Steve Smith and Dave Anderson dedicate the latest episode of the GreatBase Tennis Podcast to one of the most fundamental and overlooked topics in tennis teaching: grips. Responding to listener requests to go back to basics, Steve works through his notes on the subject while he and Dave dig into why so many players, even experienced ones, are holding the racket incorrectly and why so few coaches are doing enough about it.

The conversation covers everything from the math behind bevel changes and racket face angles, to the grip habits of all-time greats like Borg, Connors, McEnroe, and Graf. Steve and Dave make the case that getting grips right from the beginning is not just a technical detail but the foundation everything else is built on, and that slowing down to get it right early is one of the most important things a coach or parent can do for a young player.

Steve Smith and Dave Anderson dedicate the latest episode of the GreatBase Tennis Podcast to an exciting new chapter for the organization, a formal partnership with the Malagasy Tennis Federation in Madagascar. Steve walks through the backstory of how the partnership came together, tracing the connections between former University of Texas player Nomena and the GreatBase network that quietly shaped some of her tennis education years ago.

The conversation touches on what it takes for a federation-level initiative like this to actually work, from having committed leadership at the top to building a curriculum that reaches families and not just coaches. Steve and Dave also reflect on the legacy of Vic Braden and what the tennis world continues to miss without his voice, closing with a shared hope that Madagascar becomes a model that ripples outward.

Steve Smith and Dave Anderson cover a wide range of topics on the latest episode of the GreatBase Tennis Podcast, from submarine parenting and the three phases of truth in tennis teaching, to shoutouts for Dave Fish, the Bryan brothers, and the coaching tree that continues to grow through the GreatBase network.

The centerpiece of the episode is a look at the surge of new racket sports, with a particular focus on Steve Bellamy's new game Type T and whether sports like pickleball can serve as genuine bridge sports into tennis. Steve and Dave weigh the opportunities and the risks, making the case that no matter what sport a kid picks up, mechanics and skill development have to come first if any of it is going to stick.