There and back again
Robert LeBuhn ’88 is setting the tone for the future of Lafayette tennis.
When Robert LeBuhn ’88 played tennis at Lafayette, student-athletes competed with wooden rackets just over half the square inches of racket heads today. New technology plus improved strength and conditioning have changed how the sport is played—“you really can’t compare the two games,” LeBuhn says—but the culture he is looking to build is reminiscent of the past. “My teammates and I pushed each other and were friends on and off the court,” he says. “At Lafayette, I want to build an ‘it-takes-a-village’ approach, and results will follow from the culture we set.”
The government and law major played on the Lafayette men’s tennis team from 1983 to 1985 before studying abroad in London. After college, he worked in financial services and took a break from tennis, but ultimately decided to return to the sport as a coach. “I think I found it easy to come back to because it’s a lifetime sport,” he says. Tennis took him to the high school and collegiate levels, roles that would require moves to New Jersey, Wisconsin, California, and Hawaii; he also taught racket sports at country clubs and resorts in South Carolina and Michigan.
This fall, LeBuhn will return to Lafayette as head coach of the men’s and women’s tennis teams. Returning to the program has allowed him to reconnect with former teammates and opponents, and be closer to his hometown in New Jersey. “It’s amazing how naturally those connections came after 30, 35 years,” he says. In his new role, he aims to provide student-athletes opportunities to face players they normally wouldn’t by traveling to the United States Tennis Association National Campus in Orlando over spring break. “We want to build a winning program and create the foundation to help the program grow.”
LeBuhn shares how the game has changed over the years, and where he thinks it’s headed.
How has tennis changed since you were playing?
The style is much more physical. Strength and conditioning programs are an available tool that didn’t exist as prominently back then. The stroke itself is different now, too. In my day, strokes were more linear, and now strokes are more low-tohigh to create spin. But I think a lot of what I learned and how I played, especially on volleys and serves, can translate to these players to make them more complete.
Is there anything different about equipment today, and how does that impact how tennis is played?
Technology has had a lot to do with the changes. Larger heads have helped in terms of ball striking, and polyester strings are ‘deader’ (stiffer), which allows the players to swing much harder but still be able to keep the ball in play.
What can other racket sports teach you about playing tennis?
The techniques are different, but there’s a relative basis of improvement for all racket sports. Pickleball can really help improve your shortcourt game and deal with difficult placements on the court. Platform tennis teaches patience, because points can go 100 or 200 shots in play.
Tennis is 90% mental, and 10% physical as you become better.
Are we seeing the end of the pickleball craze?
Pickleball is not going anywhere. It’s affordable, it’s easy to do, and you don’t need a lot of lessons to go out there and just enjoy it. Some tennis purists don’t want to pick it up, but I think it’s fun.
