise their level need that next level of “stream of consciousness”, the train of business like thoughts and evaluations, which reduces large swings in emotion, that elite players and professionals posses. After weapons and moves are standardized, the sport becomes more like chess than checkers. The beauty of the sport is that age and experience can overcome youth, strength, and speed. What if you had both?!!!
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| Red clay in LA? Yes, it does exist! This is one of the most beautiful courts in Los Angeles. |
This red clay was imported from the makers of the clay at the Italian Open. As easy on the knees as it is on the eyes, right?
Dear Team Captains & Competitive Doubles Players [Bcc’d to over 50]:
On Sunday, the 5th rubber to decide the world team Fed Cup champion nation came down to the final doubles match between defending champion Czechs in Prague, lead by two time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and the Sharapova lead Russian team in front of a raucous crowd of over 10,000 lucky spectators.
Not since 2011 has the 5th rubber doubles match decided the champion. The stars of the team could only watch and bite their already short nails. There are many other interesting story lines to this event. One being that a Sharapova match in Fed Cup for Russia is rare but created by new coach Anastasiya Myskina.
Like the dominating play of Hingis/Mirza at the WTA tour finals two weeks ago, a classic Baseliner/Net Rover pair, this match had two evenly matched Net Rovers and two Baseliners on both sides. Of course it went 3 sets and
should not be missed by any competitive women’s doubles players who represent a team. This is the best example of closely competitive, team women’s doubles play available to view in all of 2015. Perhaps for several years!
Deciding 5th Rubber: Pliskova/Strycova (CZE) vs Pavlyuchenkova/Vesnina (RUS).
Each player has WTA tour stop doubles victories and plenty of doubles experience going into this match. In this case, Pliskova and Pavlyuchankova are the younger baseliners who are comfortable at the net. Strycova and Vesnina are the more experienced and excellent Rovers at the net who are comfortable on the baseline.
Team captains would do well to match partnerships in similar ways. While you watch the match, notice that the Baseliners are ready to come forward when possible. The net experts also know they must stay back after serve or return until they earn the opportunity to go forward.
Historically, great net players would serve and volley or chip and charge. In todays doubles, the returns are too threatening at the pro level, but NOT at the recreational level. Recreational servers need to mix in some serve/volley.
Men take note: Tactics for men’s and women’s doubles is more similar now than it has ever been because of this!
Also worth noting during the match: plenty of “I” formation was used and watch how the Rovers take more poaching risk and the Baseliners come forward more often as the points become more critical. All four are well aware that both at the
net is still the best formation in crunch time. Enjoy!