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Grove Isle Tennis
FORTY LOVE TM
On the Internet at
www.GrandLifestyle.com ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ June 2005 |
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Watch the ball and By Bill Mountford I always hated it when coaches would tell me to watch the ball after I’d miss a shot. Of course I was trying to watch the ball! Perhaps a more important message is to keep your head still throughout the shot. By keeping your head still, your eyes will instinctively follow the path of the ball. Experts agree that while you can watch the ball, you can’t actually see the ball during contact anyway. By keeping your head still, you will maintain better balance (our heads actually weigh a lot and when you move your head it has an immediate affect on your balance) through the course of your swing. This is never more crucial than on mid-court balls. You are getting up to a short ball quickly, trying to attack the ball and hit an aggressive shot, all the while continuing to move forward. There is so much movement, that it is easy to jerk your head up before contact to peek where you mean to hit it. Usually this causes poor contact with the ball and you lose your accuracy. The world’s #1 player Roger Federer offers the best example of how to play these mid-court balls most effectively. He always seems to arrive to the ball quickly with smooth racquet preparation, and then he keeps his head completely still through the completion of the swing. In fact, it looks as though he is still looking at where he hit the ball for a full moment after he’s hit the shot. This simple technique enables Federer to make perfect contact with the ball, and to execute this shot consistently and confidently. For more tips on how to play smart, tactical tennis, visit USTA.com Online Lessons at www.usta.com/lessons/lessons.html and choose from any one of our six available lessons. Bill Mountford is director of tennis at the USTA National Tennis Center.
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Four Grove Isle Drive,
Coconut Grove, FL 33133;
305-860-4550 ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
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Amy Buchman wins well-deserved award
Edward Villella no doubt will grinch at Amy's impromptu Sissonne Ouverte position. But the Artistic Director of the Miami City Ballet knows better. Miami City Ballet applauds this year’s recipient of the Miami City Ballet School Enhancement of Education Award, Dr. Amy Buchman. The award was created especially for the school to be awarded annually at Miami City Ballet School’s Student Showcase. The Enhancement of Education Award has become an annual tradition for Miami City Ballet School.
Ballet has been the love of her life, so it is only natural that Amy Buchman devotes so much of her life to helping Miami City Ballet School. Dr. Buchman, who has a Ph.D. in kinesiology and physiology from Columbia University in New York, is a physical trainer who is on a mission — to keep bodies healthy. She used her great energy and determination to organize the International Dance and Exercise Association and establish industry standards to protect the public. Dr. Buchman began dancing at the age of five. She apprenticed with the Robert Joffrey Ballet, danced with the Royal Ballet as a Fulbright Scholar, had roles on Broadway in Hair and Grease, and appeared in the motion picture, Fame. She remains as enamored of ballet today as she was when she donned her first tutu. “It has never lost its fascination for me. The happiest years of my life have been when I was onstage or later backstage.” These days, you will frequently find Dr. Buchman watching from the wings when her beloved Miami City Ballet performs. “I moved [to Florida] when I heard Eddie Villella left New York to start a ballet company in Miami; I figured Florida has to have something to keep him down here,” said Dr. Buchman. She discovered a role for herself and quickly got involved with the Miami City Ballet School. For nearly ten years she has served the School — as a member of the Advisory Circle and the Showcase Committee, as chair of the Student Showcase, and as a dedicated patron and supporter of the School Scholarship Fund.
Dear Amy, your friends at Grove Isle Club are very proud of you and congratulate you for receiving this distinguished award. We also look forward to your continuing to practice the jeté on the tennis court. The elegance of the dance step as practiced on the tennis court is simply fascinating. Laurie Pallot echoes the sentiment of her Grove Isle friends: "Amy is a multi talented individual, not only a natural athlete, but a natural communicator and conversationalist. With her good nature and positive attitude she not only knows everyone but is friends with everyone."
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This prestigious award is given to very
special friends of Miami City Ballet who have distinguished themselves
through the quality of their commitment to Miami City Ballet School either
by their dedication and support of our programs through volunteerism and
emotional support or with a significant financial commitment.