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Sunday, May 7, 2006

Zsilinszka Plays Tennis by Ear



In one of those six-degrees-of-separation stories that I'm finding are pretty common in tennis, Reka Zsilinszka of Fayetteville North Carolina works with the tennis professional at Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst, where my brother was an assistant superintendent of golf until three years ago.

Zsilinszka has told me she doesn't get there daily, as it's an hour's drive one-way, but this story in the local Pinehurst/Southern Pines newspaper mentions a method of tennis training that I've never heard of--concentration on the sound of the ball meeting the racquet.

But what the reporter didn't uncover was the fact that Zsilinszka has played piano for six or seven years, before she began taking tennis seriously, which makes this unique emphasis on sound especially appropriate for her.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Colette,

Reka's Dad, Laszlo, saw your comments and dropped me a note.

I'm Al Van Vliet, the head pro at the Country Club of North Carolina and have been working with Reka since September of 2004.

I have been teaching by "sound" for more than ten years and it is a very effective technique for players of all ages and abilities.

The process of listening well requires the usage of a balanced mind, which allows one to perform naturally at high levels without the intrusive chatter of the technical or "conscious" mind.

Tennis is very musical in nature, after all it is played with a "stringed" instrument at various tempos and intensity levels.

Try playing one day when the lawn mowers show up, and you will see how important sound is to your entire game.

Thanks for your thoughts!

Best, AL

P.S. Say hello to your brother for me!