The Myth of the Magic Bullet

[John Yandell]

Would love to get your thoughts on my latest "myth" article, "The Myth of the Magic Bullet"!

[fedisthebest]

Excellent article!

[jeremy93]

Great article John! To work on the outward and upward extension after contact for goundstrokes, I often have players stop in front (no follow through) with their dominant hand around eye level and their hand as far away from their body as possible. Just like you say do so here. Well done John.

[klacr]

This may be my new favorite article on this site. John nails it. The world of tennis social media is littered with these coaches that have come out of nowhere to give us the secret sauce that will transform our games. Some advice is absolutely horrid. Others are decent but lack the depth and looking for likes and attention.

Fun Fact: It takes more education hours and training to make a donut than it does to become a tennis coach in the United States. Dunkin Donuts onboards all new employees with educational curriculum with modules that take a few days to a few months to complete. Tennis not so much.

But yeah, you get that backhand volley fixed by that internet pro that built up a following doing trick shots.

If you think hiring a professional is expensive, wait until you hire the amateur.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA, PTR
Delray Beach
SETS Consulting

http://www.setsconsult.org

[John Yandell]

So here are some comments from one of the top pros in the Bay Area and a long time friend, who for reasons I understand, want to be anonymous...

"Another genius article. The myth of the magic bullet: now corporations post job openings for coaches-“no experience needed”. They won’t provide training as was given to me and I have to my staffs. Why? Because the people they hire get their info from YouTube, Fuzzy, Jeff, DTL, and every other person who is selling. And, the USPTA has lost all credibility/testing/many members. Tennis is in free fall. Long live John Yandell-a beacon in the storm.."

I don't know about the beacon part but there is truth here...

[stotty]

Nice article but I am afraid we are up against it with the Internet. As a local coach working in the trenches, I find it difficult to override YouTube because it's full of coaches that sound convincing and who commonly echo each other. They have very little originality so echoing each other serves to reassure the feeling they must be right. I often point people to Tennisplayer but they are usually reluctant to part with money to subscribe.

[John Yandell]

Agreed on all points!

[doctorhl]

Superb! Looking forward to your development of a teaching model centered around using a slow motion video pro model and client side-by-side comparison with emphasis on key points. Will be interested in camera logistics encountered in capturing those key points as well as the creation of "best practices" to internalize those key points visually and kinesthetically with minimal verbal instruction. In my opinion your teaching model will build a comprehensible and useful bridge between the tennis science lab and the tennis courts.

[John Yandell]

Doc,
Thanks!

[John Yandell]

Stotty,
Further thought. I don't expect to reverse the course of the internet. Just offering those who can see a different path! I recently tried to fix my dishwasher following You Tube advice. End result: bought a new one...

[John Yandell]

Another top Bay Area teaching pro weighs in:

The Myth of the Magic Bullet…what a fabulous article!!! You SO nailed it.

[markwinters]

Stole some Magic Sunday time to read “The Myth of the Magic Bullet” but had difficult reading the feature straight through...because after some of the points, I jumped out of my chair and screamed “Yes!”

Spot on story...

Mark

[andrew_majett]

Excellent article, John! The online coach space is EXACTLY what you have described. However, there is an opportunity here. Your side by side model sounds great!

[John Yandell]

Thanks Andrew! Stay tuned.