NIKE Tennis Camp @ UCSC
Prepare, balance, and relax. Those were the inspirational words of Bob Hansen that became the foundation of the game of tennis during my stay at the adult Nike Tennis Camp in Santa Cruz, California.
Just to give you an insight of the coaching quality this camp offered, Director Bob Hansen is the creator of the UC Santa Cruz tennis program and was honored as the ITA Coach of the Decade for the ’90s. He was recently inducted into the USTA Northern California Section Hall of Fame and continues into his 22nd season as the Slug Men’s head coach. Among his coaching staff were two All-Americans who have gone into the coaching profession as well, two head coaches of successful college teams, and former Slug players.
Three days of camp:
Day 1: Technical drills on footwork, strokes, and balance.
Day 2: Strategic drills on singles and doubles play.
Day 3: One-on-one lessons, video analysis, and Davis Cup play.
Day two and three were my favorite, as I knew I needed to work on strategy and placement. The video analysis of my strokes was extremely valuable because I gained a better understanding of what I needed to work on. I break at the hip on my backhand, which causes my balance to shift ineffectively and that’s why I’m late on my shots. This causes my stroke to cover the ball rather than hitting through the ball. As for my serve, I’m pushing off with my left leg rather than effectively using both to explode up into the ball. I also need to drop my elbow so my shoulder line of my “trophy stance” is straight rather than a slight “L” shape.
Overall, the experience at the camp was amazing. From the basic drills to the extensive analysis, and of course the new friendships. Bob also holds a junior camp, so those who are looking to send your children to an amazing summer tennis camp next year, this is the one to go. To everyone at the Santa Cruz Nike Tennis Camp, thank you so much!
Peace Sign,
Kana
Question for Kana. I can see you are using a pro staff classic. How did you end up with rackets that are way before your time or do you age fantastically well?
Hey Dan! Good observation about the pro staff. I used it my last 2 years of high school and in college, but due to shoulder injuries and not training as hard I’ve put those down and moved on to lighter, more arm friendly racquets. I don’t remember how I chose to use the pro staff, but I realize now that it wasn’t the most efficient racquet for me to use. With my build I shouldn’t have been swinging a 12.8 oz stick especially at the level I was at. I must admit though, the last time I hit with it (which was probably close to a year ago) it hit like a gem. As for my aging… I hope to keep the stereotype of never knowing how old an Asian really is just by their looks. ;)