At the beginner level, tennis is a very technical sport, but at the high performance level, technicals take a bit of a back seat, and movement leads the way.

High performance tennis is considered to be one of the toughest sports in the world, due to the level of physical and mental fitness required. Unfortunately, too many people focus on the technical side of the game, as opposed to the physical.

You can work on your technique all you want, but if you can't get to the right position, with the right footwork, and have the appropriate strength to accelerate, you'll have trouble succeeding.

Hope you enjoy the podcast and check out www.aubonetennis.com for more tennis tips!

As he prepares to play in the French Open, Martin Damm Jr. was kind enough to spend some time discussing:

• How he got started in tennis
• His experience playing junior ITF's
• Being a part of the youngest team ever to win a US Open doubles match
• Why he turned pro at 15 years old
• And how he had to reidentify his game as a pro

This is an amazing episode for junior tennis players and parents trying to learn about the different pathways players take! For those who are just getting started out, here’s a mini bio on Marty:

• Current ATP singles ranking of 179
• Top American junior player growing up
• ITF Junior #3
• 2019 Kalamazoo Doubles Champion w/ Toby Kodat
• Reached the 3rd round of the Miami Open this year

Check out www.aubonetennis.com for more!

What are you willing to tolerate on your high performance junior tennis journey? Some people can't handle the emotional outbursts, bad line calls, frustrating parents, and the overall emotional roller coaster. They want a nice respectful game, with a nice relaxing atmosphere, and if goals aren't achieved, it's not a problem. Others can tolerate the roller coaster so long as progress is being made and the child is showing continuous signs of happiness.

Unfortunately you have to pick. Striving to have a beautiful and calm atmosphere with continuous progress will more than likely not be a successful journey.

Check out www.aubonetennis.com for more!

A tennis player spends approximately 80% of a match WALKING around. Not running and playing. Walking. Yet we spent 99.99% of our practices working on everything else, and we wonder why most kids struggle to be mentally tough.

An argument can be made that the routines in-between points are the most important thing that will determine how mentally tough a player will be in a match. In this podcast I discuss the routine I try to teach the players I work with. If your players are not implementing a consistent routine in some form, please have them listen to this podcast! If anything will have a more immediate impact on their results, it will be this.

Check out www.aubonetennis.com for more podcasts and blogs!

This is part 2 of a 2-part special guest episode with Christopher Trizzino. In part 1 Chris shared his fearless journey of how he started tennis very late at the age of 13, fell in love with coaching but had no idea how to succeed with it, and now runs one of the best academies in the entire region. This episode is a great reminder that you don't need to plan every step of your journey in order to succeed.

In this episode, Chris discusses the importance he places on parent education, being present at tournaments, and creating a team atmosphere in an individual sport.

This is part 1 of a 2-part special guest episode with Christopher Trizzino. In part 1 Chris shares his fearless journey of how he started tennis very late at the age of 13, fell in love with coaching but had no idea how to succeed with it, and now runs one of the best academies in the entire region. This episode is a great reminder that you don't need to plan every step of your journey in order to succeed.

After you're done with part 1, check out part 2 where Chris discusses the importance he places on parent education, being present at tournaments, and creating a team atmosphere in an individual sport.

One of the least talked about areas parents have to deal with is the time in-between 2nd and 3rd sets. I wonder how many parents were given the heads up that they'd be put in a situation where they'd have to consider putting their coaching hat on. It's an unfair position to be put in. Parents aren't coaches! They're just there to parent, and this is a delicate and important moment in the match. How they handle this time is important! They can either provide more anxiety for their child, or bring calmness and confidence. I hope the few things I mention in the blog provide some help in handling these situations when the coach is not present.

Check out www.aubonetennis.com for more!