The Tennis Files Podcast

On Episode 85 of The Tennis Files Podcast, I spoke with Bill Kellogg about how he has transformed tennis clubs into hugely successful programs, and his incredible experiences both playing and contributing to the advancement of tennis by wearing many different hats in the industry. Bill is the President of La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, which has been designated a Top 25 Tennis Resort by Tennis Resorts Online. He was inducted into the Southern California Tennis Association Hall of Fame in 2017, alongside such legends as Rod Laver, Bobby Riggs, Debbie Graham, Ken Stuart, and Stella-Sampras Webster. Bill has competed in pro level tournaments, played #1 for Dartmouth College, and participated in the NCAA Championships Bill also serves as a Sectional Delegate of the Southern California Tennis Association, and was a longtime member of the International Advisory Council of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and was also previously a Director at Large for the USTA (Audit Committee). He even served as a linesman and chair umpire at Wimbledon....a pretty well-rounded career indeed :) On this episode, we discuss Bill's highly successful competitive tennis career, how he went from thinking he'd be an engineer to running multiple highly successful tennis clubs, his many roles in tennis, and much more. Bill learned by doing, from accounting to gardening, hiring to marketing, and everything in between. And the great thing about Bill is that he truly loves the game and continues to keep himself involved in numerous positions within tennis to help advance the game. I really hope you enjoy my interview with Bill! Let us know what you think about this episode in the comments below! Show Notes: Becoming a linesman and chair umpire for Wimbledon during the same year that Bill played pro tournaments Going from a degree in engineering science to managing multiple highly successful tennis clubs How Bill learned to do just about every aspect of running a tennis club Bill's advice for managing and sustaining successful tennis programs How he and his family have kept La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club running strong for over 90 years Bill's experience supporting and marketing for Davis and Fed Cup matches His thoughts on the changes to Davis Cup What USTA and other organizations need to do to improve the state of tennis in the US and grow the game The message Bill would write on a huge billboard for all to see A key tip to help you improve your tennis game....and much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 84 of The Tennis Files Podcast, I spoke with Tim Bainton about how he persevered through many hardships and obstacles to become an extremely well-known and highly sought out expert in the tennis industry. ​Tim is the Founder for all Blue Chip Sports Management (BCSM), is certified at the highest professional levels, including being a USTA High Performance Coach and a USPTA P1 and Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) Professional, and is the youngest person to hold a Merit Rating of 5A from PTR. On this episode, we speak about Tim's coaching journey, from barely making ends meet to running a multi-million dollar sports management company, how to improve tennis and get more people into the game, tips to help improve your tennis game, marketing and selling yourself, creating lasting networks to help your life, and much more! If you are interested in learning more about perseverance, determination, thinking outside the box for solutions, making connections, and how to improve your career and tennis game, you won't want to miss this podcast episode with Tim! I really hope you enjoy my interview with Tim! Let us know what you think about this episode in the comments below! Show Notes: Why Tim is so passionate about tennis and improving the state of the tennis industry Tim's epic journey from a no-name tennis coach to one of the most recognizable instructors and industry experts in the game Favorite resources - books/videos/sites/podcasts to help tennis coaches with their careers? Top three conferences for tennis coaches and/or players to attend Tips for marketing tennis and boosting its growth The importance of data analyzation and understanding your business metrics when it comes to sustaining viable tennis clubs Why Blue Chip Sports Management was created and how it helps the tennis industry The message Tim would write on a huge billboard for all to see A key tip to help you improve your tennis game....and much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 83 of the podcast, Paul Annacone shares the championship habits and characteristics of the greatest players in the world that he's coached, including Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, and Tim Henman. I spoke with Paul about the secrets to his career success on the tour, and why Roger, Pete, and Tim were able to win grand slams and achieve top rankings on the last Tennis Summit that I previously hosted, and it was voted one of the most favorite sessions of the event. That's why I decided to bring the audio of that session to this episode's podcast to help you learn the insights from one of the best tennis coaches, and nicest people, on the planet! Paul guided Federer to two straight year-end championships in 2010 and 2011, a return to the World no. 1 ranking, and his seventh Wimbledon Championship. He also led Sampras to 7 grand slam titles. Paul was a world-class player as well, reaching #12 in the world in singles and #3 in doubles. He won the Australian Open doubles title in 1985, reached the Wimbledon singles Quarterfinals, and won 3 singles and 14 doubles titles Paul also recently published a fantastic book called Coaching for Life, where Paul talks about his experiences with the great champions he has coached to give readers a how-to blueprint on overcoming challenges and succeeding both on the court and in life. You can check out Paul's website at paulannacone.com. I really hope you enjoy my interview with Paul! Let us know what you think about this episode in the comments below! Show Notes: The top habits and characteristics of Federer, Sampras, Henman, and Annacone ​How Henman was able to bounce back from the toughest stretch of his career The importance of routines and how they helped the top players How Sampras and Federer are able to maintain laser focus for so long on the tour Federer's evolution during his legendary career A key tip to help us improve our tennis games Why adaptation and openness to learning is crucial to your tennis development Planning for long-term success in your career, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 82 of The Tennis Files Podcast, I spoke with Dr. Sean Drake about RacquetFit and the Body-Tennis connection. Dr. Drake is a world-class sports performance and medical expert who has an incredible amount of experience at the highest levels working with and treating both amateur and professional athletes in numerous sports, such as tennis, golf, and motorcross. I first met Dr. Drake at the World Tennis Fitness Conference in Atlanta, Georgia last year, and really enjoyed his exercise demonstrations. They were really eye opening and I walked away from it very inspired to learn more about how our body functions and its impact on our tennis games. And I'm really happy and pleased that Dr. Drake made some time in his scheduled to speak with me on the podcast. Dr. Drake has an extensive resume. He is the Vice President of RacquetFit, and has a Masters in Sports Health Science with an emphasis in Sports Injury Management. Dr. Drake also has a Doctorate in Chiropractic from Life University in Atlanta (which is where the iTPA World Tennis Fitness Congress has been held the past several years). He holds numerous additional professional certifications including Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician (CCSP) from the American Academy of Chiropractic Sports Physicians, Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES) with the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and a Graston Technique Certification. Dr. Drake also specializes in performance for athletes, runs multiple chiropractic clinics, and has been the Medical Director for the UCI BMX Supercross World Cups and Nitro Circus World Games. Phew, that's a a lot of awesome experience! On this episode, Dr. Drake gives us a ton of great advice on how players and coaches alike can improve their knowledge in the arena of sports performance and injury prevention, and how learning RacquetFit's principles can take your game and coaching skills to the next level. I really hope you enjoy my interview with Dr. Drake (he probably wished I called him Sean in this post, but I feel extra respectful today :) )! Let us know what you think about this episode in the comments below! Show Notes: Biggest concerns when watching amateur tennis players play and train The most common injuries or potential injuries that amateur tennis players are prone to, and tips to avoid them Advice for tennis players to increase their mobility and how much we should train our mobility How to decide if a player, who has physical limitations, should be working on those limitations (i.e. get more flexible/mobile) versus changing their technique or strategy to work around those limitations What is RacquetFit and how can it help coaches and players improve their knowledge of the game The importance of the body-tennis connection RacquetFit’s organization and the world-class team behind it Upcoming RacquetFit seminars and trainings Three books Dr. Drake would gift to a friend to help them become more fit Favorite apps Dr. Drake suggests for coaches and players The message that Dr. Drake would write on a huge billboard for everyone to see A key tip to help you improve your tennis fitness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 81 of The Tennis Files Podcast, I spoke with world-renowned sports performance expert Dr. Mark Kovacs about the 8-stage model of the tennis serve. I spoke with Dr. Kovacs about the role of the kinetic chain in the serve on The Tennis Technique Summit that I previously hosted, and it was voted the most favorite session of the event. That's why I decided to bring the audio of that session to this episode's podcast to help you improve your serve and get more power, fluidity, and explosiveness on the most important stroke in the game. Mark is a performance physiologist, researcher, professor, author, speaker and coach with an extensive background training and researching elite athletes. He has been featured in many of the biggest sports and news publications, including ESPN, the New York Times, and Tennis Magazine. Mark was also a top college player at Auburn and achieved a world ranking on the ATP Tour. I also have two of Mark's books: Tennis Anatomy and Complete Conditioning For Tennis (2nd Edition). Mark is also the co-founder of the International Performance Tennis Association, of which I am a proudly certified Tennis Performance Trainer, and the founder of The Kovacs Institute. Mark routinely gives presentations around the world about sports performance and training, and I feel very lucky to have had his support on the podcast and my tennis summits. On this episode, we talk about Mark's 8-stage model of the tennis serve and how using your kinetic chain fully and in the proper sequence is the key to having a great serve. I really hope you enjoy my interview with Mark! Let us know what you think about this episode in the comments below! Show Notes: The 8-Stage Model of the Tennis Serve: Start Release Loading Cocking Acceleration Contact Deceleration Finish Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 80 of The Tennis Files Podcast, I am back to answering questions that I've received from tennis players like you about how to re-tool your strokes, topspin and slice backhand tips, serving more consistently, advanced drills, staying mentally tough and more! I routinely receive emails asking questions about all things tennis, and I picked out seven more of them to answer on the podcast today. This time, the questions all come from players at the 4.5 level or higher. But no matter what level you are at, you'll learn some helpful tips on this episode to improve your game I really enjoy receiving emails from my subscribers and do my best to answer them all (even if it takes a little while!). Thanks to you, your questions and the answers today will help your fellow tennis playing community become better players. Once again, I really appreciate every single one of you who has contacted me with your fantastic questions. I really hope you enjoy this episode! If you like the format, let me know in the comments below so that I can do more Q&A episodes in the future! And be sure to subscribe to Tennis Files below to receive the latest tennis content to improve your game straight to your inbox! Show Notes: Q1: What is the best way to re-tool a stroke where multiple parts of it need to be changed? Do you work on one piece at a time or all at the same time? What is the most effective method to change your technique? (Michael - 4.5) Q2: How do you hit a strong and deep topspin and slice backhand? How do you prevent your backhand from floating and being attacked? (Mark - 4.5) Q3: How should you handle high topspin serves to the one-handed backhand? (Ciro - 5.0+) Q4: How can you prevent guiding (slowing down) the racquet head through contact, and instead release the head through contact? (Tabarrow - 4.5) Q5: How can you become confident and focused during a match? How do you close out matches effectively, and make a comeback when you are down in a match? (Raluca - 4.5) Q6: What drills do you recommend for tournament players? (Mitch - 5.0+) Q7: How can you develop a consistent and reliable second serve? (Ray - 4.5) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 79 of The Tennis Files Podcast, I spoke with licensed athletic trainer and performance coach David Grant about how you can prevent injuries and improve your movement mechanics. David is the founder of Grant Training Systems Lifestyle & Sports Rehabilitation, a sports performance based company focusing on the education and training in the field of movement and mobility. One of my podcast listeners, Charlie, connected me with David, and I'm really glad he did! I had a blast speaking with David about how what steps we can do to recognize and minimize injuries, which is so crucial if you want to stay in the game for a while. David has worked alongside Pat Etcheverry at the Harry Hopman Tennis Academy in Tampa and has trained some of the best players in the world, including VIctoria Azarenka, Justine Henin, Martina Hings, James Blake, and Mardy Fish. David is also an adjunct instructor in Germany at the University of Tubingen, where he teaches students about the training, rehabilitation, nutrition, and political nature of working with pro athletes and professional teams. David previously was the Director of Athletic Performance for the Egyptian Tennis Federation and the Director of Athletic Performance for the Smash Tennis Academy. On this episode, we talk about David's philosophies on injury prevention, his super interesting career in the tennis fitness world and at top academies, how to recognize if you are at risk for injury, the best exercises for increasing your flexibility and mobility, recovery advice, and much more! I really hope you enjoy my interview with David! Let us know what you think about this episode in the comments below! Show Notes: David's experiences training some of the best tennis players in the world Common signs that we are at risk for being injured Muscle imbalances and how to help fix them The best exercises we can perform for injury prevention The problems with certain academies when it comes to hiring tennis fitness experts What part of the body we should strengthen to have a stronger serve (this may surprise you!) How David shocked a top player by showing him why he was at a high risk of getting injured Recovery tips to help you play better tennis ASAP What Grant Training Systems is all about and how it can help your game David's favorite books to help you learn more about become a fitter athlete One key tip to help you improve your tennis game Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 78 of The Tennis Files Podcast, I spoke with sports performance coach and personal trainer Aaron Patterson about how to train our junior tennis players to become better athletes. Aaron works with junior athletes every day at the PIT Strength and Conditioning Center in Bloomington, Illinois, and I have been really impressed by both the effort and positive attitudes from his clients. I first met Aaron at last year’s World Tennis Fitness Conference and really enjoyed speaking with him about how we can develop our junior tennis players to reach the next level in their tennis games by improving their strength and fitness. Aaron has a very strong background in the world of tennis fitness. He is a National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Certified Personal Trainer, International Tennis Performance Association (iTPA) Certified Tennis Performance Specialist, and a Certified Speed and Agility Coach. Aaron trains a multitude of top level junior athletes in sports such as tennis, golf, and volleyball. He is currently a Sports Performance Coach at the PIT Strength and Conditioning Center and a personal trainer at Four Seasons Health Club in Bloomington, Illinois. On this episode, we talk about the best exercises for junior tennis players, the importance of having fun while training, books and resources for learning more about sports performance training, recovery and nutrition tips, and much more! I really hope you enjoy my interview with Aaron! Let us know what you think about this episode in the comments below! Show Notes: The importance of making sure your athletes enjoy the process 3 things most of the world doesn’t know about Aaron Patterson How Aaron became a sports performance expert and personal trainer The ups and downs Aaron has faced during his career The most critical skills for fitness and sports performance coaches Common mistakes from personal trainers that tennis players should look out for Aaron’s favorite books and resources that helped him develop his knowledge of personal training and sports performance The difficulties of being a personal trainer and fitness coach When younger players should start training their fitness The best exercises for junior tennis players An example of a comprehensive exercise routine Aaron’s favorite pieces of equipment for training athletes Recovery advice for tennis players The most effective stretches after playing tennis Nutrition tips and what kinds of foods to ingest for maximal performance A key tip to help you improve your tennis game Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode of The Tennis Files Podcast, I walk you through the steps you must take to reach your goals in 2019. Many of us get excited when the new year starts and we create goals for ourselves. However, 80% of new year's resolutions fail by February. That's why on Episode 77 of TFP, I walk you through a full-proof method, that if you follow, will push you past inevitable roadblocks so that you can achieve your goals and have amazing success in 2019. We have all struggled to follow through on our goals and kick bad habits, which is why I have been reading a lot about self-improvement and how we can give ourselves the best chance of accomplishing what we set out to do. On the show, I talk about evaluating your 2018, setting goals for 2019, strategies for creating and sticking with good habits, consistency, my favorite tools for helping you achieve your goals, and more! I really hope you enjoy this episode! If you like this how-to format, let me know in the comments below so that I can record more episodes like this one in the future! And be sure to subscribe to Tennis Files below to receive the latest tennis content to improve your game straight to your inbox! Show Notes: Evaluating how your 2018 went How to set new goals Writing your goals down Planning a consistent schedule Attaching accountability to your goal How to track your progress Seeking coaching, help, and problem solving Attaching a reward to sticking to your goals/habits Keeping in mind the "why" to stay motivated Tackling your priorities in the morning Tools and Books (see links below) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 76 of The Tennis Files Podcast, I spoke with Brad Stine about how he coached Kevin Anderson, Jim Courier, and many other players to top ATP world rankings. Brad's philosophies, systems, and strategies have enable him to consistently propel whoever he coaches, from high level juniors, college players and tour pros, to top rankings and grand slam titles. It was fascinating to hear Brad's tennis journey and how both he and his players have risen to the upper echelon of the game. Brad is a world-class tennis coach from Fresno, California who has coached numerous top ATP pros in his career, most notably former world #1 Jim Courier. He currently coaches ATP world #6 Kevin Anderson, and has also previously coached Andrei Medvedev, Jonathan Stark, Mardy Fish, Taylor Dent, Sebastien Grojean, Sargis Sargisian, and Byron Black. Brad played and coached at Fresno State, and led the program to a top 20 DI ranking as a coach. He was also a US National Coach for the USTA and coached the US junior national team, which was loaded with top talent: Jim Courier, Pete Sampras, MaliVai Washington, Todd Martin, Jonathan Stark, Jared Palmer, David Wheaton and Jeff Tarango On this episode, we talk about how Brad became a top level coach and his journey from coaching at the USTA, to college tennis, and eventually to coaching some of the best ATP pros of all time. I really hope you enjoy my interview with Brad! Let us know what you think about this episode in the comments below! Show Notes: Brad’s favorite place in the world to go snowboarding Brad's first memory of hitting a tennis ball How Brad got his start in coaching Brad’s experience coaching the US Junior National Team, which was loaded with top talent: Jim Courier, Pete Sampras, MaliVai Washington, Todd Martin, Jonathan Stark, Jared Palmer, David Wheaton and Jeff Tarango The most important skills Brad focused on developing in the US Junior National Team Coaching D1 college tennis at Fresno State The most important changes Brad made to the Fresno State tennis team that caused the program to eventually get a top 20 DI ranking, and why an atmosphere of respect is so important Differences between coaching in college and the pro tour Going from coaching college tennis to Jim Courier and how they ended up working together Jim’s personality and the approach Brad took to maximize Jim’s abilities Jim’s unorthodox backhand and how the coaching team maximized his game The importance of the backhand slice to Jim’s success The traits and habits that most contributed to Jim Courier’s rise to the top of the game How Brad and Kevin Anderson started their coaching partnership The importance of self-containment and conserving energy and how this has improved Kevin’s results How we can strike a balance between getting pumped up and positive versus conserving energy An example of having a stronger physical presence on the court Kevin’s most important traits that make him a top 10 player Kevin’s increased focus on his fitness training and getting stronger What’s next for Brad and Kevin 3 books Brad would gift to a friend to help them play better tennis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices