Herrmann Tennis Academy

HTA Wraps Up High Performance Camp

2010-05-12T10:52:00.001-07:00

2010 HTA High Performance Camp Series
Camp #2
Boys’ & Girls’ 12s & 14s

The Herrmann Tennis Academy hosted its second High Performance Camp of 2010 on April 23-25 at the Glenbrook Racquet Club in Northbrook, Ill. The invitation only camp for Boys’ and Girls’ 12s and 14s featured 30 of the Midwest’s top ranked players. The featured presenter was 2008 U.S. Olympic Coach Rodney Harmon.

Harmon is considered one of America’s true tennis visionaries and for over a decade he served as the USTA Director of High Performance Men’s’ tennis. In his time at the USTA Rodney worked with the most talented players in the nation, including Andy Roddick, James Blake, and Bob & Mike Bryan. He is one of the world’s foremost authorities on the technical aspects of stroke mechanics.

On Friday evening campers were presented topics by Harmon and HTA Director Ernie Katko. Harmon’s presentation focused on the importance of stroke variety in an individual’s game. Katko followed with a discussion of mental tactics and acceptable on court emotions.
Saturday’s action featured three discussions, two by Harmon and the third by Northwestern University Men’s Tennis Coach Arvid Swan. The day started with Harmon’s video analysis on doubles, focusing on the different variety and movement displayed by the Bryan Brothers and the Williams Sisters. Swan led a parental discussion on NCAA regulations and steps that parents may take to help their children develop an opportunity to earn a scholarship. Harmon’s second presentation of the day emphasized the development of defensive skills to neutralize opponent’s strengths.

Sunday featured HTA Owner Ken Herrmann presenting strategies for breaking opponent’s serves and a parent seminar by Van King. Van is the father of Evan King, one of the most highly touted American juniors. Van’s primary topic was the opportunities that tennis can present and finding ways to set healthy goals.

During each day of the event players participated in collegiate style match play. Players were placed on teams representing Northwestern, Ohio State, Michigan, and Tennessee.

The following players participated in the camp: Rex Alley, Craig Campbell, Sean Carrol, Paige Cooley, Rohan Daruwala, Veronica Dodd, Grey Doscotch, Scott Drier, Jalen Evans, Chase Garber, Thomas Harris, Anna Hatfield, Nicholas Hebda, Kenny Herrmann, Sam Hoogland, Lucas Horve, Shyun, Jung, Jaren Katz, Tia King, Edon Kosova, Arina Martin, Oliver Natarajan, Adam Neff, Erika Oku, Niles Porter, Haleigh Porter, Andrew Puscas, Ethan Radke, Ivan Rakic, Jack Randall, Ray Richardson, and Dan Schwartz.

Fawcett Reaches Quarterfinals at Easter Boll

2010-05-11T10:21:00.000-07:00

Fawcett Reaches Quarters at 2010 Easter Bowl

Tom Fawcett reached the quarterfinals of the Easter Bowl, the USTA National Spring Championships, held in Rancho Mirage, Cal. April 11-18. Fawcett was the 14th seed at the event.

Fawcett won his first two matches with ease, winning 6-1, 6-0 in the first round and 6-2, 6-0 in the second. In the round of 32 he was forced into a first set tie break by #17 Philip Antohi. Fawcett won the break 7-3 and took a close second set 6-4.

In the following round Fawcett captured his biggest upset of the tournament dropping #7 seed Toshiki Matsuya 6-3, 6-3 to reach the quarters. Matsuya is ranked 13th in the USTA National Rankings.

The quarterfinals Fawcett fell to #2 seed Noah Rubin 7-5, 6-2, before dropping a tight 7-5, 7-6(4) match to William Chiu in the consolation quarters. Rubin, of Rockville Center, New York, is ranked 4th in the Nation.

"Tom has been playing high level tennis the last six months; this was a great result in a National Championship. He is taking advantage of the development of his offensive skills," added HTA Director Ernie Katko. "He has been working very hard on moving forward in the court and finishing points either off the bounce or in the air. He always had an excellent court sense, now he has added more offense and more physical conditioning, the additions have paid off."

In the last four months Fawcett has won a Midwest Designated, Midwest Indoor Closed, and Midwest Winter Championships in addition to numerous semifinal appearances.

"Tom is having a great year and he is really growing into his game,” said HTA Owner Ken Herrmann. “Tom has become a major force on the national scene"

Fawcett is currently ranked 2nd in the USTA Midwest Section and 17th in the National Rankings.

Simple Steps to a better serve

2010-04-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

Simple Steps To a Better Serve
By HTA Coach Chris Thomas

Players are always looking for ways to tweak their mechanics in order to improve their serves. They try things like increasing racquet-head acceleration, ball toss location, and different wind-ups, but they often overlook the basics. Instead of implementing new techniques, the fastest way to improvement is by upgrading the skills you already possess.

For the serve, it starts with a dependable toss. If you watch any of the great servers like Roddick, Sampras, and Isner each one puts the ball in the right spot every time. No matter if they are hitting a flat first serve or a big kicking second serve the ball toss is always in the same place. This helps with disguise and never letting your opponent know what type of serve you are about to hit. Yet less advanced players are constantly chasing a bad toss, which throws off the rest of their motions. You can get away with some deficiencies in your swing if you have a great toss however that’s not true the other way around.

Being consistent with the toss requires rhythm and practice. During workouts I encourage players to get in their serving stances and extend their arms up, let go of the ball, and catch it. To find the ideal place to put the ball, fully extend your racquet upward and toss the ball just above the top of the frame. Remember, it’s better to toss the ball too high than too low. Do this 10 to 15 times before you even hit a serve in practice.

When you practice hitting real serves, it’s always better to make a high percentage. Don’t worry about pace at first. So many players just try to crank their serves, and most of them land out. Since it’s just practice, it doesn’t bother them. But when they get into matches, their serves aren’t any better.

Set up challenges for yourself such as hitting a certain number of serves in a particular part of the service box. For example, see how many out of 10 you can hit wide or down the middle. Or how many second serves you can make without missing. Only after you get into a good rhythm where you’re making a handful of first serves in a row should you start to increase your power. A gradual progression like this allows you to amp up the pace on your serve while maintaining consistency.

High Performance Mini-Camp Blog

2010-01-28T10:46:00.000-08:00

Herrmann Tennis Academy
High Performance Mini-Camp Blog
10s & 12s
January 15 – 17, 2010

Click here for camp Video

With our club’s busy permanent court time and tournament schedule this was our first opportunity to host a Mini-Camp this season. I immediately knew that I wanted to get former USTA Director of Men’s Tennis Rodney Harmon back to HTA. Coach Harmon had been to the Academy last year for a Mini Camp with our Boys’ 16s & 18s, and I was excited about him getting to spend some time with our talented “future stars.”

Friday, January 15th - The camp officially kicked off with all 22 participants joining Rodney for an on court session on “Beating the Pusher – A Lesson in Taking the Ball on the Rise”. After the talk, the juniors were placed on four individual teams for our Davis Cup Competition. The teams were Northwestern (coached by Alums Paul Wei & Jackie Jenkins), Michigan (Van King), Texas (my alma mater), and Tennessee (Rodney’s School).

The weekend team competition was formatted very similar to Zonals with singles, doubles, and mixed doubles matches taking place.

HTA Director Ernie Katko spoke to the participants about their recent wins and losses, and if they or their opponents caused the result. Katko’s presentation, entitled “Winning Matches through Game Analysis,” set the tone for the entire weekend as each player was instructed to make specific notes of his or her opponents’ strengths and weaknesses.

We played until 9pm and told everyone to get a good night rest for our nine hour day on Saturday.

Saturday, January 16th – We began the day with a video match presentation on winning patterns of play. Rodney, the 2008 USA Olympic Coach, broke down footage of the James Blake vs. Roger Federer Beijing Olympics match and discussed the changes Blake made in his game to win. The kids were very impressed and asked various questions on tactics, strategies, and the reactions both players were having during the match.

One of the most popular segments of the camp followed as Rodney broke down the draw and picked his favorites for the Australian Open. Unfortunately his streak of correctly picking the champion only lasted a single year as his 2010 favorite Nikolay Davydenko fell in the quarterfinals. Afterwards we started our hitting session with two hours of live ball drills, followed by lunch and a FAST SERVE Contest won by Max McKinnon (95mph).

Our afternoon session saw the players compete for their respective teams and competition was fierce!

Later that evening at 6:30 we had a pizza party and everyone was ready to get some rest.

Sunday, January 17th – 8am comes fast. We started off our session with Rodney presenting “Exploiting Your Opponent’s Weakness”. Several interesting topics were discussed here from analyzing your opponents grips, to finishing off the mid court ball. We finished our morning session with final Davis Cup matches.

Throughout the weekend each of the players filled their camp notebooks with insights they recorded during and after match play, they also took detailed notes on how our topics related to their individual games. We hope the campers all share this vital information with their personal coaches.

All players were given a group photo to remember their experience on court with Rodney.

Special Thanks goes to former HTA Advisor Paul Torricelli for his talk on “Does Your Child Aspire to Play Collegiate Tennis”, and current HTA coach Van King’s talk on “Lessons in Parenting a Junior Player”.

It was a terrific weekend with lots of great tennis and information discussed. I enjoyed meeting the players that came in from across the Midwest. We’ve got some very talented kids in the Midwest coming through the ranks!!

Fawcett Wins Midwest Winter Championships

2010-01-27T13:07:00.000-08:00

Tom Fawcett took the Boys’ 14s title to lead a strong contingent of HTA competitors at the Midwest Winter Championships held at the Dayton Center Courts & Tennis Academy in Dayton, Ohio January 15-17. The tournament is a National Level 3, Midwest Level 2 event.

Fawcett, seeded third, rocked Brandon Yeoh of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. 6-0, 6-1 in the first round. In the second round Fawcett dropped his only set of the tournament, falling behind 6-7(5) to Indiana’s Jeffrey Chen. Fawcett turned it around and took each of the next two sets 6-1, 6-1. Tom handled fifth seeded Michael Dube 6-2, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.

The semifinals brought a tighter match as Fawcett knocked out Harrison O’Keefe 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the finals against Aron Hiltzik. O’Keefe, from Salem, Va. knocked out #1 seed Max Fleigner 6-1, 6-2 in the quarters. Fawcett took out Hiltzik in straight sets 6-3, 6-0 to take the title.

In the Boys’ 18s draw Ben Hoogland won his first two matches 6-1, 6-0 and 6-2, 6-1 to cruise into the quarterfinals, where he faced #3 seed Jackson Withrow. Withrow topped Hoogland 6-3, 6-2.

Also competing in the event were Sam Hoogland (2-2), Vinnie Nagaraj (1-2), Michael Sellitto (0-2), and Brandon Wozniczka (0-2)

Four Compete at Boy's 10s Closed

2010-01-27T13:01:00.000-08:00

Four juniors from the Herrmann Tennis Academy traveled to Kenosha, Wisc. to compete at the USTA Midwest Section Boys’ 10s’ Midwest Closed Junior Indoor Championships January 23-25.

Kenny Herrmann had the top showing of HTA competitors, receiving a bye as the seventh seed and winning his first two matches to advance to the quarterfinals. Kenny then fell 6-1, 6-0 to Sam Komis in the quarters. Herrmann rebounded to take out fifteenth seed Scott Bout 6-3, 6-1 to advance to the feed-in semifinals and end the tournament on a winning note.

Jeremy Barretta posted a 4-2 record in the tournament, highlighted by a 4-6, 7-5, 10-7 win over eighth seeded Oliver Weaver.

Quentin Benedetto lost to sixteenth seed Casey Johnson in the first round and was defeated 3-6, 7-6(7), 11-9 by A.J Dugan in his second match.

Michael McFadden also fell in a close consolation match, losing 7-5, 2-6, 10-5 to Benjamin Bout.

“Each of our players showed some positive results in this event,” said HTA Owner Ken Herrmann. “Each of these boys’ has a bright future in the game and we are excited to see them develop together.”

Wisconsin's Robert Krill, an attendee at the most recent HTA High Performance Mini-Camp advanced to the finals.

The Fitness Difference by Chris Thomas

2010-01-26T08:49:00.000-08:00

The Importance of Fitness
HTA Coach Chris Thomas

If you have ever played several, grueling three set matches in one day you know how important it is to be in great physical shape. Having the ability to last on the court for long periods of time and to recover quickly will give you a major advantage during matches.

Fitness training should go beyond aerobic conditioning and include speed, quickness, agility, strength and endurance training. If you want to be at the top of your game you have to devote time on a consistent basis to increase your overall fitness. For all juniors that are gearing up for the high school season, now is the time to put your fitness regime into high gear. Matches (and positions on varsity teams) are rarely won by the player that hits their strokes the hardest but are almost always won by the player that consistently moves around the court with excellent footwork. Can you imagine the difference it would make in your game if during a third set tiebreak you felt like it was the first set? Being able to get to every ball and hitting it in your strike zone will make a huge difference in a long close match. Increasing your overall fitness level is something every player can do that will definitely help every time they step one the court.

There are many activities you can do to increase your fitness level. I am a big believer in making sure that you raise your heart rate for at least 20 minutes as a starting point for every workout. Many activities that can be utilized include jogging (outside or on a treadmill), riding a stationary or recumbent bike, using an elliptical or stair stepper or one of my favorites – inline skating. Additionally, I like to include some type of speed and agility training in my daily workouts. A few good exercises are sprints, speed ladder, and jumping rope. The last element I like to include is strength training. The key is to concentrate on your form, use lower weights and more repetitions and be sure to include leg work and core work.

Fitness is a major factor in becoming the best tennis player you can. You need to discipline yourself and make fitness training part of your daily practice routine. Work hard and give it 100% and you will see the results on the court.

Thomas Joins HTA Staff

2009-12-18T09:12:00.000-08:00

The Herrmann Tennis Academy has announced the addition of Chris Thomas to the staff. Chris joins us after completing his masters degree in recreation, parks, and tourism administration from Western Illinois University.

While attending WIU Chris served as the Graduate Assistant for the men's and women's tennis teams. He helped lead both teams to top three finishes at the 2009 Summit League Championships.

Prior to attending WIU Thomas played at Eastern Illinois University and was a four year letter-winner. At Eastern Chris played as high in the lineup as #1 doubles and #2 singles.

A native of Wilmette, Chris was twice an all-state honoree at New Trier High School. In 2004 he was the captain of a Trevian team that finished second at the IHSA State Tournament. That year he also captured a sectional championship in doubles.

"Chris has a lot of enthusiam and is a terrific young man," noted HTA's Ken Herrmann. "He will add additional excitement to the academy."

Yu and Tapak to play at Carnegie Mellon

2009-08-21T14:54:00.000-07:00

Recent Herrmann Tennis Academy players Johoo Yu and Alex Tapak have announced that they will play collegiate tennis at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh for head coach Andrew Girard.

Yu, a 2009 graduate of Glenbrook North High School, is ranked 46th in the USTA Midwest Section. This past spring Jooho finished in the top 16 at the IHSA State Championships and he qualified for the state tournament three times in his high school career.

“I knew Jooho was an excellent match for our tennis program right away. His academic success and interests combined with his continually improving tennis game and results are exactly what we are looking for here at Carnegie Mellon,” said coach Girard. “He has had some great results over the last season against some of the Midwest’s best players. He’ll come in well-prepared to battle against the top players in Division III.”

The Tartans made it to the NCAA Division III Regional Finals in 2009, where they came within one match of reaching the NCAA Championships before falling to Kenyon 5-4. They finished the season ranked #14 in the ITA Rankings. Over the last four years CMU has combined to go 57-23.

Tapak was a three-time state qualifier for Hinsdale Central High School, and she helped lead the Red Devils to three consecutive IHSA State Championships. Her sophomore and junior years Tapak joined forces with Emily Lombardi and the pair finished top 12 in 2006 and fourth in 2007. As a senior Alex and Kate Klein were fifth at state.

“We’re really excited to have Alex at Carnegie Mellon this coming year. She should be able to step in and be a major contributor for us right away in both singles and doubles. I expect we’ll be in the national title hunt over the next few years and think that Alex will be a key player in that effort. As a tennis player, student, and person she is a great fit for our program,” noted Girard.

CMU had one of its best seasons in school history in 2009 as it advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament and finished the season 21-3. Additionally, the team captured the very first ITA Division III Indoor Championships. Each of the team’s three loses were to opponents ranked in the top five of the ITA rankings. Over the last five years Carnegie Mellon is 85-32.

“Alex and Jooho both have very solid games and we expect them to contribute greatly to their team’s success over the next four years,” stated Ken Herrmann. “They both are continuing their education at one of the top academic institutions in the nation.”

U.S. News and World Report ranks Carnegie Mellon as one of the top twenty-five National Universities in the United States.

Moore Second at IHSA Championships

2009-06-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

Herrmann Tennis Academy Standout and Glenbrook South Senior Michael Moore finished his tremendous high school career with a second place finish at the Illinois High School Association Boys Tennis Championships. Moore, a Notre Dame recruit, was the top seed in the 128 player draw and one of twelve HTA players at the tournament
Moore dominated his first three matches, beating Lake Forests’ Peter Wolniak 6-0, 6-1 in the first round, Collin McWethy of Oswego 6-1, 6-0 in the second, and Ben Quazzo of Latin 6-0, 6-2 in the third. Day two was more challenging, but Michael took two more matches in straight sets, including a 6-1, 6-3 over academy classmate Andrew Scholnick.

In the semifinals Moore took out defending state champion Denis Bogatov 6-1, 6-7(3), 7-6(3) in a three and a half hour battle. Less than two hours later Moore was back on court and facing #2 seed Blake Bazarnik. Bazarnik took the first set 6-4, before Michael bounced back with a 6-3 win in the second. The two players went stroke for stroke in the third set and were dead even at 6 all. Ultimately Bazarnik took the tiebreak 7-4 for the match and the title.

Moore placed in the top eight at state each of the last three seasons.

“Michael has been such a huge part of our academy for the past six years and I am extremely happy that he could be a state finalist,” said HTA Owner Ken Herrmann. “Although he didn’t finish the season with the results he wanted, he had an incredible high school career.”

Helping Glenbrook South take fourth were two other HTA stars, Junior Ben Hoogland and Freshman Michael Sellitto. Hoogland received a top eight seed for the tournament and won each of his first three matches in straight sets to advance to day two. In his fourth match Moore was upset by Lake Zurich’s Michael Redlicki 6-2, 6-4. Redlicki became one of the biggest stories of the IHSA event as he finished fourth as a freshman.

Hoogland got back on track in the consolation draw and won three more matches to advance to the Consolation semifinals where he fell to HTA sophomore Robert Stineman 6-1, 6-3 to tie for seventh place in the tournament.

Sellitto finished an outstanding freshman season with a third place finish in the doubles draw. Sellitto teamed up with Tommy McNichols to win their first five matches of the tournament. On day one the duo won each match in three sets, but the competition picked up on day two and the Titans pulled out two tight three set matches. In the semifinals they lost to eventual second-place finishers Ross Putterman and David Packowitz 6-0, 6-4. In the third place match Sellitto and McNichols bounced back from a first set loss to beat New Trier’s John Beam and Branter Jones 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(1). This was the fourth New Trier-GBS meeting of the year and Glenbrook South won on three occasions.

Stineman (sixth place), Scholnick (7th place) and Jones were a part of the HTA contingent that lead New Trier to third in state.

“The level of play at this event was incredible and it was especially rewarding to see the impact that many of our players had on the teams that were at the top of the standings at the end of the tournament,” said Herrmann.

Also representing the academy and their high schools were: Bill Angel (Fr., Glenbrook North), Marcus Ampon (Sr., Highland Park), Etham Frenkel (Sr., Stevenson), Kevin Prescott (Sr., Chicago Latin), Jooho Yu (Sr. Glenbrook North), and Vova Zverkovskiy (Jr., Niles West).

To qualify for the state tournament players must finish in the top four at their respective sectional. Moore, Scholnick, Jones, and Sellitto were each sectional champions and six of the top sixteen seeds at state were academy members.

Michaels Take Home District Titles

2009-06-25T13:41:00.000-07:00

Michael Moore and Michael Kusznerko each started the summer off on a huge note, winning the Chicago District Championships held June 12-17 at eight sites across the Chicago Area.

Moore, who also captured the title in 2008, breezed into the semifinals by winning his first four matches in straight sets and only dropping 13 games. In the semifinals Moore dropped the first set 6-7 to Augie Bloom, before storming back and taking the next two sets 6-3, 6-3. The finals were a rematch of the IHSA State Championships held two weeks earlier, and just as in that match Bazarnik took the first set.

Playing on his home courts at the Glenbrook Racquet Club, Moore unleashed ace after ace to take the second set and even the match at 3-6, 6-4. Leading 2-1 in the third set Moore went up 0-40 on Bazarnik’s serve. After miss-hitting a forehand to take the score to 15-40, Michael forced Bazarnik into a forehand error to take the game and go up a break. Each player held for the next four games and Moore served for the championship at 5-3. Ensuring that Bazarnik couldn’t get back into the match Moore immediately hit three un-returnable serves to race out to a 40-0 lead. At match point Moore forced Blake into an error to take the title.
In the Boy’s 12s draw Michael Kusznerko ran through the draw winning all six of his matches in straight sets. Kuszernko took out the #11, #6, #4, and #2 seed in route to the title.

Nearly 1 of every 7 participants in the 490 player District Championships trained at the HTA this season, in addition to the players listed above, the following competitors represented the academy: Brian Alden, Bill Angel, Emily Barretta, Jeremy Barretta, Johnathon Benedetto, Quentin Benedetto, Ben Bleier, Ryan Buxbaum, Drew Campbell, Julian Childers, Daniel Choi, Scott Drier, Ted Eberle, Colin Egerter, Thomas Fawcett, Cammy Frei, Lauren Frei, Etham Frenkel, Luke Gensburg, Claire Golden, Josh Greenberg, Nick Hamburger, Conrad Harron, Kenny Herrmann, Aron Hiltzik, Ben Hoogland, Sam Hoogland, Nate Jacobson, Robert Jacobson, Maddy Kahn, Dennis Kontorovich, David Korobov, Michael Korobov, Courtney Lang, Max MacKinnon, Chas Mayer, Michael McFadden, Joel Meyer, Kaitlin Mogentale, David Myers, Vinnie Nagaraj, Rebecca Newmark, Blake Oslan, Arthur Ozga, Kevin Prescott, Alexa Prosniewski, Alex Rachlin, Alyssa Ritchie, Patrick Rourke, Evan Ruda, Sarah Rudo, William Sauser, Andrew Scholnick, Michael Sellitto, Jake Sheehan, Robert Stineman, William Szokol, Grace Tapak, Chris Vaselopulos, Brandon Wozniczka, Jooho Yu, Vladimir Zverkovskiy.

“It was incredible that over 65 players who trained at our academy this year participated in Chicago’s biggest event,” said Owner Ken Herrmann. “The two Michaels each had excellent tournaments and I expect them to have great results at the Midwest Closed.”

HTA in the News

2009-06-11T08:58:00.000-07:00

With the great results our players had at the IHSA tournament the academy and our members have been showing up a lot in the newspapers recently. Below are links are excerpts to some of the stories.

Zverkovskiy turning up his game for future
By Dan Shalin, Pioneer Press

"He plans to spend several days a week at the Herrmann Tennis Academy in Northbrook. It's the same place where local tennis stars like Glenbrook South's Michael Moore, Evanston's Joseph Collins, and many of New Triers top performers train.

Twice a sweek Zverkovskiy will have lessons with Ben Pettinari, a Frenchman who has been his coach at Herrmann since Vova was 14."

All-Area North Stars Boys Tennis Team
Glenbrook South teammates see stars
by Dan Shalin, Pioneer Press

"His (Moore's) second place finish earned him the distinction of being the only GBS singles player to medal three times at the state meet.

For his performance Moore is name the 2009 Pioneer Press North Stars Singles Player of the Year. Moore's teammates, senior Tommy McNichols and freshman Michael Sellitto, comprise the North Stars Doubles Team of the Year."

(All five of the First Team Singles Players are HTA Academy Members)

Bazarnik tops Moore for state tennis title
By Mike Garofola, Daily Herald Correspondent

"The Moore-Bogatov match was a classic, taking nearly 3 1/2 hours to complete, with Moore outlasting the Warren senior 6-1, 6-7(3), 7-6(3). Together, they wowed the ever-cheering audience with abundant highlight reel shots.

'In the end, Michael hit more of the clutch shots, and just didn't miss when it counted,' said Bogatov, who came back to defeat Redlicki in the third place match."

Odd couple proves to be perferct pairing
By George Wilcox, Pioneer Press

"Glenbrook South's doubles team of McNichols and Michael Sellitto may have appeard to be an odd, first-time pairing when the season began, but the senior and freshman matched their state tournament top-four seed.

McNichols and Sellitto becamse the third doubles team from GBS to finish third in the state meet."

Glenbrook South boys tennis may have state's top one-two punch
By Mike Helfgot, Chicago Tribune

"Ben Hoogland didn't think high school tennis was good for his game. Then he saw what it did for Michael Moore. Now Glenbrook South High School has two of the top players in Illinois.

Moore, a senior headed to Notre Dame, and Hoogland, a junior, just might be the state's top one-two punch; the seeding committe for this weekend's state tennis tournament believes they are."

Titans Lead Local Effort at State Finals (Recap of Glenbrook South at IHSA Tournament)

Twelve From HTA Qualify For IHSA Championships

2009-05-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

Twelve Qualify for IHSA State Tournament

Twelve players from the Herrmann Tennis Academy qualified for the Illinois High School Association 2009 State Boy’s Tennis Championships, which begins on Thursday, May 28th.

The HTA players participating in the tournament include: Bill Angel(Fr., Glenbrook North), Marcus Ampon(Sr., Highland Park), Etham Frenkel(Sr., Stevenson), Ben Hoogland(Jr., Glenbrook South), Brantner Jones(Jr., New Trier), Michael Moore(Sr., Glenbrook South), Kevin Prescott(Sr., Chicago Latin), Andrew Scholnick(So., New Trier), Michael Sellitto(Fr., Glenbrook South), Robert Stineman(So., New Trier), Jooho Yu(Sr. Glenbrook North), and Vova Zverkovskiy(Jr., Niles West). To qualify for the state tournament players must finish in the top four at their respective sectional.

Moore and Scholnick were each sectional singles champions with Michael winning the title in Schaumburg and Andrew capturing the championship in Skokie. Sellitto teamed up with senior Tommy McNichols to take the doubles title in Schaumburg, while Jones paired with John Beam to win in Skokie.

Moore, Hoogland, Sellitto, Scholnick, Jones, Stineman, Ampon, Frenkel, and Prescott each represented a school that won a sectional team championship.

“We are really proud of the way our kids have represented their High Schools during the season,” said HTA Owner Ken Herrmann. “I am excited to see everyone play this week and I wish all of the players best of luck!”

Moore took fifth in 2007 and sixth in 2008. Last year Stineman and Jones teamed up to take third in the doubles draw.

The twelve players look to join Ryan Heller as academy players who have won IHSA Championships. In 2002 Heller, representing Glenbrook North High School, won the state singles championship as a junior.

In 2008 Denis Bogatov(Warren H.S.) won the singles championship and Ben Woldenberg and Sam Barnett(Highland Park) won the doubles championship.

Click here for tournament results and information.

The Importance of Work Ethic in Your Tennis Development

2009-05-26T08:28:00.000-07:00

The Importance of Work Ethic in Your Tennis Development

It’s a pretty simple notion that spending a lot of time on the tennis court is crucial to becoming a good player, but one thing many players don’t realize is that quantity of practice is not as crucial as the quality of practice.

Imagine the following two scenarios:
1.) You play five hours every day, with the best players in your region, while being advised by the best coaches. However, you have the attitude that that you always on the court with top coaches and you don’t work as hard as you can at all time.
2.) You only play one hour a day, and it is against people who you can generally beat. You are extremely motivated and you are always giving it 100%.

In my time in tennis I have learned that scenario #1 is preferred by 99% of young tennis players. It has been my experience that scenario #2 is much more efficient as it builds a Work Ethic which leads to better outcomes in the future for players as they develop as tennis players and as adults.

What is a work ethic as it applies to tennis, does it mean that you need to run around the court all day, get every ball, and get a great workout? Maybe, but only to a certain extent. My philosophy is that a hard working tennis player has to be able to combine both physical and mental effort.

Physical effort is self explanatory as it refers to pushing your body hard during practice in order to enhance the quality of your tennis game. Examples of this are moving your feet at all times, keeping yourself in the proper position on the court, and keeping up with pace after 2-3 hours of playing.

On the other hand, mental effort refers to the involvement of all of your senses while playing; including analyzing your game, your opponents game, developing the feel to predict certain situations on the court, and keeping your focus and temperament at all times.

The mental aspect of the game is integral to success as a tennis player and the earlier it is developed the more quickly a player came improve. The most important aspect may be that it allows you to become more independent on the court, and lets you play, work on your game, of compete without the aid of a coach or parent.

Torricelli Into ITA Hall of Fame

2009-04-14T07:32:00.000-07:00

Torricelli To Be Inducted Into ITA Hall of Fame

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association has announced that former Northwestern University men’s head tennis coach Paul Torricelli will be inducted into the ITA Men’s Hall of Fame on May 20 at the College Station Hilton in Texas. The Hall of Fame ceremony coincides with the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Championships being hosted by Texas A&M University. Torricelli currently serves as Special Advisor to HTA.

Torricelli coached the Wildcats for 24 years and finished his career with a school record 343 wins. He led the wildcats to nine NCAA tournaments and one Big Ten Championship. On three occasions Torricelli was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. Paul’s teams posted a 343-257 (.572) overall record and a 162-114 (.587) mark in Big Ten play. He had eighteen players combine to earn All-Conference honors on thirty-one occasions and three of his student-athletes were named Big Ten Player of the Year.

The Wildcat’s success was not limited to the court during Torricelli’s tenure as he had at least one player receive Academic All-Big Ten honors in each of his 24 seasons. On seven occasions his players were named to the ITA All-Academic team and his 2003 team was the recipient of the inaugural ITA Sportsmanship Award.

"I am delighted with Paul's induction into the ITA Men's Hall of Fame," ITA Executive Director David A. Benjamin said. "It is a very well deserved honor: in addition to the great success of his teams over several decades, Paul will always be rightfully linked with the development of his greatest player, Todd Martin, a 2007 ITA Men's Hall of Fame inductee. Paul contributed great service to the ITA in many ways thoughout his career, and his team was first recipient of the ITA Sportsmanship Award in 2003."

Prior to coaching Northwestern, Paul was the head coach at Lake Forest College for three years and California State University-Chico for two years.

"Paul Torricelli is most deserving of being inducted to the ITA Hall of Fame. Paul was a great coach, motivator and friend to all of the Northwestern University Men's Tennis players who played for him through his 24 year career. Paul always treated his players with the utmost care and respect and was known throughout college tennis as a coach who always made decisions in the best interest of his players,” added current Northwestern Coach Arvid Swan. “I certainly owe a great deal to Paul as he was a tremendous mentor to me, gave me my first opportunity to work at the division I level and ultimately helped prepare me to follow his legacy at Northwestern University. I am so pleased that the ITA is recognizing Paul for all of his substantial contributions as a college coach by inducting him into the ITA Hall of Fame."

Paul is nationally known as one of top mentors in the nation and six of his former assistant coaches have become division I head coaches including: Mickey Maule (Northern Illinois), Adam Steinberg (Pepperdine), Gordie Ernst (Georgetown), Jay Udwadia (Fresno State), Greg Davis (Louisville), and Swan. Click here for a story from the Daily Northwestern about Torricelli and his lineage of coaches.

“Paul has been a mentor to me and one of the most influential people I have in my life. Being his assistant coach from 1995-1997 I learned so many things on and off the court, most importantly the true meaning of professionalism,” said Stenberg, coach of the 2006 NCAA Team Champions. “Paul taught me and all his players not only the game of tennis but prepared all of us for life away from the court. He represented college tennis in a way we all should be proud of and had such a positive effect on everybody that he surrounded himself with. I owe my entire career to Paul and will be indebted to him for ever.

Joining Torricelli in the class of 2009 is Bruce Manson, Peter Rennert, Greg Holmes, Brad Pearce, Byron Black, Jose Noriega, Wayne Black, and Brian Garman.

The ITA Men’s Collegiate Hall of Fame is housed at the University of Georgia’s Henry Field Stadium. Former Georgia coach and Hall of Fame member Dan Magill serves as curator and chairmen of the Hall. The first class was inducted in 1983 and since that time over 170 players, coaches, and contributors have been enshrined.

Tip of the Month- Watching The Ball

2009-04-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

Ben Ashford,
HTA Head Coach
PTR Certified Professional

Watching The Ball

It seems like such an easy thing to do, and it's such an important thing to do. How can we even hit the ball at all if we aren't watching it as we strike it? But we always seem to forget to do it. Why? Because it really just isn't interesting enough to keep our attention. Our brain is naturally attracted to our opponent and to our targets to see where we should be hitting. But of course, the result is that we mishit the ball and the ball does not go to our target.

So what is the best way to watch the ball? Well, it's a skill we develop just like any of the strokes in tennis. First we have to watch the ball with the center of our eyes. That means that as the ball gets to us, we actually have to turn our head to see the ball at contact. A player must turn his or her head and see the ball directly through the middle of their eyes.

Second, we should watch the ball go towards our target, but we also want to leave our head down to see contact. How do we combine these two ideas? The trick is that you need to watch the ball move to your opponent's side with your peripheral vision. Watch the ball come into y our hitting zone with the center of your eyes, but leave out the corner of your eye. When you have fully finished your follow through, then it is time to look up and see the ball as your opponent is preparing to hit.

Third we need to learn what to look for. As the ball spins, it will make a different pattern each time. The yellow felt, the white seams, and the black writing will all come together to make spinning artwork. By watching the patterns change and rotate your brain will become focused on recognizing where the ball is going and what you will do when you strike it.

One of the best professional players to emulate is Roger Federer, one of the main reasons he is the top ball-striker in the world is his ability to keep his head down and his eyes on the contact point.

Click here to watch slow motion video of Federer.

Now when your coach reminds you to hit the ball, you'll know exactly how to do it!

Ken's Mini-Camp Journal

2009-04-08T07:10:00.000-07:00

John Roddick Mini-Camp

I have known John since he was playing junior tennis in Texas and was one of America's most promising players. As an All-American at the University of Georgia, John had a stellar collegiate career. John had planned to play on the ATP tour, before a back injury cut his pro career short. John has opened Roddick Total Tennis, a residential academy in San Antonio, which is home to several of the top juniors in the world. These days John spends his time at the academy or on tour coaching some of the top American players, including his brother Andy and Mardy Fish. John has been a big contributor towards Andy's success and I was excited to have the opportunity to bring him to the academy.

Friday, March 6

The camp sold out and we had 32 players coming in from across the Midwest. The HTA staff made sure that all of the player's families were taken care of and we were ready for a terrific weekend of tennis. The camp started with John's opening seminar of "Exploiting your opponent's weakness." Three of our older academy members came in to help John demonstrate the various patterns and styles of play that he discussed. One of John's focal points was the concept of changing pace on the forehand side, to easily add variety to one's game. After John was finished I spoke on the subject of attaching an opponent's second serve with a return to the middle of the court to create short ball opportunities.

After the demonstrations the players were divided into four team's to compete in collegiate style Davis Cup competition. Each team was coached by one of the HTA Head Coaches.

Saturday, March 7

Saturday morning began with John providing video analysis on Andy's winning patterns and strategies. It was interesting to see which strategies Andy would implement against different opponents, and to see the adjustments he would make during matches. Immediately following the video session, HTA Director Ernie Katko presented the subject of "Making the court bigger". The players were then lead into live-ball drills to warm up for competition in the afternoon.

The afternoon session lasted nearly five hours and consisted of team competition and the highlight of the camp, Roddick providing individual video analysis of each of the 32 campers. With the special help of Patriot Productions(Mark Ortega), each of the juniors picked a specific stroke that we critiqued using super slo-motion high definition video. The juniors had their stroke compared in split screen to a WTA/ATP player of their choice. John's analysis was recorded and each of players received a DVD copy to share with their personal coach.

After the last ball of the eight and a half hour day was hit, the parents, players, and staff enjoyed a pizza party.

Sunday, March 8

We got an early start on Sunday, with Davis Cup play resuming at 8am. As the matches progressed throughout the morning, John and I ran a two court bank which we titles "Special Problems" court. This gave us an opportunity to work with each camper individually on a particular portion of their game.

The camp ended at 11:00 with our awards ceremony. Each team was given a special token for participating in the camp, and the winning team got HTA towels autographed by John.

Special thanks goes to John and his staff at Roddick Total Tennis. He was very easy for the players to communicate with and I really think the players benefited from working with him. He has a tremendous knowledge of the sport, and is truly motivated to giving back to the game. He was excited to see the talent in the Midwest and left impressed with how technically sound the juniors are. I really appreciate him finding the time to fly in and create this experience.

Thanks for coming John!

Frenkel Signs With Tulane

2009-03-10T11:17:00.000-07:00

Herrmann Tennis Academy Senior Etham Frenkel has accepted a scholarship offer to play tennis at Tulane University in New Orleans. Frenkel joins Michael Moore as the second HTA player in the class of 2009 to receive an NCAA Division I scholarship.

Etham is entering a unique situation as Tulane is sponsoring varsity tennis for the first time since 2005, when Hurricane Katrina hit the campus. He joins the university in a five player recruiting class that is rated #22 by TennisRecruiting.net. Prior to disbanding the Green Wave had captured five of the last eight Conference USA championships and featured 2004 NCAA Runner-up Michael Kogan.

“Etham is going to be a great fit for what we are rebuilding here at Tulane. My goal for this first year’s recruiting class was to sign players who were strong academically, great athletes, and men of good character; Etham fills all 3 prerequisites,” noted Tulane head coach Mark Booras. “He is a player with tremendous upside and a great work ethic and I think he will be a huge asset to our program. He dictates with his big serve and big forehand and I think his speed will always keep him in the points. The fact that he is coming from a two sport background in tennis and football, and been a part of several successful teams, will pay many dividends on our very young first year squad. I’m really looking forward to having Etham as part of our team and helping him develop as a tennis player and a young man.”

Frenkel is ranked 25th in the USTA Midwest Section and 238 in the Nation in the Boys’ 18s. TennisRecruiting.net ranks Etham as the 5th best prospect in the state of Illinois and the 16th rated player in the Great Lakes region.

“Coach Booras recognized the big strengths that Etham has in his forehand, serve, and potential to improve,” said HTA Head Coach Ben Pettinari. “Etham is working to improve every facet of his game, to get himself ready for a great college career.”

Etham, a senior at Stevenson High School, is the 29th Herrmann Tennis Academy player to receive an athletic scholarship since the academy opened its doors in 1999 and will be the 48th member to play college tennis.

Comments from my desk

2009-03-03T13:41:00.000-08:00

"It is my vision and philosophy to push each participant to understand the steps involved with the process of achieving one’s dreams. My coaching staff wants to impact their students’ lives in a positive manner by giving them the opportunity to excel not only at a lifetime sport, but also throughout their everyday lives."
-HTA Owner Ken Herrmann

With Ken's vision in mind it is especially rewarding to receive the two notes below from HTA parents.

"I just want to say thank you so much for wonderful and kind words about our son Brandon. You just made his day. He is so proud of it, that he emailed the page to his old coach Aaron Rusnak. Also I have to tell you that since Brandon started to play in your academy he is much happier about everything especially his love-tennis. He started believing in himself and also in his game more and more everyday. He works very hard on staying positive and happy even through bad moments in school, at home and on the court. That is what makes my day, so thank you again and thanks to everybody from HTA."

-Bogusia Wozniczka

"Thanks for having Vinnie as the featured player of the month on your
news letter. Vinnie is thrilled and seems to have a added shot of
confidence. Vinnie really enjoys being a part of your program and looks
forward to Mondays. Jackie's on going guidance and Ernie's watchfulness
have made a difference in Vinnie's game. Our sincere thanks to all you."

-Suresh Nagaraj

GRC/HTA Hosts Winter Dash

2009-02-13T08:54:00.000-08:00

HTA Takes Two at Winter Dash

Herrmann Tennis Academy members Drew Campbell and Michal Kusznerko each took home titles on their home court, winning the Boys’ 16s and 14s divisions at the Glenbrook Racquet Club on February 6-8.

Drew was seeded third and won his first two matches 6-0, 6-1 and 6-0, 6-0. In the semifinals Campbell topped second seed Oliver Jaimes 6-1, 6-3 to move into the finals where he met Academy classmate Bill Angel. Angel only dropped twelve games in his three matches on his way to the final. Cambell came away with a 6-2, 6-2 victory in what was one of the most competitive matches of the tournament.

Campbell, 14, has won the last three Boys’ 16 tournaments that he has entered. Cambell and Angel also met in the finals of the Lincolnshire Holiday Challenger in December.

The ten-year old Michael Kusznerko entered the 32 player boys’ 14s draw seeded seventh and only lost three games total in his first three matches. In the semifinals he topped Jeremy Jacobson 6-3, 6-2, before taking out #1 seed Brandon Berish by the same score in the finals.

Joining Angel, Campbell, and Kusznerko in the tournament were the following 14 HTA players: Ben Bleier, Jordan Cotler, Andrew Green, Ross Jordan, Shyun Jung, Michal Kusznerko, Zach Libman, Connor Murray, Walter Palmer, Ian Parkhill, Eli Rogatz, Patrick Rourke, Evan Ruda, Sam Wiener, and Tyler Wislow.

“Drew and Michal’s results were especially impressive when considering that both players were playing up ,” said tournament director Jim Kultgen. “I was even more pleased that two academy members, Shyun Jung and Bill Angel, earned the sportsmanship awards.”

Mini-Camp Qoutes

2009-02-04T08:56:00.000-08:00

The following were quotes I received from Participants at the last HTA Collegiate Mini-Camp:

You rarely watch a coach on the Tennis Channel and have him teaching you the proper technique on a forehand volley two days later. Working with Rodney, and all the great Herrmann Tennis Academy Coaches, was a unique and fun experience.

-David Carswell
Pleasant Prairie, Wis.

This camp truly showed me how to improve my game and how to think and execute my way through matches.

- Danny Schuster
Western Springs, Ill.

As respected as Rodney Harmon is, to be able to spend quality time with him was extremely beneficial to my game.

- Robert Stineman
Winnetka, Ill.

This experience has shaped my understanding of the game.

-Conrad Harron
Chicago, Ill.

Mini-Camp Journal

2009-02-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

Weekend Mini Camp January 23 – 25, 2009
Boys 16 / 18’s High Performance Rodney Harmon

The following is my daily journal from the academy’s second Boys’ 16s & 18s High Performance Development Camp. 2008 USA Olympic Coach Rodney Harmon joined our staff for the weekend as our featured guest. I worked with Rodney for four years during my tenure with USTA Player Development Program back in the 90’s and was excited about bringing him to Chicago to see the talent here in the Midwest.

DAY ONE Friday January 23, 2009

The camp started at 7pm and Rodney kicked it off with his seminar on “winning patterns of play – Americans vs. Europeans”. Rodney discussed how Europeans train and how they set up their points, especially on clay courts. Rodney talk about how development of a clay based game is a huge issue for the USTA. This year they are having the top juniors skip the Australian Open to get extra play on the clay courts in Europe. The camp worked on these various patterns until 10pm that night.

(Harmon and Michael Moore)

DAY TWO Saturday January 24, 2009

Saturday is always the long day for the camp – a full 10 hours of tennis, seminars, and team competitions. One of the most interesting highlights was Rodney’s comments about the Federer vs. Blake match he coached at the Olympics this past year. We put the match on a large screen and Rodney went over key highlights and patterns they had discussed and how James had to overcome his emotions and nerves for the biggest match of his life. It was fascinating and I was impressed on how well Rodney spoke and grabbed the boy’s attention.

Later that day after a live ball drill session and lunch, the camp went into match play for three hours. Afterwards, Rodney spent the next two hours working with each player individually on specific technical aspects of their games that he had observed since arriving. Everyone left the courts that day with at least two very specific thoughts on their strokes and how to improve their games for the collegiate level.

The night closed at 8pm with a Pizza Party for the players, while the parents of the camp participants were able to spend time with Rodney.(Ben Hoogland and Harmon)

DAY THREE Sunday January 25 2009

The early three hour session was focused on doubles tactics and strategies. Emphasis was placed on the return of serve and poaching, along with Coach Torricelli’s comments on how important doubles is for collegiate tennis.

All campers were given notebooks to write down ideas and comments made to them throughout the camp and to share with their personal coaches.

(Tommy Marx)

It was terrific having Rodney in for the weekend. He certainly touched every player that was present and the enthusiasm left on the boys faces after the camp had me believing that players from across America had better watch out for the boys from the Midwest.
Thanks Rodney….

January Tip of the Month

2009-01-21T11:16:00.000-08:00

Mindee Epstein
Herrmann Tennis Academy
Fitness Tips

Exercise: One leg Squat
1. Balance on one leg
2. Squat until you feel a burn in the quadricep
3. Hold the squat for three counts
4. Complete 20 reps on each leg

This exercise is great for developing strength in the ankle, knee, and hip. It creates superior posture alignment and balance. In tennis our weight is often supported on one leg, therefor it becomes essential to train on one leg.
(Andrew Finke)

Stretch: Hamstrings
1. Lay on your back with your knees bent and feet touching the ground
2. Lift one leg straight into the air and one leg towards your body
3. Hold for three counts
4. Complete ten reps with each leg

This stretch will elongate the hamstring and improve your range of motion.
(Michigan Recruit Evan King)

HTA Players Face Evan King

2009-01-06T12:52:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, December 31 Evan King, the top ranked 16 year old in the U.S. and Scott Oudsema, a former professional player, were at the Glenbrook Racquet Club training. After King was finished with Oudsema he challenged some of the best 12-16 year old players in our program.

King is a University of Michigan recruit whose father, Van, is a tennis pro at GRC. He currently holds the top ranking in the USTA Boys' 16 rankings and is third in the Boys' 18 rankings.

GRC/HTA Hosts B/G 10's & 12's

2008-12-30T12:46:00.000-08:00

The Glenbrook Racquet Club, home of the Herrmann Tennis Academy, is hosting a tournament this weekend and we want all of the participants to play doubles! There is a very limited number of level 6 challenger tournaments that offer doubles in the district so we hope as many competitors as possible choose to play. If you are in the field and interested in playing doubles contact Julie@herrmanntennisacademy.com by Tuesday, December 30th.

Tip of the Month

2008-12-03T14:22:00.000-08:00

The most successful tennis players have great footwork and quickness, just look at how well Federer and Nadal move on the court. What do you do when you lack quickness? Whether you are a singles or doubles player, there is one thing that can help you tremendously in getting in better position when hitting any shot in tennis. It is a simple thing that many players either forget to do or never learned how to do correctly.

It is called the SPLIT-STEP. A split-step is when you come to a momentary pause, with your feet apart for stability, while your opponent is either making his shot of preparing to hit his shot.

The split step allows you to move in the direction of your opponent's shot. Too often, players run through their split-step and end up either over-running the ball, or not being able to change direction in time to reach a shot. If you find that you are constantly out of position, try to make your split-step earlier, perhaps when your opponent is making their back-swing or even just before. Although you may end up giving your opponent a bit more court to hit into, your balance and ability to hit the ball with more control is usually worth it. No matter what level you are, try to consciously make your split-steps earlier and see if it helps you get to more balls.

HTA Head Coach Jackie Jenkins

Wolverines sign King and Cha to National Letters of Intent.

2008-11-24T17:23:00.000-08:00

Evan King leads USA to the World Team Junior Davis Cup Championship.

2008-11-24T17:16:00.000-08:00

King Wins Big in Boca ITF!

2008-11-24T17:12:00.000-08:00

Boys 14 Mini-Camp

2008-11-18T07:46:00.000-08:00

HTA Boy’s 12 / 14 Mini Camp Summary
November 14 – 16, 2008

This past weekend, the Academy opened its doors to some of the most talented 12 – 14 year old boys from across the Midwest. We had 32 players participate in our three day Mini Camp that featured fun, educational seminars, and great competition. We chose this date for the camp to help these juniors prepare for their fall and winter national tournaments. The camp was Co- Directed by HTA Special Advisor and former Northwestern University Men’s Head Coach Paul Torricelli and I. The guest speakers that we brought in were Paul Lubbers (the former USTA Director of Coaching Education), and Northwestern University Men’s Coaches Arvid Swan and Chris Drake.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH
6:30pm Players arrived at Glenbrook Racquet Club, home of the Herrmann Tennis Academy, at 6:30pm for registration. We were on court between 7:00-10:00 and HTA Director Ernie Katko conducted the three hour session‘s theme of “Exploiting Your Opponents weaknesses”. The juniors went through different playing patterns and later competed in match play. We had a great discussion on keeping a match journal and the energy in the room was electric. There was positive feedback offered from the coaching staff and Lubbers kept a watchful eye on the players biomechanics. After finishing at 10:00pm, the campers were given Saturday’s College Football pairings for an “in-house” academy football pool.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH
10:00am Everyone was on time and on court for Paul Lubbers’ video presentation “Developing an on court routine.” Paul presented a fascinating video break down of all of the top ATP players on tour and the way they conduct themselves in between points. The boys got to watch Federer’s rituals and Nadal’s positive motivation in between points. Choosing how to let go of a bad shot and taking control of the elements of the match were constant messages coming from Paul’s voice. Later, Paul had some of the juniors show the campers their rituals and that later led to further group discussion. Many parents were in attendance as well. We finished the morning session with drills before serving lunch.

During lunch, Torricelli conducted an educational seminar for about 25 parents interested in learning about the college process. The topics included: when to start, the do’s and don’ts of NCAA rules, and how to contact a college coach. Paul has introduced a new program at HTA which he will direct called CAP (Collegiate Advisory Program). Paul shared his thoughts on how this program can help families through this sometimes exhausting process. A great discussion was held and Paul answered many question from the parents.

After lunch, it was time for three hours of singles and doubles match play on the club’s ten indoor courts. Members of the coaching staff were assigned to player’s courts and worked with all campers on their patterns.
The night session featured guest speakers were Northwestern University Coaches Arvid Swan and Chris Drake. Both coaches talked about developing a game now that will transition into a successful collegiate career later. They highlighted topics of interest ranging from developing a weapon to the importance of being a team player. Juniors were asked to participate in drills and later asked questions about the importance of playing high school tennis. Both Coach Swan and Coach Drake were very knowledgeable and did a fantastic job of providing a lot of information in 90 minutes.
After the presentation we hit the courts with the explosive “never ending point” drill used by the NCAA champion Pepperdine University. At 7:30pm kids were anxious for the pizza dinner and more importantly they all wanted to know how their picks were doing in the College Pool.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16TH
8:00am Time for my presentation and I focused on “Defensive Winning Patterns”. I was thrilled to see everyone ready to go after a full 10 hour workout the day before. After a warm up and stretch, I shared my thoughts on two key shots that can take you to victory if you’re placed on defense – the slice backhand and heavy rolling forehand. I stressed court placement and positioning of the executed shot and how to think your way out of a defensive position. The most important think I stressed to the players was, DON’T PANIC!!!

After my demonstration we conducted live and dead ball drills. We finished off the camp with a “One Point” Tournament (won by Ben Blier), and awarded Drew Campbell a prize for winning the College Football Pool.

I want to thank all of my staff for doing such a terrific job on court as I share their enthusiasm and passion for growing the game of tennis here in the Midwest. A “special thanks” goes to the HTA office staff for their weeks of preparation for successfully pulling off such an organized three day event. It is the Academy’s on-going theme to “exceed the needs of the junior competitive player” and I salute this team’s effort for their contribution on this Mini Camp.

Ken Herrmann

Alyssa Ritchie

2008-11-17T11:18:00.000-08:00

I asked HTA Head Coach Peter Heckler to provide a quote about Alyssa Ritchie for our newsletter and he provided the following. Due to space constraints I couldn't use it in it's entirety, but just as with Paul Torricelli's quote about the Jacobsons' I felt it was very important that the Academy family be able to read such a complementary statement.

Peter Heckler on Alyssa Ritchie:

"For the past six months, Alyssa has been a fantastic student. She has made dramatic changes in every facet of her game and has been willing to stick with these changes even when she plays tournaments, rather than returning to old habits. Alyssa is uniquely mature in this regard because she seems willing to sacrifice a modicum of short term success in order to develop a set of techniques and strategies that will yield her a competitive edge over the long haul. I am quite confident that with Alyssa's determination and strong work ethic, her results and rankings in the Midwest and Nation will continue to rise steadily in the next several years."

Evan King Goes BLUE!

2008-11-08T12:53:00.000-08:00

Evan King Goes Blue
by Colette Lewis, 6 November 2008
Evan King can check off "learn school fight song" from his Things To Do Before Heading To College list.

His father taught him the University of Michigan's famous fight song "Hail to the Victors" back when King was many years away from being a much-pursued blue chip recruit. But Van King didn't push his alma mater when it came time to choose, and both father and son say his decision last week to join the Wolverines was independent of that connection.
"Ultimately, that had nothing to do with it," says the 16-year-old from Chicago, denying that two aunts who are also U of M alumni and the proximity of his grandparents in nearby Battle Creek, had any influence on his decision. "Honestly, I didn't want to think about that at all. I wanted to do it purely on what I thought would feel right, and would be the best school for me."
Van King said he learned long ago that his son was more comfortable with a decision when he had information and input, and he credits Michigan head coach Bruce Berque for taking that approach with Evan.
"When Bruce mapped out a plan for him, showed him how he could progress in this next stage, Evan could buy into that," says his father. "He felt the plan and his hard work would make it a good fit."
King, ranked eighth in Tennis Recruiting Network's class of 2009, took three official visits this fall, first to the University of Illinois, then to Ann Arbor, and the final one, to Ohio State, just two weeks ago. After the last visit, King took a few days to absorb his experience and to ask questions.
"I asked tons of people for input," King says, mentioning his coaches at the USTA High Performance Training Center in Boca Raton, where he now trains, and Mark Bey, his longtime coach and director of the CARE Academy in suburban Chicago. "My parents, too. But ultimately it was up to me, and I decided what would be the best fit for me."
King points to the upward trend of Michigan tennis under Berque and the school's academic reputation as two major factors in his decision.
"Their team has been on the rise since Coach Berque has gotten there. When he got there, I think they were like last in the Big Ten. They just keep getting better and better and I think (last season) they ended up 15 or 16 (in the ITA rankings). They keep getting better, keep recruiting great people. The whole team's great - great players and great guys, and that was a really big part of it.
"At all the schools I was considering, the head coaches, the assistant coaches are great," King says. "But I think Sean [associate head coach Maymi] and Bruce complement each other really well. All three are great programs with great coaching, and I think my tennis game could get better at any of them, but I think Michigan academics was the strongest of the three."
Right now, King is considering sports management as a possible career, but acknowledges that could easily change as he is still nearly a year away from his first class in Ann Arbor, and his first chance to help the Wolverines break the stranglehold Illinois and Ohio State have had on the Big Ten conference this decade.
"I'd love to win the Big Ten team championship," says King. "Get that very nice ring. That would be great. It's definitely going to be tough, but it's a realistic goal for us."
King knows all about the glory of a team championship, having helped the U.S. Junior Davis Cup team capture the world title in Mexico in September, along with teammates Denis Kudla and Raymond Sarmiento.
"Cheering for your teammates, and winning that, there's nothing like it. Raymond and Denis and I have played each other so many times, we've known each other since we were 11 basically, and to be on the same team, getting so pumped up for each other, that was amazing. We got to hold the flag and everything."
King is also a big fan of the USTA Team Championships, held immediately before the USTA National Championships every summer, and is planning to play it even after his first year in college tennis.
"I look forward to that tournament every year, because it's the same format as college, with the six singles spots and three doubles spots. Cheering for your team, it's Go Midwest, but I'll be saying Go Blue next year."
One of the Maize and Blue's most accomplished players, Malivai Washington, ITA Player of the Year in 1989 and Wimbledon finalist in 1996, hit with King on a visit to Chicago years ago, and King is looking forward to reintroducing himself to the former ATP Top 20 pro.
"That's just going to be an amazing resource," says King. "I can possibly call him up, get to know him a little bit.'
The phone call that King received from his future Michigan teammates shortly after he notified Berque of his decision reaffirmed that he'd made right choice, according to Van King.
"That really made him feel good, that it was a smart fit," says the elder King, who admits he allowed himself a "little" smile when his son told him of his decision.
"I would have been pleased with any of the schools - there were pluses to each one - but I'm biased, because I know how much Michigan has meant in my life," he adds.
"I think inside he was pulling for Michigan," says Evan. "And it ended up that way, so it's really cool. I'm really excited to be going to Ann Arbor next year."

Campus 1-Day Showdowns

2008-11-01T11:41:00.000-07:00

The USTA and the ITA have teamed up once again, this time to create Campus 1-Day Showdowns. The events, held on college campuses, allow juniors, college players, professionals and adults to compete together. The ultimate goal of the program is to get more American players in college programs, strengthen college's ties with their community, and prevent the trend of college tennis teams being cut.

On Sunday, November 23rd Northwestern University will be hosting a co-ed campus showdown. Events utilize compass draws for both singles and doubles, guaranteeing 3-4 matches for each draw, and ensuring competitive match play throughout. Matches are usually one set with a tiebreaker at 5-5, although format and scoring is at the discretion of the director.

To learn more about the NU even email Coach Claire Pollard at c-pollard@northwestern.edu.

Click here to Learn more about 1-Day Showdowns

The Jacobson Twins

2008-10-31T07:50:00.000-07:00

When I was compiling information for the latest newsletter I asked Paul Torricelli to provide a quote about the Jacobson twins. Due to space constraints I couldn't run the entire statement but I thought it was important for our academy family to see the highly complementary remarks that Torricelli offered.

"Rob and Nate are identical in more ways that just being twin brothers. They both have terrific work ethics and have improved their games the old fashioned way. It's a pleasure for me to see the way they have developed. Their attitude and approach on court is something you don't find in many junior players these days and will serve them well as they head into high school tennis. Rob and Nate also possess one thing that college coaches love....they are coachable. When you are working with them, they listen and try to adapt. The opportunity to learn is invaluable and they make the most of it."

The Importance of Scheduling

2008-10-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

Scheduling. Sometimes a daunting word, it can be an asset when done correctly and it can be detrimental when done incorrectly. It can effect a player’s development and, quite obviously, their rankings. Another effect is on the player’s physical and mental well being.

On development, it can influence their progression if players play too many events at the lower level of tournaments (i.e. Challenger). The level of competition is not consistently strong enough. Conversely, if a player enters too many events where there is not the chance for some amount of success, it can be difficult to develop a sense of progression.

On rankings, if done effectively, scheduling can progress the player up the rankings. Attaining certain ranking goals can help players with their developmental goals as well as attaining levels of accomplishments. This in turn can make aging up easier. Playing USTA National Championships in the player’s current age group and playing up in the Levels 2 & 3 events is the example when an age up birthday nears. This depends upon each player’s individual goals.

On physical and mental well-being, playing more than three events per month can be too much physically depending what precedes and follows those events. Also, the level of events and results need to be considered. There should be time scheduled to improve on existing parts of the player’s game and to develop new ones. In addition, scheduling physical and mental rest and recovery is essential.

Anna's Nuitrition Tip

2008-10-16T07:23:00.001-07:00

15 hours of on-court training, 6 hours of physical training, 35 hours of school, endless hours of homework, and squeezing time for family and friend. Sounds exhausting just writing about it! Whether preparing for an in-club match or your first ever Super-National competition, a healthy diet and body can clearly contribute to a player’s quest to reach peak performance. But how does one go about reaching their highest potential? The answer lays in one simple word, Nutrition. A balanced diet on and off the court has the same impact as those endless hours of practice. The composition of a structured diet can not only give you lasting energy but it also assists in quick recovery after a match.

What constitutes a balanced diet?

A balanced diet is made up of 7 formal ingredients: carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamins, minerals and trace elements, dietary fiber, and water. Carbohydrates are vital for muscle energy and avoidance of early fatigue. Items such as bread, cereal, potatoes, brown or wild rice and pasta should be consumed within 2 hours after exercise. However, most players get carried away when it comes to carbohydrates. We’ve all heard of Michael Phelps 12,000 calorie a day diet consisting of nothing but carbohydrates and simple sugars. The reality is a competitive tennis player should only consume 7-10 grams of carbohydrates for ever kilogram of body weight, per day. You do the math! The next portion of our diet is fat, which should only be eaten in moderation. Only one portion of fried or fast food is recommended a week. Protein is found in food such as meat, dairy, fish, and nuts. This is another item where consumption must be monitored; excess protein is broken down and converted to fat which is then stored in the body. Vitamins and minerals are crucial components of a balanced diet. Vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12, C, D, E, and K maintain the overall performance of specific bodily functions. Minerals such as iron, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, and zinc are vital in supporting tissue, blood, hormone, and enzyme levels. The next ingredient in our diet is fiber, which helps absorb minerals and is essential for proper function of the intestinal tract. Last but not least, Water. Water is the most important component of a high performance diet, which not only regulates body temperature but also holds element which are primary components of many cells. Now that we know what to eat, lets figure out when to eat it!

Pre-match Nutrition:

Two days prior to competition, players should gradually increase their intake of carbohydrates. This will allow for glycogen levels to increase. Eating breakfast before a match is vital not only to personal health but also to get us through a grueling match at 8 a.m. If your first match is first thing in the morning, a light yet high in complex carbohydrates meal is essential. Things like cereal, toast, and fruit are great to get blood sugar levels to increase in the morning. However, not always are we blessed with an early morning match. If your match falls after breakfast but before lunch, in addition to the earlier mentioned breakfast, a mid-morning snack consisting of fresh or dried fruit, cereal or cereal bar, pancakes, or biscuits should be consumed. For an afternoon match, lunch items consisting of turkey rolls or sandwiches, pasta or rice, and yogurt are an excellent choice. Excess amounts of water are recommended a few days before, during and after competition. Your diet between matches is just as important as before and after a match. If your matches are scheduled an hour apart, it is recommended to consumer a sports drink which will not only hydrate you but also give you a quick burst of energy. Other items take too long to break down for energy. If you have one to two hours between matches, in addition to the sports drink, a light snack such as fruit, biscuit, or cereal bar are recommended. However, there will be occasions of delay which will leave you stranded at the facility for hours. If an excess of two hours is given between a match, in one single day, it is recommended to consume and energy drink and a substantial snack such as a small sandwich or a handful of nuts.

Fall Boy's Championships

2008-10-06T10:19:00.000-07:00

The Glenbrook Racquet Club, home of the Herrmann Tennis Academy, hosted the Fall Boy's Championships October 3-5th. The event featured boys 12's, 16's and 18's.

Winnetka's Rob Stineman won the boy's 18's beating Tim Kopinski of Palos Hills 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in the final.

In the boys' 16's third seeded Martin Redlicki topped HTA player Michael Sellitto 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3 in the last match of the tournament. Redlicki played four tiebreaks in his four matches.

Top seeded Brandon Wozniczka won all four matches in straight sets in route to taking the boys' 12 title. David Weller, playing in the 12's, won the tournament sportsmanship award.

Congratulations to all of the tournament champions and participants!
Click here for complete tournament results.

Boy's 16 & 18 Mini-Camp

2008-10-06T09:59:00.000-07:00

The staff and I just finished an extremely energetic three day mini camp for some of the Midwest’s highest ranked players. Invitations were mailed out several weeks ago to the top ranked boys in the 16 and 18 divisions of the currents USTA seeding lists.

27 juniors were selected to participate and they traveled to our academy for the weekend. Our theme for the camps was to structure the workouts very similar to a daily collegiate team practice.

Co-Directing this camp with me was former Northwestern University Head Men’s Coach and HTA Special Advisor, Paul Torricelli. Assisting us were HTA Head Coaches Ben Pettinari, Jackie Jenkins, and Peter Heckler. The two special guests for the camp were University of Minnesota Men's Tennis Coach Geoff Young and Dallas based High Performance Coach and Mental Expert Craig O'Shannessy.

I kept a complete diary of the weekend's events and it can be found at HerrmannTennisAcademy.com.

Click here to watch a segment of O'Shannessey's analytical breakdown of Andre Agassi's game.

Ben's first blog

2008-10-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

The Herrmann Tennis Academy has been putting all its effort toward meeting the needs of our players and is very proud to welcome its new members.

This year is going to be a great transition to us all and HTA coaches are excited to produce the results we have all been waiting for.

Last week mini-camp was a great success and we hope future college players found answers that may help them build up more confidence and more understanding on HOW to reach their goal.

Ken Herrmann, Paul Torricelli, Jackie Jenkins, Peter Heckler and myself were very pleased to somehow be able to influence your game and view of what lays ahead of you. There are great things to be accomplished in the near future and our great program, and its coaches are dedicated to serve you best and help you reach whatever individual goal you may have.

I look forward to see you all working hard and trying your best. Trust and dedication to our program is the first step to a very promising carreer and we are very excited to bring you all the tools you need.

Sincerely,

Ben,

16's and 18's Head coach at HTA

Welcome to the BLOG!

2008-10-02T11:29:00.000-07:00

Hello HTA Families,

Welcome to the BLOG!
It is my goal to have this blog serve as another means of communicating thoughts and ideas from my staff to your families. All Head Coaches from the HTA staff will post information on this blog regarding weekly practice sessions, tournament travel and results, and any relevant tennis information the coaching staff feels is necessary to comment on or about.

I am excited about hosting our GRC Level 6 Boys tournament this weekend, and traveling with our players and staff to Aurora next weekend.

Please read my journal entry from the successful High Performance Mini Camp that the staff and I hosted last weekend for Midwest Boys 16 and 18's.
See you on the courts...
Ken