I have not had an enormous amount of success with New Year’s resolutions UNLESS I connect them to my goals. I am a huge proponent of setting goals, especially with student-athletes. Let’s face it; many times, the grind of school and sports is simply not fun. It can’t always be fun, and if you are trying to avoid that reality, well… good luck with finding that fairy dust. A good set of goals helps the student-athlete stay on track and remember why the grind is worth it! Setting goals, especially helping a child set goals…
I was recently invited to be part of a USTA Foundation Fantasy Camp at the USTA Campus in Orlando, Florida. It was an incredible weekend with many great speakers and coaches, including Chris Evert, Sloane Stephens, Nick Bollettieri, Jim Courier, Jimmy Arias, and Brian Godfried. One of my favorite events was having breakfast with Gil Reyes, Andre Agassi’s (and many other top players’) long-time trainer. All professional athletes have trainers and physios to guide their training specifically for their sport. Very few of these trainers become well-known out of their sport. Gil Reyes made his…
As parents and coaches in youth athletics, we are bombarded with articles, information, and research on how this generation is playing too much. Too much time practicing, competing, and training. We are all hesitant to be the ones to lead a new trend, so I thought I would take a different angle and talk about the importance of the rest day. Do what you want for six days a week, but your athlete MUST have one rest day per week. Let’s just concentrate on that piece of it. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?! Some of us fall prey to…
Tips to Stay Hydrated this Summer Staying hydrated during the summer playing season is not easy. We all know it is tough to perform well when dehydrated, but more importantly, it can prevent heat illness and heat exhaustion. In my tennis career, I had to train and compete in all types of heat. I grew up playing tennis in Central California with very dry heat. During practice and matches, we would change sides, and there would be a sprinkling of white salt on my arms and legs. Many of our nationals were in the hot and humid south, where we…
School is back in session, and that means many of our athletes are back on the courts or playing fields. I have two children playing football, one in high school and one in college. I will be honest that having my children play football scares me. (I am the one silently saying her “Hail Mary’s” that no one gets injured during the games.) I am also the coach who is nervous having young players on the tennis courts all day in extreme heat. Unfortunately, we all know that things can go wrong, very wrong. Let’…