Michael Friedman has been devoted to teaching and coaching tennis for over 30 years. Currently he is the Tennis Director at the Millennium Sports Club in Rancho Solano, where he runs an active junior development as well as adult program. Michael has been a mainstay in the United States Professional Tennis Association’s Northern California Division, and served as President from 2000 through 2001. He has been a featured speaker at many USTA and USPTA tennis workshops throughout Northern California , specializing in teaching footwork and fundamentals to players as well as coaches. Michael was named USPTA Norcal Pro of the Year in 2003
Michael Friedman
Mental Game
When my students ask me what is concentration on the tennis court, this is the story I tell them. When I was growing up on the courts of Los Angeles and someone would say to me "come on CONCENTRATE!" I...
Footwork
Ultimately the secret to great tennis is great footwork! Great footwork means the ability to move into position to hit the ball and then recover and be ready for the next shot. Great footwork will improve your reactions to the...
Footwork
Ever wonder how tennis pros produce such awesome power off their groundstrokes? Even smaller players like Hewitt and Chang manage to generate a tremendous amount of force. Over the past decade a more efficient use of tennis footwork has evolved...
Footwork
Improvisation is what makes tennis so much fun. Every ball you hit or react to is different from the one before. Your opponent tries to hit a ball you can't get to, and you try to do the same. The...
Teaching Systems
In this series we have been exploring the 5 fundamentals that make up every stroke in tennis. These fundamental parts are: Ready Position, Preparation, Position on the Ball, Stroke and Finish, and Recovery. In previous articles we've looked at the...
Teaching Systems
Up until now in this series, we've talked about position on the ball in terms movement around the court for the groundstrokes (Click Here), for the returns and for the volleys (Click Here.) But position on the ball is every...
Teaching Systems
In this series on the five fundamentals for all the strokes in tennis, we've looked at the Ready Position (Click Here), the Preparation (Click Here), and Position on the Ball for the groundstrokes. (Click Here.) Now let's look at Position...
Teaching Systems
Did you ever wonder how the pros make this game look so easy? To the pros the opponent’s side looks huge and they almost always get the ball in. Then you get on the court and the other side looks...
Teaching Systems
In the first article in this series on the Five Fundamentals of stroke production, we looked at the Ready Position across every stroke in tennis. (Click Here.) Now let’s do the same for the second fundmental, Preparation. According to my...
Teaching Systems
Tennis is a simple game. You hit the ball, then I hit it back. The fact that you have to get it over the net and in the court makes it a little more complicated. Keeping score adds another dimension....
Footwork
Brilliant tennis is a joy to behold! The players are flowing and graceful, powerful and explosive. They move in a symbiotic rhythm that blends intensity and calm. I call this effortless combination of movement and swing The Flow. The Power...
Footwork
In my first article on the STEP, STEP, RIP, I explained how the step, step, rip movement pattern is the most natural and instinctive way to judge, move and time the slow ball. The result was a solution to hitting...
Footwork
Picture this: you work the point and your opponent gives you the perfect short forehand. You move forward to put the ball away, but instead you put it into the net, the back fence, or three feet wide. And that...