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Over the years we have met some amazing people through tennis. Players, coaches, parents and Tennis fans. Some left a permanent mark on us. 

During Giselle’s time working with Martina Navratilova, we got to see the impact contributing and giving back had on people, the environment and animals.

Martina was always willing to donate her time or a financial contribution if it was something she believed in.

We saw it daily with her, “Giving back” seemed to be a part of who she had become. She was extremely fair and stood up for what she felt was right, giving was one way she could express herself and do her bit.

It’s not an easy thing to do. Handing over hard earnt money or your precious time. Some people do it easier and more comfortably than others, I believe it takes a conscious effort to get comfortable with it.

It’s not about how much you earn or what...

It is not uncommon to see tennis players walking around gasping for air and taking short shallow breaths.

We call this " Shonky Tennis breathing" and if you are a shonky breather, we need you to change it. We will show you how....

Learning to breathe at optimal levels during practice and play is critical for; 

• Recovery (between points and sets) 
• Energy production (Aerobic energy system relies on oxygen absorption) 
• Added boost in force expression (Increased power output)
• Endurance (having the ability to recover quicker on court, leads to a slower fatigue rate) 
• Concentration (using breathing techniques to "reset" is important for staying focused or we call it tennis meditation) 

Breathing is what we call an involuntary action, which means we do it without having to think about it or worry about it until it is compromised, then we freak out and so we should!

This for me is the problem around breathing for tennis because we do not need to think or worry about...

Effective tennis footwork doesn’t just happen. There are athletes who have more natural movement and co-ordination than others.

Take Lleyton Hewitt for example. I remember asking him one day if he ever did any tennis footwork drills when he was young, he said never.

It just came naturally to him. For most players, during their developmental phases, their footspeed and lower body coordination seem way off.

I cannot count the number of times I have heard a parent or coach say, their kid is slow to react, their footwork is bad and their coordination is out.

They look lazy on the court. Seen or heard that before?

If you are reading this thinking, yep that’s my kid or kids, you are not alone. To briefly explain this, it comes down to a few things;

Bones, muscle tissue, connective tissue, and neural pathways are developing. We cannot expect a half-built race car to fly around the track.

Most young players do not work at high enough intensities to encourage quick coordination...

A tennis wrist injuries have forced has forced me to miss tennis since November 2019. The recovery is slow, possibly another couple of months (6-18months typically) and has required initial rest followed by physiotherapy and a structured rehab program.

The wrist injury was most likely caused by a change in technique combined with an increased workload on the tennis court and… sadly age. I never really dedicated much time to the gym to strengthen my wrists specifically for tennis. I sure am now!

Many pro players including Del Potro, Nishikori, Nadal & Kuznetsova have had time off the tour in recent years due to wrist injuries and even gone under the knife. Nadal missed most of 2016 due to a persistent wrist problem.

Many wrist injuries result from aggressive modern grip types. The semi-western and western forehand grips are associated with injuries to the ulnar (little finger) side of the wrist.

This includes the highly problematic dislocations and degeneration...

Over the years we have found the best ways to prevent tennis injuries and assess if someone is at risk of injuring themselves, this has saved us and our player's countless injury issues. Assessments are just one way of helping reduce the risk of tennis injury.

The main factors that play a role in the occurrence of injury are; Training volume (Acute/chronic), Rest and Recovery (between sessions), Duration of sessions (Length of a session), hydration/nutrition and technique.

These areas all need to be assessed and monitored to help prevent injury. In fact, a lot of our time these days is spent helping players and coaches get these areas right for the individual. Without doing so players end up with reoccurring injuries or new injuries. 

So what are you doing to prevent yourself from getting injured? 

The truth be told, most players do one of a few things; The same thing they have been doing for years, something they see on social media that looks cool or something that...

FIND OUT THE 5 MUST DO'S FOR PLAYERS "OVER 40"

Training for tennis over 40 can be challenging! For many players, the loss of energy and time makes it challenging. We need to also consider physically what happens as we age (Loss of muscle mass, aerobic capacity, and flexibility).

These factors alone will make it hard for even the seasoned player to deal with. So what can we do to combat these issues?

Read on for our “5 must do’s” for players over 40.

Before we get into our 5 must do’s, the first area we need to attack is the “Mindset” this is an area that I have found most players over 40 struggle with. Many people reside to the fact they are aging and “that's it”.

They keep doing the same things all the time, with no improvement (It is like watching a sinking ship). We cannot do much to stop the aging process but we can, by all means, do our best to slow it down and make the most of what we have.

Switching the mindset to a growth mindset...

Sleeping like breathing is something few people really think about. It just happens right, you put your head down on the pillow and off you go. Well, I can tell you their many benefits to getting your sleeping habits at optimum levels.

In fact, if you were to go for more than 3 days without sleep you would be in a pretty bad way. Besides breathing (You know what happens if stop doing this right :).

Staying hydrated and getting adequate sleep are the two most important necessities. As a tennis player, if you can get them working at optimum levels, how much better will you perform?

Today we are talking about Sleep. Now let me tell you, I was the kind of guy that would tell himself, I only need 5-6 hours sleep and I’m fine. The funny thing is, every time I would have 8 hours of sleep, I was like a new person. My sleep habits have been a work in progress, especially after 20 odd years of getting up at 5 am, to prepare to train people. Now I am much more aware of what I...

The American College Tennis system has always been a great way for players to develop their game and be in a structured environment. I believe in this day and age the majority of young players coming through should be pursuing this pathway, staying in school and focusing both on Tennis and their academics.  

The simple facts are that the majority of good young players (nationally ranked, worldwide) coming through will not compete on the professional level, under 5% of them will make it into the top 1000.

For this reason, I always encourage young players to stay in school and work hard academically no matter how their tennis is tracking. A player is only an injury away from never playing again.

This provides them with structure, social interaction and an outlet away from tennis. Doing this can open doors to follow the American College Pathway or set them up within their own country to attend a university/college.

I know a lot of players globally are looking to pursue the...

It is not uncommon to see players focusing on the one percent aspects of their game when they should be focusing on what gives them the greatest improvements.

Sometimes as coaches, tennis trainers and players, we get caught up in the small things and lose sight of what can give us immediate impactful gains.

The main physical areas that every player needs to focus on are –

Strength and Flexibility/Mobility.

When you get these areas right and you are ineffective and healthy ranges, then you should look to improve other aspects of your physical state.

Improving your Strength, Flexibility/Mobility will give you the best bang for buck!

Following a specific Tennis Strength and Conditioning Program is the best course of action.

One area I see a lot of players struggling with (many are unaware of it) is court balance (Staying balanced when hitting, feeling centered, transferring weight through the shot).

A lot of people, for example, seem to be focusing on what the...

“Every player (especially young player’s) should read”

Dear Tennis Player,

Congratulations on picking the greatest individual sport you can play. 

You are going to have an amazing journey as you learn about this great game, but more importantly about yourself and those around you.

Tennis and training for tennis can teach you some valuable life lessons if you let it......

I wanted to give you some advice as you endeavor to be the best version of yourself. This comes from a place of experience and honesty, maybe these are things you need to hear.

I promise you, you will encounter these situations and feelings, so read on and take on the following 8 things (you may not want to hear the truth, but I can guarantee it can help change the way you think)

1. Losing– You are going to lose a lot of matches. That is the reality. Prepare for it and learn what you can from each loss. This is what we call turning a negative into a positive. Do not fall into the trap...