Coach Samson Dubina US National Team Coach 4x USATT Coach of the Year
 

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Mastering Blocks

by Samson Dubina on Tue, 2014-02-04 08:35
Written By Coach Richard McAfee

McAfee’s Mechanics
Mastering Blocks
By: Richard McAfee, Joola Sponsored Coach and USATT Hall of Fame Inductee
While not as flashy as topspin attacks and kills, few strokes are more important to your success as a player than the often under-appreciated block stroke.  The basic “control” block is one of the very first strokes that all players learn and then unfortunately, many players stop developing and improving this core technique. 

Learn 4 keys to variation

by Samson Dubina on Mon, 2014-02-03 22:53
Written By Coach Rich Burnside

Change-Up
Written by Coach Rich Burnside

Overcoming Emotions

by Samson Dubina on Sun, 2014-02-02 17:19
Written By Roger Liu (age 12)

Too Happy or Too Sad?
 
 
Say you are winning 2-0 in a match, or 10-5. You could be pretty relaxed and thinking about the next game. Another scenario is when you are down 7-3 and thinking about how you can’t win against your opponent or thinking that he is too good. This article will address both of these scenarios and how you can focus during the match.

Tournament Tips

by Samson Dubina on Sun, 2014-02-02 17:16
Written by Shreyans Bafna

The moment is here. The moment to prove that all of your hard work has paid off. I will give some tips on the things to do in the tournament which may help.

1. Arrive an hour early
It is important to arrive early so that you can become accustomed to all the aspects of the playing site. These aspects include the lighting and the floor. Also, it is necessary to warm up your strokes. Your 1st match should be treated like your last match, and therefore, you have to be ready.

Racket Positioning

by Samson Dubina on Fri, 2014-01-31 22:42
Watch the Video!

Looping Placement

by Samson Dubina on Fri, 2014-01-31 17:44
Where should I be looping? Backhand? Middle? Forehand?

When looping, where should I place the ball?
Most players would answer by saying that there are 3 main locations that you should be aiming your loop at:  wide backhand, wide forehand, and at the elbow (the backhand/forehand transition point).  This is the correct answer.  In this blog, I’m going to detail when you should loop to each location for a righty playing against a righty:
 
#1 Wide Forehand

Immediate Strategy

by Samson Dubina on Sun, 2014-01-26 17:39
Look for these 4 important clues!

 
 
 
When playing a tournament, you might not be familiar with your opponent.  In this blog, I am going to list a few quick things to look for in the first 30 seconds of a match.  Implement these ideals, and you will be able to immediately form a game strategy.
 
#1 Rubber

Coaching Quiz

by Samson Dubina on Sat, 2014-01-25 18:12
Listen to what other coaches are saying...

I have attended many tournaments over the past 17 years and have heard many coaches give advice to their students.  In this article, I’m going to quote some coaches and tell you what they advised their students between games.  Before reading my comment below, you decide for yourself if the advice is good or bad…
 
The score was 9-9 in the final game, the coach called timeout and told his student, “Do the right thing.”
 

Promotion Video!!!

by Samson Dubina on Thu, 2014-01-23 09:10
Preview the 3-Star Tournament Coming to Akron This March!

Before registering for a tournament, I would like to see the venue.  Words on an entry form can only somewhat describe the conditions.  In future years, I would love to see short promotional videos for every major event across the US.
 

Doubles

by Samson Dubina on Thu, 2014-01-23 09:01
Make a Good Choice

When starting a doubles match, the servers and receivers are chosen just like in singles.  One pair hides the ball, and the other pair guesses which hand that the ball is in.  If you choose correctly, I would recommend choosing to receive serve, not to start with the serve.  So why should you choose to receive?
 

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