Getting hit by a ball in doubles is frustrating. It feels sudden. It feels unfair. And most of the time you probably think you were in the right spot. You weren't. And here's the thing. It's not just you. Professional players make this exact same mistake. I was recently watching
I recently worked with a 10-year-old girl on her backhand and what I discovered was something that every single adult competitive tennis player needs to hear. This kid is incredibly coordinated, athletic, and she has a great coach. And yet, she still has technical flaws she's working through. Right off
I need to be real with you for a minute. If you've been following Essential Tennis for any length of time, you've probably noticed things have slowed down lately. Way down. Fewer videos, less activity on social media, longer gaps between uploads. I owe you an explanation for that. You've
I get asked about tennis strings more than almost any other equipment question, and honestly, I totally understand why. Walk into any tennis shop or browse online, and you're hit with hundreds of options. Natural gut, synthetic gut, multifilament, polyester, hybrid setups—and that's before you even get into tensions, gauges,
Step across and punch is one of the most common instructions I hear players repeat back to me when they talk about volley technique. It’s also one of the worst pieces of advice you can receive at the net. I see this all the time during lessons. A player comes
I’ve been playing tennis for over 30 years, and in that time I’ve missed a lot of shots. Easy shots. Hard shots. Shots I probably should have made. But none of them were as painful or as embarrassing as one particular miss that happened during a big team match. This
I recently worked with a student who transformed his forehand in just seven days without taking a single lesson. Now before you think this is some kind of magic trick or clickbait promise, let me be clear about what actually happened. This player followed a very specific five step process
I recently did something I've been wanting to do for years, I put tennis balls to the ultimate test. Here's why this matters: most recreational players are wasting their money on the wrong tennis balls, and they don't even realize it. Walk into any Walmart or sporting goods store and
I need to tell you something that might surprise you. After working with tennis players through my videos, podcasts, and coaching, I've discovered that nearly every tennis mistake you make comes down to one simple thing. And no, it's not your mental game. It's not your fitness level. It's not
I recently took a lesson from a high-level pickleball coach and then played several hours of doubles to see what all the fuss is about. Was it enough to convince me to switch from tennis? Before I answer that, I want to share some observations that I think are really
