I watched players early on in the Nationals, picking up bits and pieces
from all over the country. In the years prior to the “foreign invasion” the
NAIA featured almost state vs. state contests with the warm weather states
having the advantage. California was ahead in talent, but Texas and Florida
came to play.
I loved watching the doubles matches. Southeastern Oklahoma’s coach,
Clarence Dyer, and his players were a great model. I’d watch Kim Kettleson
come in behind his serve and never miss that first volley, no matter how
hard or low the return was.
Up to this point our team members (save “Moon”) would just sort of
“wave” at those returns as they roared past for winners.
We went back to the practice rack on this shot. We made it a point of
pride to learn how to dig that return out of the hole.
Author: ethomasparham
DANNY AND THE FOREHAND CHIP RETURN (29)
Danny Colangelo was Elon’s only four-time first-team All-American in
any sport. He was talented, tough, and durable.
I learned from Danny how valuable the net player was in doubles. No
matter who I played Danny with, he’d play so well at the net that his
partner, if he didn’t double fault three or four times, would hold serve.
Danny could learn too. I convinced him at his level he needed to add
an underspin forehand return. Danny was going to play people who serve
so well he wouldn’t have time for a giant backswing. He mastered it
immediately and used it to great advantage.
What I learned was part two of the “learning.” Danny realized that if he
hadn’t had that return, others didn’t either. He began to hit his quality
serves at talented opponent’s forehands.
Danny told me he saved that shot for a “back-up” point on the tour and
was always surprised how many good players couldn’t hit it, mostly due to
overswinging.
JIMMY PARKER, TIM, AND CHARLIE (30)
Another source of information was hosting semi-pro or “money
tournaments.” BB&T (Branch Banking and Trust) hosted a fine tournament
with people like Freddie McNair and other great college players of the
mid-70s. The most impressive, though, was an older Texan, Jimmy Parker.
What a nice guy and great player. Jimmy could stand on the service line
and return serve. He also ran a below 10-second 100 yards. Blink and he
was at the net. We also hired Tim Wilkison and Charlie Owens for our local
exhibitions. If you couldn’t learn from those guys, don’t take calculus.
I learned a shot from Tim’s brother, Andy, who played for North Carolina
State. Andy, troubled with a bad knee, was a fine player himself.
Watching him return serve caused me to define his return as “Z” shaped.
I never told Andy, but his quick move to the left and in, accompanied by
moving his weight in toward the target, became the model for our
doubles return.
Charlie Owens perfected a “just high enough” forehand lob down the
line to force the net player to hit a lukewarm backhand overhead to his
only logical cross-court target. Charlie would be there waiting for it with a
“passer.”
THE YENTILMEZ FLOP (FOR RICHARD DUTTON) (31)
Another shot from our opponents is etched in my memory. However
my memory fails on his first name. A Carson Newman College player, last
name of Yentilmez, had a “flop” shot that he’d perfected. No matter how
you approached, he’d spin a “semi-topspin lob” cross court at a pace that
left you just short of comfortable. We added the “Yentilmez flop.” Many got
out of deep trouble with the “flop.” Takes some practice!
TEN THINGS MOST FRESHMEN CAN BENEFIT FROM
- Hit the serve up enough.
- Learn a good backhand underspin one hander.
- The service grip is the most functional grip in tennis.
- “No man’s land” is a myth. You have to learn many shots from mid-
court. These are “shortened” shots (service returns, approach shots,
etc.). They are most often hit with underspin. Particularly in doubles. - Basic tennis strategy (singles) says: Down the line, come in. Cross
court to stay back. - Hitting on the rise takes court and time away from your opponent.
It’s harder, but essential. We played “21,” restricting all rallies to be
made from within the court, i.e., you step behind the baseline or out
side the side line, and you lose the point. You can go to the net any
time after the first rally. - Add one shot each fall. You don’t have time in the spring. In the
spring you play. Examples:
• A one-handed backhand chip
• Backhand service return
• Forehand service return (underspin, too)
• Backhand approach (often a weakness) - The game is the best teacher. If you play enough tough matches
(practice-challenge-varsity) you will get better. It’s not high school
and every match is tough. You have to rebound from yesterday’s 7–6
in the third loss to play again today. Tough-minded players survive
and learn from these matches. - Learn to acclimatize to early morning play. Lots of important
matches occur early. College kids have different “clocks,” and they wil
resist this suggestion. - Beer and idle dorm conversations cause the most “causalities.”
COLLEGE PLAYERS DON’T LIKE
• To warm up properly
• To drill on their weaknesses
• To get up early enough to be ready
• To warm up for doubles properly on match day
• To complete and turn in academic work ahead of time when
missing class
COACHING GIRLS AND WOMEN
After open heart surgery, two back surgeries, and a hip replacement, I
was beginning to get straightened out (2001).
My good friend Athletic Director Alan White called me into his office,“Tom, you’re looking much better, and by the way you’re adding the
women’s team to your job next fall.”
Good friend, did I say? Actually I’ve taught women or girls all my career.
The tennis boom (late ’60s) hit when I first started teaching and in Wilson,
North Carolina, alone I taught three generations of girls, women, mammas,
and grandmas. But I’d never coached the college women’s team.
Thirty-seven years of men’s tennis, now they let me coach the girls. What
bothered me wasn’t all I’d observed about the women. (There are some
“horror” stories out there). It was coaching two teams at once. I later said
you had to have a M.W.A. degree to do it (Management While
Wandering Around).
WOMEN COACHES
I had watched our previous four women’s coaches enough to know they
were good coaches; two were men, two women. Very good people and
coaches, and I worked easily with all four. The job just didn’t pay much. So, I
was somewhat surprised by the initial response at the returning girls team
meeting. Before I said anything, one young lady offered, “we are so glad we
now have a man coach.” They all shook their heads in agreement. I didn’t
agree and told them so, in my first “coaching” of women. I offered, “You
wouldn’t mind a good woman coach. What you don’t want is a poor coach,
man or woman.” Many times I’ve heard women say, “I don’t want to work
for a woman boss.” I’ve seen too many good women in leadership positions
not to object to this logic. Elon University itself has several fine women
leaders and two-thirds of its students are women.
LIMITED?
It was tough to find adequate coaches in 1960 when there were no
women’s collegiate sports. You have to remember women’s collegiate
sports as we now know them began, really, only in the ’70s. How could
women have the experience men coaches had? They had been denied
the formal opportunity of learning by playing. Another overlooked factor
were the backyard games boys played in childhood. It irked me to hear
“girls can’t serve because they can’t throw.” They couldn’t throw as well
as teenaged boys, who’d grown up with baseball and football free play
experience. If you think women are anatomically limited in throwing,
watch modern women’s tennis, or better still, collegiate women’s softball.
Zing!
THE BEST CHOICE
Perhaps a problem harder than experience for women coaches was
society itself. Title IX may rule the gym but not the home. Women who
coached early on now had three jobs: Teaching, coaching, and running the
home. Unless you had a husband willing to help at home it was extremely
difficult for these young, often very capable, wives and mothers to coach
long. There was a period of time we lost a lot of potentially great women
coaches. Many survived. Many men saw the light and began to share the
load. All things being equal, women should coach women’s tennis. Until
we get to “equal,” I’d rather my granddaughter play for a competent coach,
male or female.
The Little Green Book of Tennis 