Teach Discipline on the Tennis Court

Teach Discipline on the Tennis Court by Robert Lansdorp

Making of a champion: Of course it is a lot more complicated than I can explain in this short peace, but maybe soon if I get a book out, I can explain everything in more detail. Let’s get to the basics here. Make sure, and I say make sure that you do not listen to all these coaches who want your tennis kid to hit a lot of topspin, and I mean a lot.

Don’t send your kid to a tennis academy, unless you want more match play and even in most Academies it is a waste of time and money, lots of money. Lot of Academies will charge you about $100,000 a year. If you hope to get your kid a scholarship by sending him or her to an Academy, save your money and pay for the education. Besides that, if your kid is talented and just wants to go to college a very good local pro can do it, and you have $300,000 to $400,000 left in the bank. BUT more important, make sure that if you want your kid to become a great pro, HAVE THEM HIT THE BALL HARD FROM DAY ONE. And I am not talking about FLAT all the time. Most balls should have some topspin on the ball but hit hard with some spin. The two-handed backhands are usually flatter. Girls should definitely hit the ball flatter than boys, because of the strength.

Make the kids hit the ball HARDER and LOWER over the net. If your kid is talented and has GREAT timing, they are able to do it. If they can’t they probably never will. But I am interested in making Champions and not College tennis players. I developed at least 20 tennis players in the top 50 in the world. 9 players in the top 10, 4 no 1′s and about 27 Grand Slams not including about 8 Grand Slams in doubles, and had 100′s of kids with college athletic scholarships to major college’s, so I do develop lots of college players!!!

Most coaches in this country, including the USTA, and tennis academies believes in this high topspin nonsense. And they wonder why we don’t have any great players any more. If I was in the business of pleasing parents or ran an Academy to make the kids more consistent by hitting the ball higher, like 5 to 6 feet with lots of topspin I might do the same, but I won’t. Parents will be pleased, because the kid is more consistent, instead of teaching consistency with discipline. It’s like pushing kids through school, instead of making it hard with discipline.

Almost all the top female players hit the ball extremely hard. Very hard, almost all of them. So why would you teach the kids this HIGH over the net with lots of TOPSPIN. The females might have some topspin, but not extreme. Maria Sharapova won the French Open twice, NOT because she is a clay court player, far from it. But she hits the daylights out of the ball and is consistent, since she has been doing it since 10 years old, without lots of topspin, DAH. Clay gives her a little more time to be able to set up. The men hit more spin, BUT still hit the hell out of the ball. It takes a machine to determine the amount of spin on the ball that Roger Federer hits. SOOOO … have your kids hit the ball HARD from day one. Get rid of this high topspin. My way you could have a harder time in the 12′s . But if your kid is talented, he or she will win the 12 ‘s and has a chance to become NO 1 in the world. There are some crazy coaches who put a rope 6 feet ABOVE the net to teach the kid to hit high over the net. Take the kid somewhere else, if you want a champion.

Hey Jose (Jose Higueras) how come Spain has no great females. The one newcomer, forgot her name, Muguzuma (Gabrine Muguruza) maybe, hits the ball very hard and fairly flat. Why not teach that to American tennis kids. This Country won’t have any no 1′s unless you make a change. Do away with this miniature tennis. A waste, just a money maker for some people, but won’t make champions and start hitting the ball real hard and consistent. Teach discipline on the tennis court.

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