Total Champion® May 2008
By Rhonda Winstead Brown
The Dance of Doubles
Have you ever noticed how great partners can make a dance look so easy, so
fluid, so effortless?
She follows him. He complements her.
They move seamlessly…together. And you watch and wonder….How do they do
that?
Were they great performers because they spent hours honing their
choreography? That could be. But in ballroom dancing, I have learned that I
can only be as good as my partner leads. If he doesn’t do his part, I can’t do
mine. This is true with all dances but especially Argentine Tango, something I’
ve studied for three years.
Now let’s compare this with tennis.
In doubles, you’re only as strong as the weaker partner. If your partner doesn’t
understand her role, the correct positioning, or how to capitalize on a good
play, she’ll be like a dancer with two left feet. Likewise, if you are the weaker
partner, you can find yourself a step slow and a forehand short. You’ll look like
you don’t belong on the dance floor… oops … I mean the court.
Just as graceful dance partners make a dance look easy, so do good doubles
partners make tennis look effortless. Have you ever watched a team crush
opponents in record time? Point after point, game after game? Maybe you
were at the receiving end of this dynamic duo. You walk off, crestfallen and
scratching your head.
How did they do that? They made us look silly.
Superior doubles play doesn’t occur because the players have flawless strokes,
but because more than anything, they understand the importance of moving
well as a team. They know exactly what the next step together is, just like –
you got it – just like great dancers.
It matters not if you have a rocket serve, a great crosscourt forehand, or a
fabulous slice if you don’t know when to use it, or how to position yourself
following the shot. If your partner does not understand how to capitalize on
your last play, it is like a dancer who just does not know how to follow. You
can bluff your way through the music for a while, but in the end, your sins will
find you out.
What is the evidence of your sins in a doubles match? Maybe its gaping holes
in the court. Or moving out of synchronization with your partner. You find
yourself constantly out of position. You find yourself on the defensive more
than not, digging shots out of your ankles. You do not communicate with your
partner. You simply cannot figure out where to hit the ball.
Now, think of the court as a dance floor.
We would all rather be dancing at the party, rather than sitting against the
wall, right? And where do you think the tennis wallflowers hang out? You got
it . . . at the baseline. Dynamic dancers move . . . the real show-stopping action
most likely happens at the net. So, when playing doubles, foxtrot yourself – no,
make it a Quick Step to the net. If not, your opponents will get a head-start
filling up their dance-card, scoring point after point on you, while you forlornly
roam the baseline.
At a dance, you’d be hard-pressed to break in on a couple grooving well to the
music. The guy would never give up his partner when things are clicking so
well. And as a doubles team, you shouldn’t relinquish the net either, lest you
want to finish second in the contest. Remember, the excitement hovers around
the dance floor, and in tennis, that’s at the net.
But as I transitioned last week from teaching tennis to going to my tango
lesson, I was struck by the similarities. It crystallized for me how important it is
for me and my partner to know our position, to have great footwork, and to
keep our minds on our goal.
Whether the dance floor or the tennis court, strive for coordination,
synchronization, teamwork, and acute awareness with your partner.
Whether the dance floor or the tennis court, it’s all the same, isn’t it?
Rhonda Winstead Brown is President of Total Champion, LLC and is a
professional instructor at Raintree Country Club. Address letters to
Rhonda@totalchampion.com.
By Rhonda Winstead Brown
The Dance of Doubles
Have you ever noticed how great partners can make a dance look so easy, so
fluid, so effortless?
She follows him. He complements her.
They move seamlessly…together. And you watch and wonder….How do they do
that?
Were they great performers because they spent hours honing their
choreography? That could be. But in ballroom dancing, I have learned that I
can only be as good as my partner leads. If he doesn’t do his part, I can’t do
mine. This is true with all dances but especially Argentine Tango, something I’
ve studied for three years.
Now let’s compare this with tennis.
In doubles, you’re only as strong as the weaker partner. If your partner doesn’t
understand her role, the correct positioning, or how to capitalize on a good
play, she’ll be like a dancer with two left feet. Likewise, if you are the weaker
partner, you can find yourself a step slow and a forehand short. You’ll look like
you don’t belong on the dance floor… oops … I mean the court.
Just as graceful dance partners make a dance look easy, so do good doubles
partners make tennis look effortless. Have you ever watched a team crush
opponents in record time? Point after point, game after game? Maybe you
were at the receiving end of this dynamic duo. You walk off, crestfallen and
scratching your head.
How did they do that? They made us look silly.
Superior doubles play doesn’t occur because the players have flawless strokes,
but because more than anything, they understand the importance of moving
well as a team. They know exactly what the next step together is, just like –
you got it – just like great dancers.
It matters not if you have a rocket serve, a great crosscourt forehand, or a
fabulous slice if you don’t know when to use it, or how to position yourself
following the shot. If your partner does not understand how to capitalize on
your last play, it is like a dancer who just does not know how to follow. You
can bluff your way through the music for a while, but in the end, your sins will
find you out.
What is the evidence of your sins in a doubles match? Maybe its gaping holes
in the court. Or moving out of synchronization with your partner. You find
yourself constantly out of position. You find yourself on the defensive more
than not, digging shots out of your ankles. You do not communicate with your
partner. You simply cannot figure out where to hit the ball.
Now, think of the court as a dance floor.
We would all rather be dancing at the party, rather than sitting against the
wall, right? And where do you think the tennis wallflowers hang out? You got
it . . . at the baseline. Dynamic dancers move . . . the real show-stopping action
most likely happens at the net. So, when playing doubles, foxtrot yourself – no,
make it a Quick Step to the net. If not, your opponents will get a head-start
filling up their dance-card, scoring point after point on you, while you forlornly
roam the baseline.
At a dance, you’d be hard-pressed to break in on a couple grooving well to the
music. The guy would never give up his partner when things are clicking so
well. And as a doubles team, you shouldn’t relinquish the net either, lest you
want to finish second in the contest. Remember, the excitement hovers around
the dance floor, and in tennis, that’s at the net.
But as I transitioned last week from teaching tennis to going to my tango
lesson, I was struck by the similarities. It crystallized for me how important it is
for me and my partner to know our position, to have great footwork, and to
keep our minds on our goal.
Whether the dance floor or the tennis court, strive for coordination,
synchronization, teamwork, and acute awareness with your partner.
Whether the dance floor or the tennis court, it’s all the same, isn’t it?
Rhonda Winstead Brown is President of Total Champion, LLC and is a
professional instructor at Raintree Country Club. Address letters to
Rhonda@totalchampion.com.
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