Where has time gone.....

Well time has flown by since I posted last but as I prepare for summer clinics I wanted to get the blog rocking again. One HUGE reason why I have not been actively posting is because I am now 7 months pregnant. I am due June 5th and we are expecting a little boy! A future tennis player :-)

I will still do my summer clinic starting the end of June - there just might be a sleeping baby on the court or my husband near by with him! 

What a relaxing two weeks it has been! After a very busy and GREAT summer some down time was well deserved. You can only so many 12 hour days in a row :-) Our Fall schedule will kick into high gear this coming Monday and I am actually looking forward to getting back out on the court. It is amazing what a break and vacation can do for you - feel so refreshed and excited to work!! 

During my break I of course relaxed by watching hours and hours of the US OPEN, and how sweet it was. I did predict that Serena Williams and Roger Federer would win. They both just rose to the occasion and played the big moments EXTREMELY WELL! Between her semifinal and final matches Serena saved 14 set points (10 were against her sister!). Federer continued to get better and more confident each match he played. Andy Murray, besides being exhausted, had to take on Roger at his very best!! These two champions competed so well! 

I am trying to continue to challenge my lessons to play MATCHES. After watching a Grand Slam we see the value of playing matches - confidence, calms you, lets you practice your shots, experience, you learn how to compete, and you improve! I gave out an agreement to some girls this past week that encourages them to play 2 full matches a week. It pushes them to play new people and people of all different levels. For some motivation there will be incentives along the way. But in order to get there they have to play 12 matches. Alright girls can't wait to hear how your matches are going!! 

Have fun playing! 

Sweet Shirts!!

I came across these shirts today and they are awesome! Check it out! 

www.stickitwear.com

I will definitely be sporting one soon :-) 

End of Summer!

Tomorrow is the last week of our evening girls clinic. I hope that you are able to make it out for one more fun week before school starts or fun first week of school! Since it is getting darker earlier we will start at 545 and then end at 745. The conditioning hour on Monday will be at 445.

As school starts I want to keep the energy of the summer alive. Everyone was playing a lot of tennis and playing so much better. I was thinking of putting together a tennis challenge ladder or some sort of accountability for the girls. I was thinking 6th-8th grade girls in the fall and then in the spring when high school tennis ended opening it up to high school girls. They would get credit for every set played, win or lose, but if played in a tournament it would count extra. There would be some sort of incentive program too! Just brainstorming right now. Before I decide to organize this, I need some feedback. Do you think its a good idea? 

Let me know what you think. Remember we need to play matches to gain confidence and test our strokes under pressure! It is important to play all different types of players - stronger players, weaker players, grinders, serve and volleyers, backboards, attackers. So hopefully this ladder would encourage you to play all types of people. Think about it, ask some friends to see if they would be interested, and let me know! 

Power of FOCUS!

Ok girls when we actually focus we can do a lot - on and off the court! In tennis when we focus we achieve what we usually can't. We gain confidence! It might be hitting volleys, hitting 30 in a row from no mans land, serving under pressure, winning a point or winning your first tournament match. It is so easy to get distracted - to think about what you are doing after tennis, thinking about lunch or dinner, school, boys, friends, parents - but when we eliminate these thoughts and actually focus on the task at hand, WE ARE SUCCESSFUL! 

So lets carry our new ability to focus on the court while playing tennis, to the school year and the rest of our lives :-) 

Knowlwood Tennis Tournament

Happy Sunday! Today I watched Alexandra Wosniack beat Marion Bartoli to win her first WTA title. She had to qualify for the tournament and she's only 20 years old. The Knowlwood Tournament starts this Thursday and maybe you feel like the underdog, like you are not quite ready or good enough. I bet that Wosniack did not see herself winning the tournament - she had to win a qualifying tournament to even make the draw. Let her be your inspiration this week!! Don't limit yourself. Dream big. Believe in yourself! 

Belief and confidence is a huge part of it but the other part is preparation. So this week make sure you are playing matches, drilling and practicing your serve. A great way to do that is come to clinic :-) 

Hope to see you all Monday-Wednesday from 6-8 p.m.!! 

Go Girls!

Ok girls we have completed 4 weeks of clinic. Give me some feedback! I have loved every minute of it because I have seen how each girl rises to the occasion. It might be cross court games or cross-fire, but when it comes to keeping score and moving courts, these girls can compete. Girls who sometimes get goofy and start on the bottom courts, end up on the top courts because they focus and bring their A-game! I love it. When it comes to the absurd amount of running I sometimes make them do, of course there are a few complaints, but you should see how fast they are. They are working hard and pushing themselves to go faster - they truly rise to the occasion! 

Now either if its high school tennis season, or the upcoming Knowlwood tennis tournament there is a goal to be working towards. That is the reason we work ALOT on consistency and seeing  the ball well. We have been playing ALOT of points so that we get to test our ability to make shots and use our strokes. My dream is that by our tournament or season that we feel CONFIDENT and STRONG in our game and moving around the court! I want each girl to feel encouraged by the improvement and at the same time challenged to see how much they can improve. 

Girls or parents let me know what you are thinking. Ideas, comments or questions about clinic. I am open to everything - I just hope each girl feels that their needs are met.