Blog: Change in Scope (Again)

This blog originally started out sharing my experiences in coaching youth soccer at the recreational and club level. It morphed a bit when I gave up coaching to focus just on refereeing. However the scope of this blog will change once again. Due to issues with my knees I chose to take a year off from refereeing (and might not resume in 2018). On January 1, 2017 I also retired from my full time job of 43 years, which means I’m playing tennis more than ever. Six to seven times a week! So the scope of this blog has changed with my life changes. While earlier entries talked about coaching soccer or refereeing, going forward it will share what I’ve learned and observed about playing and coaching tennis or how the mental/psychological aspects can be applied to playing other sports.

I say “coaching tennis” in the above paragraph because in the spring of 2017 I got to coach the junior varsity boys’ tennis team for a local private high school. It was a rewarding and interesting experience! And it allowed me to share what I’ve learned both in technique and tactics from playing tennis for more than 40 years. (!) While my NTRP (National Tennis Ratings Program) rating is 4.0 based on input from coaches when I’ve taken lessons and I might never reach the 4.5 level due to my age and other limitations, I believe my understanding of tennis is more advanced than the people with whom I play. Being an analytical engineer helps!

For me studying tennis is almost a full time job. (Ask my wife!) This study consists of reading books, analyzing slow motion replays of the strokes and strategies of professional players, taking lessons every year, buying courses such as Craig O’Shannessy’s Brain Game tennis or the Bryan brothers videos on playing doubles, visiting instruction forums and subscribing to many instruction newsletters. I’ve found that no one source provides everything you need to know about this fantastic and almost infinitely deep sport. To capture this information I’ve filled notebooks with handwritten notes, scanned key pages of books and articles and keep a spreadsheet with tips. When the TV is on 90% of the time it’s set to the Tennis Channel.

I like to think that this study has paid off. Why? Because I’m playing better tennis now at the age of 67 than I have ever played. People with whom I play comment on how my game continues to improve. I think becoming a better and smarter player has helped me compensate for the affects of aging (and somewhat arthritic knees).