Hello Academy friends,
just wanted to add a few items for the break.....
*a reminder about the 3 day tennis camp happening on December 21, 22 and 23. please speak to Mike about the details....
*a reminder for those interested, the deadline for the 2 open events is almost here, if your looking for some big time tennis, these are the events you want to be entering
*the junior circuit is just around the corner, please have a look at the deadline dates for selection qualifying tournaments
*also, over the break there are added walk on times for players. this is a great opportunity to get some extra match play in, or if your looking, get a few extra lessons in to hone in on a some of those skills....some coaches are around while others are away over the break, but please speak to them this week to see what can be arranged.
Tour Team.....
Wednesday 16 December 2015
Monday 14 December 2015
Hello and welcome back for one more week of the 2015 academy season.
With the holidays fast approaching and Christmas break being at the forefront of everyone's minds, its easy to lose a little focus and energy on court this week. So to help with this we will be setting up a week long challenge for all the players.
Throughout the week we will be doing challenges of all kinds, playing games, sets and matches. the twist, is everything that we do this week will have a worth to it. there will be points to win at every challenge and they will be accumulated throughout the whole week. totalled at the end and a prize awarded to the winners.....before you ask, no, not a new car, but something fun I'm sure.....
For those players getting ready for the open tournament season we will have an extra emphasis on point play and point structure using the serve and return. For those still in training mode for the new year there will be los of drills and physical challenges to help get you there.
Also, if your look for a little extra tennis during the break, we will be running a 3 days tennis camp on December 21, 22 and 23. please speak with me (Mike) if your have questions about it and we can set that up....
Lets have a great week leading up to the break, make sure we stay on task, focused and continue working hard!
P.S. for those players looking to get into the tournament stream in the new year and wondering how or what, please feel free to ask the coaches for help in understanding how the O.T.A. works, what to look for and what and how to enter. It would be great to see everyone at the events applying all of the hard work you have put into this year so far....
Merry Christmas,
Tour Coaching Staff.
for those still reading, as soon as you enter the courts, start running as challenge number one, will be your entrance attitude to practice
With the holidays fast approaching and Christmas break being at the forefront of everyone's minds, its easy to lose a little focus and energy on court this week. So to help with this we will be setting up a week long challenge for all the players.
Throughout the week we will be doing challenges of all kinds, playing games, sets and matches. the twist, is everything that we do this week will have a worth to it. there will be points to win at every challenge and they will be accumulated throughout the whole week. totalled at the end and a prize awarded to the winners.....before you ask, no, not a new car, but something fun I'm sure.....
For those players getting ready for the open tournament season we will have an extra emphasis on point play and point structure using the serve and return. For those still in training mode for the new year there will be los of drills and physical challenges to help get you there.
Also, if your look for a little extra tennis during the break, we will be running a 3 days tennis camp on December 21, 22 and 23. please speak with me (Mike) if your have questions about it and we can set that up....
Lets have a great week leading up to the break, make sure we stay on task, focused and continue working hard!
P.S. for those players looking to get into the tournament stream in the new year and wondering how or what, please feel free to ask the coaches for help in understanding how the O.T.A. works, what to look for and what and how to enter. It would be great to see everyone at the events applying all of the hard work you have put into this year so far....
Merry Christmas,
Tour Coaching Staff.
for those still reading, as soon as you enter the courts, start running as challenge number one, will be your entrance attitude to practice
Saturday 5 December 2015
Hello to all!,
As you might be noticing, there is a missing blog this week, its not you, its me. Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to post during this weeks schedule so I will be summarizing what this pasts weeks plan entailed and will be combining it with this weeks coming up.
As previously posted and talked about, we are focusing heavily on point play. Both situational and open play. The first 2 months of the program were split in components of development.
Strokes, strategy, fitness, technique in some cases, and now we have shifted gears in to the more rewarding part of it all, the application of all those pieces and using them in real situations.
This past week the kids have shown a great work ethic and commitment on court. The match play has been tight, highly competitive and very focused. Shot selection, ball control and body positioning to the ball has improved since day one and it has shown in the caliber of points being played.
With 2 weeks to go before the Christmas break, we will continue to harp on point structure, as starting in the new year all players will be in full tournament mode.
We will however have one more mini session this week of going over most of the components we have covered so far. This week, there will be some feeding, some fitness and some consistency related drills in order to make sure everyone is still on track and headed in the right direction.
This will lead us into the final week before the break, which will be simulated tournament play.
During the up coming week, we will be keeping the daily focus on small one day tasks. hitting zones, balance while striking the ball, and staying in the point will be key points of drilling and conversation. as we have talked about it in the past, these are very important aspect to help create and open up a point.
I hope everyone is ready for a great week ahead,
Lets continue working hard and giving it all headed into the New year....
mike and drago
As you might be noticing, there is a missing blog this week, its not you, its me. Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to post during this weeks schedule so I will be summarizing what this pasts weeks plan entailed and will be combining it with this weeks coming up.
As previously posted and talked about, we are focusing heavily on point play. Both situational and open play. The first 2 months of the program were split in components of development.
Strokes, strategy, fitness, technique in some cases, and now we have shifted gears in to the more rewarding part of it all, the application of all those pieces and using them in real situations.
This past week the kids have shown a great work ethic and commitment on court. The match play has been tight, highly competitive and very focused. Shot selection, ball control and body positioning to the ball has improved since day one and it has shown in the caliber of points being played.
With 2 weeks to go before the Christmas break, we will continue to harp on point structure, as starting in the new year all players will be in full tournament mode.
We will however have one more mini session this week of going over most of the components we have covered so far. This week, there will be some feeding, some fitness and some consistency related drills in order to make sure everyone is still on track and headed in the right direction.
This will lead us into the final week before the break, which will be simulated tournament play.
During the up coming week, we will be keeping the daily focus on small one day tasks. hitting zones, balance while striking the ball, and staying in the point will be key points of drilling and conversation. as we have talked about it in the past, these are very important aspect to help create and open up a point.
I hope everyone is ready for a great week ahead,
Lets continue working hard and giving it all headed into the New year....
mike and drago
Monday 23 November 2015
Well, another week and another week of hard work and progress!
Great job to everyone this week. We had a very positive and energetic week and I congratulate all for their efforts.
On to week 9.
We will be focusing on more point play and starting the point with the serve and the return.
Emphasis will be on location of the first 2 shots and how to take control of the point as efficiently as possible.
We will be spending each day with different serve types and placements as well as which shot(s) to be looking for in return. We will also be looking at how to return each serve and how to get into the point as the returner. This will include serve and volley, use of the slice, placement of the second serve, where to return each of the serves and how to go on offence from a first serve and second serve.
During point play there will be a continuation of week 8: finishing the point. This will still include looking to finish with the forehand, closing in on the net and winning with the down the line.
Tournament season is just around the corner and all the pieces over the past few months are now, hopefully going to fall into the place together (very similar to the Cowboys season)
To all, make sure you continue your work in the gym, stay on top of the fitness plan you have and are working towards.
Also, we will be asking all players to have a look at the new tournament schedule for the new year and will be discussing which tournaments everyone should be playing to achieve their personal goals. pleas have a look at the ota website this week and we will see you all on the courts!
keep it up!
Mike and Drago
Great job to everyone this week. We had a very positive and energetic week and I congratulate all for their efforts.
On to week 9.
We will be focusing on more point play and starting the point with the serve and the return.
Emphasis will be on location of the first 2 shots and how to take control of the point as efficiently as possible.
We will be spending each day with different serve types and placements as well as which shot(s) to be looking for in return. We will also be looking at how to return each serve and how to get into the point as the returner. This will include serve and volley, use of the slice, placement of the second serve, where to return each of the serves and how to go on offence from a first serve and second serve.
During point play there will be a continuation of week 8: finishing the point. This will still include looking to finish with the forehand, closing in on the net and winning with the down the line.
Tournament season is just around the corner and all the pieces over the past few months are now, hopefully going to fall into the place together (very similar to the Cowboys season)
To all, make sure you continue your work in the gym, stay on top of the fitness plan you have and are working towards.
Also, we will be asking all players to have a look at the new tournament schedule for the new year and will be discussing which tournaments everyone should be playing to achieve their personal goals. pleas have a look at the ota website this week and we will see you all on the courts!
keep it up!
Mike and Drago
Monday 16 November 2015
Hello again, and welcome to week 8.
We begin this week by discussing what has been worked on since we started.
Consistency, footwork, positioning, seeing the court better, opening up the court and staying in the rally long enough and tough enough to earn an opportunity. Well, all of this is great, but now its time to use this part of the game to enter the next phase: Winning The Point.
We started last week with one practice where we touched on this subject and we will continue this week looking into how to finally win the point.
Its important to stay in the rally and important to be patient in developing the opportunity, but once we get it, we have to be able to capitalize on it. this brings us into week 8.
We will be working on taking the opportunity and finishing the point. This will include, hitting bigger, going to the net, looking for winners, moving forwards into the court and finally hitting down the line....
We will be doing a combination of set scenarios to start a point, as well as open play to identify the opportunities within the point.
Hopefully this week will allow players to see the payoff for all their hard work and commitment over the past 2 months and now be able to benefit by putting a check mark into the win column.
Look forward to an exciting week,
see you guys on the courts!!
Mike and Drago
We begin this week by discussing what has been worked on since we started.
Consistency, footwork, positioning, seeing the court better, opening up the court and staying in the rally long enough and tough enough to earn an opportunity. Well, all of this is great, but now its time to use this part of the game to enter the next phase: Winning The Point.
We started last week with one practice where we touched on this subject and we will continue this week looking into how to finally win the point.
Its important to stay in the rally and important to be patient in developing the opportunity, but once we get it, we have to be able to capitalize on it. this brings us into week 8.
We will be working on taking the opportunity and finishing the point. This will include, hitting bigger, going to the net, looking for winners, moving forwards into the court and finally hitting down the line....
We will be doing a combination of set scenarios to start a point, as well as open play to identify the opportunities within the point.
Hopefully this week will allow players to see the payoff for all their hard work and commitment over the past 2 months and now be able to benefit by putting a check mark into the win column.
Look forward to an exciting week,
see you guys on the courts!!
Mike and Drago
Monday 9 November 2015
Stay tuff. Stay in the point.
Hello and welcome back for another week.
This week we will continue to build off of last weeks goal and purpose and continue to work on keeping the ball in play. Building such a foundation takes a solid amount of mental effort and habit building, so another week of this is just what the doctor ordered. We will continue to focus on the type of ball that we are choosing to play as the instigator as well as the type of ball we are countering with. The key to building a point is patience and understanding of the court. In order to develop an opportunity we have to have the patience to keep the rally going and not pull the trigger to soon. To work the cross and try and open up the court for the chance to hit the down the line shot. Or hit heavy enough to force a short ball that we can approach the net on. Both of these goal involve working the cross court and to do this it takes excellent footwork, balance and positioning behind the ball. These bring me to the next topic. The gym!
Let's make sure that in this "offseason" time frame we continue working hard on our stamina and speed. Our shot is only as good as our position.
On a side note: to all players please check out the academy newsletter.
http://eepurl.com/bEgKiL.
We look forward to seeing everyone out this week and to seeing continued progress..
Mike and Drago.
Monday 2 November 2015
Hello All!,
Hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween.
I know Drago loves chocolate very much so please feel free to bring as many little snacks to him as possible.
The itf event in Burlington wrapped up this weekend and a big congrats to all the players for their solid efforts and play. Special shout out to Ivan Mitric for making the finals. Those points will go a long way going forwards.
Also, shout out to Fed, for finally beating Nadal in a final. For 34 he still looks like he has game!
...and now on to our week ahead....
we will continue to build on last weeks themes: staying in the point, playing tougher on defence, using bigger targets on the court when pulled off in order to extend the point. and we will also be adding getting deeper into the point. running through different scenarios where the point wont start until certain restrictions or numbers are meet.
the goal is to keep pushing ourselves physically and more so mentally to believe and fight for points deeper into the rally. extending our breaking point: the moment when we make a lazy or low percentage decision that costs us the shot.
Sometimes we tend to believe that tennis is about making highlight shots. Although fun, the 1 out 10 times that this works doesn't balance out the other 9 times we end up losing the point. We as players, need to believe that a ball in play is really the number one focus and to do whatever it takes to make that happen. this week, we will.....
to all players using this time as their off season, for training, please make sure you are following your plans and schedules at the gym and that you are still finding time to get set and match play in over the weekends.
Have a great week everyone and see you on the courts!
Mike and Drago
Hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween.
I know Drago loves chocolate very much so please feel free to bring as many little snacks to him as possible.
The itf event in Burlington wrapped up this weekend and a big congrats to all the players for their solid efforts and play. Special shout out to Ivan Mitric for making the finals. Those points will go a long way going forwards.
Also, shout out to Fed, for finally beating Nadal in a final. For 34 he still looks like he has game!
...and now on to our week ahead....
we will continue to build on last weeks themes: staying in the point, playing tougher on defence, using bigger targets on the court when pulled off in order to extend the point. and we will also be adding getting deeper into the point. running through different scenarios where the point wont start until certain restrictions or numbers are meet.
the goal is to keep pushing ourselves physically and more so mentally to believe and fight for points deeper into the rally. extending our breaking point: the moment when we make a lazy or low percentage decision that costs us the shot.
Sometimes we tend to believe that tennis is about making highlight shots. Although fun, the 1 out 10 times that this works doesn't balance out the other 9 times we end up losing the point. We as players, need to believe that a ball in play is really the number one focus and to do whatever it takes to make that happen. this week, we will.....
to all players using this time as their off season, for training, please make sure you are following your plans and schedules at the gym and that you are still finding time to get set and match play in over the weekends.
Have a great week everyone and see you on the courts!
Mike and Drago
Monday 26 October 2015
Hello and welcome to another week!
This week we have several of our players participating in the itf event in Burlington, Good Luck to those playing, bring back some points!
For those players with a regular week of practice ahead...
We will be focusing on keeping the ball in play. Sounds basic but, there is a lot that goes into this simple task and we will be focusing on those such things.
We will be challenging you to keep the ball in play while on the run, from the corners, on the stretch and more. Sometimes how the ball comes back is not as important as getting the ball back. Making the other player have to hit another shot. Giving them another opportunity to make a mistake.
Some of the drills will focus on targets and spaces on the court to aim for when in trouble. Using bigger targets in those situations and using more height on our shots to achieve that goal. Being tougher and more determined to get that ball back.
Fitness and conditioning is again part of the program this week but more of it will be on each player to hit the gym and get in the required workouts necessary.
Looks like a fun week ahead!
See you on the courts,
Mike, Drago and staff
This week we have several of our players participating in the itf event in Burlington, Good Luck to those playing, bring back some points!
For those players with a regular week of practice ahead...
We will be focusing on keeping the ball in play. Sounds basic but, there is a lot that goes into this simple task and we will be focusing on those such things.
We will be challenging you to keep the ball in play while on the run, from the corners, on the stretch and more. Sometimes how the ball comes back is not as important as getting the ball back. Making the other player have to hit another shot. Giving them another opportunity to make a mistake.
Some of the drills will focus on targets and spaces on the court to aim for when in trouble. Using bigger targets in those situations and using more height on our shots to achieve that goal. Being tougher and more determined to get that ball back.
Fitness and conditioning is again part of the program this week but more of it will be on each player to hit the gym and get in the required workouts necessary.
Looks like a fun week ahead!
See you on the courts,
Mike, Drago and staff
Wednesday 21 October 2015
Week 2 of footwork
Hi All,
Well, week one of the footwork progress has a been a good one! everyone seems to be buying in to the importance of movement and the mechanics behind it. We still have one more week ahead of us in this department.
For some of the players in the group we will be adjusting the program a little bit as the upcoming itf in Burlington is this weekend. your focus will be a little more n point play and tactics. but you will still participate in the core session of the drills so that we are all on the same page come game time.
The Footwork for tennis involves not only speed and agility but the specific movement patterns of the pros. Most pro players have great footwork allowing them to hit great shots while still maintaining perfect balance. Getting to the ball is important, because not only does it allow you to make the shot, but it also gives you the opportunity to have more choices on what shot to make and how to make it.
With this in mind we will be focusing on this for the rest of the week and coming back to this topic several times throughout the year
Well, week one of the footwork progress has a been a good one! everyone seems to be buying in to the importance of movement and the mechanics behind it. We still have one more week ahead of us in this department.
For some of the players in the group we will be adjusting the program a little bit as the upcoming itf in Burlington is this weekend. your focus will be a little more n point play and tactics. but you will still participate in the core session of the drills so that we are all on the same page come game time.
The Footwork for tennis involves not only speed and agility but the specific movement patterns of the pros. Most pro players have great footwork allowing them to hit great shots while still maintaining perfect balance. Getting to the ball is important, because not only does it allow you to make the shot, but it also gives you the opportunity to have more choices on what shot to make and how to make it.
With this in mind we will be focusing on this for the rest of the week and coming back to this topic several times throughout the year
Tuesday 13 October 2015
Hello Everyone!
Welcome back to another week of tennis. We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and that you all enjoyed the extra family time.
For the week ahead we are going to be working on movement on the tennis court. With the game being so quick and the ball striking happening so early, getting into position has become the number one focus in allowing players to execute their desired shots.
We will be spending the next 2 weeks on footwork drills, working on speed, agility, coordination, footwork patterns and of course, recovery.
There will be a mix of hand feeding, feeding and hitting over this time and station training with props will be involved throughout the next 2 weeks.
The goal will be that after 2 weeks we will see a change in the focus and purpose of the players on court movement and start seeing the changes implemented in their point play.
Lets have a great week!!
Mike, Drago and Coaching Staff
Welcome back to another week of tennis. We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and that you all enjoyed the extra family time.
For the week ahead we are going to be working on movement on the tennis court. With the game being so quick and the ball striking happening so early, getting into position has become the number one focus in allowing players to execute their desired shots.
We will be spending the next 2 weeks on footwork drills, working on speed, agility, coordination, footwork patterns and of course, recovery.
There will be a mix of hand feeding, feeding and hitting over this time and station training with props will be involved throughout the next 2 weeks.
The goal will be that after 2 weeks we will see a change in the focus and purpose of the players on court movement and start seeing the changes implemented in their point play.
Lets have a great week!!
Mike, Drago and Coaching Staff
Monday 5 October 2015
Week 2: Welcome to serving and return of serve
Hello to all and welcome back for another week!
Last week we had the opportunity to get back on court and have players and coaches meet each other, some for the first time. The coaching staff would like to thank all the players and parents for their efforts and patience in our set up and configuration week. I think we have now received the sign ups from players and are able to start shaping and planning out the program going forwards.....
This coming week we will be focusing on serving and returning.
These two shots in the game start the point off every time and its important to have a plan on how to do it. We will be looking at the different types of serves and how to use them and in turn how to deal with these options as a returner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqugycCxD7k
Thanks again,
and we look forward to a hard working and informative week ahead!
Mike and Drago
Last week we had the opportunity to get back on court and have players and coaches meet each other, some for the first time. The coaching staff would like to thank all the players and parents for their efforts and patience in our set up and configuration week. I think we have now received the sign ups from players and are able to start shaping and planning out the program going forwards.....
This coming week we will be focusing on serving and returning.
These two shots in the game start the point off every time and its important to have a plan on how to do it. We will be looking at the different types of serves and how to use them and in turn how to deal with these options as a returner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqugycCxD7k
Thanks again,
and we look forward to a hard working and informative week ahead!
Mike and Drago
Saturday 26 September 2015
Hello Everyone and Welcome to the New ORC Blog for all those participating in the 2015/16 Tour season!
We will be using this blog space to send out updates on and about the group.
Weekly plans and course content will be available as well as updates on the weather, events around the club and O.T.A results from our participants.
This blog will allow us to communicate within the group and go over any questions or concerns you or your parents might have throughout the year
For starters:
We are kicking off the new season this Monday, September 28th at 4pm.
This weeks plan will be focused on getting back to playing indoor tennis. The focus will be on hitting lots of balls. Drills will be focused on finding the timing and rhythm necessary to stay consistent indoors. There will be a big emphasis on fitness and getting back in shape for the up coming season.
During the week Myself and Drago will be speaking with everyone about the plan for the year, your goals and how you plan to achieve them.
Look forward to seeing everyone back for another fantastic year!
See you on the courts!
Mike and Drago
We will be using this blog space to send out updates on and about the group.
Weekly plans and course content will be available as well as updates on the weather, events around the club and O.T.A results from our participants.
This blog will allow us to communicate within the group and go over any questions or concerns you or your parents might have throughout the year
For starters:
We are kicking off the new season this Monday, September 28th at 4pm.
This weeks plan will be focused on getting back to playing indoor tennis. The focus will be on hitting lots of balls. Drills will be focused on finding the timing and rhythm necessary to stay consistent indoors. There will be a big emphasis on fitness and getting back in shape for the up coming season.
During the week Myself and Drago will be speaking with everyone about the plan for the year, your goals and how you plan to achieve them.
Look forward to seeing everyone back for another fantastic year!
See you on the courts!
Mike and Drago
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