March 23, 2009
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Funny How Inspiration Can Come Full Circle
(From right to left): My cousin, grandmother, brother and me Halloween 2008As some of you might know, I decided to be an assistant coach at my old high school tennis team. It requires a fair amount of time commitment and I’m not getting paid for it, but so far I have absolutely no regrets doing it. The feedback from the kids have really been rewarding to me and makes me want to continue this next year if I’m able to. Looking back, if it wasn’t for my 15 year old cousin (“Pink Man” in the picture above and who’s currently on the team I’m coaching), I would not have ended up coaching. How did all this tennis stuff happen between my cousin and I?
Flashback a year and a half ago (circa November 2007):
My cousin was experiencing his first couple of months in high school and was not enjoying it really. His plans to play on the soccer team fell through and they messed up his schedule so he wasn’t having the same classes as his other friends. Overall, he seemed a bit bummed out.Concerned, I suggested to him that if he wanted to I could play some tennis with him so that maybe he can join the tennis team in the spring. He never really played tennis before, but he decided to give it a shot. Whenever I came back home from college, I tried to hit with him for a little bit, teaching him techniques and fundamentals that I didn’t learn until after high school. I didn’t have any real expectations for him; I just wanted to give him a hobby that could allow him to meet new people and keep him occupied.
January 2008:
I had stopped hitting with him due to being in Hong Kong for winter break, but when I came back I’ve found out that he had really been getting into the sport. He would often go to the back of the library and hit balls over and over again against the wall for hours. Pleasantly surprise at his work ethic, I decided to help him out some more by upgrading his gear. I passed on my old high school tennis racket to him, as well as a bunch of old tennis clothes and some new Adidas tennis socks. I also gave him a lot of practice balls and tennis magazines for him to read. He asked me how he can pay me back, but I told him not to worry about it. Instead, I just told him to keep doing what he’s doing and as long as he was happy I’ll be good.March -May 2008:
Tennis season has started and my cousin turned out to be the best freshman. I talked to one of the seniors who told me how impressed he was of him. “Your cousin is the future of the team”, he told me. I can’t help but smile. He ended up having a decent record that season.November 2008:
Many months has passed since the last time I saw my cousin play tennis. Over those months, he apparently had been playing constantly with friends from his team, which definitely showed when I played with him.I get a call from him one day asking me if I could help him find a new racket. He had just gotten a lot of birthday money and he decided he wanted to spend it on tennis gear. I happily agreed and picked out a nice racket for him, as well as stringing it for free.
Present:
My cousin is now very well known at his high school as the “tennis star”. Over one year, his confidence has shot through the roof and he enjoys going to school. At the same time, his work ethics has not waiver. He is still playing as much as possible and is always asking me for help.I had come to find out a little before his season started that his coach got suspended for choking out a student (don’t ask haha). The team (especially my cousin) wanted some assistance and after some thought, I decided to help out. I was so worried that these kids would be unresponsive and undisciplined, but they really surprised me. The team actually has some potential and a lot of dedicated players that really listens and wants to get better.
I can’t state how proud I am of my cousin through all of this. I’m glad one of my passions has allowed him to be so much happier now in life than he was just a year and a half ago. I’m going to keep on helping him out, as well as the rest of the team, as much as possible because they all really deserve it.
Interesting how inspiring my cousin ended up leading him to inspire me
P.S. In case some of you were curious, here’s a video of my cousin playing tennis at a clinic at my club. The clinic is a bit expensive, but I really don’t mind paying for it right now if it can help out my cousin.
I’m very impressed with how much better he’s gotten in just a year and a half. He still needs some work on his transition game, footwork on slow shots, and just needs more experience in general, but his natural racket ability and work ethic is top notch. If he keeps on improving at this rate, he’ll be better than me in no time.
First Section: Forehands and Backhands
Second Section: Volleys and Overheads
Third Section: Kick Serves and Flat Serves
Comments (52)
lots of luck to him!!!
Wow, sounds like you’re a great coach! Wanna teach me tennis? =P
Ha, I’ve always wanted to learn tennis, but have never had the opportunity…I guess I’ll just stick to my more-Asian ping pong ;P
That was really a heartfelt story. It’s always refreshing to see people who care about their family more than themselves and end up helping themselves more than anything.
- John
A friend tried to teach me tennis, and it was embarrassing…haha. I kept getting distracted by random objects, other people, noises, and everything in general. I got hit about a zillion times too…
I want to learn how to play tennis too.
awesome! keep up the good work, coach!
i’ve only played tennis once, for 5 minutes
i wanna learn!
haha thats awesome :]
I’m tired
mm I’ll watch the videos soon
I always over-think when I play matches :/
But I’ve been writing down things to remember on paper and reading it on changeovers
it helps
In tennis, I have great strokes but my mentality really sucks eggs
I watched half of the video and he has quite a backhand :]
A one-handed is really rare, thats awesome
To me, it looks like he gets really good racket head speed on the forehand but he looks like he’s on his back foot too much :/
idk but he looks really good
That’s a nice story :]
Sometimes my friends and I get together and play tennis. We definitely don’t know what we are doing, but it’s a lot of fun and a good work out. We usually go to the YMCA and play there. We aren’t members but they let anyone go there. Can’t you go the the Y or is there a reason why you use the clinic? (it is nice looking btw.)
you’re a good man [:
i wanted to play tennis but i didn’t have the commitment for it =/
I only played tennis once and let me tell you, it hurt like hell. Out of shape? Yeah, probably so. My sister played tennis in high school and she was pretty good. Have fun!
I’m kinda inspired too now. Think I’ll try and pick up tennis when I’m back in school in the summer! I might bug you for tips too if you don’t mind.
lol u sound so “a pa!!”
hehehe
but yay!! to ur coussie!!
@pinaymutt -
Thanks for wishing him luck!
@TheLoveMuse -
Sure if you’re ever in the area. I only charge $100 an hour. J/k =P
@The_Aftershock_3650 -
Thanks for you kind words John. Hey it’s spring now, you have more opportunities to go out and play! You’ll probably have good hand-eye coordination if you’re good at ping pong. My brother played ping pong first and then tried out tennis. His volleys are alright but he just needs work on his footwork. He’s not used to moving for the ball haha.
@faerienoodles -
Tennis is tough, but so much fun once you get the hang of it. It’s a lifelong sport, so it’s a good investment to keep on trying to play!
@k_emetib -
What’s stopping you? There’s a lot of places you can check out if you really wanna learn. Let me know if you want more details.
@kc_sarah -
I will try Sarah!
@babyblue5201314 -
Haha next time play for at least a half hour. Eventually you’ll get the hang of it, unless you don’t have an athletic bone in your body =P
@Dylan_Disast3r -
I used to write down stuff and read it between changeovers as well. I figured if Serena Williams does it why not give it a try?
Tennis is so mental it’s not even funny. I think it’s 90% in the head and only 10% physical.
I have no idea how he got that one handed backhand. I started him off as a two-hander, but one day he just decided to try out one hand and there he go!
I agree with you that he gets good racket head speed but he could definitely improve on his placement. I don’t think the speed of the court was helping him out either; he’s not used to fast indoor hard courts.
How are you compared to my cousin btw?
@Roadlesstaken - haha that sounds just about right… but i’m just kidding. i’m not THAT bad…. i just never have anyone to teach me. or encourage me to play *shrugs
@B1ANCACACA -
Oh the reason why we’re using that clinic is because I work at that tennis club, so I have some connections
. The clinic still cost me some bucks, but it’s a lot cheaper than if another non-member had signed up for it.
@asdfghjkieu -
Aw, well it’s never too late to get into tennis. Play any other sports?
@mysteriousromantic -
What part were you hurt? Haha I’m curious.
@AzureRecollections -
Sure, always happy to help out if I can
. Just let me know.
@s_h_a_sha -
Haha I can’t think right now. What do you mean I sound so “a pa”?
Why is your cousin’s face pink?
I think it’s pretty awesome with teaching your cousin how to play and coming back to coach his tennis team!
@BomCamChuoi -
It was Halloween and he was “Pink Man”. Yea…haha
Excellent! Now, all I have to do is to get back in shape for summer tennis. lol
@Roadlesstaken - i wish. but i’m too cool for sports =P
@Roadlesstaken -
ahaa yes, tennis is soo mental, unfortunately for me
I’d say your cousin probably has a better forehand than mine because my forehand’s technique changes a lot. In one match, my forehand can go from long heavy swings like Daniela Hantuchova’s to snappy flat shots like Ivanovic’s.
Having an array of different forehands helps me deal with different players but what I hate about my forehand is that it can sometimes just suddenly become a glaring weakness cuz I start getting terrible contact on the ball.
It’s hard for me to tell whether his backhand’s are going barely in or barely out, but my backhand might be a little better than his.
(conceited status >.<) but every single coach I’ve had has told me that I have one of the best backhands they’ve ever seen.
I was born with a great two-handed backhand
I can do anything with my backhand, spin, slice, flat, and it’s extremely consistent.
I didn’t watch the part with your cousin’s serves but they’re probably faster than mine because I tend to go for placement rather than power on my serves. I probably have one of the weakest serves ever but they have a lot of spin so people can’t just hit winners off it and it’s very consistent.
*Whoa, longest comment I’ve ever wrote
*
@hyunj09 -
Oh are you a tennis player yourself? How long you’ve played?
@Dylan_Disast3r -
Wow, your team must be pretty good if the coach put you in JV even after saying you have one of the best backhands they’ve seen. Good backhand players are hard to come by nowadays!
My cousins rather short, so for him I’ve taught him to implement the kick serve more often. He’s gotten pretty good kick on it so far. He can hit a flat serve pretty hard, but they go in like 2% of the time haha.
whoa mayn! that’s awesome. nothing sexier than a tennis god. bhahaha.
woo. interesting. was thinking of taking tennis up but the school’s charging $100 for 6 lessons? a lil steep for me. :/
@Roadlesstaken -
lol a pa! as in papa ,father , daddy..haha sorry lo my canto in english way is so weird :p
@PiscesPhishie -
Hellz yea! Pass that knowledge on to others
@tollyyjoy -
The head pro at my club charges $75 per hour of lesson X_X
@s_h_a_sha -
Oooooh ok. I call my dad “baba” so that’s why I didn’t get it initially.
why don’t you teach me now that he’s good. :]] i’ve always wanted to play. . but i suck at that. i’m only “ok” in track and softball. ^^
That’s so cool!
Aw you’re such a team member! Good job!
Hi
I see you’re a tennis fan/player/coach lol
I’m playing pros right now, and giving lessons here and there as well
It’s nice to read about other people who love tennis as much as I do
keep it up, you’re definitely making those kids smile!:)
Wow he’s really good! I’m so happy for both you and your cousin, I think everybody needs something they can be the best at
@Roadlesstaken -
lol yeah like I said, I have good strokes my mentality needs work…..a lot of work
like today I lost my match because I made the mistakes in the wrong times.
I ALWAYS do that, I’ll get to 40-0 on my serve and lose the next 5 points.
Or I’ll have like 2 break points on my opponent’s serve and I’ll lose them both.
I always collapse when I have a chance to go ahead :*(
you’re a pretty wonderful person alex
@s0rair0 -
Sure thing; just come visit me in MD and I’ll give you a free lesson or two
@TheCheshireGrins -
isn’t it?
@GaMeGurLsH -
Haha thanks. What can I say; I like working along side others.
@missedout_onlife -
Seriously? Any chance I might have seen you play on tv at a recent tournament? How do you have time to teach while on the tour? I heard it can be pretty tough.
@trickery19 -
For sure. It can definitely help boost up one’s confidence levels!
@indiechaos -
Nah, I’m a pretty evil man
@Dylan_Disast3r -
Is it the pressure of the points, or do you just lose focus at bad times?
@Roadlesstaken -
really? well.. maybe i should sign up soon! hahaha.
Oh I only give lessons here and there privately, not work at a club or something! And I haven’t played a tournament since september, I’m starting now this month again
And I’m not yet on tv, hopefully one day,I’m still playing low level pros :p
@Roadlesstaken -
A little bit of both
Hey Alex. I am so new to this whole xanga thing I need a little help on how it all works. if you could help me out that would be totally awesome. I am trying to start a place where people with illnesses or injury’s can talk and have others to lift them up and encourage them but i really don’t know how this site works. i would really appreciate your help.
Jackie
that’s great
great story!!!
hmm how do you choose a good racket?
my cousin asked me for help too haha
but i dont know because i was never that into tennis
@missedout_onlife -
Oh I see. How come you took a break from the tour since September? You should definitely blog about your life on tour; I would be very interested in reading about that!
@charmed1alwayz -
Thanks
@RciindiiR -
Hmm depends on a a few things. First, what’s his level? There are rackets made for beginners, intermediates, and advanced. I can help you out some more from there.
@Hope_for_those_not_alone -
Hmm I’ll try to help. Have you tried looking for blogrings with those interests? Maybe you can comment on a few Xangans from those groups first and see where you can go from there.
i’d guess intermediate level? he’s on the jv team at his high school. (but there’s only jv and varsity ^^;;)
@RciindiiR -
Hmm okay. I would find a tweener racket for him, where are usually between $40-100. He’ll probably want at least a mid plus size head, if not an oversize. You could probably go to any sporting good store for one of those intermediate type rackets. Just no 20 dollar rackets; those are just too cheap haha.
Somehow I missed this entire post. wth?!! Anywho – your cousin is awesome! And you too of course. I tutored incoming freshmen athletes at TU and have witnessed a few stray from the sport in favor of parties. And there were some that didn’t quite adjust and also chose other ways to cope and “fit in.” I’m glad your cousin have the determination, drive, and you to help him.
So how about I give you this instead.
p.s. Staying away from Xanga is much harder than I thought. lol
@tigerdauphin -
Haha why thanks you. Do you play sports yourself?
p.s. just let Xanga consume you. It’s okay really
@Roadlesstaken -
I was on the swim team when I was younger but now I’m a little scared of the water (lol long story). But I love volleyball! I also like badminton, climbing trees/rooftops, or any random thing to keep active. And I recently just discovered scuba diving and I am hooked!!!
btw Alex, there is a term for people like you, abider!!!! You’re supposed to help wean me off of my addiction instead of encouraging it… thank you! =oD
@tigerdauphin -
Haha well a Xanga addiction isn’t so bad compare to other types of addiction. Scuba diving eh? I really wanna try that someday; just waiting for the opportunity to arise.
Btw, I noticed you went to Temple, which isn’t terribly far from where I am. That’s in PA right? Are you still in that area?
@Roadlesstaken -
Yup, I have a place in Philly.