Brad Stine takes you inside the mind of a pro coach -- before, during & after matches

[joeldrucker]

Having coached top pros for more than 35 years, Brad Stine has prepared players for thousands of matches. In this story, he takes us inside the mind of a coach and how the coach-player relationship can work most effectively. We’re curious to hear your thoughts.

https://www.tennisplayer.net/article/interview-with-brad-stine/

[don_budge]

My thoughts? I thought you'd never ask. Brad was born in 1958 which makes him just a few years younger than me. We think a lot alike. One of his first memorable comments is about preparation. He got my attention immediately. I've always said that the mantra of a tennis player is, "preparation...preparation...preparation". The match itself is just the performance written without lines. The drama plays out and becomes preparation material for the next act.

At the point of the ball actually going in play all technique thoughts have to be closeted. Now it is all about strategy. How does my players relative strengths and weaknesses match up to the opponents? I always thought of myself as being an excellent "corner man". As in a boxing match.

When I was coaching a fellow named Aaron Krickstein way back when it was much the same as Brad lays it out. Before his matches we said all we had to say about his opponent and tactics. Then the responsibility was on Aaron to go out and be the man. I found a seat somewhere rather out of the obvious. If he needed my look he knew where I was. In his case he didn't need much from me once the game was on. Amazing to coach such an individual. We had great success at a number of national tournaments where he was playing up an age group. One of my defining moments as a coach was at Kalamazoo the year he debuted at the U. S. Open and defeated Vitas Gerulaitus in five sets. At Kalamazoo Aaron was playing Patrick McEnroe in the semi-finals and I was up in the tower with Mr. Wood and he told me something invaluable. He overheard the McEnroe people talking over his upcoming match with Aaron and they concluded that Aaron would only pass cross court when McEnroe approached the net. It was no coincidence that McEnroe got a steady diet of down the line passes on his net approaches. A coaches work is never done. It doesn't hurt to have a background in espionage either.

Tommy Paul is maybe the closest we have nowadays to a player with versatility. He could have been a throwback to classic tennis when it was an all court game. Obviously, Brad matches up well with his player. Which is perhaps the biggest ask in a coach. You've got to be a good corner man when it comes time for a match. This is a special kind of relationship where you have to know where and when to push the buttons...and when to leave it alone. I really don't like the current coaching paradigm for tennis matches. The coaches box and the entire shebaang. Coaches should be behind the scenes...preparing.