Episode 39: Medicine Ball Throws (With Lee Taft)

One of my pet peeves is the use of medicine ball throws to simulate ground strokes with sloppy form, too heavy of a med ball, and too demanding footwork. The goal of a performance coach is to improve athletic ability so the tennis player can use that improved athletic ability on the court. We are not trying to make them excellent at difficult to perform drills that do not transfer. Medicine ball training can either support performance or hinder performance. Choose wisely! 

I love having conversations about skill acquisition and motor learning. Matt Kuzdub coaches tennis players both on and off the court. His approach is "there is more to tennis than x's and o's. Efficient mechanics, mental toughness, high-level conditioning, and proper nutrition all contribute to peak performance - nothing can be neglected. In this show, Coach Kuzdub does a fantastic job of breaking down the science and application of how tennis players and athletes benefit from properly programmed drills and training sessions to make the most out of learning.

Coach Matthew Flaherty brings a new way to look at tennis training and overall athletic development. As a 4th degree martial artist, Coach Flaherty brings expertise to how movement should occur, which carries over to tennis. He gives us some tremendous insight into KB training's importance and value on shoulder stability and strength for the tennis player. Matthew speaks about being strong in a full range of motion to "own the positions." This is just the tip of the iceberg of our conversation!

I am honored to have my first guest of the Tennis Speed Show make another appearance. Coach Andrew Gregory delivered some pure gold on why and he uses certain chosen drills. He frequently posts these same drills on his social media. Andrew is consistent with educating his athletes, parents, and coaches with creative yet sound training strategies. You must listen and follow Coach Gregory!

In this episode, I touch on a subject that is often glossed over. It involves "education"! We tend to hold education as one of the most important areas a coach needs to improve continually. The question is, "What kind of education?". I believe in many cases; traditional education hasn't held up its end of the bargain! The belief system is most often if you pay TONS of money, then the Education will take care of you. I 100% percent conclude this not to be the case. Take some time and listen in as I share my thoughts and beliefs on how to get ahead with education - with the outcome of being the best tennis performance coach possible.

This coach might not be a household name "yet," however, he is on his way to being just that! Coach Josh Rifkin was a highly accomplished collegiate tennis player who turned into a very educated and highly respected performance coach. Josh sit down with me to talk about the importance of the assessment process of setting up tennis coaching with his players. He dives into strength, power, isometrics to improve positions for strokes, and so much more. 

A top collegiate player at the University of Houston, Eleni Kordolaimi, went on to play professionally. She earned her degree in Kinesiology/Exercise Science, and for such a young person, she has an amazing grasp of what is need for tennis training and skill development. Originally from Greece Eleni currently coaches in Belgium and is enjoying her time helping players reach their dreams. Eleni dives into the importance of strength and speed in the development of players.

This show was one of my top favorites! I had the privilege of sitting down with one of the top professionals in tennis. Ruben Gonzales has been in the professional tennis world for many years and brings so much experience to the table. Listen up, players, because Ruben shares his training workload, the benefits of being strong and fast, and how he MUST stay mentally engaged to compete week after week. This show is pack-full of many, many golden nuggets from one of the game's best doubles players.

Coach Caleb Kennedy of Kennedy Sports Performance took time out of his busy schedule to share how he runs his performance training for tennis athletes of all ages and abilities and all athletes. He breaks down the importance of strength, speed, and injury prevention. Coach Kennedy shares what his session looks like and how he utilizes the various sections of his program (warm-up, speed/jump, and strength). Caleb also dives into the importance of communicating with parents to build your business

Chris Halliday, a player since the age of 10 - turned coach, shares his approach to working with beginning youth and adult players with the end goal of helping them enjoy the game of tennis. We often forget about the 1,000's of people who want to learn how to play tennis. It is such a fantastic life-skill sport. Chris also discusses the importance of strength, footwork, and a topic often missed - the mental part of the game.