Steve Smith Andy Fitzell Podcasts

Under the leadership of their head coach, Claremont-Mudd-Scripts's women's tennis team has won the national championship in three of the last four years. Dave Schwarz also led Middlebury College to two national championships. He is the fifth coach in college tennis history to win national titles with both the men's and women's teams. He was the fir…

On the 146th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith and Andres Barbosa talk tennis. Andres is a veteran tennis coach who lives and works in Miami and understands our curriculum's history and depth. GreatBase Tennis Education (GBTE) aspires to help educate tennis players, parents, coaches, and administrators. In addition to the podcast…

On the 145th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith and Dave Anderson have a conversation pertaining to the outsider's criticism of their work. They plan on collaborating on more episodes to review core tennis information; which has been requested by numerous listeners. Dave Anderson has led the tennis instructional staff at the Brook…

On the 144th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith and Andres Barbosa discuss their thoughts on the role of the sparring partner. Like anything, there are numerous interesting points to discuss. The term sparring comes from boxing; where one practices techniques and tactics to enhance performance. The sparring partner in boxing typic…

On the 143rd episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith interviews Ricardo Acioly. To make an understatement, Ricardo's background is truly exceptional. The expression, 'you name and he has done it', applies to his journey in tennis. Ricardo, who grew up just outside of Rio de Janeiro, acquired his passion for tennis from his parents and …

On the 142nd episode of the GreatBase Tennis (GBT) podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with Stephen Baccari. Our guest is highly educated; having received an undergraduate degree in marketing from Bentley University and two master's degrees from Northeastern University, one in finance and the other in accounting. Stephen's full-time position is…

On the 141st episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith and Andres Barbosa have a conversation with Steve Robertson. Their guest is a South African who came to the US nearly 30 years ago with his wife, Colleen, and their two children. Steve's youth was filled with playing multiple sports. Tennis eventually became his primary sport and his…

On the 140th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with Lenny Schloss. Mr. Schloss is the founder and president of the Billie Jean King Eye Coach. The goal of his team of associates is to help all levels of tennis by researching the connection and function between the eyes and the brain. Lenny, an All-American at t…

On the 139th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with Andres Barbosa. They discussed the Pickle Ball Slam with Agassi, McEnroe, Roddick, and Chang. They also touched upon pro tennis, junior tennis, and other related topics. As always, GreatBase Tennis continues to share free educational tennis content with the ho…

On the 138th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith interviews Ry Tarpley. Steve feels strongly that Ry's story is inspirational and should be heard by older players who need to make technical changes in their games. Ry had already weathered through the competitive trenches of junior, college, and pro tennis before he completed an ass…

On the 137th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith and Andres Barbosa, discuss a fictional friend, Rocky Balboa, who has inspired people for nearly 50 years. "Yo Adrian, you be walking down the street and you will be breaking hearts, you know what I mean." They also reinforce basics by reviewing the fundamental foundations of Elena R…

On the 136th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Ivan Ozerets reviews the strokes that were covered in previous episodes of the podcast. Short clips are shown from previous podcasts that have Steve Smith and Andy Fitzell talking about the solid fundamentals for the basic strokes. The strokes are reviewed in this order: the serve, the forehand,…

On the 135th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Ivan Ozerets reviews the eight pillars of the GreatBase. Short clips are shown from previous podcasts on the mentors and teachers behind the GreatBase Tennis curriculum. The pillars of the GreatBase are reviewed in this order: Jim Verdieck, Welby Van Horn, Bill Jacobson, Dr. Jim Loehr, Peter Bur…

On the 134th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith (SS) has a conversation with Steve Campbell (SC). SS & SC studied tennis together in the '80s and, most importantly, both worked for the late Vic Braden. SC and his wife, Colleen, have a wealth of tennis wisdom to share. They currently work together at the Wintergreen Resort in Winte…

On the 133rd episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith's guest is Jacob Hansen. The two tennis teaching professionals discuss the life and career of the late Peter Burwash. Jacob worked for Peter Burwash International (PBI) for ten years. The native of California currently leads a junior development program in Utah and is in the process …

On the 132nd episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with Andres Quijada. The Venezuelan is the director of the high-performance players at the Brookhaven Tennis Academy in Dallas. Prior to joining the private sector, Andres and his wife, the former Stephanie Wooten, spent years coaching college tennis. Andres grew u…

On the 131st episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith and Andres Barbosa discuss the 2023 Australian Open men's final. Perhaps Novak Djokovic was not 100% because of his injury. Perhaps Stefanos Tsitsipas could have played the one set point he earned in a different manner. Perhaps this and perhaps that was discussed for students of the …

On the 130th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with Ilja Semjonovs. Steve compliments his guest by calling him a total package coach; meaning Ilja can cover all four components of the game with extremely high levels of competency. Ilja, a native of Latvia, added to the GreatBase curriculum by designing a metron…

On the 129th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith has a tennis conversation with Casey Curtis. Coach Curtis is a veteran tennis coach; the Californian native spent nearly forty years developing junior players in Canada. His most successful student, a player he worked with from age eight to seventeen, reached the Wimbledon final and …

On the 128th episode of the GreatBase podcast, Steve Smith interviews Bud Schultz. The session covers a tennis story that must be heard. Bud, who never played a junior tournament, climbed to #39 on the ATP Tour. His story is truly inspirational and is an in-depth lesson in numerous ways for players, parents, and coaches.…

On the 127th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith's guest is Johann Frühling, who plans on making fitness and wellness his life's work. The native of Hamburg, Germany has completed sport science studies at the undergraduate level at the University of Leipzig and plans on completing his masters in the US. Johann conducts running cour…

On the 126th episode of the GreatBase Tennis Podcast, Steve Smith interviews Ram Vuppaladadiyam. Ram is better known in our circles as Rammie-baby or Super Intern. He is currently a software engineer and analyst in the hedge fund industry in NYC. Originally from Denver, Colorado, Ram played as a junior and is an avid student of the GreatBase. In hi…

On the 125th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith interviews Andrew Rueb, the head men's tennis coach at Harvard University. We are confident that our listeners will thoroughly enjoy learning about Andrew's journey in tennis. During the podcast, Andrew's delightful personality shines through, along with a deep, well-thought-out phil…

On the 124th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith wishes the listeners all the best for the new year. He also reviews the history and educational merit of the GreatBase Tennis curriculum.By Steve Smith, Andy Fitzell and Brandon Flanagan

On the 123rd episode of the GreatBase Tennis Podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with Cole Reeves and Gino Octa. The two tennis teaching professionals were visiting the sunshine state for the annual Orange Bowl, one of the most prestigious junior tennis tournaments in the world. A number of key points were covered with the purpose of helping fa…

On the 122nd episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith had a conversation with Julian Krinsky and his wife, Tina. Starting in the late 70's, Julian founded the Julian Krinsky School of Tennis (JKST) in Philadelphia. JKST evolved into Julian Krinsky Camps and Programs (JKCP); which became one of the largest and most diversified summer cam…

On the 121st episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith interviews Ty Tucker. Ty is the head men's tennis coach at Ohio State and also oversees the women's team as their director. He was twice an All-American for his beloved Buckeyes and, while playing on the ATP tour, he had wins over Tim Henman and Jimmy Arias (two top ten players). Ty …

Interview with Brian Clark On the 120th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith interviews Brian Clark. Brian certainly has many stories and lessons to share. His father, a former athlete, was instrumental in building an eight indoor tennis facility in Cincinnati; which Brian now owns and operates with his brother. Brian also was an at…

Group Dynamics In the 119th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with his long time associate, Richard Hernandez. Their topic was group dynamics. Richard, who is originally from Trinidad, lives in Toronto, Canada. Richard would like to see Tennis Ontario and Tennis Canada train tennis teachers to work with twenty …

A Rainy Day Review On the 118th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith reviews routines for goal-oriented players to consider doing everyday. He shares points he covered with a group of players on recent rainy day in sunny Florida. The messages regarding non-required practice time are powerful and parents should consider having their …

Nick White On the 117th episode to the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with Nick White. Nick was recently appointed as the Head Men's Tennis Coach at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. For a young man, Nick has a long history in tennis. He played junior and college tennis. Following his college days, he played …

Interview with Mike Carter On the 116th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with Mike Carter. Mike spent five years studying tennis with Steve back in the 1980's and has spent the last thirty years working for USTA:Texas. The third time is the charm applies to Mike Carter's journey in tennis. His dream job in ten…

An Interview with George Goldhoff On the 115th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with George Goldhoff. Steve's guest is twenty-seven years young and has a number of meaningful and worthwhile experiences to share. George was a top nationally ranked junior and played for the University of Texas Longhorns. He also…

On the 114th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with Caleb Hyatt. Steve's guest has worked as a junior, high school and college coach. Caleb served as a member of the tennis teaching staff at the USTA National Campus and also served as a massage therapist at the IMG athletic compound. Caleb recently spent two we…

On the 113th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with Jim Klein. He is the Director of Tennis of the Doylestown Tennis Club in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Our listeners who honor and respect the life-long work of the late Vic Braden would appreciate knowing that Jim led the efforts to have Vic inducted into the Int…

On the 112th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with Nicole Erickson. She is the Mental Performance Coach for the FM Tennis Performance Center. After suffering two severe knee injuries while playing scholastic basketball, Nicole transferred her energy into sports psychology. To prepare for her new passion she co…

Roger Federer Retires On the 111th episode of the GreatBaseTennis podcast, Steve Smith and Andres Barbosa discuss Roger Federer's remarkable tennis career. Words cannot sufficiently define the class, elegance and beauty of Roger the person and Roger the player. His life, both on-court and off-court, has truly been an inspiration. Thank you, Roger.…

On the 110th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with John Posey. Posey was the kid that every tennis program needs. He was cut from his college tennis team and returned a year later after having dedicated endless hours to improve and, fortunately, earned a spot in line-up. One of the best compliments for parents…

On the 109th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith has an in-depth conversation with Patrick Geoffrion-Amorim. Steve's guest, Patrick, is a passionate and dedicated tennis teaching professional based in Quebec, Canada. As a junior player, Patrick trained at numerous academies in both Florida and Spain as well as in his native Canada.…

On the 108th episode of the GreatBase Tennis (GBT) podcast, Steve Smith and Austin Krajicek have a tennis conversation. The two have known each other for twenty-five years. A couple of weeks before Austin turned 8 years old, Steve produced a narrated slow-motion analysis for Austin and his parents, Rob and Sherry. Austin was on his way to a nationa…

On the 107th episode of the GreatBase Tennis (GBT) podcast, Steve Smith interviews Henry Park. Henry discovered our free educational content by surfing the Internet. He immersed himself in the information starting at the age of thirteen. Now a little more than three years later, he has a story to tell. Self-learning and peer teaching are cornerston…

On the 106th episode of the GreatBase Tennis (GBT) podcast, Steve Smith talks tennis with Dave Secker. Dave Secker and his boss, head coach Simon Earnshaw, are orchestrating a tennis success story that is getting better and better. Dave updates and reports on the North Carolina State women's tennis team. The team's climb has been fast and fabulous.…

On the 105th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith interviews Ed Weiss. To make an understatement, Ed is a passionate and dedicated student of tennis. He shares his experiences from his lifetime journey in tennis. He learned the game from accomplished instructors and observed others. Ed was part of a national championship program as …

On the 104th episode of the GreatBase Tennis (GBT), Steve Smith interviews Phil Ritchie. Phil, a triplet from New Jersey, earned his stripes completing a summer internship with GBT. We are sure our listeners will find Phil's thoughts interesting and insightful. To make an understatement, Phil's performance was outstanding and he made major contribu…

On the 103rd episode of the GreatBase Tennis (GBT) podcast, Steve Smith interviews Lorenzo Panariti. Lorenzo grew up playing junior tennis in Italy and played college tennis in the US. Upon completing his undergraduate work, he moved to back to Europe to further his education in business. He currently is coaching tennis in Odense, Denmark and recen…

On the 102nd episode of the GreatBase Tennis (GBT) podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with Andres Barbosa. Andres is a veteran tennis coach who resides and works in Miami. In the early years of his career, Andres's teaching and coaching was influenced by several highly reputable tennis minds. For last ten plus years, he has been a follower and…

On the hundred and first podcast of the GreatBase Tennis (GBT) podcast, Mat Cloer is interviewed. Being #101, the theme of the conversation between Mat and Steve Smith is Basics 101. To make an understatement, Mat has a thorough understanding of the history and educational merit of the free educational content the GBT offers to assist players and c…

On the 100th episode of the GreatBase Tennis (GBT) podcast, Steve Smith interviews Jeremy Wurtzman. The two have known each other for 30 years, so their conversation goes back to when Jeremy was 10 years old. Now 40, Jeremy is the father of three children and the Head Men's Tennis Coach at Indiana University. On the GBT website, there is a free edu…

On the 99th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith and Malhar Patel address a topic that made Wayne Gretzky, Wayne Gretzky. We realize there are few from the world of tennis who don't know 99 was Wayne's number when he was breaking over 60 records in the best hockey league on the planet. Under the guidance of his father, Walter, Wayne…

On the 98th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith covers a requested topic: Situational Training. Steve is assisted by Malhar Patel, a student assistant and goal-oriented player. Webster's dictionary defines situation as a set of circumstances in which one finds themselves. The same definition applies to competitive tennis. We are co…