Snow had fallen overnight, the temperature had dropped, but no snowstorm was going to stop Marty’s “ladies” from showing up. All six cleaned their cars off, navigated the fresh snow, and were ready to go at 9 am. Marty was on the tennis court ready and waiting, even though it was just days from when he’d been in the hospital getting a Pacemaker. He conducts these teaching sessions five days a week at Hopewell Tennis and Swim Center during the indoor season and at his West Trenton home court in nice weather. Each day, the drill has a different cast of characters. Many of them play competitively; they come to Marty for the drills, instruction, and more.
“Every shot in the book will occur in these drills,” explained Marty. “Every drill has a purpose. It gives them [the players] more options for making decisions.”
At this recent Monday morning tennis drill session, the ladies, and at other sessions sometimes men, know the routine. There’s a warmup, followed by drills to work on forehands, backhands, passing shots, hitting with depth, returning high backhand lobs, using angles, first strike, topspin volleys, shot selection, serves, and more. They’ve learned to play in no-man’s land, a tactic Marty developed during his competitive years.
There are three players on each side. Marty calls out the drill and feeds the balls. It’s a fast-moving session, with players rotating after every point, giving them the extra benefit of a cardio workout. It also gives players an added challenge: with three on a side there are fewer places you can put the ball away. The score is kept for each drill, making it somewhat competitive. And, because of the rotation, each player gets to play all positions.
Marty follows the principles he so eloquently details in his book, “Ol’ Buddy Marty, A Memoir Sprinkled with Wit, Wisdom, and Inspiration.” For instance, all his feedback is positive. He emphasizes positive self-change, goal setting, resiliency, problem solving, and so much more. He’s a living example of those principles. During the drills, he’s spouting out encouragement, often spiced with humor and giving the players last-second instructions, like “hit with topspin, Maureen,” which she does. He adds a fun element by teaching them, for example, how to hit unique forehands like that of Rafael Nadal.
Marty manages to give positive and humorous feedback while describing his players to me.
“Great shot; right at her feet.”
“Where the hell did that come from?”
“That’s a good miss.”
“You must have been out drinking last night.”
“If Jean started when she was young, she’d be on the tour.”
“Mary is solid as a rock.”
“They use more shots than they do on TV.”
“Jean has great footwork.”
“Maureen is a magician.”
“We could go get a cup of coffee and come back and their rally would still be going on.”
“She has hands quicker than a one-armed paperhanger.”
“No one teaches this,” said Marty, referring to hitting topspin volleys out of the air. “I also teach the reading of cues. It’s crazy what they’re doing. I tell them they belong in the circus.”
Marty has been teaching for many years, is proud of the progress these students have made, and accurately assesses his teaching skills.
“I’m actually a pretty good teacher. I know so much about teaching. You learn to see all the nuances. I can comment on every single shot; sometimes there might be two or three things that happen in a shot. It keeps my mind sharp. This is my social [activity].” He added that he learns as much from his students as they do from him.
Marty knows the players well, since most have been with him for years. (“Mary’s been with me since Moby Dick was a guppie.”) They keep coming because of the tennis — and because Marty’s teaching more than tennis.
Jeannie and Janine have been with Marty for years. Said Jeannie, “He’s inspirational.”
Janine added, “He’s unbelievable.” Both players also talked about learning life lessons in addition to tennis.
There’s a waiting list to get into Marty’s sessions. Maureen Myers, who was in the drill this day, organizes them. She has an extensive email list, so if someone has to cancel, she sends an email and the spot fills quickly. She started taking lessons with Marty in 2006 and became his organizer a few years later. Marty calls her “Thumper” because of the noise coming off her racket.
They all hit with spin, but Janine gets the title, the “Spin Doctor.”
“Kelly is as tough as anyone, explains Marty, “She won’t let a ball go by.”
“Mary is as solid as a rock.”
“Linda hits one- and two-handed backhands; they all can…. They use the whole court very well.”
Now with his new Pacemaker, Marty is not allowed to lift his left arm above his shoulder. He’s learned to continue the drills by making adjustments.
Marty’s 92nd birthday is Feb. 7. He often says that his “ladies” are keeping him alive.
Said Maureen, “It works both ways!”
— Ann LoPrinzi
