What we can learn from watching professional tennis? You'd be surprised!

There is no doubt that many tennis enthusiasts will be watching this month's French Open tennis championships in France. Later in the summer we will be glued to the television watching the Wimbledon championships and the U.S. Open. Each event that we watch is an opportunity to become inspired and learn lessons that we can apply to our own game.

Inspiration

Many of my students have dreams of earning tennis scholarships and becoming professional tennis players, and each summer I take them to watch professional tennis. One year I even took two of my students to the U.S. Open to experience the tradition and electricity. When the tournament was over we came away with powerful inspiration, challenge and ideas on what the game is all about. They they leave with a rekindled fire and appreciation of the wonderful challenges ahead that they can look to conquer in their quest for excellence. The feelings and mental recall buttons that they experience do not just last for a week but for months. As a coach it is important to be able to call upon these mental images regularly to highlight a teaching point or to give motivation, i.e., "remember how Sampras exploded forward with his first step after the serve" or "go forward using your body weight just like Agassi does on the return of serve!" The bottom line is that by watching professional tennis, a player can become inspired to shoot for the stars.

Technique

• Smooth Biomechanical Strokes - Which means the body of the player is performing an action that will not precipitate an injury.

• Full Body Use - Look at the players' ability to use the entire body (legs, trunk, arms etc.) to create speed -- it is what we call a "kinetic chain."

• Dynamic Balance - Watch how players will move and hit always on balance. Look for the head being balanced like a sprinter.

• Variety - With all types of gamestyles, grips, body sizes and shapes players will without a doubt have different looking shots. Try to look for a player who has your similar characteristics and see if you can pick up on any tips. Note how some players will emphasize the use of one or more segments of the body more than another player.

• Emergency shots and Hot dogging - Sometimes players will create shots that are not conventional such as the Sabatweeni, where a ball is hit between the legs with your back facing the net. Another is Agassi's over the shoulder reverse slam. Look for Pete's skysmash -- eat your heart out Jordon.

Tactics

Gamestyles and Strategies - Matches played on the slow clay of Roland Garros allow spectators the chance to see points being strategically played out. When we watch other slams such as Wimbledon, the surface is so quick that the ball speed is actually faster. The result is that the points are, more often than not, no more than two shot rallies. The French Open surface, which is the slowest of all four slams, forces players to use positioning and placement to win points instead of using pure power. It can pay to pay attention to what shots are being hit and where they are being placed. Many tennis matches are just like a chess match -- simply beautiful.

Tactics and Counter-tactics - Players will often change tactics depending on how the match is unfolding. Professional tennis players are always aware of why they are losing or winning a match. As a result of their "alert consciousness" they may realize that by slightly altering a tactic their opponent's tactic will be ineffective. This is called counter-tactics. The beautiful aspect of this is that by the time a tactic has been identified and countered the damage in the set or match may have been done. That is why there are so many 5 set matches at the grand slams. Tactic and counter-tactics -- watch for them and learn.

Physical

Mental Toughness and Challenge at the slams - The slow red clay of the French Open provides us with a great opportunity to witness mental toughness. Some of the matches can last over four hours. Players need to be unbelievably physically fit to play with effectiveness. The reason is that unlike the other grand slams surfaces which are hard (US), grass (Wimbledon) and rubberized (Australian), the clay at the French slows down the speed of a ball and a player's movement. The result is that the overall pace of the game slows.

Each of the grand slams has its own special challenges:

French Open - A constant physical danger is cramping and dehydration because of the long matches, so players need to regulate their water intake and load up on their carbohydrates days before their matches. Watch how players take care of themselves during matches. Mentally they know that they need patience and the desire to last on a court for many hours to win. Watch for their emotional expressions and fatigue signs that will tell you how they are feeling.

Wimbledon - One of the dangers in this event is falling, slipping and turning an ankle because of the lack of sure footing from the grass surface. Mentally the players know that it is very difficult to break serve and there is therefore a great deal of pressure on holding serve. Look for the many serving rituals that players perform to maintain relaxation and focus. Maybe you can also find rituals that will work for you. Look for players to look for opportunities to approach the net more than any other grand slam. By watching the many ways players approach the net, you may be able to find a way to get into the net effectively as well.

U.S. Open - At the Open, players need to battle the heat of New York and know that the hard courts can turn into a human frying pan. Dehydration and cramps are common, and, like at the French Open, players need to really hydrate themselves and stay physically cool during longer matches. Mentally, players say that the crowds at the US Open are like no other slam. Some say these crowds are loud, obnoxious, and eager to let players know that they love or hate them. Players need to be able to stay focused and professional when they step on the courts at the U.S. Open. Airplanes and noise are also great challenges, because players need to hear the ball come off the strings to help anticipation and reaction time. With a 747 jumbo jet passing overhead it is kind of difficult to hear anything, let alone the sound of a opponent's ball coming off the strings. Watch how players will wait for jets to pass by before they serve, and watch how they can ignore the in your face comments from the fans.

Australian Open - Heat, like the US Open is a problem at this Open. So players really need to continually hydrate themselves and stay physically cool during longer matches. Sometimes players pour cool water over their necks and heads in an effort to keep their body temperatures down. Other players wet towels with cool water and place them on their body to stay cool. Remember that when there is great physical exertion the internal body temperature of a athlete will rise and as a result water is lost through perspiration. Watch how some players will take their time between points and how others prefer to play fast.

Website Coverage

Player Interviews - After you watch a match on the television or by attending the actual event, read or listen to how the player felt about the match. It is really very interesting to read how the professionals think about their matches.

Scoreboard - If you want to find how your favorite player is performing then you can find their results in real time.

Photos - Many of the tennis news sources have sections with photographs of the pros.

Draws - shows you all categories, men's and lady's singles, doubles, mixed and sometimes even juniors!

I hope that one day you will have the chance to view a grand slam event in person. If you don't have the immediate chance to attend in person, then I would highly recommend taking the time to watch some of the coverage on the television. The next best thing to being there is sitting in your living room watching it on the television with the air conditioning on, with your feet up, sipping a cold drink and snacking on some Junior Mints!

Thank you readers for your continued e-mails and faxes from around the world! Keep them coming. I'd like to say hello to 7 year old Jean-Martin in South Africa! I hope you and the Thursday afterschool gang continue to have fun playing what your dad calls, "Reggie's games." Remember to wear your sunscreen to protect yourself from the harmful U.V.B./ U.V.A. rays and drink lots of water to make sure you don't become dehydrated (dad knows what it means). Also hello to James in Australia, John in Toronto and Alex in Hong Kong!

Take care,

Reggie

This column is copyright 1998 by Reggie Vasquez Jr., all rights reserved.

Reggie Vasquez Jr. is one of Canada's leading tennis coaches for juniors. He is actively involved with Tennis Canada's grassroots player development. A frequent and enthusiastic speaker at tennis conferences, he is certified by the U.S.P.T.A., Tennis Canada and the U.S.P.T.R.. For almost 7 years he was a head coach for the Canadian Davis cup Captain's Academy at the Canada's National Tennis Center. He has been a Tennis Canada - National Youth Tennis Center Leader for over 8 years and is presently a head coach of an Elite Tennis Academy. He has experience working with juniors from the absolute beginner to the international caliber tennis player. Reggie is also a published author on junior tennis. His personal web site has additional information on his book, the Kids' Book of Tennis. The Kids' Book of Tennis can be ordered directly at a discount using this link to the Amazon.com online bookstore.

Questions and comments about these columns can be directed to Reggie by electronic mail at reggie@tennisserver.com.