US Open Racquetball Championships 2011…Trifector

I just returned from the 15th Annual US Open Racquetball Championships held in Minneapolis, MN and I am proud to say  my "Championship Team" lead by Paola Longoria, Rocky Carson and Taylor Knoth tore up the field as they ALL made it into the finals of their respective divisions....thusly the "Trifector". Along with them ten of my amateur students walked away with a medal around their necks...not too bad of a week's work. Rocky Carson made it to the finals without dropping a game and came out strong in the finals against Kane Waselenchuk beating him the first game.Rocky's new

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My Championship Team Summer 2011 Update

Rocky Carson wins the Outdoor National Championships in Huntington Beach, CA making it 8 in a row, after taking off 3 weeks from a grueling 2010/2011 professional indoor season where he was in 10 out of 12 finals. After winning the Outdoor Nationals his training regiment was like no other as he was not only getting ready for the pro season, but also he will be representing the USA at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, MX in mid-October. Paola Longoria wins the Mexican National Championships in singles and doubles and earned a spot on the Mexican National Team and

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Championship Racquetball Sports Triangle

In my last article, I wrote about developing a Preseason Schedule which uses the components of flexibility, speed play, aerobic conditioning, strength training , drilling, playing, and mental toughness. This schedule gave you adequate time to prepare your Racquetball Skills, Conditioning Skills, and Mental Skills. Now that you've gone through the Preseason Schedule let's introduce you to the In-Season Schedule. (more…)

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Preparing for a new season and competition

Have you been using your off season wisely? Stockton, CA is a hotbed of competitive racquetball built by the Ellis family, with the reins now being handed off to top-10 pro Jose Rojas and the young group of promising Ektelon players – Team Adrenaline. With the help of personal trainer now turned write, Jesse Serna, these guys have been using this time to improve their games through sessions of hard work both on and off the court. For players of all abilities, this is the best opportunity to improve your game. While the competitive season is fast approaching, it is not

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Fran Davis: Preseason Preparation

My last article, Taking Time Off and Recovery, reviewed the Postseason Recovery Cycle and how important it really is to fully recover both physically and mentally after a long season. Then it's time to start the Preseason Schedule to prepare for when tournaments and leagues start up again. If you haven't already begun, now's the time to focus on getting back into a routine using the components of flexibility, speed play, aerobic conditioning, strength training, drilling, playing, and mental toughness. These four steps will help you get started. (more…)

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Taking Time Off and Recovery by Fran Davis

Athletes sometimes do not know or understand that "TAKING TIME OFF and RECOVERING" is equally as important as the training itself. Think about why people take vacation -  they want and need to get away from work, school, or their crazy-busy lives to just "chill out and relax" and not think. At times, everyone needs to just not be responsible for anything and not have an agenda. Athletes need that too...a "VACATION from Training," physically, mentally, and emotionally. It's called healing the body and mind...a must in order to compete at ANY level. (more…)

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Rocky Carson #2 IRT Pro Player

Rocky had an amazing season finishing as the #2 IRT Professional Player for the 2010/2011 season and winning one of the IRT Grand Slams and made 9 finals of Tier 1 events. Not only did he make it to 9 finals, but he pushed the IRT #1 Pro Player, Kane Waselenchuk, to 2 tie breakers before losing 10-12 in the 5th and also took Kane to 4 games in the Coast-to-Coast Canoga Park, CA, event. Rocky is now looking forward to some time off to rest his body and mind before getting ready to defend his title at the Outdoor

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Taylor Knoth #23 IRT Professional Player

Taylor Knoth the Jr. World and National Champion 2010, National Intercollegiate Champion 2011 and made it to the quarter finals of the IRT Pro National Championships – a dream came true! Beyond his wildest imagination, Taylor never expected to make it to the quarter finals of the IRT Pro National Championships; he knocked off the #9 and #10 seeds along the way before playing the #1 pro player in the world, Kane Waselenchuk. What an honor, privilege and experience that was for Taylor who just turned 20 yrs. old and finished the season ranked #23-his highest ranking ever! Besides all

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Getting Ready for Nationals with Fran Davis

Well it is that time of year to get ready for "The Nationals" in Fullerton, CA. How does one prepare for such a prestigious event? I would think you are in decent tournament shape as you had to play in "The Regional's" to qualify for this tournament. Let's see what Rocky Carson and Taylor Knoth will do to aggressively prepare for this tournament so they can achieve their goals of winning in their respective divisions, Rocky in the Pro division and Taylor in the US Team Qualifying division. (more…)

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In an interview with Jason Mannino, the Legend

Jason shares his thoughts and insights on being coached by Fran Davis. 1)  Jason, why did you choose Fran Davis when you were looking for a coach? After I started teaching with Fran during the 2000 season I learned how much she knew about the game. At that time, I felt she was the only person that I could trust to analyze my game. We set up a video analysis session which I thought would last an hour or two, 10 hours later, after strict scrutiny, I realized I had a lot to work on and that she could help.

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