Taking Your Tennis Game to the Next Level

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Inside Ace Tennis

Well, you got the DRAFT Inside Ace Tennis e-zine last Friday by mistake :) (I set the auto send a few weeks prior and forgot about it!) So you’re getting two editions for the price of one this month :)

Here it is!

The first issue of Inside Ace Tennis! Thanks for subscribing. I plan to make this informative, fun, and inspirational for you. I’m writing this free monthly e-zine to give you some tennis news and tennis tips that can help take your game to a higher level.

For this first issue…

I’ll begin telling you a little background about how I made it to the top 150 in singles and top 65 in doubles in the world. I’ll also tell you about some of the players (uh, “legends”) I played against. This way you can get to know me better and hopefully it’ll grow into a “two way street” :)

My first article…

is about the player that is currently dominating the clay court season—Rafa Nadal. (Read closely and you’ll pick up more than just the latest tennis news.) The second article is entitled, “What Style is Your Tennis Forehand?” You'll want to read this to find out.

My background…

I hit my first tennis ball when I was eight years old. My best neighborhood friend and I made up our own little game. Our moms told us where to stand, where to hit the ball (not over the fence :)), and basically said, “Have at it” as they hit on the other court. We had a blast chasing that ball around. And it wore us out, which our moms liked.

That was my first run at tennis, but it really wasn’t the beginning. My dad took our family to the Cherokee Town Club (a very exclusive club, I might add :)), and we all began to play tennis…everyone except my dad, that is. You see, he grew up playing at Piedmont Driving Club and by college found himself playing number two singles for Georgia Tech. That was cool because I played number two for another SEC school,* Auburn.

I was nine years old at that time in 1969. My older sister, Becky, and I had our first group lesson with Dick Kerney on staff at Cherokee. Our younger sister, Catherine, was relegated to the backboard. She was only six years old and back then that was just too young for lessons. How times have changed. Now if you don’t start by six, you’re behind.

Our group bounced the ball up on our strings and down to the ground. I still remember what it felt like to be in a large group of kids all in our “whites” and canvas tennis shoes. I had a few friends in the group and became close with most of the kids through the years of hanging out at the club. The cold Pepsis on crushed ice and trips to the pool snack bar are some favorite memories.

We also hung out in the pro shop, but most of our extra time was spent on the courts hitting the ball around. Then when we got home, my dad would often take us to nearby courts for some pre-dinner hitting. He worked with us tirelessly. This extensive time on the court was how I got good so fast. (To be continued in the next issue of Inside Ace Tennis.)

1. How Rafa Nadal Dominates on Clay Courts
Rafa Nadal is currently dominating the clay court season. I’ve always admired his fight. Now I’m seeing a lot more than just fight. Will Nadal dominate the clay court season again this year? Can anyone challenge him? These are the big questions as he added to his amazing 147-4 match record on clay with wins in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, and Rome…Click here to read the rest of the story.

Here’s another article for you…

2. What Style is Your Tennis Forehand?
Okay, the big question - what style is your tennis forehand? Do you have the classical style forehand that I grew up with? This is a low to high linear swing with a "neutral" stance. Or, do you have the modern forehand with an open or semi-open stance, using the rotation force of the core as you swing away from your body? Read the rest of the story by clicking here.

That's all for now! I hope this edition of Inside Ace Tennis helps your game. Please let me know how you might have benefited. Submit any questions, comments, or requests you may have about this first issue. I look forward to hearing from you. I’ll be continuing my story and including a few new articles in the second issue next month.

Have a great week! Keep in touch …talk soon,

Bud

Ace Tennis Coach Home Page

*Georgia Tech was in the SEC when my dad played.

I'd love to hear what you think about the new website. I'm all ears for any ideas to make it better, more useful, etc. I’ve only just started working on it, so fire away.