Dear Member,
We hope that you are keeping safe and well during these unprecedented times. In this week’s newsletter we’ve got some great book and video recommendations to keep you entertained whilst social distancing. We’ve also got results from week 8 of our Ladies Doubles League and a Rule and Tip of the Week from Coach James. Find out ‘What’s New’ at the club… Read on!
What’s New?
Useless becomes useful… We are delighted to announce that Racket Academy’s used tennis ball cans are being made into something useful by The Sustainable City. The empty cans are being cut in half and used as plant pots! We are happy to help The Sustainability City achieve their sustainability goals through lifestyle and well-being.
Book and video recommendations to keep you busy whilst social distancing
Wondering how to stay upbeat and keep yourself busy whilst social distancing during this challenging time? Well we’ve put together some of our favourite reads and tennis-related videos to keep you entertained. We hope you find these useful and enjoyable.
Must reads:
1. Chimp Paradox by Dr Steve Peters
2. The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Galloway
Tennis-specific fitness training, warm up, drills and technique videos:
Golden rules for tennis-specific fitness training – Dr. Mark Kovacs:
The proper way to warm up for tennis: Why, what and How – Mark Kovacs
Recovery steps: Movement by Gabe Jaramillo and Marc Kovacs
Improve the 1st step to become faster: Movement Part 1 – Gabe Jaramillo and Mark Kovacs:
Tennis split step timing, execution and drills:
Coach James’ Rule & Tip of the Week: Rules of tennis
“The rules of tennis have been very consistent since 1873 when Major Walter Wingfield first introduced the game to the world and most significantly at The All England Club in Wimbledon. However there have been a few rule changes over the years as the game attempts to make itself more attractive to TV.
The Tie Breaker and Hawkeye have been great introductions to the sport. The short set up to 4 and no advantage rules have been received less favourably but they trickle down to tennis at the local clubs and centres.
Let’s take a closer look at the No Advantage scoring and see how it changes the game. Traditionally we have a race within the first 4 points to gain an advantage on the scoreboard. Once 4 points have been played we could have one of 3 possible score lines:
1. Games
2. 40-15
3. 30-30
30-30 is exactly the same as 40-40 in the traditional format and creates what I call “the deuce battle”. At this point you can only win the game if you win both the deuce and the advantage point in succession (30-30 or 40-40). In fact in traditional tennis it is impossible to win a game unless at some point in that game you have won 2 points in a row… However with the introduction of the “no advantage” rule it is no longer necessary to do this. In fact it is now just a straight race to collect 4 points at any time. If you get to 40-0 first you actually have a unique situation in tennis where you have 4 opportunities to win the game in a row, and that is a massive advantage…
So the moral of this story; when playing the “no advantage rule” don’t go relying on getting yourself back into the game after a poor start. Those players who play better when they are behind on the scoreboard (and many of us are like that, becoming more careful and deliberate when the pressure is on) are at a big disadvantage in this format. Instead, focusing on winning the first 2 points of every game will give you a much greater chance of controlling the pressure of the match and your opponent.
In tennis, not all points are equal, so make sure you focus especially hard on the points that give you the upper hand on the scoreboard. On the “no advantage” system, errors really do hurt your chances of winning “all of the time” so switch on your % tennis at the start of the games and get yourself ahead on the scoreboard! Good luck!“
Rackets Academy Ladies League: Season 5
Well done to all the ladies who played in week 8 of the league. Congratulations to Full Metal Rackets, Halep’s Honeys and Slice Girls who won their matches. See scores below.
Division A
Full Metal Rackets vs Rackettes
Line 1: 6-2 1-6 11-9 (winner: Full Metal Rackets)
Line 2: 6-2 6-1 (winner: Full Metal Rackets)
Overall Winner: Full Metal Rackets
Halep’s Honeys vs Rackettes
Line 1: 7-6 4-6 4-10 (winner: Rackettes)
Line 2: 6-2 6-4 (winner: Halep’s Honeys)
Overall Winner: Halep’s Honeys
Halep’s Honeys vs Triple Shots
Line 1: 6-2 6-4 (winner: Halep’s Honeys)
Line 2: 6-0 6-1 (winner: Halep’s Honeys)
Overall Winner: Halep’s Honeys
Division B
The Aces vs Slice Girls
Line 1: 1-6 2-6 (winner: Slice Girls)
Line 2: 3-61-6 (winner: Slice Girls)
Overall Winner: Slice Girls
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Stay safe and well!
Rackets Academy