Scott Murphy is from Marin County, California where he started playing tennis at age 5 in a family of tennis nuts. Both of his parents were major influences in his development. He also took lessons from Marin legend Hal Wagner and former top 10, Harry Roach. Scott is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley where he played baseball and football but continued to work on his tennis game with renowned coach Chet Murphy. He was the head pro at San Domenico/Sleepy Hollow Tennis Club for over 20 years. He also directed the Nike Tahoe Tennis Camp at the Granlibakken Resort for 10 years. Scott now teaches privately in Ross, Marin County and in the summer he directs the Tuscan Tennis Academy which he founded in Quarrata, Italy.
Scott Murphy
Classic Lessons
In my article in the June issue of Tennisplayer, I argued that shot to shot readiness is an absolute prerequisite for successful stroke execution. This is true not only at the top levels of the game, but especially at the...
Classic Lessons
In the first article, we looked at the use of the opposite arm in the groundstrokes. (Click Here.) Now I'll discuss what I feel is the correct usage of the opposite arm on the serve, overhead, the return of serve,...
Classic Lessons
In the first article in this series about the "traditional” game we looked at the forehand of my friend and practice partner Karsten Popp. (Click Here.) Playing Karsten made me take a new look at classic swing patterns, in the...
Classic Lessons
One of the smartest tactics you can use against virtually any player is to hit high bouncing balls to their backhands. For most club players dealing with a high ball on the forehand side is bad enough, but a high...
Classic Lessons
Picture this: you hit a solid, deep approach shot off your opponent's short ball and you close on the net expecting to put away an easy volley. Instead, your opponent lobs. You feel instant uneasiness as you attempt to maneuver...
Classic Lessons
When we study the modern pro game we see players using an incredible range of advanced elements--extreme grips, windshield wiper finishes, radical torso rotation, heavy spin, fully open stances, and contact a foot in the air or higher. And that's...
Classic Lessons
If you didn't happen to see it in USA Today, staff tennis writer Doug Robson recently did an extensive article on the rise and the effectiveness of the swinging volley in pro tennis. The improvement in string technology, and specifically,...
Classic Lessons
Despite the great emphasis today on the topspin power game, the fact remains having a slice backhand is an absolute must, whether you hit your backhand with one hand or two. The use of underspin is multi-faceted: for groundstrokes, return...
Classic Lessons
Mark Philippoussis shows the ball who is boss-with beautiful classical form. With good technical elements, the one handed backhand drive is a beautiful, dependable stroke. There is absolutely no reason you can't develop this classic shot-even if you've secretly feared...
Classic Lessons
Pat Rafter demonstrates how the ready hop starts his movement to hit the one-handed drive. "Backhand." The word itself strikes fear in the hearts of many tennis players. However, once you've selected the backhand that's right for you, like any...
Classic Lessons
In Part One of this series we left you coiled, locked in, and poised to unleash the remainder of your forehand groundstroke. Again, using examples of the world's top pros, let's examine the essential elements necessary to keep the rest...
Classic Lessons
One universal problem I see when people come to my teaching court or camps is poor preparation on the forehand groundstroke. If this fundamental element is incomplete or poor it is likely the stroke will never reach its potential. Using...
Classic Lessons
A player who wants to be a force at the net has to put in quality practice time. When you're learning the mechanics, static practice is fine to a point. However, if all you do is basically stand in one...
Classic Lessons
At my junior and adult camps at the Nike Tahoe Tennis Camp, the first thing I do is evaluate all the campers so as to get them into groups of commensurate ability. Time and time again I'm amazed at the...
Technology In Teaching
The eye Coach: a powerful new way to train the eyes and head position. "Watch the ball!" How many times have you heard that or said it to yourself while playing tennis? What does that really mean, anyway, watch the...
Classic Lessons
Now that readiness, mechanics, and footwork have been discussed (see part one and part two), it's on to the various types of volleys and their tactical considerations. The fact is, there really is no such thing as "the" volley. There...
Classic Lessons
Ciao! There's no other way to put it...my tennis experiences in Italy this summer were nothing short of incredible. And I think there are some important lessons all players can learn from my experiences, in particular, working closely with a...
Classic Lessons
In my day to day work with my students, or when I observe club players, all too often I see a fundamental problem having nothing to do with their actual strokes. This is their lack of shot to shot readiness....
Classic Lessons
Talk about destiny. In my wildest dreams I could not have imagined the course of the events that unfolded from such a simple request when, last March, John Yandell forwarded me an email from an Italian father with questions regarding...
Classic Lessons
If you took a poll of tennis players, particularly recreational players, and asked what shot gives them the most trouble, the high ball would rank near or at the top. By "high ball" I mean a ball you play above...
Classic Lessons
Of all the things I'll point out during the course of a day of tennis instruction, late swings rank right at the top. These late swings happen for a variety of reasons: your preparation is lax, your mind's focused on...
Classic Lessons
It doesn't hold the racket, but the opposite arm makes a difference in the stroke. As a teaching pro, I'm always intrigued by what new students do with the opposite or non-racket arm during their strokes. For many players who...