It’s a huge debate in tennis development circles. Which is better: Live ball or dead ball training?

Chris breaks it all down on this intriguing show. You will learn the following from Chris on this program:

—Live ball. What is it?

—Dead Ball. What is it?

—What is Magician and a Mechanic?

—The Spanish Way of drilling

—How games based approaches (GBA) relates to drilling philosophy

—Different ways to structure lessons and classes:

1. Open-closed-open approach

2. Closed to open

3. Open to closed

—How to build discipline without drills

—How hitting with a 12-13 UTR is as exhausting as doing a basket drill

—Whether it is possible to develop a champion without drills

—Lluis Bruguera’s drilling philosophy

—William Pato Alvarez’s drilling philosophy

—Robert Lansdorp’s drilling style

—Jose Higueras’ drilling style

—How Chris’s coaching philosophy regarding drills has changed over time

—Why 8 out of 10 shots made might be more than enough or might not be nearly enough!

—Should consistency be built with basket drills or live ball drill?

It’s a great program with many good questions from the audience. Enjoy!

Also, send any development or tennis questions directly to Chris at [email protected] to be answered on the upcoming show!

Thanks to the loyal audience for all your support and for your shares!

Thanks for your thumbs up and likes. Thanks for your 5 star reviews on Apple Podcasts!

—Follow Chris at these websites and social media links

Website: www.chrislewit.com

Blog: www.ProdigyMaker.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChrisLewitTennisAcademy

Twitter: www.twitter.com/chrislewit

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/chris-lewit-tennis-academy

Instagram: www.instagram.com/chrislewittennis/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/ChrisLewit

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

Chris discusses antiquated techniques and tactics that are sadly--frequently--being taught around the US and the world.

On the show, Chris shares his insight and experience on the following topics:

--Chris discusses how he builds the modern elastic forehand and how most coaches and clubs are forcing kids to be too stiff and linear

--Why the forehand is the most important shot to develop in the game

--Why finishing lower is better than finishing higher

--How Red Orange Green (ROG) programs create stiff forehands and backhands

--Why the game has become more airborne and should be taught as such

--Mistakes in the two handed backhand technical development process

--Open stance versus closed stance development

--Major serve flaws in teaching around the US

--Outdated tactical patterns and strategy

--Why teaching all players to go to the net and attack forwards is wrong

--Why and how Spain and France excel at junior development at the grassroots broad-base level

--Why most high school JV and Varsity players across the US have terrible footwork and technique

--The main reasons our lower level American players have poor technique and footwork

And more!

Also, send any development or tennis questions directly to Chris at [email protected] to be answered on the upcoming show!

Vamos!

Thanks to the loyal audience for all your support and for your shares!

Thanks for your thumbs up and likes. Thanks for your 5 star reviews on Apple Podcasts!

—Follow Chris at these websites and social media links

Website: www.chrislewit.com

Blog: www.ProdigyMaker.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChrisLewitTennisAcademy

Twitter: www.twitter.com/chrislewit

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/chris-lewit-tennis-academy

Instagram: www.instagram.com/chrislewittennis/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/ChrisLewit

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-prodigy-maker-tennis-show/

Chris discusses his study trip to Spain from June 2022 while he researched for his new book, Secrets of Spanish Tennis 2.

Chris answers audience questions about Spanish tennis and junior development.

Check out the following resources and projects that Chris is working on:

—New Instructional DVDs coming out this fall in partnership with Championship Productions

—Secrets of Spanish Tennis 2nd Edition. Spring 2023

—New book Spanish Tennis Tactics

—New book Spanish Tennis Wisdom

—Anatomical and Biomechanical Analysis of Reilly Opellka’s Serve featured in TennisPlayer.net magazine.

—The Other Toni article about the legendary Spanish coach Antonio Cascales, also featured in Tennisplayer.net magazine.

On the show Chris talks about the following:

—His reflections from his most recent Spain trip. The heritage and history of Sanchez-Casal Academy, now known as Emilio Sanchez Academy.

—Why ESA is still a world-class academy and still special

—The influence or RNA (Rafael Nadal Academy) on the world and other Spanish academies

—The sad closing of the Bruguera Academy. It will be missed!

—The reconstitution of the Bruguera Academy as Bardou Competition Team

—The sad passing of legendary Spanish coach William Pato Álvarez

—The incredible Juan Carlos Ferrero Equelite Academy in Villena

—Meeting Carlos Alcaraz

—How much Juan Carlos Ferrero charges for a private lesson!

—The influence of Antonio Cascales, the legendary Spanish coach whom most people have never heard of

—Whether UTR is in big trouble for the future

And more!

Also, send any development or tennis questions directly to Chris at [email protected] to be answered on the upcoming show!

Vamos!

Thanks to the loyal audience for all your support and for your shares!

Thanks for your thumbs up and likes. Thanks for your 5 star reviews on Apple Podcasts!

—Follow Chris at these websites and social media links

Website: www.chrislewit.com

Blog: www.ProdigyMaker.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChrisLewitTennisAcademy

Twitter: www.twitter.com/chrislewit

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/chris-lewit-tennis-academy

Instagram: www.instagram.com/chrislewittennis/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/ChrisLewit

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-prodigy-maker-tennis-show/

Chris discusses summer camp pitfalls—common problems kids (and parents and coaches) experience at tennis camps.

Chris breaks down what parents and coaches who are sending kids to summer camp need to watch out for!

—Overloaded technical programs

—Non-technical programs

—Watered down unprofessional fitness

—Coach to student ratios

—Coach quality

—Famous celebrity camps

—Large camps

—Psychology programs

Learn some of the inside information on how to navigate the summer camp scene.

Additionally, Chris answers questions from the show audience:

—Will Alcaraz be the next dominant force in tennis?

—How did Chris get started in coaching?

—Should the slice backhand be taught to juniors? Where does the slice backhand fit in developmentally?

Speaking of summer camp, Chris has one of the best boarding and day student programs for high performance tennis in the country! Contact him to check it out!

Also, send any development or tennis questions directly to Chris at [email protected] to be answered on the upcoming show!

Vamos!

Thanks to the loyal audience for all your support and for your shares!

Thanks for your thumbs up and likes. Thanks for your 5 star reviews on Apple Podcasts!

—Follow Chris at these websites and social media links

Website: www.chrislewit.com

Blog: www.ProdigyMaker.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChrisLewitTennisAcademy

Twitter: www.twitter.com/chrislewit

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/chris-lewit-tennis-academy

Instagram: www.instagram.com/chrislewittennis/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/ChrisLewit

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/Pr0YI4oKQQo

On our 60th program, Chris discusses the prevalence of shorter and shorter set and match formats in junior tennis and the concerns he has about this trend. Chris talks about the positive and negative aspects of short and long set and scoring formats and gives important recommendations to the audience about how to structure both training and competition for juniors who are trying to reach an elite level.

On the show Chris also covers the following topics:

—The mental, physical and emotional benefits of longer traditional scoring and match formats.

—Why playing sets during the practice week is the simplest and most powerful way to train yourself or your players.

—How to recreate longer match opportunities if you are from an area that literally has no traditional tournament formats offered anymore or rarely.

—Why Chris still dislikes Pickleball and sees the sport cannibalizing the tennis industry.

—The 3 things Chris hates about Pickleball: The name, the sound, and the unathletic movements.

—The story of Vlada Hranchar, 6 year old tennis prodigy from Ukraine, who is now training with Chris full-time in Manchester, VT.

—The ridiculous position of Little Mo, which will not allow Vlada to play in the Little Mo Nationals!

More information about Vlada can be found here:

https://instagram.com/vladahranchar?utm_medium=copy_link

Please follow her career!

Vamos!

Thanks to the loyal audience for all your support and for your shares!

Thanks for your thumbs up and likes. Thanks for your 5 star reviews on Apple Podcasts!

—Follow Chris at these websites and social media links

Website: www.chrislewit.com

Blog: www.ProdigyMaker.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChrisLewitTennisAcademy

Twitter: www.twitter.com/chrislewit

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/chris-lewit-tennis-academy

Instagram: www.instagram.com/chrislewittennis/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/ChrisLewit

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-prodigy-maker-tennis-show/

Chris discusses his thoughts as a parent, coach, and junior developer relating to the movie King Richard. There are many thought-provoking subjects raised in the film.

On the show Chris discuss the following:

—Discrepancies in the film. How accurate is the movie?

—Rick Macci’s decision to bankroll the Williams family. The details of the deal and how it fell apart at the end of the relationship.

—What are the ways to develop a champion from a coach’s perspective?

—What are the roles a parent can play in his or her child’s tennis or athletic journey? Some may be healthier and less risky than others.

—Richard Williams’ decision to make his daughters’ tennis development the family business—a rare pathway.

—The poison of the junior tennis tournament scene. The bad acting parents, the cheating, and more…Richard says in the movie that junior parents “should be shot.” Is he right? Is the junior tournament scene worse than Compton?

—Chris concludes by discussing key takeaways from the film for parents, players and coaches.

Enjoy this show and watch the movie King Richard—it’s excellent!

Vamos!

Thanks to the loyal audience for all your support and for your shares!

Thanks for your thumbs up and likes. Thanks for your 5 star reviews on Apple Podcasts!

—Follow Chris at these websites and social media links

Website: www.chrislewit.com

Blog: www.ProdigyMaker.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChrisLewitTennisAcademy

Twitter: www.twitter.com/chrislewit

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/chris-lewit-tennis-academy

Instagram: www.instagram.com/chrislewittennis/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/ChrisLewit

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-prodigy-maker-tennis-show/

Chris explains key concepts in footwork and positioning the Spanish Way and discusses how to teach on the rise and on the fall movement.

Learn why orange ball tennis inhibits learning world-class movement.

Why the X drill is so important philosophically.

Why on-the-rise is important but not the best way to start developmental juniors.

And much more!

In this episode of The Prodigy Maker Show, Chris discusses the Spanish Way to attack the net. Learn how one of the top developmental coaches in the world teaches the volley and transition game.

In Spain, the coaches typically teach going to the net in a conservative and cautious way and with some unique strategy elements.

Chris also busts a lot of myths that he commonly sees regarding net play and the transition game. Many coaches are teaching a very outdated style of approaching the net.

Chris relates attacking the net to boxing and MMA! It’s important to work the legs and body of your opponent before going for that knockout headshot!

Chris describes the common mistakes he sees junior players make regarding the net. Some players are ultra conservative and never go there; some players are hyper aggressive and always seem to go there. Which way is right? Which way is better? What is the middle ground?

Is it better to start a kid from the baseline and get solid there or start a kid attacking early?

What is the best way to get a kid to the top of the national rankings under 12 or 14? Do you need to have a good net game to win a gold ball?

Chris discusses the spectrum of personalities he meets and how some players are magicians, or gamblers, and need to be allowed to create at the net while other kids are conservative, like bankers, and need to be prodded to go to the net more.

Learn about how to train the net and transition game the Spanish Way and how to stop teaching or playing the net in an outdated way—all on this great show!

Come visit beautiful Manchester, Vermont in the mountains and train one-on-one with Chris.

Vamos!

Chris discuss Moonballers and moonballing. He addresses the recent controversy about moonballing at the Little Mo Regionals and Nationals and gives his perspective on this commonly used junior tennis strategy.

--Is moonballing dirty tennis or honorable?

--Should tourneys stop moonballing?

--The good and bad about moonballing

--How to stop a moonballer

--The best strategy to use against a determined moonballer

--What's the difference between moonballing and attacking with a heavy, high ball?

--Do the pros ever moonball?

--The relationship between the dropshot, pushing, and moonballing

--How Chris teaches moonballing, if you want to call it that!

--The best technique to use when moonballing.

Join Chris for a fascinating discussion about this controversial shot! Vamos!

--We sincerely apologize for the lowered volume on this broadcast. We had some microphone issues. Please MAX your volumes and you should be able to hear the good content!--

Chris discusses the importance of cardiovascular endurance training for tennis--specifically the triathlon sports: running, biking, and swimming.

The show is based on his latest acclaimed article on the same subject in New York Tennis Magazine September/October 2021 issue.

Chris shares many nuggets of wisdom about the importance of building stamina including how stamina directly relates to mental toughness.

Chris also shares his advice for how to successfully weave stamina training into a periodized annual tennis plan.