The best way to launch the ball with an iron is easier said than done. Irons generate power when pressing down on the ball and compressing it between the face of the club and the ground. Here are two drills to help Master the Irons.

The Tee Drill

Step 1-Practice your swing at a driving range with a grassy area or in your yard (with wiffle balls).

Step 2- Place a ball down, then position a tee in line with the ball, an inch away from the ball. The tee placement shows the location of your divot in relation to where the ball originally was placed.

Step 3-Hit the ball and look for the divot. The ideal spot would be just in front of the ball. The iron is meant to strike the ball on the downswing, not the upswing. This means the club should barely touch the surface of the soil immediately following impact of the ball.

Step 4-Repeat the shot with a new ball. Continue with 10 shots in a row that all create divots in front of the ball. This will prove you’re hitting down on the ball.

The One Foot Drill

Step 1-Place a ball on the grass and strike the ball like you normally would.

Step 2-Move your trailing leg (right leg for right-handed golfer) about a foot behind you so that only your toe is in contact with the ground. Keep the lead foot still.

Step 3-Strike ball. This will force you to keep weight on your front foot as you’ll be rotating the lead leg. By doing this, you help develop the rotation forward which is essential in swinging down on the golf ball to drive it up and to the target.

Learn these drills and many more to help improve or kickstart your golf skills at our Junior and Senior Golf Camp. 

Often, those attending Tennis Camps want to know how they become a better tennis player. We've outlined six specific reasons on how you'll leave a better player on the court. 

• Tennis enhances your physical being through aerobic and cardiovascular fitness.
• Tennis helps develop a work ethic while also developing discipline on your skills and pace of play.
• You can play tennis for a lifetime. All you have to do is start playing and you’ll see why many view it as a top health activity. It's great for your mental and emotional growth.
• Playing at Tennis Camp allows kids to play against a lot of different skill levels and variety of styles.
• You will learn for five hours a day, five days a week which will allow you to improve at a much faster pace.
• The luxury of working and learning from all the tennis professionals at a Tennis Camp is second to none. You can receive more personal attention with the lower student to professional ratio.

Recently we listened to Stephen Friedfeld of AcceptU to hear him speak about the Best Summer Activites for College Admissions. We've summed it up for you in this post!

Academic Summer Activities

• Community College Courses
• On-Campus (Residential or Commuting Courses

College Preparation Summer Activities 

• College Research of interested schools
• Transcripts
• Letters of recommendation
• Grade(s)

Pre-professional Summer Activities

• Internships
• Externships
• Volunteer work
• Entrepreneurship

Travel-related Summer Activities

• Learn a new language
• Work abroad
• Volunteer/Community Service
• Cultural Immersion
• Adventure Travel

Make an Impact

• Differentiate yourself from others
• Learn new skills
• Create your own activities
• Apply for scholarships

When should you participate?

After Grade 10, consider travel, academic, internship options.

After Grade 11, consider travel, academic, internship options with college-related activities and applications.

Before you head into Grade 12, visit colleges, write essays and complete application process.

Our internship program is a great way to get started in your preparing your resume for college admissions. Students ages 16-18 will be placed in a professional office or business in Philadelphia. You can experience and gain insight on fields such as; architecture, business and finance, charitable organizations, culinary arts, engineering, entertainment, sports, fashion, law, hospitality, medicine, marketing, real estate and more. 

Ever wonder how to get better footwork to improve your skills on the court? Well, here are some footwork exercises our Tennis Pros do to help them prepare for match play. Learn more about our High Performance Tennis training and our Tennis Programs this Summer. 

55 Ball Drill

This drill will increase stamina and cardiovascular strength.  You’ll need a coach or partner to feed 55 balls side to side. The player will have to recover to the center of the court after every ball. Works best if the player hits every ball and recovers fully back to the center for the next shot.

Sidestep Slide

This is a motion you’ll use often in match play. Face one direction and slide along sideways then turn and face the opposite direction while continuing to slide.

Backwards Snake

Build the muscles and coordination needed when you must backpedal at an angle. Starting on the baseline, run up to the center of the net, drop back to the side and back to where you started.

Heel Kicks

Heel kicks will help build up the spring in your legs. Keeping your arms straight and at the waist side and continue to try and kick your heels up to reach your hands.

Split Step and Sprint

Maximize the quickness around the court. Similar to the “ready position”, the split step is a small hop you take while in the ready position. Begin with a split-step and sprint. To make it more realistic, you can do this to the right, the left and forward.

Sprint and Slide Shuttle Run

Space two cones or wood blocks. Sprint from one to the next then slide 3 times to each cone while finishing with a sprint back to the final cone.

When starting to play tennis, selecting a Tennis Racquet can be challenging. We've outlined 5 key components for you to get out there on the court at our Youth Tennis Camp. 

Racquet Grip Size

o   Hold the racquet in one hand and slide the index finger of the other hand in between the tips of your fingers and base of palm.

o   Not enough room for your index finger, grip is too small.

o   Tons of extra room, grip is too large.

o   Choose the smaller one instead of larger if you’re stuck between the two.

Head Size

o   Oversize racquets (between 105-130 square inches) are best for beginners. Larger head allows more spin, more power and fewer miss-hits with a larger sweet spot.

Racquet Weight and Materials

o   Consider the balance of the weight of the racquet. Those who play on the baseline tend to prefer head-heavy racquets while those who play up (at the net) prefer handle-heavy.  Handle-heavy racquets are easier on the arm and better for control.

o   You can select from graphite, which is considered light weight or aluminum and titanium racquets which also provide solid power.

Racquet Length and Beam Width

o   Traditionally a racquet is about 27 to 28 inches in length, but you can have a racquet up to 29 inches.  The longer the racquet the greater the leverage on the swing, which could make your shot more powerful.

o   Wider beam width will give more power to the shot, but could reduce the control of the ball.

String Tension

o   Tighter strings mean more shot control and spin which is perfect for those who need to improve accuracy. Looser strings mean more power but less control. Think of your strings like a slingshot.

We'll be honest, it's not easy buying golf clubs. Even if you bought a set to get you started and now you are looking to fill your set with clubs, there are still tricks of the trade that can help you. We've outlined 8 tips that can make your golf club buying experience more fun and enjoyable once you hit the golf course.

1. Leave out the 3-wood. Carry the 5-wood. Those who may not have enough power can get the 5-wood up in the air. Using a 5-wood with a few hybrids is ideal for anyone’s game.

2. Use a drive with more loft. This will help you get more height on your drives and enable more distance too.

3. Gaps between your wedges are always a good idea. We recommend 46-50-54-58 which gives you a four degree gap between the wedges.

4. Good bye 60! Hello 58. Dump the 60-degree wedge. Without a ton of speed, there aren’t many places you can use that club.  The 58-degree wedge is much easier to control.

5. Shorter is better than longer when buying a driver. Closed is better than neutral.

6. Don’t even think about including a 3, 4 or 5-iron. 3 and 4-irons have such little loft that they are virtually unhittable for the average golfer.

7. Get a hybrid! The trick is matching them to the irons they are replacing. Replace long irons with hybrids of same length and loft.

8. Learn the “three L’s” when looking for a putter. Loft, Length and Lie angle. A putter with the wrong length or lie angle cause pushes and pulls. 

Now that you're ready to buy your golf clubs, check out our Golf Programs for middle school and high school students.

This is a big question for a lot of tennis players. We compare and contrast the similarities, differences, pros and cons of both strokes. Test out your grips and backhands this summer with our youth Tennis Programs. 

One Hander Keys

-Eastern Backhand Grip to enable topspin

-Topspin contact in front

-Contintental grip enables and promotes under spin

-Under spin contact less in front than topspin

-Stance can be closed, square or open.

-Preparation turns the back to the net

-During the swing, the other arm stays back with player sideways

-Strokes should flow smoothly

-Challenge occurs with higher bouncing balls.

————————————–

Pros: Better Reach, More Power

Cons: Hard to Handle, Change of Grip from Forehand to Backhand

Two Hander Keys

-Eastern forehand grip for the non-dominant arm

-Promotes Topspin

-Stance should be squared or open to allow hips to turn into each stroke

-Preparation is more sideways

-During the swing, dominant arm pulls up to impact and the non dominant arm takes over at point of contact to follow through

-Strokes should be firm and strong handed

-Challenge occurs during volleying

————————————–

Pros: Power, Spin, Consistency, Ability to handle high backhand

Cons: Hard to hit stretch backhands

Similarities in One Hander and Two Hander Strokes

-Played with ball in front

-Swing up creating topspin

-Preparation begins with weight on back foot

Differences between the two

-Baseline is best for two handers

-Those who enjoy volleying should use a one hander

-If high bouncing balls aren’t fun for you then use a two hander

-If you like to approach the net or play on a grass court the one hander is best

We asked Dr. Gregg Lipschik about the field of medicine and got to know him a little bit on a personal level. 

Dr. Lipschik is an NIH-trained critical care specialist and pulmonologist. He is co-director of the Penn Medicine Clinical Simulation Center, director of the Patient Safety Fellowship at the Philadelphia VA Hospital and was previously director of the Medical ICU at the Philadelphia VA Hospital and a laboratory researcher studying Pneumocystis pneumonia in patients with AIDS. Dr. Lipschik will be teaching at our Penn Medical High School Summer Program this summer. 

JKCP: What part of medicine do you practice or did you study?

I'm an internist (internal medicine specialist) and pulmonary/critical care physician, taking care of the sickest patients in the hospital and in the medical intensive care unit. I also do a lot of teaching.

JKCP: Why did you choose that area of medicine?

I Love the interaction of Medicine and Science.

JKCP: How long did you have to study to become a doctor?

Four years of college, four years of medical school, then another four years to be a specialist and subspecialist.

JKCP: What was the hardest part of medical school and why?

The work was hard but interesting; the most difficult thing was living in a different city from my wife.

JKCP: What is a typical day like for you?

I have no typical days; I do different things–teaching, research, patient care, administration–every day is a different schedule and a variety of things to do.

JKCP: Was there anything that you really did not expect about being a doctor?

I didn't realize how much I'd enjoy teaching.

JKCP: What is your favorite part of being a doctor/ the area you practice?

My favorite things are teaching students and taking care of the very sickest patients.

JKCP: What is the hardest part of being a doctor? Why?

The hardest part is dealing with dying patients, especially young people.

JKCP: Did you expect that to be the hardest part?

Yes, especially knowing that I would be working with very sick patients, I expected dealing with death to be the hardest part.

JKCP: Would you choose a different career now knowing what it is like to be a doctor?

I've often wondered about being a high school teacher; I almost actually quit medicine to do that.

JKCP: What is your favorite part about the University of Pennsylvania?

There are so many different opportunities, and there are always great, motivated students that are eager to learn.

JKCP: Do you have any advice for high school students aspiring to be doctors?

Do the minimum amount of science and math in your undergrad you must to apply to med school; study what you love, whether it's history or science or math or art. It’ll all work out eventually.

Rapid Fire Questions:

When I was 16…

I was a freshman in college

People would be surprised to know…

Spanish is my first language; I also wrote a novel.

Favorite things about Philadelphia?

Restaurants! (and the theater)

Favorite place to eat in Philadelphia?

Parc

Favorite things to do?

Write, teach, eat, and garden

Favorite book?

To Kill a Mockingbird

Favorite Movie?

To Kill a Mockingbird