First The Smile, Then The Good Tennis

"Champions love to practice when nobody is looking and champions love to compete when everyone is watching" -unknown

The title of this article sounds kind of cheesy, but it is very true. Tennis is a really long journey and the MOST important thing is falling in love with the game. Ultimately, you want a player who can be their own coach. Sure, there have been and always will be a giant of list of players who don't "love" the game or never had the "bug" for it, who happened to blossom because they were gifted athletes driven by tough parents and/or coaches. Usually these types of players only frustrate the ones who care about them because they never fully realize their potential. The smile never was there from the beginning or more likely, the smile was lost along the way.

Here are some ways to ignite the tennis "bug" from a young age (pay attention hungry, overachieving, perfectionist parents):

1) Make tennis a family activitiy. You should play with your kids.
2) Take them to local college tennis events, pro events, get autographs.
3) Introduce them to the wall and explain how the The Wall is the best player in the world.
4) Don't force heaps of tennis lessons on them. Let them play with other kids.
5) They do not need $60 private lessons at age 8. Keep it light and fun.
6) Don't be technical, just let them swing for the fences or tap the ball. Whatever they want.
7) Play points, forget drilling. It's like when you first learn the piano, would you rather learn chords or a popular song off the radio. Make it fun!
8) Take tennis away from them, limit their play. It will make them want more.

Now if they catch the "bug," you have done an excellent job. Now how do you maintain the smile for the next 10-15 years?

Stay out of their tennis and just be supportive- no matter what. Don't be the one who ruins their love for the game. If you are the type who can't stay away, must micromanage, cherry picks from mutiple coaches, calls coaches after lessons to discuss backhand technique, chases tournament points all over the country, makes excuses for your child's poor play, and has an opinion on everything- STAY OUT OF THEIR TENNIS and JUST BE SUPPORTIVE! (We all know who you are, atleast there is never a shortage of drama and characters in tennis).

Tennis is hard enough as it is. You can't force a horse to drink from the river. And you can't drag your spouse down the aisle at your wedding...

Always the smile, then the good tennis.

Q&A: Stroking Felt With Robert Steckley

At CAtennis.com, our primary goal is to provide juniors with practical tips and suggestions to develop their tennis game. One such avenue will be to obtain advice and insight from current and former players who have managed to achieve great success in our sport. Our first Q&A is with Robert Steckley of Toronto, Canada. I first met Robert when he was a 16 year old hot shot who was starting to make his way up the ATP ranks. Rob breathed confidence in everything involving tennis. He was fast, hit the ball clean, hard and steady (and listened to music that was way too loud).

Quick Bio: Canadian Davis Cup member; Main Draw Rogers Cup competitor; Top 260 ATP; Buffalo Future Tour Winner; Australia Future 15k Tour Winner; Thailand Future Tour Winner; Texas Future 15k Tour Winner; Ecuador Satellite Tour Winner; NCAA National Champion Division II; Canadian Men’s Open National Champion; 3 Time Junior Canadian National Champion; Junior US Open and Australian Open Quarter Finalist. Coached: Frank Dancevic; Aleksandria Wozniak; Sania Mirza (through 2011); Lucie Safarova and Edina Gallovits (in 2012). Website: www.robsteckley.com

1. At what age did you start playing tennis?

I started late, picked up a raquet at 12 and literally started playing tourneys a half year into it.

2. When did you start taking tennis seriously?

I never truly enjoyed, until I realized that because I was so called "talented" it gave me extra attention from people thus giving me motivation to work a bit and within a year I made my first semi's and from that point on, that's when it sparked my interest. I gave all other sports up at 14 and committed myself to tennis solely.

3. How did your workouts change once you decided that you wanted to be a tennis player?

After I made the transition from an "all sport athlete" to strictly tennis, my coaches started to design tennis specific training regimens. Agility, lower body strength, core, and HUGE emphasis on court speed work and hand eye drills. I think the earlier you put the focus on those last two, the better the player will be able to adapt to explosive drills and tennis game later.

4. If you've had to guess, how many hours on the court do you think you've spent between picking up the racket and turning pro?

I'd have to say I've logged close to 20,000 hrs on court up to date. Let's multiply that by 500 balls min per hour. {Editor's note: that's at least 10,000 hours between time when he picked up racket and turned pro}

5. Who influenced you most as an athlete?

The biggest influence I had as an athlete would have to have been, Andre Agassi while growing up. He played a huge role in the player I became. I modeled my game brick for brick after him. My mother was the driving force behind me starting and really continuing, She had an obsession for me achieving goals and really burned that into me from a young age.

6. If you had the chance to go back in time and talk to yourself as a 15year old, what tennis-advice would you give yourself?

If I had a chance to go back in time, I'd definitely tell myself to believe more and just keep focused at the distractions that lie ahead.

7. What is your favorite drill/thing to practice?

My favourite drill as of right now would have to be side to side, to help burn off those d&^*ed extra calories from a lazy sun, but when I was playing, I LOVED down the line stuff, which helped me open up the court right away. That's something I stand by in my coaching now, that has helped all of my players on tour make huge leaps, fast. Not only to be able to hit it, but understanding when and why, and believing in it even when you miss a few.

8. What is the major difference between top college players (D-1) and the guys on the pro tour?

I'd say the top college players are very close in level to any of the top 50-100 player on tour. The major difference I find from seeing fresh college players coming onto tour, is the lack of experience in understanding how important it is to just KEEP THE BALL IN! When to go for certain shots, and being able to capitalize on those tiny opportunities they have created.

9. What made you choose Univerity of South Carolina as a school?

I chose USC because an ex coach of mine had played there. They had a top 5 team at the time, and the schooling was a bit more forgiving, rather when I came to visit with you in Cali. I would much rather go back in time and have chosen Pep[perdine]! {Editor's note: somehow I think that Rob may have been a tad bit too wild for Pepperdine}

10. Your highest singles ranking was 410 and you played Davis Cup for Canada. What were your top wins and what lessons would you take away from those matches?

I'd have to say my first Canadian national title U16 gave me the confidence to be undefeated for the rest of my canadian career nationally, which ultimately led to me to believing I was good enough to compete on tour. I think i might have beaten you in a game up to five once?! Highlight of my career for sure! {Editor's note: I think that it was more than one game and I recall sleeping on the floor for a few nights because of that}

Rob, we thank you for your time and insight and wish you best of luck in the upcoming season.

Video: Find Their Breaking Point

In this particular match, Djokovic was down a set and the match was slipping out of his hands. However, he went on to win this point and the match.  Sometimes the strategy to win isn't obvious, but if you can keep delivering body shots (like in boxing) instead of going for the knockout (1 in 5 shot), good things can happen. Soften them up.  In this particular match, Monfils gave in to the mental superiority of Djokovic.  Notice how safe the shots were traveling inside the lines and above the net.  

It's Not About Forehands and Backhands, Stupid!

"If I am the better player, why can't I win?" -Allen Fox

The great player and coach Allen Fox coined this phrase and it sums up tennis in a nutshell. Most players are conditioned to believe that through hard work and perfect technique, the incremental improvements will keep coming. This is true to a point, until you reach the Great Wall of China and your game is stuck in the mud. Changing coaches, fiddling with your grip, analyzing your footwork, tinkering with your serving stance- all logical ideas to improve your game, but it's chasing fools gold. It's not about the forehands and backhands, stupid!

When you reach this point in your tennis career, this is the time to face the music and use what you got. There are no easy answers to solving this never-ending riddle on the otherside of the net. Simply telling your coach that your forehand broke down and having balls fed to you will not solve the issue long-term. Considering you have fairly competent strokes, technical changes will not get you to the next level. It's a great mistake if a coach and/or player is preaching this message. Taking the focus off the bigger picture of the game will only set you up for dissapointment. Sure, you always want to fine tune your technique and practice these fine motor skills. However, at some point in your develop it's simply not about the forehands and backhands, stupid!

A smarter way to approach the issue of bumping your head against the Great Wall of China is to embrace who you are. If you know your backhand has limitations, do your best to not ask so much of it. Why would you hit a backhand down-the-line off of receiving a high ball when you know you can't make 9/10 out of a basket? That is like taking a gun and shooting yourself in the foot. Yet, good players do this match after match, year after year, continuing to think this is a technical defiency in their stroke. Again, this has nothing to do with forehands and backhands, but everything to do with your clouded judgement.

The players who maximize their potential (that's all you can ask for because you can't control the winning and losing) are always the ones who have accepted who they are and played within themselves. They don't waste their time getting depressed and frustrated about their weaknesses. They don't beat themselves up about lacking picture perfect technique. They aren't embarrassed about their inability to hit over 50 mph groundstrokes. They play with what they got and embrace who they are. They don't cringe when they hit a shortball to their opponent thinking, "Jeez! Why can't you hit it deeper!?!" They are okay with their opponent hitting winners and controlling points. It's not a character flaw to be on defense once in awhile. Practicing crosscourts or out of a basket, its all theory. Hitting the ideal forehand or backhand at the "optimum" contact point (for those scheisters who use sillly terms) is all useless theory. It's absolutely mindless, time wasting, and pointless. The ONLY thing that matters is does it go in and is it repeatable. Against great players, one needs to be able to do this OVER and OVER and OVER again. Nothing sexy. That's it and work within those boundaries. No need to reinvent the wheel.

Remember, TENNIS COACHES NEED TO MAKE A LIVING and SOME FEEL IT NECESSARY TO MANUFACTURE SOME BALONEY to justify getting paid. Overcoaching can lead to some dangerous avenues with the boogey man at the end of the street. It's not about the forehands and backhands, stupid!

Two Scales to Measure Yourself Against

A) How tough are you to beat? On a scale from 1-10, honestly answer where you stack up. Players who are tough to beat are no fun to compete against. These players never give up, make life miserable, rarely miss, are mentally tough, don't take unnecessary risks, do not beat themselves, are lovers of the game, and more often then not, they are in excellent physical condition.

Now lets flip the scale around...

B) What is your Upset Quotient? On a scale from 1-10, honestly answer your ability to upset players better than you. These types of players come in all shapes and sizes, they don't fit one particular gamestyle. Immediately what comes to mind are big hitters of the ball who are loose mental canons. This fits the stereotype of someone who would be able to upset a highly ranked player, but some of the best players in the world are counterpunchers ala Murray, Nadal, Jankovic, Simon, Chang, Hewitt, the list goes on and on.

At the end of the day, you only have control over one scale and that is HOW TOUGH ARE YOU TO BEAT? If you improve this scale, you have greatly increased your chances of becoming a better tennis player.