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Meridian Tennis
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Winners Tennis Club
(our home base)
550 Via de la Valle
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Hello :
The end of summer and the start of fall... things continue to be busy and with many players heading back to school it can be a hectic time of year. The goal for this fall is to continue to help people improve their games; in addition, I'm back into coaching high school tennis and a lot of recreational players are gearing up to play in more league competitions.
As always, we continue to wish the best for everyone as they continue through their life journeys. And, we're always here to help.
For the professional calendar they have reached the final major of the year, the U.S. Open. It has been a turnaround year for Roger Federer, winning another major title and becoming world number 1 again, at the ripe old age of 31. This year's U.S. Open will be minus Rafa Nadal, who has been out since Wimbledon with an injury. His vacancy will definitely create some interesting opportunities for the rest of the field. The player who might benefit the most from his absence is Andy Murray.
See you on the courts! 
 Greetings from MattMurray's Chance
This summer, Andy Murray has finally won a big event...(read more)
Greetings from Joel
Passing Strategy in Doubles
The majority of recreational players play doubles for a number of reasons... (read more)
 Greetings from Landon
The U.S. Open Ball Persons
The U.S. Open tournament is back... (read more)
Greetings from Dean
Using Topspin on the Serve
To hit topspin on the serve a Continental grip must be used... (read more)
Special Columnist
Dr. Todd Plutchok, DC, CCWP
Yoga, Cardio, or Strength Training?
Which type of exercise is right for me?... (read more)
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We look forward to seeing you on the courts!
Sincerely,
Matt . Dean . Joel . Landon . Steven
Meridian Tennis Group |
New Clinic Schedule
(as of 01/01/12)
Please call to confirm (858.754.1160)
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. Adults . | |
Mon 8:30-10:00am Adult clinic
Mon 10:00-10:30am Adult mini-clinic *
Tues 6:30-8:00pm Adult workout
Thurs 8:30-10:00am Adult clinic
Fri 8:30-10:00am Adult clinic
* mini-clinics will focus on different
strokes every week
(modified schedule due to tennis leagues)
TBD Beginners clinics
Additional clinics can be added upon request!
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Note: Adult clinics will be theme-based, rotating from week to week with topics such as doubles strategy, mixed doubles clinic,
serve & volley training, etc.)
Minis . Juniors . High School . Tournament
Mon.Wed.Fri 3:30-4:30pm Minis Mon.Wed.Fri 4:30-6:00pm Juniors Tue.Thurs 4:00-5:30pm HS.Tournament * Sat 3:00-4:30pm HS.Tournament * Sun 10:00-11:00am Minis * 30-minute conditioning following each session Additional clinics can be added upon request!
As always, we are available for individual or small group lessons. Please call us to book (858.754.1160)
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 Greetings from Matt
Murray's Chance
This summer Andy Murray has finally won a big event, which might give him the confidence to even greater success. He won an Olympic gold medal at Wimbledon beating Roger Federer in impressive style. They had played only two weeks earlier in the Wimbledon final where Federer got the better him. In the Wimbledon final Federer looked the better player and after losing the first set he won the next 3 sets in superb style. In the Olympic final Murray seemed to really relax and go for his shots, he was able to put a fine performance together for serving and aggressive shot making from the baseline. However, since that success Murray did stumble a bit in the next to big master's series events. He won his first match in Toronto before pulling out with a knee injury. The following week in Cincinnati, where he was the defending champion, he lost in the 3rd round to Jeremy Chardy in straight sets. This is certainly not the best preparation for the final major of the year but hopefully the confidence he has amassed from his other successes will propel him into bigger and better things.
At the Open he is seeded number 3 behind Federer and Djokovic. So far in the tournament, he has won his first round match against Alex Bogomolov Jr, and his second round against Ivan Dodig, giving him a good chance of progressing to the second week of the tournament. If the seedings play out he most likely will be playing Milos Raonic in the fourth round, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarter finals, before having to face Roger Federer again in the semi-finals. Then, if he is able to win again against Federer, a tall order this time in a major, he would most likely face Novak Djokovic who is the defending champion and who is looking to repeat. Murray is still looking for his first major title and has managed to get to the finals on 4 previous occasions. His last was his best showing, actually taking the first set off Federer before falling short. Playing this tournament without Nadal increases his chances of success because he only needs to beat two top players in a row, which is something he has proven he can do by winning the Olympics.
It would not be a big surprise if Murray was able to finally break through and win the U.S. Open this year. If, however, he falls short in his quest, I think it will be more and more difficult for him to win a major. He will have lost the immediacy of the emotional boost from winning an Olympic gold medal and could end up like so many other great players never to win a major. Fingers crossed that does not happen.
Thanks again for all your continued support.
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Greetings from Joel
Passing Strategy in Doubles
The majority of recreational tennis players play doubles for a number of reasons. It could be the social aspect, the limited physical demand, or the faster pace and shorter points but there is also a lot of value for singles players also.
One of the most common volleying errors in recreational players is their failure to close on the net. This leaves a large amount of court between themselves and the net, which if you can get the ball to drop at their feet is a nightmare volley for players who do not bend their knees well at the net.
As a baseliner attempting a pass, I would recommend aiming for the volleyer's feet rather than trying for a riskier pass or lob on the first ball. If you can perfect that first ball at the feet you force your opponent to bend and hit up which leaves you a much easier ball and many more options for the pass.
Change your mentality from looking to end the point on the first ball to setting yourself up with a smarter play. It will cut down your unforced errors and diminish your opponent's confidence at net!
See you soon, mates!
Joel Myers
Tennis Director
Manchester Grand Hyatt
Sheraton Harbor Island
(949) 485-8679
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Greetings from Dean
Using Topspin on the Serve
To hit topspin on the serve a Continental grip must be used. Once in the Continental position, brushing up on the ball will create the topspin. The reason for hitting topspin on the serve is to get more consistency and control. It also makes the ball bounce higher and with more spin making the return more difficult.
Using a flat serve for a first serve is ok but using it for a second serve will not allow for the consistency of a topspin serve because of the small angle that the ball has to be hit at in order to go over the net but not go long. With topspin there is more room for error on the serve because the trajectory of the ball will be higher over the net and the topspin will bring the ball down into the court.
Look forward to seeing you on the courts!
Dean Hodsman
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Greetings from Landon | |
The U.S. Open Ball Persons
The U.S. Open is here so I thought I'd go back and resurrect the article about the ball persons at these professional tournaments.
If you ask any of our tournament players who were ball persons at the Mercury Insurance Open, I think they will tell you that the real incentive in being a ball person is the opportunity to be part of the action and excitement and the opportunity to witness professional tennis up-close.
Unlike last year when there were nearly 600 prospective ball persons, this year only about 500 turned out, the diminished numbers possibly due to the extreme heat in New York this June. Again, there were only 80 final spots.
What is the key to success as a ball person? Being so fast, agile, and attentive that players and fans don't even know you're there. During tryouts, hopefuls are scored as they perform a series of drills: baseline-to-baseline throws, catches, and running as they retrieve down-the-court and crosscourt balls. Ball persons are given high ratings based on speed around the net and accuracy from long-distance throws (a good throw is received on one bounce). It is imperative to quickly pick up the ball and be light-footed enough so that you are not noticed.
This year, a recent Duke University tennis player participated in the tryouts as part of a media story. She was surprised about the stamina required for this assignment and wrote about the mental fatigue being something most people don't realize with being a ball person. The heat and constant awareness required of everything on-court affects your mental state and how you process what's going on around you. Her conclusion was that this job of being a ball person is by no means trivial and is truly a job. She now has strong admiration for all ball persons for their ability to endure long periods of intense action and physical stamina.
So, kudos to our Mercury Insurance ball persons for doing such a fabulous job!
Good luck!
See you on the courts!
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Landon Hilker
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Yoga, Cardio, or Strength Training?
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Chiropractic Care and the Benefits of Exercise
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Chiropractic care provides a boost for all types of exercise. For all of us, time is immensely valuable, and we want to be sure that we get the most out of our exercise time.
What is it exactly that we "get" out of exercise? Aside from the well-known physical benefits in terms of lean muscle mass development and enhanced cardiovascular functioning, we also derive a sense of personal power, satisfaction from a job well done, and increased concentrations of endorphins flowing through the blood stream. All this is very good. |
Regular chiropractic care helps ensure that our bodies are capable of performing all the tasks that are required during exercise. Regular chiropractic care optimizes spinal joint mobility and mobility of other key joints such as the hip, knee, and shoulder. Regular chiropractic care removes mechanical roadblocks to full flexibility and stretchability. By providing these benefits, regular chiropractic care helps reduce the possibility of injury and helps ensure that we get what we want from our exercise time.
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Which type of exercise is right for me? Is lifting weights going to give me the best result? Maybe I should concentrate on running - that will really help to strengthen my heart. What about yoga - everyone says yoga is good for flexibility. All of us, at one point or another, have had these conversations with ourselves. We're continually bombarded with exercise-related stories on television, in magazines, and in our electronic newsreaders. But many of us don't know how to put the information we're receiving to good use. We don't have a context or framework with which to assess the potential value in these media communications.
For most of us, a very good answer to the exercise conundrum is to do a variety of activities on a weekly basis. We know this intuitively. Concentrating on one type of exercise will usually lead to the loss of other important benefits. Again for most of us, across-the-board benefits are required. We need to maintain or increase a healthful amount of lean muscle mass. We gain this benefit from strength training. We need to maintain or improve cardiovascular strength and health. These are obtained from aerobic-type exercise such as brisk walking, running, swimming, or bicycling.1 We need to maintain or improve flexibility and stretchability. These benefits are gained from yoga. Each category of physical fitness is necessary for ongoing health and well-being. Thus, each of the three main categories of exercise is needed to ensure we obtain the full range of benefits.
It's important to be aware that each exercise category provides a distinct benefit, and as such, no individual category is better than the others. Doing exercise consistently is what counts.
Going further, consistently doing a range of types of exercise provides lasting health benefits. There might be times when a person chooses to focus on one specific category. That's fine, provided that the other two categories continue to be incorporated on a temporarily reduced basis. After a while, the person will usually choose to return to a broader approach.
Finally, most people are familiar with strength training and the various types of cardiovascular exercise. Not everyone is familiar with yoga. There are numerous other activities that promote flexibility and stretchability, and yoga is not the only means of obtaining these benefits. But many people have discovered that yoga in itself is complete exercise. Regular yoga practice provides strength training, cardiovascular training, and deep training of the proprioceptive system (the body's awareness of position in 3-dimensional space) which leads to improved agility and balance.2,3 Regular yoga practice adds lean muscle mass and lowers the heart rate (as a result of improved cardiovascular capacity). Those who do yoga are "light on their feet". Yoga is a remarkable exercise system and could be sufficient in itself for long-lasting health and wellness. But when a person adds a weight lifting program and specific cardiovascular training, the remarkable benefits of cross-training kick in. The overall gains achieved are noticeably enhanced. Thus, a broad program of strength training, cardiovascular training, and yoga can lead to the best results.
1Snel M, et al: Effects of Adding Exercise to a 16-Week Very Low-Calorie Diet in Obese, Insulin-Dependent Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2012 May 8 (Epub ahead of print)
2Galantino ML, et al: Impact of Yoga on Functional Outcomes in Breast Cancer Survivors With Aromatase Inhibitor-Associated Arthralgias. Integr Cancer Ther 2011 July 6 (DOI: 10.1177/1534735411413270)
3Kiecolt-Glaser JK, et al: Adiponectin, leptin, and yoga practice. Physiol Behav 2012 Jan 27 (Epub ahead of print)
Stay well, stay strong!
Dr. Todd Plutchok, DC, CCWP
Dr. Plutchok is one of the Sports Rehab Practitioners at The League Sports Rehab & Chiropractic Clinic, specializing in Active Release Techniques (ART) biomechanics, and full sports chiropractic treatment.
Active Release Technique Provider
www.TheSportsAndWellnessDC.com
Twitter: DoctorPlu
Office: (858) 452-3734
Fax: (858) 452-6666
The League Sports Injury Rehab
4510 Executive Dr. Plaza 5
San Diego, CA 92121
www.TheLeagueRehab.com
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