Tennis Made Easy

On the line... MTI Newsletter September 2009

2009-09-02T11:24:00.019+01:00

Hi and welcome to our interactive Newsletter...
We hope you like the new format?

We have set out our newsletter this way because we want to hear from you too. It would be nice to hear about your experiences in tennis and share them amongst the growing fans of Modern Tennis. So feel FREE to write some comments on anything tennis or subjects we raise in our blogs.

COURSE NEWS

We ran our MTI 5 day qualification course in August. This course encompasses the first 3 modules of our course structure ending on day 5 with a test day. The candidates had to run two Modern Tennis lessons to prove they had learned the fundamentals during the week.

We had been recommended by David Simms in Merseyside to train a group of 16 year old friends who were looking for a tennis coaching qualification. We held the course at the spectacular 220 acre Phynsonhayes Farm in the village of Woore which is just outside Stoke on Trent.

The Course was a Resounding Success!

Each candidate was given our double disc Tennis in Minutes DVD Set at the start of the course to enable them to plan their test day lessons. This proved to be a great help to the boys as they were able to run superb lessons.

Modules 1 and 2 on the first 3 days of the course outlined the core stroke progression syllabus. Module 3 on day 4 focused on the teaching process and lesson phases whilst demonstrating the tactical point approach.

They don't get better than this...

We received a SENSATIONAL testimonial from Jack Trowbridge,; one of our candidates...

"Dear Andy,

I am just writing to say a huge thank you, for such a fantastic course which you provided.

It was great fun and it boosted my tennis levels up to heights which I never thought reachable.

Not only did the course improve my tennis but also actually taught me how to teach, which was probably the most daunting prospect at the start of the week, but by the end it seemed simple!!

As the quote on the back of the DVD says; ‘it turns water into wine!’

After doing the tennis course, I have given my family and a few family friends some lessons, and the improvement by simply using the Modern Tennis plan is vast and soon I may have to stop giving my Dad lessons as he seems to be getting a bit too good!!

Many thanks for such a fantastic time.

Jack"

If any of you have yet to attend our courses or buy our DVD material, you are seriously missing out!

"Those of you who have done our MTI courses, the LTA courses, the PTR or RPT, how do these qualifications compare?"

Our next 5 day course starts on Monday 5th September at David Lloyd Hatfield which is superb for road, rail and plane links. Plus it has a hotel on site.

We also ran a ‘Confidence and Control’ course at David Lloyd, Gidea Park in Essex. One of the candidates; Torsten Last who used to be a German national player, and had flown in from Hannover especially for this course, said he would love MTI to visit Germany and inject some much needed inspiration! We'll keep you posted on how this pans out.

NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH

Get Fit For Tennis DVD + 2 free fitness products

Modern Tennis International has shown you how to technically play great tennis in minutes….
Now we can show you how to physically play great tennis in minutes!

Have you ever been playing tennis when suddenly you start missing shots because you start feeling exhausted, with muscle fatigue?

What do you do? You start blaming technique. But on this occasion that’s not the problem is it?
When you watch tennis players on TV and they come up with those fantastic shots time after time, do you wonder ‘why can’t I do that?’. Well good news folks! Now you can!

We are really excited by this DVD because you are going to get so much out of this programme. It’s a real win/win for you.

All the material that a top tennis pro would typically do with their own personal trainer in some flashy studio is brought home to you in our latest home study course.

Yep, just by following this simple workout without being watched by other people, which is great especially if you are self conscious, you will first notice the calories burnt to a distant memory whilst your heart gets the workout it needs after the latest helping of apple crumble and custard that you just put away!

Believe me when I say that you will sweat HUGE during this work out - so make sure that you have plenty of water on standby. You will reap huge dividends!

All this without the monthly gym subscription!

Read more about our fantatsic new 3 day home workout for Tennis DVD on sale now in our secure online shop - which includes 2 FREE eBooks!

Plus 2 new fantastic eBooks

Discover Your True Earning Potential eBook for Coaches

40 Proven Ideas to Improve Tennis Club Participation eBook

Find out more

WORLD NEWS

British women duo miss out on US Open

British teenager Laura Robson's hopes of reaching the US Open first round were dashed at the final hurdle at Flushing Meadows. The 15-year-old former Wimbledon junior champion lost her final qualifying round match, falling 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 to Eva Hrdinova of the Czech Republic.

Robson's fellow Briton Elena Baltacha will also miss the final grand slam event of the year. lost her final-round match 4-6 6-2 6-4 to Anastasia Rodionova.

Obviously poor Anne Keothavong misses the rest of the season due to injury.

This leaves only one British player - Andy Murray, in the whole of the singles championships!

What is the problem with British Tennis??

HAVE YOUR SAY!!

Andy Magrath's Comment:

"I am sick and tired of people bleating ‘Oh, it’s ALL the LTA’s fault!’ The Japanese have a saying; ‘Fix not the blame, fix the pain!’

So what must be done?

We must learn from other sports NOW!!

We must re-examine the whole tradition of grass roots tennis club coaching to the extravagant cost of training full time at an academy. This leads to fewer players training properly and even fewer making the jump from county to top national level.

For example, I am and have been involved in many other sports. At my karate dojo, we have guys who represent Great Britain who both train up to 5 days a week at club level for £45 per month.

They train as a national squad twice a month and take it in turns to host that training at different regions; in so doing it prevents the same people having to travel great distances.
When I swam as a junior, I trained 5 days a week including at Crystal Palace.

My parents weren’t rich but I had a great opportunity to represent my country but my heart wasn’t in it.

Let’s build the playing base!

Do our hugely successful cycling squad have to fork out £30k plus to train full time?

None of these sports cost HUGE fortunes to reach a very high level of play.

They would if they played tennis!

At your average tennis club, most club programmes are geared up financially for kids training once a week. If they want to train more, then they would have to pay for expensive private lessons. I’m all in favour of players practicing on their own, but do players do this?

Unfortunately few actually do. Such is the sad state that kids have to be organized, and not urged to act on their own initiative.

There are other aspects of what needs to be done, that we will discuss next time.

Andy"

Modern tennis has to be the best syllabus for so many reasons...

All you MTI guys will know just how effective the Modern Tennis International syllabus is. As well as having powerfully simple progressions, we have also outlined syllabus sheets for you to follow and/or give them out to your clients so that they know what they need to accomplish in order to reach the next level.

We have also shown you how to run a Modern Tennis lesson through our module 3 course.

We NOW have also launched a home fitness DVD to help players of all levels. Check it out on our website www.playmoderntennis.com/getfitfortennis.php

It really is tennis on a plate that we have launched in such a small amount of time with quite simply the best methodology in the world.

Should more coaches use this system, they would certainly increase their own playing base.

US Open Preview

New world number 2 Andy Murray flies high in Montreal but fails Federer test in Cincinatti
Andy Murray achieved double success in Montreal. When he staged a superb fightback to see off Juan Martin del Potro, he also nudged the injured Rafa Nadal to secure the world number two ranking, just by reaching this final.

The Scot triumphed 6-7, 7-6, 6-1 for his 13th career title.

And so he did.

As you may remember, Andy did pretty well last year in New York when he reached the final by defeating the seemingly invincible Rafa Nadal in the semis. Only a certain Mr Federer stood in his way of his first ever Grand Slam crown.

We all thought "is this going to be a fairytale ending to the Scot’s mammoth journey?" Alas, his fairy godmother was refused a visa at immigration and the coach turned into a pumpkin at 11 o’clock instead of midnight.

Basically Andy was taken apart by the Swiss master in less than two hours who had himself been written off by the so called ‘experts’ after losing his Wimbledon crown to Nadal 2 months earlier.
The story was repeated in the semis of the Cincinatti Masters just under a year later. Federer won 6-2, 7-6 (10-8) to set-up a final against Novak Djokovic.

Could the Serb provide the performance to upset Father Federer? Nothing doing.

It’s clear that the express looks well oiled with sparkling clean diesel engines powering up nicely for the big event. He looks hotter than a chicken vindaloo in the Sahara, for the title. Federer claimed his third Cincinnati Masters title with a 6-1 7-5 victory.

It was his 16th Masters Series title - his first as a father - and apart from Djokovic's fightback early in the second set he was never troubled. (Clearly, those nights of broken sleep and early morning nappy changing doesn’t seem to be affecting him.)

So can Murray go one step further against Feds?

Now that Rog has rediscovered the service rhythm that deserted him 6 months ago, I can’t see it myself.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Querrey maintains stunning form

I don’t know about you but there’s something about this guy. For me he is the real deal. What do you think? I first saw him at Queens this year and I noticed that he was solid in every department.

And do you know why? Just check this out:

Those of you who have experienced our course or DVD material will completely understand that he plays the Modern Tennis way.

This means that he is able to generate massive power from a short backswing on both. You will notice that he tracks the ball very well.

He’s very tall and athletic with a huge serve, and with slightly better placement could be the weapon it deserves to be. Apart from that, I have been impressed with his discipline and consistency.

I know you could say that about a lot of the top players but there is a quality about this guy

Querrey who has risen to a career-high 23rd in the world rankings.

Can Sam break into the top 5? I think this young man could very well do that.

HAVE YOUR SAY

TIP OF THE MONTH

Copy the Federer/Sampras/Karlovic ‘see saw’ serve

I don’t know about you but when I was a kid, I used to copy the top pro’s serving actions. At my local club I used to amuse my fellow cadets with service impressions of McEnroe and Becker; shouting ‘Ja’ as I hit a ‘Beckeresque’ ace past my best mate! Over the years, I copied Sampras, Rusedski and Ivanisevic. Now I’m a coach, I encourage my pupils to do the same.

Service styles are cosmetic and can be experimented with so long as the basic principles of Modern Tennis (that we outline in our products) is maintained.

Let’s talk about the ‘see saw’ action which has been used by many of the best servers.

We use the phrase ‘see saw’ in order to put into laymen’s terms for pupils and especially children. This is so named due to the player’s arm being in a one up one down posture like a see saw.

The ball arm is being extended upwards, but the racquet arm is downwards with the tip of the racket pointing downwards also.

As the ball is released, the racket begins the upward journey (again as our products outline) to meet the ball.

This action essentially allows the ball to travel first then the player chases it, all in one complete throwing action, culminating in the last minute acceleration before contact.

This prevents any stoppages during the racket throw which hinders both timing and power.

Please feel free to comment on any of the above and visit our website for more Modern Tennis information.

BEFORE WE GO...

Don't forget that we have the following on offer at playmoderntennis.com

Freebies - a free eBook for everyone, tennis tips, interviews and reports
Tennis in Minutes DVD Sets - Confidence & Control and Vertical Power
Get fit for tennis DVD Set
Modern Tennis courses and a coaching qualification
Discover Your True Earning Potential eBook for Coaches
40 Proven Ideas to Improve Tennis Club Participation eBook
Cure Tennis Elbow Without Surgery eBook
The Modern Tennis Buddy Coaching Series eBooks - get one for free to see how you get on or get all of them free with our DVDs!
Great quality tennis clothing
Find a Modern Tennis International trained coach
News from MTI and around the world
Customer verbatim testimonials
Plus much, much more

UNTIL NEXT TIME

Watch out for regular updates on this blog and on our website, and for future MTI Newsletters. Please do get in touch to let us know your thoughts on our articles and ideas.

"Live life and play tennis with PASSION!"

John & Andy

http://www.playmoderntennis.com/

Probably One of the Best Settings for a Tennis Club in the UK!

2009-08-02T21:34:00.005+01:00

I attended A Master Class on a Grass Court with Phil Vivian of the PTR

Wow how lucky was I?

The PTR ran a fantastic course at Home Park Tennis Club in Windsor. This club has 6 superb grass courts in a setting that is second to none. Whilst playing you are surrounded by cricket and rugby pitches, but you also have the stunning view of Windsor Castle on the hill.

The Best Grass Courts...

We had Jane Rowlands Head Pro of the club to thank for hosting the event for the PTR and if ever you need a place to practice for a forthcoming grass court tournament... I would advise you consider contacting Jane to see if you can organise some court time. Jane Rowlands Mobile: 07808 100 516 [janerowlands1@sky.com]

Beautiful Low Bounce

The weather was perfect for us and it was interesting watching everyone trying to adjust their game to these faster courts that induced a much lower bounce than usual.

Great Company and First Class Instruction

Phil ran some fantastic drills concentrating on a shorter take back and compact swing patterns. He also showed us some innovative ways to get the best out of playing on grass. It was a superb day and extremely well run.

Like a Duck to Water

What this day proved to me was that with the Modern Tennis method I use and teach, it was a fairly easy transition to make to play on grass. Most players were winding up the big back swings and finding they were nowhere near the ball as it stays so much lower and zips through on grass. Using MTI principles the timing was there almost instantly.

The Key is Tracking the Ball!

The first principle of MTI is to track the ball with your racket in front of YOU. So if the ball is travelling lower and skidding on the surface you track lower. The same principle would apply if you played on a high bouncing clay court... you would track the ball high and probably use a greater arc on your back swing naturally.

So Natural!

The amazing thing about Modern Tennis Methodology is that you wouldn’t have to worry about the back swing or the unit turn as this all happens naturally just by tracking the ball in front with your racket.

Have a look...

You can find the ball and your timing so easily with this method. Have a look at our site and order a free eBook that will show these secrets.

Golly what’s happened to the Volley?

2009-07-29T16:28:00.002+01:00

I played in a top class doubles match at the weekend for my club, my first for about 10 years. I was pleasantly surprised that I could still compete at this level despite my lack of match fitness and practice.

Confidence & Control
I put this down to the confidence I have in my ability through learning and teaching these modern tennis methods. Although the last 10 years I have concentrated on just teaching, the new MTI system helped me concentrate on timing and feel throughout these 3 tough matches I played. I must admit since employing these methods I find my best tennis is always close by.

Vertical Power
The biggest difference I noticed was that the good players were happy to stay back and crash huge ground strokes at the net players and win most of the time. Whereas when I last played at this level everyone served and volleyed!

Volleying the ball was really tough...at first
The ball was zipping really fast and at first I found that I just couldn’t control my volleys as I wasn’t used to this amount of power.

Hit with Spin to Win
The secret to my being successful against these whipping boys was to hold on to ball longer and to hit my volleys, not just field it back or defend but to actually impart spin on the ball so my volley stung them back! All you do is make sure you aim the ball and try to hit your volley there stopping the racket on contact with ball. (Don’t just field the ball to a target or float it back or you will get mullered!)

The Lost Art of the Volley
I believe that in tennis in general the volley has become a lost art. We at MTI believe all shots should be worked on all the time and the volley can be the way to beat these fantastic hard hitting back court players. Playing at the net is hell of a lot of fun too!

3 Solutions
The 3 areas that need to be worked on are the, the first volley or half volley after a serve, the approach shot and simple volley execution.

If approach shots are hit with too much topspin you are inviting a pass. So either hit harder with a little less topspin or slide the ball with slice or side spin aimed accurately and with guile are your best bet to deal with these shots, then move in and sting those volleys with spin!

You can find out much more of these winning techniques at http://www.playmoderntennis.com/ have a look they are giving away a FREE eBook on this amazing confidence boosting system at the moment.

Remember -Track it with your racket

Until next time warmest regards John

Free eBook... Tells You How To Play Tennis Like The Pros

2009-07-27T17:41:00.012+01:00

Why does Eastern Europe

enjoy so much tennis success?

Can Britain do this? – Now we can!

Amazing, proven ‘modern’ method making tennis so easy and inexpensive for all.
Britain is a financially ‘tennis rich’ nation, yet we still cannot produce the depth of high playing standards other less affluent nations produce.

Are we fed up of seeing countless players whose names end in ‘ova’ or ‘itch’ on the pro tour? Why do Spain, Russia and South America churn out player after player?

How do they do it?

Why can’t WE?

Now we can, by making tennis easy to play.

Why did both British No.1's Andy Murray and Anna Keothavong choose to train abroad?

The coach, whose methods are being widely used in Eastern Europe and South America, offered his services to the LTA a few years ago. They turned him down. Why we don’t know?

They turned down the opportunity to adopt the methodology that helped players such as Gustarvo Kuerten become world number one player and three times French Open champion.

But now the British public can now discover this logical and simple system for themselves, thanks to Modern Tennis International

The Modern Tennis method was devised by famed Argentine guru; Oscar Wegner, many years ago. He knew there was a missing link between how the top pros play compared to how tennis was being taught to the masses.

“Tennis is a simple game. Why complicate it?!’ Wegner says ‘Anyone can copy the pros. What they do is powerful yes, but very simple all the same’

Complicated grass roots tuition turns many people off the game, and costs players and parents a lot of money. Only a small number of juniors become good players. Too many players are 'over coached'.

Surely the more people playing properly will raise the standard of British tennis, and increase the depth within the sport?

Oscar has personally trained Andy Magrath and John Littleford and entrusted them to deliver the data to the UK through their company; Modern Tennis International (MTI)

MTI has empowered the British public with the tools to play tennis like the top Pros. All you need is a basket of balls and a court so you can learn and teach each other; be it a friend or family member.

It’s both simple and fun. MTI call it the ‘Buddy Coaching System’.

So what does Modern tennis actually do? It makes the player focus on the important aspects of each shot like timing and feel for the ball. Players will feel themselves progress naturally. Highly talented players will develop their natural game very quickly.

MTI is not a huge organisation with millions of pounds behind them. It was founded in June 2008 by Andy and John who are determined to make a difference to British tennis, and wow have they just!

They have not just sat back saying how wonderful their system is, they have gone out to the masses and proved it where other organisations with huge wallets keep on making empty promises with how they are going to spend millions on this and that.

Enough is enough!! We have had all that from Westminster!

MTI HAVE taken effective action!

They have proved that you do not need millions of pounds being spent! People just need the tools to play this game properly and here it is

In just one year they have trained nearly 500 coaches UK wide including the huge David Lloyd empire who have recently retained MTI to train their coaches to use the methodology.

Why? Because it makes life so easy for the beginner! They will develop their game quicker than ever before. As a result more players will play and the grass roots level flourishes

They have developed and systemised courses, books and DVDs in an easy to follow step by step process. This way parents can teach their own kids

They have already been on live BBC Breakfast TV, ITV News and SKY News with a four year old girl who was beating girls twice her age.

They have helped to open a Modern Tennis academy in Cyprus.

MTI has earned masses of praise and testimonials from both players and coaches who have also discovered the success that this logical system brings.

It is so exasperating that this methodology has been overlooked by the UK for so long.

Visit; www.playmoderntennis.com for further details and pick up a FREE eBook that will show you these amazing methods that will improve your tennis whatever level you are.

It’s about time that we learnt from success. Let common sense prevail.