What Every Tennis Player Should Know About Training in the Heat By Paul Pisani It's 8:15 on a July morning in Northeast Florida. The courts are already shimmering. The humidity hangs in the air like a heavy blanket, and before the first ball is even struck, sweat begins to form on everyone's forehead. I dump another basket of balls into the ball machine and look across the net at one of my students. He wipes his face with his wrist and smiles. "Coach...it's gonna be hot today

Why the Daily Grind Beats Talent — Every Day of the Week… and Twice on Sundays Sundays... One of my favorite sayings ever comes from someone I can call… a somewhat friend . I met Andy Roddick back in 2003 or 2004 when I was working with Robby Ginepri in Miami. Robby had just qualified there and went on to make the quarterfinals, which was a huge run at the time. It was right after the Miami Open, and I was scheduled to train upcoming WTA star Ashley Harkleroad for about 10 da

Most tennis players practice hard. They hit balls. They sweat. They compete. And then… they forget everything they just did. That’s the problem. The Truth Most Players Don’t Realize If you’re not reflecting, you’re repeating. The same missed forehand. The same tight service games. The same mental lapses in big moments. Day after day. Not because you’re not working hard…But because you’re not tracking anything . The Hidden Skill: Awareness The best players in the world don’t

Steph with Roger and Novak One of the most fascinating athletes to study outside of tennis is Stephen Curry . Yes, he’s a basketball player. But if you watch how he trains, how he practices, and how he builds his skill set, you’ll realize something quickly: Steph Curry trains like a tennis player. His workouts revolve around precision, repetition, movement, and decision-making under fatigue — all things that matter tremendously in tennis. For players chasing improvement, Curr

There I was. Friday morning. Coffee. Good mood. Ready to attack the day. Then I picked up Parker. And my lower back basically said: “Yeah… we’re not doing that today.” Instant lock. Leaned sideways like a crooked tree in a hurricane.Right side of my lower back lit up like a Christmas tree. If you've ever had a lower back muscle spasm , you know exactly what I'm talking about. Your brain starts doing math immediately: Can I still coach today? Can I ride my bike? Am I turning

Over the past few years, one of the biggest changes in junior tennis has been the rise of something called UTR — Universal Tennis Rating . If you’ve been around tournaments, academies, or college recruiting conversations, you’ve probably heard it mentioned. “What's their UTR?” “ What UTR do they need for college?” “My kid just moved from an 8 to an 8.6.” But many parents still aren’t completely sure what it actually means. So let’s break it down. What Is UTR? UTR stands for U

In the world of high-performance tennis, people often talk about perfect environments. Perfect training schedules. Perfect weather. Perfect routines. Perfect structure. But real life rarely works that way. And in our household, it definitely doesn’t. Because while I am raising a high-level developing tennis player in Max,I am also raising my daughter Parker — who has special needs. Parker Kate was born with an extremely rare condition called Lissencephaly . The term "liss" m

Yulee, Florida. We are just into the second week of February, 2026. The weather has been cold and windy, with stretches of snow, mist, and rain mixed in. Flu season has been in full effect, and coaches and players alike have been battling that nasty virus. Because of that, training and teaching on the court has been limited. And I’m okay with that. For most of 2025, the boys at Title Town Tennis have been grinding. Grinding on the court and grinding off the court. Long pract

This past week was a strong one on court, with Sam (UTR ~13) and Max (UTR ~9.6) training together daily. The focus wasn’t volume for volume’s sake—it was patterns, decision-making, and physical readiness at a higher tempo. On-Court Focus Most of our court time centered around high-percentage patterns that translate directly to match play: Heavy cross-court exchanges to establish control Down-the-line changes at the right moment, not forced Transition work emphasizing volleys

When I last talked to Sam Nicholson, a tennis player ranked 100 in Division 1 NCAA, he had mentioned that he wanted to come to Yulee, FL to train with Maximus Pisani and myself. When I woke up on Saturday morning at 5:30 am to walk our fun loving dog Cayde, I noticed a familiar white sedan parked in my driveway. Judging by the North Carolina plates, Sam had arrived early to the Title Town Tennis training camp. Day 1 started off with a bang! We discussed how we would approac

Brunswick, GA Jan 4th, 2025 A cold morning, a final, and the long game Sunday morning in the low 50s at the College of Coastal Georgia. Cold enough that you feel it in your hands. Cold enough that the body takes a little longer to wake up. Those are the days that tell you things—about your preparation, your mindset, and how you respond when conditions aren’t ideal. Max played two matches. The first match was straightforward. A 4–0, 4–1 win against a less experienced opponent.

As this year comes to a close, I’ve been thinking a lot about what 2025 asked of me. It wasn’t an easy year. There were setbacks, surgeries, losses, long nights, and moments that tested every ounce of patience and resilience I had. This summer was hot, seemed extra HOT! There were plans that didn’t unfold the way I thought they would. Routines that disappeared. People and chapters I thought would last longer than they did. BUT there was also growth — real growth. The kind you

If you coach tennis long enough, you learn one thing real fast: talent doesn’t end careers — bad shoulders do. The tennis shoulder is asked to do more than almost any joint in sport. Thousands of serves. Thousands of forehands. Explosive acceleration followed by violent deceleration. And yet, most players still train it like it’s a bodybuilding muscle. It’s not. At Title Town Tennis, shoulder health isn’t an afterthought — it’s part of the program. Below is how I train and pr

YULEE, Fla. — Yulee High School tennis standout Max Pisani is taking a big step toward his college dream, announcing this week that he has verbally committed to the College of Coastal Georgia. Pisani shared the news with excitement, calling the opportunity a strong fit both on and off the court. “Pretty stoked that we got a bit closer to playing D1 tennis! Right up the street, a great coach…” — Max Pisani For Pisani, the commitment means the chance to continue developing his

Amelia Island Plantation, L6 at the Omni Resort. With The Southern Open at Bolles canceled this weekend, at the last second, Maximus entered into the USTA Level 6 tournament to get some good practice in on December 6, 2025. Match practice is important, and part of ingredients in becoming the best tennis player you can be is to play matches, and matches in TOURNAMENTS! In the first round, Maximus drew the always tough player and old friend, Jacob Kovalcik. Jacob plays on the

Yulee High School's Maximus Pisani, made history this season with an unprecedented 19-0 record, capturing their first-ever district championship. At the heart of this remarkable achievement stands Maximus Pisani, whose leadership and skill transformed the team into a powerhouse. This story goes beyond wins and losses; it is about determination, teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence. The Rise of Maximus Pisani Maximus Pisani entered the season with high expectations but few

This season at Yulee High School the team went 6-5, a new school record. Coach Garret Burnett lead the young squad to new territory. His...

For the last year and a half I have had the privilege of coaching Joe El Hajj. It goes way beyond coaching at this point as he is kind...