A month ago I took part in a Scott Moore two-day clinic. It was GREAT. Scott is a 6-time Triple Crown winner – taking Gold in Singles, Doubles and Mixed at the US Open – and gobs of other superlative accolades. He’s also very good at explaining technique and strategy.
We had 16 people on four courts and we were placed by level. I was put on the top court – which added some degree of pressure. I wanted to “earn” being placed there. With me were Debbie, Bill and Tom. Debbie wasn’t 5 ft tall, but her game was BIG. Debbie, Bill and I had fun; we took turns “being stuck with Tom,” who clearly wasn’t at our level. I wondered why he bothered to pay so much for a clinic; he persisted in employing his way-too-wristy technique, and not moving his feet at all.
I was pleased when Day Two started with shuffling some of the players. Tom was moved down two courts and we got Darlene on our court. She was a super move by Scott and his people! That second day was WORK and Darlene made it a lot more fun!
As with any endeavor, you get out of it what you’re willing to put into it. I went there with an attitude of, “I’m going to learn at least ONE key thing each day; that would make the clinic worth the time and money to me.”
I got more than I hoped for. Scott stressed that he offers “principles,” not rules. Here are some…
• Dink cross-court; attack straight ahead … and dink so your opponent doesn’t have an attackable ball.
• NO dinks into the net; give yourself more margin on your dinks.
• Play the high percentage shot. (I have a bad habit of trying for the (low percentage) down-the-line drive as a return of serve. Scott’s Assistant stopped our play when he saw me miss one of these and got in my face(!). He knows my game and DEMANDED I stop trying the low-percentage shot; he would not allow us to continue play until I backed-down. SHEESH!)
I have caught myself, two times in the month since, going for my low-percentage shot. I re-lived that lecture and “promised myself” I’d stop that nonsense.
The irony of this is, in 19 years of coaching high school tennis, I was “that coach” lecturing about going for the high-percentage shots. I got some of my own medicine…!
If you get the opportunity to do a Scott Moore Clinic, I highly recommend it!
- Dink