Happy New Year

A Holly, Jolly greeting to everyone.

I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday season and that you were on Santa's good list and got lots of goodies.  And that you were able to enjoy time with your families and loved ones.  

A big shout out of appreciation and gratitude to everyone for welcoming us with open arms to ORC.  You had helped us make an incredibly smooth transition into our new home and country which otherwise could have been very challenging.  Your kindness is much appreciated.  From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

I would like to congratulate the progress and achievement that our players made on court in the last few months and to all the parents for your sacrifices.  It has been an incredible adjustment made by everyone involved in the Elite program to my coaching style and mindset. I am deeply touched that you have bestowed your kid in our care knowing you have other options. So, thank you for your trust.

Having traveled worldwide and visited numerous academies of various sizes and status, I am tickled by the group of girls and boys at ORC of their gentle characters and the will to learn.  We've had our tough and intense times on the court but through all the demands and hardships I am amazed of the tenacity our young athletes exhibited thus far.   I am certain with time, all their hard work and their will to learn will bring much victories beyond the tennis courts. I am very proud to be included on their journey.  We are going to have a fantastic 2016!

For those who took time off during the holiday season, good for you.  Don't worry too much about your tennis.  Once the training resumes, you will get back in no time.  

In closing, I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy & Safe New Year.

Weekly Plan #12 - Plan + Christmas Camp

Happy December and Happy Holidays to everyone.

This week's training we will pay special attention on developing heavy weight serves and keep working on our transition game.  Due to the nature of shorter points in indoor tennis, we need to make sure our tennis endurance remains in tip top shape.  We will return to our beloved spinning bikes and possibly outside if we are lucky to have warmer temperature.  

This Thursday is the last day of training before the break.  For those who are interested in continuing their training, Mike will be running a Christmas camp on December 21st to 23rd with two sessions per day.  Be sure to book your spot soon with Mike so you won't be disappointed.  Please email Mike at  

mike.pietras@gmail.com.

Enjoy the season.

Weekly Plan #11 - Serves, Returns, & Third Ball

Happy December everyone!!!  This week we are going to explore the Third shot charm.

All points start with a serve or a return.  Men's tennis have always been dependent on the big serves whereas women's tennis was more dependent on the big returns although that has changed in the last 10 years with the influence of the Williams sisters artillery serves.

As the returns have become more lethal, the servers often find themselves on the defense. To counter successfully against big returns, servers have to serve and be ready to cover and neutralize with the third shot.

On this week's training plan, we will continue to work with building a solid foundation of rhythm, transition to the net with interceptions, serves & returns with a third shot. Points play format will be rewarded to points won by first serves and points won by returning 2nd serves to encourage big first serves and big second serve returns, and the third shot.

Have a great week.

Outstanding Performances of the Week

               Congratulations

to the following players for a fantastic performance this past weekend.                      Madison Lee - winner of 3 stars tournament Girls U12.     Charlotte Petrick - winner of the Veneto Red Clay Open Women's Singles.

Ivan Mitric - finalist of the Veneto Red Clay Open Men's Singles.

If by any chance I left anyone out it is not intentional. Please email me at hytennis@gmail.com.  

Weekly Plan #10 + Become an Emotional Master Athlete

Competition is about finding out how well you can do something under pressure. It’s about challenging yourself to get better. It can be about working together with others to accomplish a goal. You compete to succeed; to be the best you can be. To have a good outcome, a person has to focus on and commit to doing the work needed to improve.

So, if working hard is all that it takes to do well then why doesn't everyone do well?  Unfortunately, ourselves is the biggest and toughest opponent that anyone can have, isn't it?

Tennis as we all know is an emotional sport.  Earlier today, that was exactly what I saw over 6 courts of matches with these young ladies battling out on the red turf.  Nobody spoke English but one court.  I am guessing by their body language they weren't saying "oh good try." As the saying goes, when the student is ready the teacher will appear.  In this situation, I am the student and came across this great article (the teacher) that I want to share with you "Become an Emotional Master Athlete." (clinck on the link) 

Part 6 - Your one minute bag check

Top 10 Things every player should have in their tennis bag

                                                          

Welcome to Part 6 of 6 of this series of blogs. The reason that I broke it down in parts was three folds.  One was to make it easier to locate if certain topic was of particular interest.  Two was based on some of the questions at the parent's meeting that took place several weeks ago. Three was to prepare our players and parents heading down to the Florida tournaments in December.  Without further delay, here is your bag check to bring to tournaments.

Part 5 - What players should do after their match

Post Match Recovery

After the completion of your match and after having reported your score it is a good idea to....

1. Cool down.  Cooling down is an important, but often underestimated part of tennis. It allows your body to re stabilize removing  the lactic acid built up in the muscles so your body can recover faster.  Do 10 minutes on either stationary bike or a gentle jog.  Then...

2. Hydrate.  This will be a very good time to drink that chocolate milk however, if it is not available drink several bottles of electrolyte drinks and check your urine color to make sure you are not dehydrated. Keep drinking until you reach the "right" color (refer to urine chart on Part 3). This is especially important if you are competing in a humid climate.  Then...

3. Shower/ Change.  A contrast shower can help speed recovery, regulate body temperature, and keep muscles from stiffening up.  If showers are not available then at least get out of the wet clothes.

4.  Stretch.  A whole body stretch lasts approximately 20 minutes with a hold of 30 seconds on each stretch.  In addition to keeping the body limber it also helps to prevent injuries.  A travel size foam roller has become increasingly popular with tennis players.  Then...

5. Ice.  Ice should be your new best friend.  Any aches and pains how ever minor you feel in your body put a bag of ice on it for 15 minutes.  It does wonders.  Then...

6. Post match assessment.  When to talk to the coach about the match is an individual preference but it has to be the same day while it is relatively fresh in the mind.  It is important to assess the match objectively with an open mind for learning to take place.  If the coach is not at the tournament, then call.  If calling is too costly because you're out of the country then email. Keeping in touch with the coach provides a reassurance for the athlete.  Too often, athletes base their self esteem on the results and coaches can help by putting things into perspective.  It is imperative that players reach out to their coach.  Unless players have a private coach, most coaches have to take care of many players.  

7. Sleep.  A good night of sleep between 7-9 hours provides invaluable regeneration of the body, the mind, and emotions that are experienced during the day. Some athletes, especially during major growth spurts, may need 10 hours of sleep. However, too much sleep can be detrimental to performance, so make sure there are 3 hours of awake time before going on match court.

See you tomorrow on Part 6 of 6 - Your one minute bag check.

Part 4 - Pre Match Preparation

Okay, you've trained hard for weeks and months on and off the tennis court to improve your tennis skills and to get fitter and faster.  You are now a lean, mean, fighting machine ready for your tournaments.  You arrive at the tournament site.  You are excited.  You can't wait to see your friends whom you haven't seen in a while.  Everywhere you turn there are people.  It is exciting at first but soon it becomes mentally draining.

Distractions at tournaments is a big factor.  You must keep focus, if you want to give yourself a chance to do well.  Here is a check list of what to do at tournaments.

Part 3 - Recovery Drinks

Hello everyone.  I hope you find the first 2 parts helpful.  Now moving on to part 3 of 6 on recovery fluids.  The reason that I feel it is important to share this topic is based on my own painful experiences and having witnessed on other athletes - muscle cramping.  Muscle cramping, though there are many theories as to why it happens, usually involves improper hydration and/or improper electrolyte replenishment.  No one wants to cramp but cramping is far down the road of electrolyte depletion.  It's the same theory that if you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated.  

Even if you have been fortunate enough to have never suffered the painful, debilitating effects of cramping, you still need to provide your body adequate supply of electrolytes in order to maintain bodily functions at optimal levels, and to recover quickly for the next day.

Included in this blog are two of my favorite recovery drinks.  

Part 2 - General tactics against different playing style.

Welcome back to part 2 of 6.  So, have you thought about what type of game style you are?  If you haven't, take a few minutes to think about it before reading on.  C'mon stay with me here.  Really think about it.  Okay, for those who did their brain storming let's explore.....

Weekly Plan #9 + Part 1 Determining Your Playing Style

Greetings from Chile.  In preparation for the up and coming Florida tournaments, this week I am going to change things up a bit.  I am going to blog a different topic everyday as it will contain too much information in one setting.

Topics of discussion this week includes the following:
The weekly plan.
Part 1 - Determining your playing style.
Part 2 - General tactics against different playing style.
Part 3 - Recovery drinks.
Part 4 - Preparation for pre and post matches.
Part 5 - What players should do after their match.
Part 6 - Your one minute bag check for the tournaments.

College Signings

A Big Congratulation

Standing behind every achiever is a team of dedicated and passionate parents and coaches. The road to achevment is anything but comfortable - the sweat, the injuries, the commitment, the obstacles, the hard work, the tears, and the endless one more. It gives me great pleasure to inform you of three outstanding achievers for their college signing this past week. Clarke with Furman University. Tiara with University of Rhode Island. Eli with University of Minnesota. A huge congratulations to our new scholars. Last but not least, I would like to also congratulate the parents and coaches who sweated it out with the new scholars. Well done parents and coaches. You must be so proud. In closing, I just have to share with you one of my favorite books by Dr. Suess. Oh, the Places You'll Go! Please click on the link. Hope you like it too.

Thank You Parents

On behalf of all the coaches of the Elite Group, I want to thank you for making the effort to attend tonight's parents meeting.  Being relatively new to the club, I have not had the opportunity to meet all the parents until now.  It was nice to put a face to the emails and phone calls:-).  I know it's annoying with school meetings, and office meetings.  Your presence was much appreciated.

Weekly Plan #7

Hello everyone.  In this blog, we will do a recap of the lessons introduced in the last five weeks and explore briefly of the lessons for the next training phase.

In the last several weeks, we worked on perception skills and decision making playing the right way, looking to intercept when the opponent is off balance, taking time away is just as important as hitting hard, various situational play,

Parent Information Meeting Thursday

Happy November to everyone.  Parents, please come and join us for a fantastic evening of information sharing this Thursday, November 12th @ 6:00PM.  Some of the topics include but are not limited to: the pathways in the academy, tournament preparation, developing the right mindset, college, and the big picture.  Oh, and bring your questions!  See you on Thursday!!

Florida Trip

 Hello everyone.  Just a quick word for the Florida trip.  We will be sending coaches to the Orange Bowl this year.  Please contact Andrea Rabzak for arrangement at andrea1017@me.com.

Weekly Plan #6

Ready!

Get Set!

Fire!

Happy November parents and players.  Now that all the candies are gone and the tournament is behind us it is now time to refocus and get back to work.  

I am sure everyone has watched Sharapova and Djokovic countless times.  So, what do they have in common?  Oh man, I can already hear some of you guys thinking "I don't watch women's tennis...blah, blah, blah:-)  Just for amusement, what do you think of their commonality?  No, not nothing.  

Outstanding Performances of the Week

	Isabelle $50,000 ITF Pro Circuit Qualifier
Sofia U18 ITF Burlington Semi-Finalist Singles	Ivan U18 ITF Burlington Finalist Singles	Ines U18 ITF BurlingtonFinalist Doubles

Those who know me knows that I am soooo not the type to brag.  I am much more at home with being humble however, this past week was a fantastic week for our ORC players that I had to make an exception!  There were two events going on at the same time - the U18 ITF in Burlington and the ITF Pro Circuit at the Aviva Center.  

Weekly Plan #5

Hello everyone!  An exciting week starting tomorrow with 10 ORC players competing in the ITF Ace Tennis U18 in Burlington - Ines, Anna, Sofia, Kailen, Tiara, Ryan, Peter, Mark J., Ivan R., Ivan M., We want to wish everyone competing the best of luck.  Here is an awesome article that Yves shared on FB.  A must read "A Winning Mentality."

The weekly plan for this week is to test drive, touch up, and polish.

Congratulations to Ines

Congratulations to Ines and partner for reaching the finals of the girls doubles in the Vancouver U18 ITF Junior Championships last week.

 

Weekly Plan #4

Happy Sunday everyone.  We are entering week #2 of the 6 weeks preparation phase.  The weekly plan for the up coming week is to continue working on staying in the point with the mindset of when the going gets tough, the tough gets going.  Drills will consist of volume and consistency while on the move.  Run another ball down.  Put another back.  Not trying to do extraordinary things on the court.  Just doing the ordinary things extraordinary well.

Week Plan #3

Hello everyone.  And welcome back.  Hope everyone had a wonderful family gathering, refreshed, and ready to get back to work.  The training plan for this week is consistency with movement.  Based on our observation from last week's practice matches, the overall consensus from the coaches is that our players have a tendency to over hit when put off balance and therefore, made a lot of errors.

No Program Monday

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving....Gobble, Goble!

 

No tennis on Monday.

Mission Accomplished

Hello blog advocates.  Our goal this week was to challenge our Elite group players both physically and mentally.  Today was Warrior Day where the players were put on the spinning bike before they hit the court, wearing their heart rate sensor that was connected to a bluetooth app that shows the percentage of their maximum heart rate while they did 10 sets of intervals with the ratio of 1 minute low intensity and 1 minute high intensity with the goal of getting their heart rate to 85% on the high intensity and 65% on the low intensity.  Basically get their legs burning. 

Weekly Plan #2

Hello all.  Last week, we worked on warming up on a cooperative setting and lots of volume.  This week, we are going to learn to be resilient.  We are going to be physically challenged.  We are going to grind it out.  As parents, we all want our kids to succeed but yet we try to steer them from disappointments.  By shielding them from the hardships we unknowingly weaken their mind.  So, how can we help out kids to get tougher?  If you are interested click on the link and give yourself about thirty minutes and listen to this amazing interview by Angela Duckworth - What is grit?  Let me know what you think.  Have a great week.

The Importance of Match Play

Hello everyone.  Throughout the week of training, we develop feel, introduce new skills, do volume training, situation play, group competition, building strength, working on speed and agility, and points play.  We like to wrap the week up with match play with court time opportunity.  So, what are the benefits for these match play?

Hot Yoga Day

Hello everyone.  While it is important to build strengths and to work on speed and agility, stretching makes it that more important to keep the muscles limber and injury free.  Our elite players were introduced to Hot Yoga today as part of their fitness.  So, what does Hot Yoga have to do with tennis and fitness?  

Welcome from Patricia + Weekly Plan 1

Hello everyone.  I am Patricia Hy, co-leader with Dragoslav Pokrajac (Drago), in the ORC Elite Program.  A brief overview of my tennis background is that I competed on the women's tennis tour for 18 years with a career high ranking of 26th in the world in singles, played in three Olympics - Los Angeles, Barcelona, and Atlanta, and was ranked 1st in Canada for six years.  Attended two years at UCLA majored in business administration.  After retiring from the tour in 1998, developed and co-lead KidZoneFitness with a pathway to a tennis development system for players to compete in Collegiate, National, and Tour levels.  My hobbies consist of funny movies and reading self development books.  A mother of two children with my husband we moved to Ontario at the end of June this year.  Very excited to be a part of the ORC coaches team and at one of the best, if not the best club in the world.