Coach Tom Fail !
I DON’T HAVE ANYTHING READY FOR THIS SECTION YET, BUT FEAR NOT… IT’S COMING.
AND THE READ & REACT MODEL IS REALLY COOL. IT’S DYNAMIC, EXCITING AND CAN MAKE YOU A BETTER PLAYER WITHOUT HAVING TO IMPROVE YOUR TECHNICAL ABILITY.
IN THE MEANTIME, WATCH THIS COOL SNOWBOARDING VIDEO.

IPT Free Tennis Tip of the Day – “Jog to Change Ends”
When you’re out there hitting with your friends, get moving when you change ends of the court. This will help with your energy, your cardio
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IPT Tennis Tip of the Day – “Don’t Pop Up”
Stay down through your shots to avoid hitting them long.

IPT Tennis Tip of the Day – “Don’t Be That Person”
Hey! We’re out there to practice. If your practice partner misses a feed, don’t count it, re-feed it.

IPT Tennis Tip of the Day – “Recover!”
I’ll keep saying it until you start doing it on the tennis court – RECOVER!

IPT Point of the Day – “Creep… When You See Your Opponent in Trouble.”
Don’t simply rely on hitting better shots than your opponent. When you see that you have pushed him/her off balance and out of position, creep

IPT Point of the Day – “Read and React to Win More Points – Part 2”
I break things down a little further in part two of this video.

IPT Point of the Day – “Read and React to Win More Points”
It’s Not About The Shots! Learn how to READ what’s going on across the net from you, how to REACT and position accordingly, and you

IPT Point of The Day – “Always, Always, Always Recover!”
Footwork is everything! I actually miss this shot, but I still recover. Develop the habit of getting back into position after every single shot –

IPT Point of the Day – “Did You Hit a Good Shot? Move In!”
Winning tennis isn’t about who hits the best shots, it’s about who sees opportunities and takes advantages of them.

IPT Point of The Day – “What if Your Winner Isn’t a Winner?”
Think you’ve hit a winner? Maybe not. Move in to good position just in case.

IPT Point of The Day – “Did You Miss Your Opportunity?”
When we’re playing tennis, it’s more important to be able to see chances when our opponent is off balance than it is to be able

Just PLAY!
How’d it go? Did you find a way to play? How’d it feel? Or did you blow it off? Did you skip it, skip your

How to Hit Better Volleys – Week 5, Part 3: “Where to Point Your Belly Button”
I know, I know. Sounds silly. But where your belly button is pointing definitely has an impact on how you hit your volleys. Watch this

How to Hit Better Volleys – Week 5, Part 2: “Horizontal Positioning”
We’ve made it inside the service line, but where do we go now? Left? Right? Stay put? Your approach shot will help determine how you

How to Hit Better Volleys – Week 5, Part 1: “Watch Your Opponent, Not the Ball”
Too many times we hear “watch the ball” and we do just that. Yes, we need to watch the ball as it comes in, but

How to Hit Better Volleys – Week 4, Part 3: “Read and React Tennis”
The simplest way to play solid, winning tennis is to know what’s going on on the court. This is where the Read and React model

IPT Quick Tips “Don’t Watch the Ball”
When playing tennis, it’s more important to watch your opponent than it is to watch the ball. Read what is going on on the court,

How to Hit Better Volleys – Week 4, Part 2: “Offensive v. Defensive Mentality”
When going in, what is your mindset? What did you do to affect your opponent? You need to know this in order to get prepared

How to Hit Better Volleys – Week 4, Part 1: “Why You Must Get Inside the Service Line”
Often times when going to the net, we get tentative or fearful and don’t get inside the service line. This can lead to indecision and

How to Hit Better Volleys – Week 3, Part 3: “Why Transition at All?”
But Coach Tom… I don’t understand. Why don’t I just hit the volley for a winner right away? Seems a lot easier than dealing with

How to Hit Better Volleys – Week 3, Part 2: “Approach Shot v. Approach Volley”
What is the difference between an approach shot and an approach volley? Why would you ever hit an approach volley? Take a look and find

How to Hit Better Volleys – Week 3, Part 1: “Offense, Defense or Neutral”
When you’re going to the net, you need to understand what your approach shot has done to your opponent. Have you pushed him back? Moved

Beginner Volleys: Drills – Part 3 – “From the Baseline”
The third piece of our volley drill progression, this one has us back on the baseline. Remember to have some patience. You may not get

How to Hit Better Volleys – Week 2, Part 3: “STOP!”
You have to stop! You can’t just go barreling in to the net and hope to hit a good, controlled volley. Just stop already.

Beginner Volleys: Drills – Part 2 – “Toss and Bump”
This is the second progression in our volley series. Working with a partner, we simply toss the ball to one another, allowing for good contact

How to Hit Better Volleys – Week 2, Part 2: “Where To Go After Your Approach Shot”
Once you’ve hit your approach shot, and you have an idea of what type of shot your opponent is about to hit, you need to

How to Hit Better Volleys – Week 2, Part 1 – “How Effective Was Your Approach Shot?”
Before you can hit a volley, you need to know what you’ve done with your approach shot. Did you push your opponent off balance? Is

Beginner Volleys: Drills – Part 1 – “Let’s Play Catch”
Now that we know how to hit a volley, let’s start with some simple drills to help practice them. Today, all we’re doing is playing

Beginner Volleys: Lessons – Part 3 – How to Hit a Volley
Let’s talk a bit more about how to hit basic, beginner volleys. Check out the video and be sure to check back next week when

How to Hit Better Volleys – Week 1, Part 3: “What to Do With Your Approach Shot”
So we know why we’re going to the net, and we know what type of shot we’re going to hit, but what do we actually

How to Hit Better Volleys – Week 1, Part 2 – “How are you getting there?”
Once we’ve decided to go to the net, we need to figure out how we are going to get there. Are you hitting an approach

Beginner Volleys: Lessons – Part 2 – What is a Volley?
Here’s a quick and easy video on how to hit a basic, beginner volley. For a more in depth series on volleys, check out the

Beginner Volleys: Lessons – Part 1 – Why Volley at All?
Let’s take a quick couple of minutes to go over basic volleys. If you have never hit a volley before, or are looking to get

How to Hit Better Volleys – Week 1, Part 1 – “Why are you going to the net?”
Alright, kids. Here we go. This is the first installment in our series on how to hit better volleys, or I suppose I should say

IPT Hit Chat: “Kimberly M”
Kimberly and I chat about her forehand, how she can see better progression, and the importance of practice.

IPT Quick Tips: “Your Serve Sucks”
Your Serve Sucks… And that’s okay! You can still be effective with a crappy serve. Stop buying in to all of the nonsense out there

IPT Hit Chat: “Why Playing 3.5 is Harder than Playing 4.0”
Or can be… I got out for a hit with my brother the other day, and he was wondering why he felt more comfortable playing

Tennis Terminology “First Serve Percentage”
An important statistic in this sport, first serve percentage refers to how frequently you are getting your first serve into play. There are many reasons

Tennis Terminology “Approach Shot”
An approach shot is just what you might think it is – a shot you hit when you are approaching the net.

Tennis Terminology “Approach Volley”
An approach volley is a specific type of approach shot, one that you take out of the air rather than off the ground.

Tennis Terminology “Let”
A let has a few different meanings in tennis, so check out the video to learn more.

Tennis Terminology “Passing Shot”
A passing shot is used against a player who has come to the net. But be careful, if you are trying to win the point

IPT Quick Tips “Why Ready Position Matters”
You hear me talk about ready position and active ready position all the time. But why? Why does it matter, and how can having good

IPT Games and Drills “Ups and Downs”
A simple, adaptable drill you can do just about anywhere, doing Ups and Downs is a great way to help with your hand-eye coordination. You

The Basics “Parts of the Court”
Where is the “baseline”? What is the “Center Hash Mark”? In this video I go over the different parts of the court so you can

The Basics “Beginner Forehand – Lesson #2”
This is lesson #2 in our Beginner Forehand Series. I talk about using a linear versus angular swing, and we touch on the importance of

Tennis Terminology “Long”
The term “long” refers to when a player hits the ball past the baseline, out of the court, or “long”.

Tennis Terminology “Rally”
A “rally”, not to be confused with a volley, is simply when players hit the ball back and forth over the net.

Tennis Terminology “No”
“No” is just another way to make a line call, meaning that you missed the shot or that it was out. No and out mean

Tennis Terminology “Hand Signals”
Not really a term, but hand signals, when used to make line calls, are something you guys need to know about.

Tennis Terminology “Wide”
“Wide” is a term used when calling a ball out that has gone, as you might guess, wide of the lines.

Tennis Terminology “Deep”
Deep has a couple of meanings in tennis. One is a line call, another refers to shot placement on the court. Check out the vid

Tennis Terminology “Active Ready Position”
Maintaining a good “Active Ready Position” can help your game tremendously.

Tennis Terminology “Ready Position”
Ready position simply refers to your stance while you are waiting for the next shot. A good ready position is key to playing good tennis.

Tennis Terminology “Recover”
To “recover” means to get back into ready position after you hit your shot. That’s it, simple as that.

Tennis Terminology “F.B.I.”
In tennis, F.B.I. means “first ball in” and is used when beginning a match without warming up serves.

Tennis Terminology “Double Fault”
A double fault is when a player misses both chances to serve, resulting in a point for their opponent.

Tennis Terminology “Contact Zone”
The contact zone is the area in which your swing can make good contact with the ball. A longer contact zone gives you more consistent

Tennis Terminology “Open”
Open, when referring to string position, simply means that your strings are leaning back in the direction the ball is traveling.

Tennis Terminology “Closed”
Closed, when refering to string position, simply means that your strings are leaning forward in the direction the ball is traveling.

Tennis Terminology “Square”
Square, when referring to string position, simply means that your strings are set straight up and down, not leaning one way or the other.

Tennis Terminology “Open Stance”
An open stance, or modern stance, is a way of standing to address the ball when you are hitting a groundstroke. Your foot position is

Tennis Terminology “Closed Stance”
A closed stance is a way of standing to address the ball when you are hitting a groundstroke. Your foot position is “closed” when you

Tennis Terminology “Squared Up”
Squared up means that you are facing where the ball is coming from. Being squared up puts you in good position and gives you a

Tennis Terminology “Moonball”
A moonball is a shot that is hit excessively high, not as a lob, in order to help a player maintain consistency. Don’t be fooled

Tennis Terminology “Margin for Error”
Margin for error refers to how much wiggle room you give yourself when hitting a shot. More margin for error means you can be a

Tennis Terminology “Center Line”
It’s exactly what you think it is – the line down the center of the court.

Tennis Terminology “Doubles Alley”
The doubles alley, only good when playing doubles, is the space in between the singles sideline and the doubles sideline.

Tennis Terminology “Doubles Sideline”
This is the very outer sideline on the court, used when playing doubles, or two against two.

Tennis Terminology “Center Hash Mark”
The center hash mark is that little mark in the middle of the baseline.

Tennis Terminology “Net”
Yup. It’s that big, net-looking thing in the middle of the court.

Tennis Terminology “Net Post”
The net posts are what hold the net up – those big metal (or sometimes wood) things on either end of the net. Avoid running

Tennis Terminology “Backswing”
The backswing is the part of your swing where you take the racquet back. Easy as that.

Tennis Terminology “Ball Tracking”
Ball tracking, or tracking, refers to how you follow the ball, reading height, spin, pace and direction, then positioning yourself accordingly.

Tennis Terminology “Clean Winner”
A clean winner is a ball you hit that wins the point without your opponent getting a racquet on it.

Tennis Terminology “Dirtballer”
A dirtballer is someone who is a strong clay court player.

Tennis Terminology “No-Man’s Land”
No man’s land is the space between the baseline and the service line. Contrary to what you may have heard, you CAN hit from no

Tennis Terminology “Service Box”
The service box is the part of the court where serves must land. Remember, serves must be hit to the opposite service box to count.

Tennis Terminology “Service Line”
The service line runs through the middle of the court, roughly half way between the baseline and the net. It is the back boundary of

Tennis Terminology “Singles Sideline”
The outside boundary of the singles court is the singles sideline. Remember that if even the tiniest bit of the ball touches the line, you

Tennis Terminology “Contact Point”
The contact point is where the ball and the racquet connect.

Tennis Terminology “Angle of Impact”
Angle of impact refers to the angle at which the flight of the ball and your string bed intersect. Who knew you had to be

Tennis Terminology “Forced Error”
A forced error is when one player hits a good enough shot to force his or her opponent into an error.

Tennis Terminology “Grip”
Grip has multiple meanings in this game. Check out the vid to learn more.

Tennis Terminology “Strike Zone”
Strike Zone refers to the area where you make contact with the ball.

Tennis Terminology “String Position”
String Position refers to how your string bed lines up.

Tennis Terminology “Sweet Spot”
The Sweet Spot is the area in the center of your string bed where, when you hit it, you get the best results for your

Tennis Terminology “Swing Path”
Swing Path refers to how your racquet moves through your shot.

Tennis Terminology “Unforced Error”
Unforced Errors are a huge deal in tennis. Check out the video to learn more about what an unforced error is, and why it’s important

Tennis Terminology “Winner”
A winner is when you hit a shot that wins the point. Not much more complicated than that.

Tennis Terminology “Backhand”
The backhand is the shot you hit on your non-dominant side. In this video I am talking about backhand groundstrokes, another term you can find

Tennis Terminology “Shuffle”
Shuffle is a term used to describe how we move side to side on the court. Being able to shuffle on the court can add

Tennis Terminology “Ball Tolerance”
Ball Tolerance refers to how long you are able to comfortably stay in a rally. This is a big factor in reducing unforced errors. A

Tennis Terminology “Forehand”
The forehand is the shot you hit on the dominant side of your body.

Tennis Terminology “Drop Shot”
A Drop Shot is a shot you hit that drops just past the net, landing short on the other side of the court.

Tennis Terminology “Lob”
A Lob is a shot you hit in an attempt to get the ball over your opponent’s head.

The Basics “Beginner Serve – Lesson #3”
The final video in our beginner serve series, I go over control and variation, helping you understand the importance of placement over power. We go

The Basics “Beginner Volley – Lesson #2”
In this second of three videos, I talk about the importance of dropping your racquet head (and your body) to hit better volleys. We also

The Basics “Beginner Volley – Lesson #3”
The final installment in our Beginner Volley Series. We talk about the importance of recovery and aim, and give you a drill you can use

The Basics “Beginner Serve – Lesson #2”
In this, the second lesson in our Beginner Serve Series, I talk about some basic rules, how to determine who starts serving in a match,

The Basics “Beginner Serve – Lesson #1”
Never served before? Start here. This is the first lesson is our Beginner Serve series. I’ll show you a few things about the serve, explain

The Basics “Beginner Volley – Lesson #1”
The first of three lessons on the beginner volley. I teach you what a volley is, a few important things to know about volleys, and

The Basics “Beginner Backhand – Lesson #2”
This is lesson #2 in our beginner backhand series. We talk today about linear swings, and reiterate the importance of good footwork.

The Basics “Beginner Forehand – Lesson #3”
This is the third installment in out beginner forehand series. We touch on the importance of integrated recovery, and work a little with aim and

The Basics “Beginner Backhand – Lesson #3”
This is the final lesson in our beginner backhand series. We move back to the baseline, talk about the importance of integrated recovery, and touch

The Basics “Beginner Backhand Lesson #1 – Recap and Drill”
A quick recap of Lesson #1 in our Beginner Backhand Series, plus a quick drill you can use to practice the shot.

The Basics “Beginner Backhand Lesson #3 – Recap and Drill”
I review the last lesson in our Beginner Bachkand Series, giving you a few thoughts on how to increase your swing length, gaining comfort and

The Basics “Beginner Backhand Lesson #2 – Recap and Drill”
A quick review of Lesson #2 from our Beginner Backhand Series. We add a little bit of length to our swing, hit the ball a

The Basics “Beginner Forehand Lesson #3 – Recap and Drill”
A quick recap of our third lesson in the beginner forehand series, plus a quick drill for you to do.

The Basics “Beginner Forehand Lesson #2 – Recap and Drill”
A quick recap of lesson #2 from our beginner forehand series, plus a simple drill you can use to practice the shot.

The Basics “Beginner Forehand Lesson #1 – Recap and Drill”
A quick recap of lesson #1 from our Beginner Forehand series, as well as a quick drill you can use to practice this shot.

The Basics “Beginner Backhand – Lesson #1”
If you’ve never played tennis, but want to do so without paying an in-person teaching pro a bunch of money, this video is for you.

The Basics “Beginner Forehand – Lesson #1”
If you’ve never played tennis, but would like to, here is where to start. I’ll give you the basics on how to hit the shot,

IPT Games and Drills “Volley Into the Bucket”
A great drill to help you work on hitting your volleys up, not down, which we all know we should do, right? Check it out,

The Basics “Beginner Return – Lesson #1”
Let’s learn how to hit a return! I go over some of the basic rules about returns, offer some tips on where to set up

The Basics “Beginner Return – Lesson #2”
In this lesson I give you the key to being effective with your returns by knowing what to do with them. I also give you

The Basics “Beginner Return – Lesson #3”
Part 3 of our Beginner Return series. We talk about integrated recovery, hitting returns with your legs and how to take advantage of weak serves

IPT Quick Tips “Don’t Watch the Ball”
When playing tennis, it’s more important to watch your opponent than it is to watch the ball. Read what is going on on the court,