With the term drawing to a close on the 27th of June for the summer holidays we would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a enjoyable holiday and look forward to seeing you all in August.

With the past few weeks a “washout” we hope you get on court during the summer and good luck to those who are travelling overseas for tournaments. For those players who are staying throughout the summer our program will begin on the 2nd of July from 9am to 12.00 daily. Contact Adrian for enrollment on 97569843.

To all who are leaving Hong Kong to embark on a new challenge in life, Best Wishes for the future.  

Look out for our new program and the introduction of some new classes.

We will have 2 start dates for the new term.

August 17 and September 1.

Thanks for your support

The OTR Team 

Happy was a visitor to OTR in Hong Kong last year and spent some time conducting a clinic and working individually with some of our junior players. His methodology was enlighting and all the players gained from his insight. Below is a extract from one of his many articles and we feel it will help any coach or parent in attempting to get the best out of their student or child. Our belief is into instill positive feedback and to create this environment in our lessons. 

If facilitators can create an environment where mistakes are not seen as failures and success is not determined by simply winning the point, then there will be less of the neurosis we now see in the competitive arena.

At present, there exists an aggressive, result-oriented atmosphere amongst most high performance programs all over the world.  It is not uncommon for these players to be punished by having to do push-ups or run laps for missing a volley or losing a point.  The coaches who employ these tactics justify this process by saying that there are physical benefits to these practices. 

While this is undoubtedly true, there are also mental consequences that are not so beneficial. 

This is not an effective method for teaching technique.  On the short-term, this result-oriented approach will, for sure, get the player’s attention, but the long-term ramifications of such behavior will not bode well for the overall healthy mental development of young people.  This aggressive approach shapes their attitudes towards success and failure and gives them the false impression that if I try hard enough I can accomplish any outcome I want.  This is untrue.  We have no control over outcome or result, no one does.  If we did, who would ever choose to miss a ball or make a mistake, much less lose a match? 

As I have said earlier, the mental component is the glue that holds an individual’s game together and facilitators can play a huge role in laying a foundation of mental stability in a player by creating a supportive and loving environment where both winning and losing can be dealt with in equanimity and used to help players improve. 

The key to mental frailty is rooted in the environment we create; in our tone of voice; in our ability to accept adversity; in our own emphasis on process over result, and finally, but also crucially, in the methodology that we use.  In short, if we want to help players develop mental control, we need to start right at the beginning; the very first time they step onto a tennis court.

I recently read an article before the French Open that explained a new shot developed on the Tour. How many times to you see Federer way out of court on the forehand side change to a continental grip or reverse backhand grip and cut down heavily on the ball like a “squash shot” to keep the ball in play. If watching on tv Federer is sometimes out of screen and you think the point is over only to see the ball come sailing back in play.  I have even seen Fed hit winners off this shot!

It is everything contrary to what you learn in your lessons-hit the ball early,out in front. Sometimes this is just not possible and you need to be willing to invent new shots to keep in the point. You cant always be in the perfect position to replicate that forehand topspin stroke you have practiced thousands of times. Like any other shot it does take practice and the slice forehand is not a shot a lot of pros teach or students perform, unless of course you are over the age of 40. This shot is a big part of my game!

When attempting this shot you must commit early as there is a grip change involved and be prepared to cut sharply down on the ball to impart lots of slice, this will slow the ball down through the air and help it to drop in the court. Your target should be cross court so you have the biggest target and plenty of margin for error. 

Another Variation:Slice Backhand

If you look at Nadal who has a penetrating backhand and whenever possible will step in and crunch the two hander, he also uses his slice backhand very effectively.If the opponents ball is too heavy to the Nadal backhand and he realises early he will not be able to get set and drive the ball he will change to a continental grip and slice the backhand back into court allowing more time for recovery and variation of the rally. He uses it effectively to slice to a right handers backhand down the line and also short crosscourt.

 All juniors who learn the two handed backhand should learn the slice backhand early in their development as this can be a very effective shot. It will also help them with their backhand volley which can be difficult for players who generally use two hands for the backhand drive.

The number one priority in the game is to keep the ball in play and these two shots with some practice will help you do just that.  

Many recreational and club players suffer at some time from tennis elbow. Tennis elbow is a strain or tear in the muscle and can be brought on by a variety of factors.Common mistakes players make are not warming up properly-especially after a break from the game or hitting too hard to soon which can inflamme or tear the tissue fibres on the tendon of the elbow. Other contributing factors include playing with “dead” tennis balls,playing with a racquet that is too heavy or light,strings that are too tight or even playing with a grip which is too small.

The most common cause of tennis elbow especially to newcomers to the game is bad technique. The weight of a tennis racquet is heavy and to be swinging it with the wrist and forearm only puts stress on these muscles and can cause pain and the beginning of tennis elbow.

If you believe your technique is correct start the elimination process. Firstly ensure the balls you hit with are not ”dead” and experiment with looser tensions on your racquet. Racquets these days have a recommended tension marked on the inside of the throat of the racquet for example 50+/-5 lbs. Check this out and try stringing a few pounds lighter to see if it eleviates the problem. Also overgrip your racquet and build up the grip, this can sometimes help.

How to treat tennis elbow.

Dont ignore the pain. There are many players that will tell you they cant lift a glass these days the pain is so bad and then there are others that opt for a cortizone injection to mask the pain, a drastic and not always successful option.

I guarantee if you see a doctor he will tell you to “stop playing until it doesnt hurt anymore”. The words all tennis players do not want to hear!   I agree with the advice to stop and rest and through experience to ice the affected area for 10 to 15 mins religiously after play and for days after to help stop inflamation. When you feel some improvement you need to strengthen the muscles around the area. One easy exercise is to get an elastic band and wrap around the fingers and thumb and expand your fingers  and thumb. Spread the fingers 10 to 15 times to begin with and add more elastic bands for greater resistence.This is just one of many exercises that will help you get back on court earlier and protect you for the future.

A tennis elbow support can also help to disperse the impact shock when making contact with the ball however dont rely on it and continue to build up the muscles.

With proper treatment and constant strengthening your days on court wont be numbered.