Michal "Z" Zaluski -- Group Lesson

Here is a video Terry Kern, Heather Emmett, and Adriane Leinbach having a group lesson on Court 1 in the indoor building.

Michal "Z" Zaluski -- private lessons

Check out this video about private lessons at CHTC

Lesson # 0009743: Hunting the Wobbly Flamingo

In the previous lesson we discussed the strange wildlife one can see on a tennis court.  Most specifically we talked about the species known to all tennis aficionados as, the Wobbly Flamingo.  

The "flamingo" appears whenever a tennis player balances on one leg while tipping over to hit a tennis shot.  

The Wobbly Flamingo can inhabit all levels of tennis, but the sightings become more and more rare the higher the level of tennis.  This is because the better tennis players stalk the Wobbly Flamingo.  They seek to feed on its less powerful shots.  Wisely, these skillful hunters hide in the thickets of No Man's Land whenever they force their opponents on a long run.  These hunters are always looking to venture forward anytime they see a hint of the Wobbly Flamingo.  

Of course the better tennis player also knows how to pull the Wobbly Flamingo out of hiding by hitting firm shots to the corners and sidelines, forcing the Wobbly Flamingo to appear as soon as your opponent's balance becomes compromised. 

Less-skilled Wobbly Flamingo hunters will get their opponent on the run, force them into a Flamingo posture, and then allow the Wobbly Flamingo's feeble effort to bounce somewhere around the service line.  Of course this allows the strange bird to collect his or her self and prepare for the next shot, making it that much more difficult to finish the point.  

So when hunting the Wobbly Flamingo, remember to keep firing your split steps.  The split steps will keep you ready so that when the opportunity to move in on a Mid-Court Ball comes, you'll have your feet underneath you and you'll be ready to take the ball out of the air with a punch (or swinging) volley.  

Learn how to recognize your opportunities, position yourself forward of the baseline in No Man's Land, and then take your shot.  At first it might be hard to consistently stalk the Wobbly Flamingo, but the more you look for it across the net, and the more willing you are to take a risk coming forward, the sooner you'll be carving up the Wobbly Flamingo's wobbly groundstrokes with some tasty volley winners.  

Lesson #0009742: Beware the Wobbly Flamingo!!!

Let's talk about "Baby Steps."   

When coming to net everyone wants to make sure that he/she is balanced and ready to make sharp movements to the ball.  By taking "baby steps" you avoid over-reaching and losing your balance.  This is a good thing. 

However, even if you are balanced (and in a good position at net) if your opponent is also balanced and in a good position, your advantage is minimal or non-existent.  

So this is a two-fold issue.  If you are the net player you want to hit a shot that puts your opponent off balance, but if you're the baseline player you want to make sure you can get to the ball and stay balanced. 

My advice to both: Beware the Wobbly Flamingo!!!  

The Wobbly Flamingo is a common wildlife sighting at all tennis clubs, but rarely is the Wobbly Flamingo a graceful animal.  Instead of not-lazy footwork the Wobbly Flamingo (or Tea Pot) tips over to the side and lifts one leg off the ground.  He/she then hopes and prays and stretches their racquet for the wayward ball.

This is not an ideal tennis shot.   

As to be expected, there are many Flamingo spottings at the net and baseline, however, the vast majority of all Wobbly Flamingo sightings take place in No Man's Land.  

To avoid the Wobbly Flamingo work on keeping a wider base (or stance), especially when at net.  The Flamingo (or Tea Pot) may allow you to stretch and make one shot, but the real problem comes up when you are trying to hit the next shot. 


Because the Wobbly Flamingo Footwork makes you unbalanced, recovering for the next shot is more difficult.


There are a lot of different footwork drills to help limit the Wobbly Flamingo populations but perhaps one of the easiest activities is a simple game of shadow tennis.   Like a boxer reacting to movements of his shadow, try playing and moving on the tennis court without a ball.  Move to the spots that you think you'll need to cover.  Work on the steps.  Repeat.  Repeat again.  Practice moving everywhere.  Memorize the court.  And then do it again.  Again again. But avoid lingering in No Man's Land for too long!  That's the home of Wobbly Flamingos and all sorts of other strange wild life.

Lesson #000013774: Moving Up from 3.0 to 3.5

A 3.0 player is "a fairly consistent tennis player when faced with medium-paced shots, but is still not comfortable with ALL strokes ... lacks direction, depth, and/or power on most shots but is perfectly capable of the occassional Hit-or-Miss miracle shot ... most common formation in doubles is one-up and one-back ... still working on transitional play."  

Of course all tennis players are working on transitional play because most tennis players lack either depth, direction, or power to their shots.  So if you're a 3.0 player you're probably wondering: Where's the plateau?  How much better do I have to get at X, Y, Z in order to be a true 3.5?  Do I need more X, more Y, or more Z?  What if I can't do X?  Why can't I do Y like a tennis pro?  And what if I hate, I mean really hate Z?  (The variable, not the Tennis Director)  Well...it's complicated.  But in an effort to provide concise advice (in the aphoristic tradition) let's start with: 


#1  Get comfortable with the mid-court ball.  

Dare to hit away from the center of the court, and if you hit it well, be ready *and willing* to volley the next shot.

#2  Plug-up leaky strokes.  

If X sprays two unforced errors every other game, then practice X.  If there is only one stroke costing you points, then it is a simple fix.

#3  Increase your radius at net.  

Make a conscious effort to widen your stance, bend your knees, and blanket an entire area.  Become a bigger Net Monster.  Transform yourself into a larger impediment to your ground-stroking opponent.  Your volleys don't necessarily need to be crisper or more precise, but your wall, the area you can cover, must expand.

Dedicate some time to these things in your practices and/or matches and soon enough you'll be on the next plateau wondering how to get to 4.0.

NTRP (National Tennis Rating Program)

The National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) 


At CHTC we use the NTRP to help place you in different clinics and ladders, as well as when we are matching you up with new playing partners. You need to know what your NTRP level is if you plan on playing on any of the USTA League Teams.  All USTA adult leagues are arranged according to the NTRP scale.  

1.0 

You have just picked up a racquet.  You notice it is roughly 27 inches long; it has a handle at one end and a hoop of interwoven strings at the other end.  You know you're supposed to hit the ball from one side of the net to the other, but you've never really done it.

1.5 

You have actually stepped foot onto the court and attempted to hit a tennis ball multiple times.  Unfortunately the ball simply will not go where you want it to go--at least not always.  So in your practice sessions you work primarily on keeping the ball in play.  

2.0 

By now you have a basic conception of tennis and how to position yourself for singles and doubles play.  You still have stroke weaknesses, and you are in need of on-court experience, but with some regular repetition you will move up quickly to the next level.

2.5 

Your tennis is getting exponentially better.  You can now sustain a short rally with other players of the same ability as well as anticipate where the ball is going.  However, you still need work on court coverage.  

3.0 

You are now a fairly consistent tennis player when faced with medium-paced shots, but you aren't completely comfortable with all your strokes.  And when you try to do something special with the ball in terms of direction, depth, or power, you lack execution.  Your most common formation in doubles is one-up and one-back but you are working on your transitional play.  Become more comfortable with the mid-court ball and you'll move up to the next plateau.

3.5 

Your strokes are now dependable on moderate shots and you have some directional control, though you still lack depth and variety with your shots.  At net you are more aggressive and your court coverage has improved immensely since your 2.5 days, but your form is still a work in progress and precise footwork is a mystery.  Doubles teamwork is coming along but it's difficult to move in tandem with a partner.

4.0 

As you reach this plateau the game of tennis is finally making sense.  Though you can't do things as well as players on television you now have directional control and depth with both your forehand and backhand and you can handle moderate shots routinely.  You can also utilize lobs, overheads, approach shots, and volleys with some success. Your serve occasionally forces an error and  your doubles teamwork is evident.  Most rallies are lost due to impatience or lazy footwork.

4.5 

At this level you are starting to master power and spin.  You can handle pace and now your footwork is sound. You can control the direction and depth of your shot and can now begin to game plan according to an opponent's strengths or weaknesses.  Your first serve has good power and accuracy while the second serve is dependable and is easy to place.  You tend to overhit on difficult shots.  You commonly play aggressively at net in doubles.

5.0 

Shot anticipation is now exceptional and you've most likely developed a weapon or have exceptional consistency.  You can regularly hit winners or force errors off of short balls and you can put away volleys.  You also have all speciality shots like offensive lobs, drop shots, half volleys, and overhead smashes.  Your first serve is a weapon.  Your second serve stays deep with spin.

5.5 

Your power or consistency is now considered a major weapon and you can vary strategies and styles of play in a competitive situation.  You can also hit dependable shots in a stress situation.  You most likely played college tennis or had exceptional success as a junior.

6.0 

You are good.  Like really good.  Better than 99% of the tennis-playing public.  You don't need an NTRP ranking because you have a real ranking, either nationally or sectionally.  

6.5 

You are really, really good.  You have extensive satellite tournament experience and occasionally find your way into an ATP or WTA event.

7.0 

Holy-moly you are good.  Like we could see you on TV you're so good.  You might not beat Federer or Nadal, but you could actually have a chance to play them.

Tournament Tough: Wednesday

Today we had 27 juniors attend our highest level weekday clinic, TOURNAMENT TOUGH. 

Z, Max, Jon, Stacie, and Dave worked the juniors in the indoor building, mixing half-court hitting (or live ball) drills, games, and a few toss (or dead ball) drills.  Chloe Pizer, Christopher Chang, Kevin Huang and a couple others fought hard to stay on the top court most of the day, while others like Eliana Fishbeyn and Brook Pritchard steadily climbed throughout the practice.  

The tennis pros have a lot of fun working with this group because we can hit-out with a few of the players and work up a sweat in some heated rallies.  Soon there will be video to prove it!


Tournament Tough runs 4:30-6:30 on Mondays and Wednesdays.

TRY TENNIS (Free Beginner Tennis Clinics at CHTC)

It's the new year and you promised to limit your daily sedentary time to only 23 and 1/2 hours.  So now what?

Try tennis.  Run around, swing a racquet, hit a ball.  Learn how to do it all together, step by step in beginner lessons.  It's a great way to get fit while meeting people. NEW MEMBERS at the Chapel Hill Tennis Club can receive up to 3 MONTHS FREE Beginner Tennis Clinics on Saturdays.  


Just refer to this post in the pro shop.

A little note about Summer Camp

Because Chapel Hill Tennis Club campus is one of the area’s premier recreation destinations and because the club’s staff consistently proves to be the very best, we are proud to say that the CHTC SUMMER CAMP is the best around.  Camp Director Michal “Z” Zaluski works with tennis players of all levels of play and he has nearly two decades of experience creating a fun environment for kids to learn tennis while exercising (and socializing) with peers.  Assisting “Z” with the camp management, Fitness Director Lauren Herman plans out stretching and fitness programs, and the campers make daily use of the pool--as well as the large activity field--to play games for both fin and foot.  Together, Lauren and “Z” have run the SUMMER CAMP for over a decade.  That consistency has allowed them to design programs and to build the staff that not only knows what to do, but it is very proud of how well they get it done.  Tennis, fitness, and fun are our passions and we take pride in being the best.





So if you’re looking for a SUMMER CAMP, you are welcome to check out the Chapel Hill Tennis Club.  We start filling spots in February so we advise you to pop in early and sign up before the camp week you want most is gone.  Or if you don’t have time to come by the club, visit our website to download the enrollment brochure.   

Chapel Hill Tennis Club

The Chapel Hill Tennis Club (CHTC) is a cornerstone of the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area.  Founded in 1967 as a member-owned club, we here at CHTC make it our mission to create a safe environment and an awesome community filled with people who think recreation and fun are good things. We happen to specialize in tennis courts and teaching the game of tennis, but the CHTC campus is more than just tennis.  As soon as you step foot on the grounds you notice the newly-rennovated, state-of-the-art, olympic swimming pool--as well as the separate baby pool and the big twisting waterslide in the diving well.  A few steps further and you notice the basketball half-court, and the sand volleyball court, and the playground, and the tennis hitting wall, and the 10-under tennis court, and the covered picnic area where 8-and-under campers do crafts during summer camp.  It is only after looking up to the next plateau and the stetching acres beyond that you see the multiple banks of tennis courts, 24 courts in all, freshly brushed and awaiting play.  After taking a brief tour there is no doubt that you will agree, the Chapel Hill Tennis Club campus is a recreational haven, a miracle hidden in the woods off of Hwy 54, a Chapel Hill staple conveniently located in Carrboro.