May 2007 -- I would like to share with you an experience I had recently. I was preparing to take my college teams to Pensacola, Fla., for a week of matches when I received a phone call from Southern Division head tester Tommy Wade.
Tommy, the former head coach for Alabama’s men’s team, was preparing for a specialty course on modern tennis to be team taught with legend Bill Tym. Tommy was asking whether I could share some of my thoughts on the topic with him if he drove from Tuscaloosa to Pensacola.
What a question. I think that both Tommy Wade and Bill Tym have forgotten more about tennis than I know. I was a bit humbled that someone like Tommy Wade would drive for nearly five hours each direction to visit with me about information for a specialty course.
Tommy arrived in Pensacola and quietly watched as my women’s team completed a match. When the match ended and we began to visit, I could feel the genuine desire on his part to understand certain aspects of the current game from my perspective. He wasn’t looking for weaknesses, he wasn’t judging, he was looking to understand.
I borrowed a cart of balls and asked one of my players, Jing Jing Liu, a USPTA member, to hit some backhands. I fed balls to a variety of positions and just let her hit. When the feeds were through the court, Jing Jing loaded on her outside leg and stepped forward, transferring her weight. When the feeds were wide she moved quickly to the outside and again loaded on her outside leg. This time she maintained an open stance and shifted her weight back into the court to recover for the next shot or feed. She was smooth, relaxed, and well-positioned (see photo below).
Tommy was excited. He started asking questions. He asked me about foot position, balance, transfer, explosion, backswing, follow-through, etc. The questions were probing, well-thought-out, and directed to the most crucial components of the stroke.
Tommy then walked to the other side of the court near where Jing Jing was hitting and asked me to feed some more balls. I repeated the variety of feeds and Tommy then started to question Jing Jing. He asked her about her grips, her hip rotation, power, control, etc.
I went through how I teach the stroke from beginners to already skilled players. I discussed predicting, intercepting, loading, hitting and recovery. He listened intently, asked clarifying questions and was then ready to move on. We looked at open-stance forehands. Again, a variety of feeds provided a visual picture of when and how the weight transfer changed depending on the player’s position on the court.
We discussed the time to change a developing player from simply transferring their weight to actually exploding as they strike the ball (see photo below). We talked about the differences related to age, both in small children and seniors.
Tommy seemed excited. He was learning. He wasn’t buying into anything yet but he was learning how I taught the strokes, the footwork and movement, the transfer and recovery, and was seeing it in action. We then moved on to swinging volleys.
We left the court and went to my computer and looked at video clip after video clip of top players. We stopped the action to focus on specific body parts, angles, landings, etc. It was educational for both of us and we shared what we saw, what we taught, and what we had experienced.
The time passed quickly and with another five-hour drive back to Tuscaloosa ahead of him, Tommy Wade started his journey home. Tommy is an exceptional man. He has been a well recognized and respected collegiate coach, a successful club manager and director, a nationally recognized head tester, and a lifetime student of the game.
Tommy was willing to spend 10 hours driving to discuss an area of the game on which he sought understanding and clarity. Imagine what we could learn, imagine what we could become, if we were willing to ask questions, seek answers, continue to evolve in our life and our profession as the game we base our profession on changes.
Today’s game is not yesterday’s game nor is it tomorrow’s. The techniques used in teaching motor skills are not the same today as they were a generation ago; neither are the equipment, the training methods, or the quality and volume of the international competition.
The game of tennis is evolving and as professionals we should evolve with it. The goal should be how we can make the learning and enjoyment of tennis easier for our students.
I have seen top professionals resist exposure to new ideas. They were reluctant to learn or admit that they didn’t know everything. Months later they had become proponents of what they had earlier avoided like the plague. We are all down on what we are not up on.
I would encourage each of us to be more like Tommy Wade. Be willing to learn, to modify our methods and ideas. It isn’t about us, it is about our students. Thank you, Tommy, for a wonderful day in Pensacola and an example of true professionalism that will stay with me forever.
