2010 BULLDOG TENNIS CAMP

When I saw on twitter that it had been FIVE YEARS since it happened, I almost couldn't believe it!! Guess it must be true that "time flies when you're having fun!!"

I'm sure you remember - how could anyone forget - the longest match in the history of tennis: qualifier NICOLAS MAHUT & 23 seed JOHN ISNER competing in a 3-day match in the first round of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. But do you remember EXACTLY where you were? WE DO!!

Most people think all we do is go to junior tournaments & that's just not true. In addition to the ongoing College Recruit Video Sessions & the occasional Academy Video Session, we love Summer Tennis Camps during the month of June & that's just where we were when the longest match was played: We were at the Bulldog Tennis Camp @ UGA. We were thrilled to be part of the camp for three straight weeks in 2010. In Week 1, we met & got to know this guy: COACH DAN MAGILL!!

 

Coach gave us a personal tour through the Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame & he was always, always so kind to us. RIP, Coach <3

In Week 2, we met & got to know this guy: COACH MANNY DIAZ!! 

We had a blast w/ the campers & then something pretty special happened:

Wish I could put my fingers on some spur of the moment pics or video that showed tons of campers gathered around the TV inside while the match was going on!! It was a million degrees outside in the heat of Georgia summer <so the A/C was very, very appealing> but no one wanted to leave the TV because they didn't want to miss the end of the match & we felt the same way...except it went on & on & on. We hung around for a long time & then we went to lunch with our friend Coach Paul Tobin. We asked the manager @ the Chili's to put the match on for us because we didn't want to miss the end of the match...except it went on & on & on. We drove as fast as we could from Athens to Atlanta <about an hour-ish> because we didn't want to miss the end of the match...except it went on & on & on :)

In Week 3, we met & got to know the tall guy himself: JOHN ISNER!!

THREE wonderful weeks in the lives of HIGH-TECH TENNIS!! WOW... Almost can't believe that was FIVE YEARS AGO & now you understand why we say #TheFunNeverEnds :)

It wouldn't be possible for us to live this
dreamy life if you didn't do what you do, lol!!

It's a real privilege to play a small role
in the development of your junior player
& WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, TENNIS DADDY-Os!

Have you ever stopped to think...

If there were no TENNIS DADDY-Os, there would be no junior tennis players <OBVIOUSLY> so in honor of FATHER'S DAY, here's a SHOUT OUT to some of our favorites!! 

Big apologies to the hundreds of dads whose pics we either don't have/can't put our fingers on, LOL!!

JAYANTH CHINTHAM & DAD: VENKAT of Cumming, GA
@ Mobile Tennis Center in AL

 RAFAEL DE CAMPOS & DAD: ???? of Windermere, FL
@ Florida Tennis Center in FL

 

 PIERCE OGDEN & DAD: ROBERT of Statesboro, NC
@ Mobile Tennis Center in AL

  ZACHARY SMITH & DAD: JEFFREY of New Orleans, LA
@ Springhurst Tennis Club in KY

  SKYLAR MCDONALD & DAD: ???? of Fayetteville, TN
@ Springhurst Tennis Club in KY

  JOHN FRENCH & DAD: ???? of Raleigh, NC
@ LTP in Mt. Pleasant, SC

   WILL BAIRD & DAD: DAVID of Cary, NC/Fairhope, AL
@ Mobile Tennis Center in AL

   CORI GAUFF & DAD: COREY of Atlanta, GA
@ Mobile Tennis Center in AL

    NOLAN & DAD: ???? of Eight Mile, AL
@ Mobile Tennis Center in AL

   NOAH TIPPEN & DAD: SCOTT of Trussville, AL
@ Champions Club in TN

    ???? & DAD: ???? of Peru
@ Florida Tennis Center in FL

    ???? & DAD: ???? of ????
@ Windward Lake Club in GA

    KYLE JOHNSON JR & DAD: KYLE of Charlotte, NC
@ Olde Providence Racquet Club in NC

  MAX VICARIO'S LITTLE SIS MAURA & DAD: ???? of Mooresville, NC
@ Springhurst Tennis Club in KY

    ???? & DAD: ???? of ????
@ McCallie School in TN

    ???? & DAD: ???? of Louisville, KY
@ Springhurst Tennis Club in KY

IT'S A REAL PRIVILEGE TO PLAY A SMALL PART IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THOUSANDS OF JUNIOR TENNIS PLAYERS & WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!

GROWING UP & OUT OF JUNIOR TENNIS

As you may know, 2015 is our TENTH year & that means we've watched many, many players grow up!! It also means a lot of our friends are moving out of junior tennis. This blog post just happens to focus on three young ladies who walked by during the sauna aka the Southern Closed in Mobile :)

We've known these three young ladies since they were about 10 <our cameras have recorded them dozens of times!!> & now that they're about to leave junior tennis behind, all the drama of cheating players, incompetent officials & non-stop fighting parents just doesn't seem to matter that much - as a matter of fact, it never really did, lol.

LAUREN MCCALL & MOM of Cary, NC/Alpharetta,GA/Cary, NC :)

RACHEL HARDEN & MOM of Martinez, GA :)

JORDAN STRICKLAND & MOM of Cary, NC :)

It has been a real privilege to play a small part in the development of these sweet girlies & we know they'll do amazing things in the world!! Well done, moms & YOU TOO DADS!!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT & ALL THE BEST!!

FIVE FUN FACTS ABOUT HTT

1. Danny played tennis for 40 years & he taught tennis for 12 years. Julie played & taught tennis for a COMBINED total of 0 (ZERO) years, LOL!

2. We are about to start our 11th year of providing video services exclusively tailored to help junior tennis players achieve their recruiting & training goals. We travel to approximately 30 junior tournaments throughout the Southern Section each year & we select our tournaments strictly based on whether the Tournament Director values our services & makes us feel welcome.

3. We agree with President JFK's assessment that "All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop our talents." For this reason, we work to keep the costs of our videos as LOW-LOW as possible because we want ALL players to have access to the power of video.

4. Contrary to popular belief, HIGH-TECH TENNIS is not a huge corporation somewhere. Quite the contrary. With the exception of a random teenager helping us with the cameras at tourneys, 1000% of the match recording, video production, tournament scheduling, customer service & all other communication duties are performed by DANNY or ME --- that's it. Is it any wonder that practically ALL we do is work??? We did not enter this business to become rich & if we did, we made a GIGANTIC mistake, LOL!!

5. We launched our VIDEO DOES GOOD program almost 4 years ago. We donate $1 for every video order sold & ask our customers to match our donation to The Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research. Thanks to your generosity, we have raised over $6000 & this program will continue indefinitely because the need shows no signs of stopping. Visit our website for much more information about our connection to our unforgettable friend. Finally, the spirit of Sean lives on with the HIGH-TECH TENNIS "No Half Steppin' Tour 2016" because "you got to keep on pushing every day." Rest In Peace Forever, Friend... Click the Calendar image below to view our "No Half Steppin' Tour 2016" & our cameras will be looking for YOUUUU :)

C'MON, PARENTS!!

As you know, we are 1000% dedicated to helping junior players achieve their recruiting & training goals & we travel to approximately 30 tennis tourneys throughout the southeast each year. Believe it or not, you better believe we see & hear some unbelievable things...like these:

• "I'm buying a video so my daughter's coach can rip her a new one!!!"~Mother
  "Oh my! How old is your daughter & has she ever been to the Mobile Tennis Center before?"~Me"She's 10 & no, she's never been here before!!!"~Mother
  "Well, she's 2 years younger than her opponent & this facility can be pretty overwhelming to a young player when it's their first time here!"~Me
  "That's no excuse!! She played like she's NEVER played tennis before in her life!!! She was just AWFUL!!!"~Mother

• "My daughter just lets her opponents cheat her. I've told her over & over that she needs to cheat them back or at least call her opponent to the net & let her know that she sees what she's doing, but she just won't do it. We like it so much better when she plays pro tourneys because at least they have line judges so there's no cheating or gamesmanship. I am SOOOOO angry & have written SOOOOO many letters to the USTA --- all to no avail."~Mother
  "I'm proud of her that she doesn't cheat back or sink to playing gamesmanship games. Your daughter has integrity, which means so much more than just winning a tennis match."~Me
  "Yeah, well not really! I am so angry that none of the officials do their jobs & my poor daughter gets cheated almost every time she plays a tournament!!"~Mother

• "Now that you've had to withdraw due to injury, I hope you'll give your body a chance to heal."~Me
  "No way. I'm going to play a pro tourney next weekend! I wish I could rest but you should tell my mom not to sign me up for everything!!"~Junior

• "My son played really bad because he has so much on his mind with college and everything."~Father
  "You don't need to make an excuse. If he lost, he lost & anyway, it's just tennis!"~Me
  "We came all this way for nothing!"~Father

• "My brother cheats his way through home school & he's about 2 months behind on his studies because he's always playing tournaments & he doesn't have time for school."~Sister
  "That's awful!! I bet your parents would be furious if they knew!!"~Me
  "No, they know & they don't seem to care."~Sister

• "Are you having fun at the tournament?"~Me
  "NO!!! I lost!!!"~13yo Junior
  "Well, at least you came to the tournament & I'm sure you learned something from your matches, right? Have you talked to your coach?"~Me
  "Yeah - My coach said I'm too good to get rounded but I did."~Junior

• "I never get involved but my son got a code violation for saying GOSH. He didn't say GOD!"~Mother
  "Ma'am, the official on the court clearly heard your son say GOD."~Head Ref
  "Your official must be out to get my son!"~Mother

• "As I told you 8 years ago, what you are doing is perfectly legal & I'm glad you haven't let anyone convince you otherwise! It's soooo nice to see you & please come to the FL State Closed & please use my name as a parent who wants to order more Match Play & College Recruit Videos!!"~Judge, father of now 17yo & big fan of HTT

• "Dear Heavenly Father .........."~Junior & parents, standing in a circle w/ hands clasped, praying before her 8AM match

• "My best friends's mom was a real DRAMA MAMA during her match & we're gonna see the whole thing on video!!"~Junior
  "DRAMA MAMA - I've never heard that one before!!"~Me
  "Well, it's true!!!"~Junior

The very last thing we want to do is generate any controversy whatsoever... 


We are shining a light on things we see & hear because we truly hope it'll bring about positive change. We will never reveal names or locations because we don't want to cause problems.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

"THE HUG" - REVISITED

After driving all over the Southern Section for the majority of the past 3 months, we were looking forward to a 3.5 WEEK STAYCATION & then we got a call from the TD @ the GA STATE OPEN in Rome, GA on April 3-5, 2015. "You guys do such a great job - please come to our tournament!!" WELL, if you knew how many invitations we receive, you'd understand that this almost never happens so HOW COULD WE SAY NO?? But that's really not the point of this post...

I was minding my own business, probably doing my favorite thing <which is coloring one of our whiteboards, lol> when a woman came running up to me, wrapped her arms around me & gave me a GIGANTIC HUG!! I must confess that I didn't recognize who she was but how could I possibly turn down a much-needed, extra-sweet hug??? Much to my delight, it turned out that

"THIS HUGGER" WAS THE MOTHER OF "THE HUGGER" FROM LAST SUMMER!!!

The reason she was giving me the hug was to thank me <ABOUT A MILLION TIMES--OR MORE> for what I wrote about her son last summer. To be perfectly honest, I couldn't remember exactly WHAT I'd written but who could forget her son & THE HUG??? Not only did she thank me for it, she shared with me that it had been read so, SOOO many times by extended members of her family & that her mom had actually CRIED WITH JOY when she read what I wrote!! How wonderful to learn that we're making a difference without even knowing it!!!  :) 

CAN YOU IMAGINE???

The hugger's mom is shown below on the right <sharing a hug with our most recent HIGH-TECH HELPER, naturally!!> & below the pic is last summer's post about "THE HUG!!" We see soooooo much negative stuff so what a pleasure to share such a precious moment - this VERY BEAUTIFUL Observation from the Trenches - with you!!

As you might imagine, our video cameras have seen a LOT of things since we've been following the world of junior tennis over the past 8+ years-- some good, some bad & some downright U-G-L-Y -- but they have never, ever, EVER seen anything like what happened at the end of the B12 FINAL at the GEORGIA OPEN in Rome, GA on 7/15/14!

The #1 seed from GA (shorter player) was competing against an unseeded player from SC (much taller player). The players had never met & neither player had requested the match on video but you never know what might happen so we hung a camera up there just in case &

WOW O WOW!

Were we, both players & both parents ever glad we did!!! The conditions were extremely challenging & the players battled in what must have felt like a sauna for approximately 2.5 hours. When it was all over, the #1 seed had won a very tough match 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 but you won't believe what happened next...

Instead of shaking hands the way players normally do, the taller boy reached out & wrapped his long arms around the shorter boy WHO HAD JUST DEFEATED HIM IN THE FINAL & he gave him a HUGE bear hug. The reaction by those who'd seen it??? DISBELIEF, SHOCK, RESPECT, ADMIRATION!!! Everyone was talking about how unexpected & wonderful it was!!! It should come as no surprise whatsoever that the taller boy won the prestigious SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD for the tournament of almost 700 competitors. Our cameras have NEVER seen anything like it.

HATS OFF to ZACHARY PRINCE from Columbia, SC!!!

Marshall & Sherry Prince (his parents) must be & SHOULD BE so very proud to see such incredible poise at what must have been a very difficult, very disappointing moment for a young 12-year-old child. Given the disrespectful, bratty behavior that we frequently see from junior players, this was absolutely wonderful to see & I will never, ever forget it or ZACHARY PRINCE. 

I am sure this special child will grow up to be a special adult who will do special things in the world :)

PR FOR HTT

As you may know, we are in our TENTH YEAR of doing what we do, which is work much HARDER than you might imagine (!!) to help juniors achieve their recruiting & training goals. We don't get a lot of PR but when we do, we absolutely LOVE IT! :) Unbelievably, we've lost quite a few along the way but managed to find this article about us from the Mobile Press-Register, March of 2012. We want you to be able to read it (!!) so we printed out what it says for you:

Julie Thiets and her husband Danny are firm believers that everyone can improve their tennis game, even the world's best players like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. To drive their point home, the couple created HIGH-TECH TENNIS, a video service which travels to tennis tournaments throughout the southeast. Danny is a former Florida tennis pro who works with the players while Julie films the sessions.[NOTE: They obviously got that part wrong but hey - nobody's perfect, lol!!]

The couple is in Mobile for the USTA National Spring Championships at the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center. The tournament features the top 256 boys and girls (128 each) from across the United States. "We're here at least six times a year for the major tournaments such as this one and the BullFrog," Julie Thiets said. We also made a trip down last year for the Gulf Coast Tennis Challenge back in September featuring Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick." 

Even though most of the players in the tournament already have college scholarships, they welcome the video service's help. "When you get to this level, these are competitive players," she said. "They're looking for any edge they can get and these videos give them that edge. They study them, take them back to their coaches, and use them for their next match to help them improve. Our videos have helped kids get into qualifier matches and into major events such as the Orange Bowl. We do college recruitment videos for colleges too."

Here's another article about us. This one's from My Tennis Network, August of 2009 in Cary, NC. We want you to be able to read it (!!) so we printed out what it says for you:

HIGH-TECH TENNIS is a small business run by Danny and Julie Thiets in which they provide a great service to young players by traveling to tennis tournaments to videotape tennis matches. Danny and Julie currently live in Decatur, GA but since their business is mobile, they are everywhere! Before they created HIGH-TECH TENNIS, Julie worked as a consultant in the IT field for 15 years and Danny was a teaching pro. Eventually Danny got out of teaching tennis, but soon he was trying to find a way to get back into it. He thought back to the year he videotaped an entire season of high school basketball and remembered how beneficial it was to the team. This memory inspired Danny and Julie to create HIGH-TECH TENNIS as a tool for teaching professionals.

Each year Danny and Julie travel to approximately 30 tournaments in the Southern Section. This included Southern Designated and National Tournaments played in the southern portion of the country. They try to pick the tournaments at which they will tape the most matches while keeping the expenses low. They have recently added 2 cameras to the 6 they have been been using to tape tennis matches. "We use digital camcorders with mini DV tapes because that was the technology 4 years ago when we started," says Danny. "Digital quality DVDs seem to work just fine (to keep the costs as low as possible for our customers) and we continue to look at upgrades and will make the switch when it makes sense to do so. I always tell people that we are not producing wedding videos or Hollywood movies but working to help tennis players improve their tennis game by giving them an opportunity to watch their 'game film.' Period."

Danny and Julie's tennis videos can improve a player's game dramatically. For example, Danny says, "Once father wrote to us recently to say "Thanks a million for your services!!!" We'd recorded several matches for his son at a National tournament and those videos prompted his son to make the necessary correction(s) in his game and he went on to win a Southern Sectional tournament two weeks later. Other components of the game that can be caught on tape are: point setup, body language, footwork, and attitude... the list goes on. Julie and Danny both love what they do. They get to work together and travel and they have a sense of pride in building their business from scratch. HIGH-TECH TENNIS clearly provides a valuable service for developing players from two dedicated and knowledgeable professionals at a reasonable cost.

Tennis is a GAME,
not brain surgery...
Junior tennis players are CHILDREN,
not mini-professionals...
Junior tennis is a JOURNEY,
not a destination...
YOU MIGHT AS WELL ENJOY IT!!

Thank you for your support!!

HOT DOGS & TENNIS

As you may know, we're on STAYCATION so we didn't travel to Coney Island to take this fun pic. It was taken @ the Atlanta Dogwood Festival! WHO KNEW that we have so much in common with Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs, LOL!?! Consider these similarities:

• Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs was created by Nathan & Ida Handwerker in 1916. HIGH-TECH TENNIS was created by Danny & Julie in 2005.
• Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs obviously bears the name of its co-founder Nathan. Though not quite as obvious, HIGH-TECH TENNIS bears the "name" of Julie <HIGH-TECH> & Danny <TENNIS>.
• Nathan & Ida spent their life savings of $300 to begin their business. Danny & Julie spent quite a bit more than $300 (LOL!!) but you might also say that it was our life savings.
• Nathan was encouraged by several friends to go into business & compete against his former employer by charging less for a hot dog. Danny & Julie were encouraged by family members to go into business, to keep their prices as low-low as possible & until very recently, they've had virtually no competition whatsoever.
• Nathan reassured skeptical customers about the safety of eating hot dogs by requiring his workers to wear surgeon's smocks. Danny & Julie reassure skeptical customers about our purpose by explaining the incredible value that video offers to junior players with recruiting & training goals.

NOW YOU KNOW!!

As you may also know, we eat out - A LOT - but when we do eat at home, we frequently eat easy food, like hot dogs. Doesn't everybody?? Well, take a wild guess what brand we'll buy from now on!! :)

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!

CAUGHT ON CAMERA

As you may know, we use video technology to help junior tennis players achieve their goals. That means we videotape tennis matches - LOTS OF THEM - and it doesn't happen as much as it used to but it still happens way too much: we encounter unreasonable tennis parents who demand that we treat player differently than the hundreds of others who compete at junior tennis tournaments every single day. Oftentimes these parents threaten to sue us <as if we own more than the shirts on our backs!!> but they will not win because it should go without saying but I'll say it anyway: WE WOULD NEVER EVEN CONSIDER DOING ANYTHING ILLEGAL OR IMMORAL.

Given that we only record matches in public OR in private (with full permission of the facility owner), we try to explain to the tennis parent that we live in a free country & when you leave the privacy of your home, you forfeit any & all expectation to privacy. Furthermore, if you've paid any attention to recent news, surely you realize that people can AND DO videotape anything or anyone at any time. Consider how easy it is to snap a quick pic or record a quick vid on your cellphone & you'll understand my point, not to mention the number of people openly walking around with GoPro cameras these days!!

That got me thinking about just how many times we are recorded each day in America. According to a quick Google search, our image is captured from 18 - 300 times PER DAY - often without our knowledge & certainly without our "permission." Since I never leave home without my trusty BlackBerry as I run around in support of HIGH-TECH TENNIS, I've captured a few samples of where my image has been captured. I should have taken better pics so you'd quickly recognize where I was when I snapped the pic but I'm sure you get the point & don't forget there's even a tv show called CAUGHT ON CAMERA!

They may be few & far between these days <thank goodness> but there are still some parents out there who are convinced that their child is so special that the rules just don't apply to him or her. These parents are absolutely determined to cause problems for us by complaining to busy Tournament Directors about what we do & how we do it. Fortunately for us, we only go to tournaments where we are welcome & our services are valued. We certainly don't go <ANY MORE> to tournaments where they throw us under the bus!! BEEN THERE, DONE THAT!! Instead, we <HEART> TDs who support & back us up, as Lorraine Novak did in this response to a parent who demanded a special exception for her child:

"This is a Public Facility and High Tech is an official vendor for this tournament. This is a service many players want access to and one of the amenities we promote. High Tech has permission to film players upon their request. This is really no different than a parent filming their own child. I cannot stop a parent from filming. Parents are simply paying someone else to do the work. So many players are visual and this is a valuable tool to help a player improve his/her game. 

The other issue you might have is that you are concerned it is a distraction or hindrance. The equipment is minimal and hangs on the backside of the fence. It is not on the court and there are no distracting colors. As long as there is no movement of equipment during play, the camera is not considered a distraction or hindrance. 

I am sure High Tech knows this, but I will remind them they cannot use your image in publications such as advertising without your permission. I will let High Tech know of your wishes and if they can avoid it, they will. However with 60 courts, they are not always able to keep up with the opponents. It is hard enough to keep up with the demands of the paying customers."

We don't have kids of our own but we really do care about YOUR kids & our only goal is to help them achieve THEIR goals!!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!

MATCH MEMORY VIDEOS

It's as easy as 1-2-3!!

A FEW FUN FACTS FOR YOU

1. 2015 is our TENTH YEAR (whoa)!2. We sell approximately 1,000+ match play videos each year!3. According to our high-tech calculator, 9,000+ match play videos are floating around out there!

Now here's where the fun comes in...

SAMPLE #1      SAMPLE #2

We know many of you have purchased many videos of your junior players over the years &we know many of you have stacks of DVDs, courtesy of HIGH-TECH TENNIS(which you'll ALWAYS be glad to have).

But at 2-3 hours per match,are you REALLY going to watch those videos again????

 How FANTASTIC if we identified & isolated special moments from the videos you've collected over the years
& created a 5-10 minute MATCH MEMORY VIDEO for you???

This is the PERFECT WAY for you to relive the happy times!!
You can watch & share online or on CD!!What a TERRIFIC gift idea for grandparents or other extended family members!!

It's as easy as 1-2-3!!

1. Contact us at 678.640.2723 or video@high-techtennis.com to let us know you’re ready
   & to tell us how many DVDs you have (or you can just send 'em all)!
2. Pop them in the mail to us (no worries-we’ll absolutely return them to you)! 
3. Send us any tennis pics you’d like to include (OPTIONAL)!

It's as easy as 1-2-3!!

1. We'll review the match play videos to identify/isolate special moments over the years!
2. We'll create your MATCH MEMORY VIDEO & host it online for you!
3. We'll send you the link & the video on CD!

JUST $299!!

Extra Copies: $10/each

This "Super Cutie" was drawn for us at least 8 or 9 years ago by a sweet young girl from Hilton Head, SC when she was approximately 10 years old. She's far too cool for this now & I won't name her but revealing her initials can't hurt, right? NK
:)

The very last thing we want to do is generate any controversy whatsoever.THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

Tennis is a GAME, not rocket science...Junior players are CHILDREN, not mini-professionals...Junior tennis is a JOURNEY, not a destination...

YOU MIGHT AS WELL ENJOY IT!!

ALL COACHES ARE NOT EQUAL

At HIGH-TECH TENNIS, you may know that we record over 1,000 match play videos each year to help junior tennis players achieve their training goals. We are in our TENTH YEAR <wowow!!> & according to our high-tech calculator (LOL), there are well over 9,000 match play videos out there --- courtesy of HIGH-TECH TENNIS!! Take a moment to let that sink in... almost impossible to believe but TRUE!! :)

As we travel throughout the Southern Section, we have met 100s of coaches & we are well aware that ALL COACHES ARE NOT EQUAL. We're not talking about their ability to teach tennis --- we're not qualified to judge that. Instead, we're talking about something that's soo close to our hearts --- how they feel about using one of the most important tools out there to help their students improve: V-I-D-E-O! 

Consider these three random coaches:

COACH BILL TYM IN TENNESSEE

Coach Tym has asked us to record every match for every one of his students because he so fully believes in the power of video to help him help his students. While waiting for a match to begin, I had a wonderful conversation w/ a father of a young lady from TN last weekend. He commented that Coach Bill TYM constantly refers to specific points from specific matches in our videos as a way to help his daughter improve. This father insisted that the coach spends hours of his own <unpaid> time & he feels soo lucky that his daughter/his family are learning such valuable life lessons from such a wonderful coach. Finally, this father shared with me that Coach Tym had forwarded a recruit video we just prepared for another student because he said he wanted her to use it as inspiration!! :) Here are direct quotes from Coach Tym:

• "I consider myself a doctor of tennis. Just as a doctor uses x-rays to help him see causes of potential health problems, your videos help me identify areas for improvement in my student's tennis game."
• "I'm delighted to see my student taking full advantage of your excellent services..... You do a great job and you certainly help me do the job I need to do to help my student become the player she wants to be.  THANK YOU for your outstanding Professional Services!"

COACH DAVID MARQUINA IN NORTH CAROLINA

Coach David has shared his appreciation for the opportunity to review the videos w/ his players, particularly if he was unable to personally watch the match. Here's a direct quote from Coach David:

• "Video is such a great tool to have as a coach, it's a great tool to have as a parent & it's a great tool to have as a player because you can always go back. Instead of thinking of the match as just the outcome, I tell my players to think of it as a performance. I encourage a lot more players and coaches to use this tool and obviously it's wonderful to have HIGH-TECH TENNIS performing such a valuable service for junior tennis!"

COACH CRAIG JONES IN GEORGIA

Coach Craig knows how valuable the videos are & that's why he's invited us down to his academy & his summer tennis camp for the past 8 straight years. He always encourages his players to purchase at least one video whenever they see us at tournaments & not only that --- I have not personally met another coach who cares more about his students than Coach Craig! Whenever I interview his students, they kids inadvertently say the same thing: "Coach Craig is like a 2nd father to me!!" Here's a direct quote from Coach Craig:

• "I care about these kids so much that some of them move in & stay at my house!!! We're growing up together & I really fall in love with these kids!!

OF COURSE we encourage players to review their matches w/ their coach, their family or by themselves but more than a few players have told us that their coach refuses to watch the video... When asked by parents what they should do, hope I wasn't wrong when I suggested they might want to find another coach!!

What do YOU think about this???

Shout out to all the other excellent coaches out there whose names we have not mentioned...

Thanks for your support!!