On Court With Brian Gordon

Sean O’Neil

What was going on with Sejong's forehand?

March is a time to leave the cold of east coast winter behind and make a trek south to bask in the sunshine of Florida. It's only a tow or three week break but gets me excited for the warmth of spring and the start of the outdoor tennis season.

It's a wonderful time spent with family and friends as I travel down the east coast and ultimately arrive in southern Florida. My tennis fix is satisfied in two ways. First, the ability to spend several days at the very impressive Hard Rock stadium and watch the high caliber talent on display at the Miami Open. Secondly, the chance to visit and discuss tennis with Dr. Brian Gordon.

Genius

In my eyes, Brian is a technical genius and this opportunity is greatly appreciated. He's always been very generous with his time.

Theory

RET theory states that negative emotions can be divided in healthy and unhealthy. Unhealthy negative emotions are caused by irrational belief about negative events, not by the events themselves.

Irrational beliefs about adversities like failure, rejection, and ill treatment lead to unhealthy negative emotions, choking, anxiety and dysfunctional behaviors. In contrast rational beliefs about adversities lead to "healthy" negative emotions, like concern and then to positive functional behavior.

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Sean is a retired teaching professional with more than 40 years of coaching experience. Before having multiple neck surgery’s, Sean was certified by both the USPTA (Elite Professional) and PTR (Professional) and taught at some of the most prominent country clubs in the Washington D.C. area. Sean attended the University of Maryland with a major in Kinesiology which led to a keen interest in the biomechanics of stroke production. Having taught all levels of the game, Sean continues to spend time learning about the complexities of the game. Tennis is his lifelong passion and he still continues to have a thirst for knowledge.

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