Robert Lansdorp is the legendary Southern California coach who has developed dozens of world class junior and professional players. Robert’s players include 4 champions who have gone on to become number one in the world: Mara Sharapova, Pete Sampras, Lindsay Davenport, and Tracy Austin. In these articles, found exclusively on Tennisplayer, Robert share his views on what goes into the making of a champion, and how he developed the strokes of some of the best ball strikers in the history of tennis.
Robert Lansdorp
Famous Coaches
You probably have never heard of the reverse forehand, but it's become one of the most important shots in pro tennis. The reverse forehand is one of the key pro shots of the 90's - and just as important or...
Famous Coaches
Getting ready early is critical because it allows you to step into the ball with the right or front foot. This means you should reach the ball with the left foot if you are a right-hander. Then you can readjust...
Famous Coaches
Western The western grip, so common in junior tennis. With the hand open you can see how the hand has slipped under the handle. With this grip the player will never hit through the ball fully, as the followthrough shows....
Famous Coaches
Deciding whether to hit your backhand with one hand or two is an individual decision. With young kids I usually start them with a two-hander. Kids have far more success in the beginning with two. It's very difficult to start...
Famous Coaches
If there's one shot I can teach, it's the one-handed backhand. Recently I had a chance to see some video of Elliot Teltscher hitting backhands, 30 years after I first worked with him. To me, he had one of the...
Famous Coaches
United States junior tennis is in huge trouble. I don't see a new group of juniors coming up to take the place of players like Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. You can't bank on one kid. You've have to have...
Famous Coaches
Building champions is long, complex process. You can't develop a kid in one month. It's impossible. That's why it's called development. Here are some of the factors that go into it: First there's the role of traditional lessons. Some people...
Famous Coaches
The foundation of the forehand is the grip. One of the biggest problems in American junior tennis is the poor foundation so many young players have because of their extreme grips. Under the handle, extreme western grips are incredibly common...
Famous Coaches
Discipline. That almost sounds like an old-fashioned word today, like something negative. Nowadays, everybody has to be politically correct, and so there is less and less discipline, and sometimes none at all. Parents, especially today, are so into the concept...
Famous Coaches
A few years ago, I wrote an article for Tennisplayer on the "Reverse Forehand." It was the first article that really explained the shot, which has become one of the most important shots in pro tennis. I called it the...
Famous Coaches
Over the years, I've tried to learn from the players as well as teach them. I've tried to understand how the game has changed, and my teaching has changed to reflect that. I have always believed in teaching players to...
Famous Coaches
Over the years, I've tried to learn from the players as well as teach them. I've tried to understand how the game has changed, and my teaching has changed to reflect that. I have always believed in teaching players to...