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I spent last weekend at the Florida USPTA yearly convention.

It’s always nice to see old friends and actually play a little tennis rather than observing others play.

The true value of these types of meetings is in the reinforcement of coaching principals that stand the test of time. In a three-day period at numerous seminars, I heard speaker after speaker lament the absence of solid fundamentals being taught at the introductory level of the game.

In an effort to expand the base of popularity for tennis, a misguided effort to skip over base skills and jump almost directly into competition has replaced teaching sound strokes and good footwork.

The argument is that tennis is a difficult game to learn and it needs to be fun at the out set or people quit and try something else.

Well here’s the deal!

Tennis is a difficult game! Therein lies the pleasure of learning it with sound fundamentals and giving oneself a chance of progressing up the level ladder.

If you begin with good grips and learn how to practice properly the door is wide open to improvement. If you chose the fast lane of, hold it anyway you want and fire away, you will hit a very tall and wide wall constructed by the laws of physics that will repel any chance you have of becoming a competent player of this game.

Don’t beat your head against that wall by laboring with flawed fundamentals. Learn the right grips and footwork at the outset and the road is wide open to your ability to improve.

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Howie Burnett is a member of the United States Professional Tennis Association and tennis director at the Island Country Club on Marco Island. Burnett welcomes questions on strokes, tactics or etiquette. To reach him, call the tennis shop at 394-4464 or e-mail him at islandclubtennis@hotmail.com.