Odds And Ends in Racketsportsland - October 2024

Short Odds and Ends - Help Wanted - Book Review - Pickleball - Padel - Touch Tennis

Author

Rich Neher
October 02, 2024

Table of Contents


SHORT ODDS & ENDS

RACQUET SPORTS PROFESSIONALS NEEDED WORLDWIDE

Sports Pros Connect posted a lot of open positions in September. They are looking for Tennis and Padel Coaches all over the world. Insight driven, targeted opportunities for coaches worldwide. 
See jobs here.

BOOK REVIEW - 325 WAYS TO PLAY TENNIS

*** Rod Heckelman ***
325 Ways to play tennis

I had the pleasure of reviewing Rod Heckelman’s book Playing Into The Sunset a short while ago. Rod is a very experienced Tennis Director and teacher, and a regular writer for Racket Business and its predecessor Tennis Club Business since 2015.

Rod has seen and heard it all since he started teaching tennis 48 years ago at at John Gardiner's Tennis Ranch in Carmel Valley, California. His advice: If you have an addiction in your life, why not make it sport?

“If you have an addiction in your life, why not make it sport?”

However, Rod has identified a recurring challenge faced by most recreational tennis players: limited time availability coupled with a desire for immediate enjoyment. Players often prefer to quickly engage in a set after only a brief warm-up period, prioritizing game time over extensive preparation. Rod writes, “The book provides a simple solution to this dilemma.” This is why he titled the book “325 Ways to Play Tennis,” and not “325 Ways to Practice Tennis.” He suggests that players can now enjoy competition while practicing and working on improving their game. “It’s just a matter of knowing what you need to work on and then finding the game that will best address those issues.”

In conclusion, Rod has meticulously curated a collection of 325 games that serve a dual purpose. These games not only provide players with engaging warm-up and skill-building drills but also incorporate a competitive element. This innovative approach enhances the overall training experience, making it both productive and enjoyable for participants. He suggests, “By adding a competitive challenge, we can experience new methods of play that will open new avenues of improvement.”

The games in this book are broken up into various sections of tennis. The first chapter is about serving since serving is the first and most important stroke you use. The following is a list of chapters.

  1. Games that will improve and challenge your serve

  2. From the baseline, games for your ground strokes

  3. Games that focus on your concentration

  4. Games that will help your footwork

  5. Games that will make you a better player at net

  6. Games to improve your serve return

  7. Games for the approach shots

  8. Games to build a better overhead

  9. Games that will help you become a deadly lobber

  10. Games to widen your horizon

  11. Games to help your singles play

  12. Games that will make you a better doubles player

  13. A.I. Your new best friend

  14. The overall big picture game

As a senior tennis player who values efficiency in warm-up routines, I find the games presented in Rod's book to be particularly beneficial. This publication offers more than just supplementary techniques for improving one's tennis skills; it provides a comprehensive approach to enhancing warm-up sessions through the incorporation of strategic, competitive games. By implementing the numerous suggestions and modifying pre-match routines, players can transform their preparation into a highly effective learning experience.

I regard Rod’s book not just as “another arrow in your quiver” to become a better tennis player. I think that following the many suggestions and changing your warm-up routines by adding smart competitive games will turn those arrows into the Gatling Gun of tennis leaning.

PICKLEBALL

PADEL

The Padel State

The Ever-Growing List of Celebrities Now Hopelessly Addicted to… Padel

Sure, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s ongoing whirlwind romance might be getting slightly more media attention than the exploding number of new celebrities falling in love with padel week after week…

TOUCH TENNIS

The largest touchtennis event ever in the USA is coming to Detroit November 14-17.