Lessons from a Tennis Addict on a Quest to Become an NTRP 4.5 Player

A Great Champion’s Legacy

A Great Champion’s Legacy

By P.J. SimmonsEarly this morning, my dear friend and hero Ollie Stephens passed away after a heroic battle with cancer. My heart is aching with sadness and with empathy for all of Ollie's family and friends. All of our lives were forever changed for the better the...

Back on the Road!

Back on the Road!

By P.J. SimmonsJust over two years ago, I had a freak accident at a gym that sidelined me from training. I fell backwards on my wrist and tore the cartilage (my “TFCC”) pretty badly—ironically, while doing tennis-specific agility training when I was traveling. Surgery...

Detours, Roadblocks, and Discoveries on the “Road to 4.5 Tennis”

Detours, Roadblocks, and Discoveries on the “Road to 4.5 Tennis”

“The most fulfilling adventures happen when you start your journey without knowing where you’re going, because only then are you free to experience the unexpected detours you’re meant to take.”― A.J. Darkholme, Rise of the Morningstar“In the moment, you most likely...

Racquet Tattoos: My Secret Weapon (Guest Post)

Racquet Tattoos: My Secret Weapon (Guest Post)

GUEST POST By Jamie Powers Jamie Powers is baker, dishwasher, counter girl and 9-year long owner of DeLuxe Bakery in Iowa City, IA. She continues to obsess about tennis on an hourly basis. She plays 4 times a week and holds delusions of pro-circuit grandeur.  Her...

Grace Under Pressure: 10 Tips to Combat Tightness

Grace Under Pressure: 10 Tips to Combat Tightness

A few weeks ago I got some hard-to-hear but truly game-changing advice while training over the weekend at "Total Tennis," a tennis camp in upstate NY that's become my home away from home.I had just finished a fast-paced and inspiring morning group session with two...

Putting “Winning” into Perspective

Putting “Winning” into Perspective

By P.J. SimmonsIn the wake of the Lance Armstrong debacle, I've been reflecting a lot on how lucky we tennis players are that our sport's top champions are such great role models-- not just as hardworking athletes, but as human beings.With rare exception, today's top...

Want a Killer Serve? Top Tips from a Real 4.5 Player (Guest Post)

Want a Killer Serve? Top Tips from a Real 4.5 Player (Guest Post)

The following is a guest post from Jim Olson - an avid 4.5 player from Madison, WI who I met earlier this year at Bollettieri IMG academy. Jim started playing at 13 years of age but became especially serious about the sport in 2001 while living in Little Rock, AR....

Project Serve: Fixing the Trophy Position

Project Serve: Fixing the Trophy Position

As I mentioned in a recent post, I'm on a mission to transform my serve from a weakness to a weapon. It's a process that's involving a lot of patience: I'm breaking down every aspect of the serve and, in the process, trying to break some deeply ingrained habits.Last...

Project Serve: From Weakness to Weapon

Project Serve: From Weakness to Weapon

Andy Murray's expression in this photo (like he's about to yell an expletive or kill someone) pretty much sums up the way I've felt about my serve for the past two years. Until recently, my serve has been a source of considerable frustration, anger and fear: I've...

“I’ll Take That Mistake” – Best Coaching Advice Ever

“I’ll Take That Mistake” – Best Coaching Advice Ever

By P.J. SimmonsRecently I had the pleasure of playing a doubles match with my friend Kirk visiting NYC from Little Rock-- an awesome player who blew past 4.5 level years ago. I met Kirk at IMG Bollettieri Academy and remember thinking, "If I could play like Kirk...

To Grunt or Not to Grunt: An Amateur Tennis Player’s Dilemma

To Grunt or Not to Grunt: An Amateur Tennis Player’s Dilemma

If you love tennis, you've undoubtedly participated in at least one heated debate about "grunting" (or, in some cases more appropriately, "shrieking"). Should it be completely discouraged or accepted in moderation? Should grunting in pro tennis be penalized when it's...

Recipe for Good Tennis: Positive Thinking, Perspective– and Puppies

Recipe for Good Tennis: Positive Thinking, Perspective– and Puppies

By P.J. SimmonsIf you’re serious about improving your tennis game, you already know that tennis inevitably comes with tons of frustrations, heartaches, and injuries. We tennis players have to constantly persevere through peaks and valleys in performance (“I thought I...

How to Cure Tennis Elbow (and Golfer’s Elbow) in 5 Minutes a Day

How to Cure Tennis Elbow (and Golfer’s Elbow) in 5 Minutes a Day

By P.J. SimmonsCount your blessings if you've never had tennis elbow (aka "computer elbow" or "mouse elbow" because it also strikes folks who spend hours at the computer). Known as "lateral epicondylitis", it's a condition that can cause an intense, searing pain and...

Ball Machines Are Better with Music (And So is My Game)

Ball Machines Are Better with Music (And So is My Game)

For about a year I've been spending about an hour a week alone on the court with a ball machine. There's no way around it: to make technique automatic, you need to hit a lot of balls-- and a ball machine is cheaper (free at my club) than hiring a hitter or a pro.Until...

Look forward to hearing from fellow tennis fanatics! Please leave a comment at the end of any of my posts – I will reply as soon as I can.
Apologies if it takes a bit, my day job is super demanding so usually can only reply evenings and weekends.

(Note: your comment won’t show up immediately until I reply – that way I can keep track). Thanks! P.J.