On August 24th a NY Times article was written by Tom Perrotta that throws tennis development back into the old misconceptions, conventional techniques that only have about 15% success (as measured by coaches on the ability to rally consistently). Tom Perrotta quotes renown coaches as supporting his views, but I recall, from listening to Nick Bollettieri at La Quinta, California, in a USPTA Convention presentation, that Nick has changed his mind quite a bit from his beliefs from the past. Judging from this, I am not sure if Perotta’s quotes about other coaches he mentions are up to date.

The New York Times article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444443504577603251303470774.html

This article is quite opposite (and opposed) to what I preach, the Play Like the Pros motto. I developed my techniques because they are the easiest for kids and for amateurs of any age. Effortless, natural tennis for beginners. Great for the body. Over 90% success. These techniques are the reasons why top players succeed. Whether they discovered them as a result of practice, or whether coaches taught them, it is clearly the reason for their success. Why shun them? Don’t people copy, in all other sports, the top performers? The best athletes in their field?

The NY Times article not only shuns copying pros but is also full of the old techniques, which stunt development. In Brazil, I helped with a college study that compared the modern to the conventional and concluded clearly that the new techniques have results well above the norm. It’s a century old debate. Who will win?

Eventually, the one that works better, or to put it more simply, the one that works…. But these developments need to be know. Please pass the knowledge along.

And please feel free to e mail me your comments.