As he prepares to play in the French Open, Martin Damm Jr. was kind enough to spend some time discussing:

This is an amazing episode for junior tennis players and parents trying to learn about the different pathways players take! For those who are just getting started out, here’s a mini bio on Marty:

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What are you willing to tolerate on your high performance junior tennis journey? Some people can't handle the emotional outbursts, bad line calls, frustrating parents, and the overall emotional roller coaster. They want a nice respectful game, with a nice relaxing atmosphere, and if goals aren't achieved, it's not a problem. Others can tolerate the roller coaster so long as progress is being made and the child is showing continuous signs of happiness.

Unfortunately you have to pick. Striving to have a beautiful and calm atmosphere with continuous progress will more than likely not be a successful journey.

Check out www.aubonetennis.com for more!

A tennis player spends approximately 80% of a match WALKING around. Not running and playing. Walking. Yet we spent 99.99% of our practices working on everything else, and we wonder why most kids struggle to be mentally tough.

An argument can be made that the routines in-between points are the most important thing that will determine how mentally tough a player will be in a match. In this podcast I discuss the routine I try to teach the players I work with. If your players are not implementing a consistent routine in some form, please have them listen to this podcast! If anything will have a more immediate impact on their results, it will be this.

Check out www.aubonetennis.com for more podcasts and blogs!

This is part 2 of a 2-part special guest episode with Christopher Trizzino. In part 1 Chris shared his fearless journey of how he started tennis very late at the age of 13, fell in love with coaching but had no idea how to succeed with it, and now runs one of the best academies in the entire region. This episode is a great reminder that you don't need to plan every step of your journey in order to succeed.

In this episode, Chris discusses the importance he places on parent education, being present at tournaments, and creating a team atmosphere in an individual sport.

This is part 1 of a 2-part special guest episode with Christopher Trizzino. In part 1 Chris shares his fearless journey of how he started tennis very late at the age of 13, fell in love with coaching but had no idea how to succeed with it, and now runs one of the best academies in the entire region. This episode is a great reminder that you don't need to plan every step of your journey in order to succeed.

After you're done with part 1, check out part 2 where Chris discusses the importance he places on parent education, being present at tournaments, and creating a team atmosphere in an individual sport.

One of the least talked about areas parents have to deal with is the time in-between 2nd and 3rd sets. I wonder how many parents were given the heads up that they'd be put in a situation where they'd have to consider putting their coaching hat on. It's an unfair position to be put in. Parents aren't coaches! They're just there to parent, and this is a delicate and important moment in the match. How they handle this time is important! They can either provide more anxiety for their child, or bring calmness and confidence. I hope the few things I mention in the blog provide some help in handling these situations when the coach is not present.

Check out www.aubonetennis.com for more!

What's more important to a player, the racquet or the string?

Should kids be using polyester strings?

What's the best way to test racquets?

These are some of the questions we asked racquet specialist, and Head of USA Marketing for Tecnifibre, Philippe Oudshoorn.

Philippe is an incredible resource to have because his knowledge of these things is directly from the player and coach's perspective. Before joining Tecnifibre, Philippe played collegiate tennis at the University of Virginia, then professional tennis, coached collegiately at George Washington and UCF, and finally as a National Coach for USTA Played Development.

There's no better person to talk to then Philippe when it comes to equipment. Tecnifibre provides Grand Slam winners (Daniil Medvedev, Iga Swiatek, Joe Salisbury), many top professionals, and top juniors with the best equipment in the world.

Hope you enjoy the podcast and check out www.aubonetennis.com for more!

A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t” - Jack Dempsey

We have another special guest episode with Jonathan Stokke (full bio below) from the Baseline Intelligence podcast. If you haven't listened to the Baseline Intelligence podcast, and you're a tennis coach, parent, or player, you need to! Stokke has an incredible wealth of knowledge, from his experience as a junior and collegiate player, playing in the US Open, coaching in college tennis, and now a private coach with an amazing podcast. He's interviewed many incredible people like Paul Annacone, Brad Stine, Jessica Pegula, Gil Reyes, Lindsay Davenport, and more, but this time it was his turn to speak. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to get his perspective on things like managing a competitive attitude with good sportsmanship, thoughts for college recruits, and having a better mindset while competing. Enjoy the podcast!

Jonathan Stokke BioStokke was a top junior in the United States growing up, having played in the Men's 2001 & 2002 US Open Doubles. After his junior days were over, he continued his tennis journey at Duke University. At Duke, he was an All-American & ITA National Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship & Leadership Award. From there, he spent some time coaching at the Smith Stearns academy, before becoming the Women's Assistant Coach at Wake Forest University. Stokke took another leg up in his career by becoming the Associate Head Coach for the Duke Men's Tennis Team. He now coaches in the Charleston, South Carolina area, where he's also the host of one of the most popular tennis podcasts called Baseline Intelligence.

Don't forget to check out www.aubonetennis.com for more!