I’m Jim McLennan, the Tennis Director at Fremont Hills Country Club in Los Altos Hills, and editor of TennisOne. I graduated from UC Berkeley in 1970, and earned a masters degree in Sport Psychology from the University of West Florida in 1991. In the course of the graduate work I used an electromechanical teaching aide to study methods for teaching the tennis serve, and this gizmo called “The Whistler” was developed and patented by Don Kerr and myself over the course of a few hot summer afternoons in Destin Florida.
Much of my subsequent study of the game has grown from the work on that project. I created “The Secrets of World Class Footwork (VHS)” and companion booklet, and with the support of the Stanford Biomechanical Engineering Department, studied the efficiency of various footwork starting techniques, with special reference to the “gravity turn” which again flowed from the fertile brain of Don Kerr.
Presently as a teacher, and this teaching thing is a fluid and ever changing thing, I am using material from the Alexander Technique on postural awareness, and attempt to teach from a student centered approach, where rather than with command and direction, the teaching flows from questions that the students explore. I believe the game is so darn complicated, that whenever possible students and players should access their physical awareness and shut off their cognitive self talk channels. But over the years I have grown and changed numerous times (hopefully) so that as this process continues the self description material will change as well. Stay tuned, stay in touch, and let’s enjoy the ride.
Jim
Essential Tennis Instruction
Recent Comments