Lesson for Hubby
                        (and wifey too)

     So, you've been playing for years and your dream of your spouse picking up the game of tennis
has finally come true!  You have so much knowledge that you want to pour out into your better half,
that you can barely contain yourself.  At first, she (or he) is hitting the ball well over the fence or well
into the bottom of the net.  You think her looks of frustration are cute.  She doesn't.  That makes it
even more cute!  You fall asleep each night thanking God for blessing you with the perfect mate.
She falls asleep begging God for a back hand winner to wipe that "you're so cute" smile off your face,
but she doesn't tell you that.

     One day you hit a ball at him or her with a little bit of pace and you start to reach into your pocket
for the next ball, thinking the point is over.  All of a sudden, there's a fuzzy yellow missile heading back
at you.  Holy Guacamole, Batman!  Where did that forehand come from?  He or she starts to get some
control and you start hitting the ball at them a little bit harder every time you play.  She's not backing
down, Robin!  She begins hitting with consistency too.  Then something awful happens to you; you
become a coach. 

     You don your invisible coach's cap and whistle and you forget that you begged your partner to play
tennis with you because you promised them it would be fun.  Fun?!?  But, everybody else is out for blood!
Now you are thinking of them more as a doubles partner than as a life partner...at least on the court.  You
begin to hear yourself letting out phrases like: "Hit the ball out in front of you",  "accelerate the racket",
"dip your shoulder on that back hand" and it feels kind of good to have someone to coach.  You mean
well.  After all, you don't want some of the blood thirsty players hitting the ball at him or her at a hundred
miles an hour and them not be able to defend themselves.  You want to see them do well.  So, more
tennis phrases emerge from your lips: "Stick that volley", "bend your back leg", "shoulder to chin"! 
One day you notice your spouse isn't having as much fun playing anymore.  "What happened?", you
ask.  Then she hits you with it. You constantly flood them with information,
and they feel like they are drowning. 

     Tennis is first and foremost supposed to be fun.  Yea. Yea. I've heard and been guilty of saying: "It's more
fun to win than it is to lose".  It's more fun to improve (even if you lose that USTA match that no one will ever
see on television) and spend quality time with your spouse.  Try easing back on the coaching a little bit and
make sure that when you give advice, you put it in a way that is fun (like a real coach would).  You and
your spouse will have a better time and he or she will improve at a much faster rate.  Most of us will never
play at the finals of the U.S. Open, so why act like we are?  Give your spouse shots that he or she can hit
back, and you can work on your consistency in the mean time.  When she hits that offensive top spin lob
over your head next time and it's your turn to be frustrated, she'll meet you at the net and say how cute
you looked. 

Need hands-on lessons?  Don VanRamshorst is a U.S.P.T.A.
 certified professional tennis instructor.  Nothing beats the real
 deal! Call the Harlingen H.E.B. tennis center for rates and your
  next appointment today! (956) 428 - 2092