Vision and anticipation in doubles Theres probably nothing we take for granted more as athletes than our vision. Good players have good vision and anticipation but great players have great vision and anticipation. The average player should work on how they anticipate each shot coming and really improve overall the way they construct and finish points….
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Fail to plan and plan to fail.
In my last article I wrote about the top ten things a tennis player should have in their tennis bag. Preparing your equipment is only part of a great players preparation however. I have found in my experience that the best players also prepare themselves mentally and strategically for their matches. They visualize their opponents,…
How elite players build points
Both elite players and club players understand the importance of planning for their matches. Scheduling practices, fitness sessions, coaching sessions, equipment and pre match warm-ups are the obvious parts of tournament/match preparation. But what often separates club players from reaching the next level is the way they play their points. Watch the top players…
How to stop double faulting
There are few things in tennis as belittling as not being able to start a point because you cannot serve the ball into that giant service box on the other side of the net. From top touring pros to beginners starting matchplay, the dreaded double fault is always in the back of a players mind,…
Volley like Pat Rafter
Pat Rafter was one of the greatest serve and volley athletes in history. A vicious kick serve and a crushing net game took him No.1 in the world and back to back US.Open Championships. So what can the average club player learn from Rafter? Providing you have solid technique and the right grip (continental), you…
Rituals & Scripts. How they can help you win!
Rituals Successful players across all sports use rituals and scripts to gain a competitive edge over their opponents and control themselves during the heat of battle. There are two main types of rituals, Pre-Game rituals and In-Game rituals. In game rituals are more easily identified at the pro level as behaviors that you can typically…
Developing Great Competitors
Tennis is an individual sport. This is one of the reasons this game is so great. You own your own game, you are responsible for your wins and losses and this is very rewarding for those who have made sacrifices for their game. It is also the reason that losses are so hard to take…
Don’t be idle after the serve!
(Players like David Ferrer, who don’t posses huge serves know the importance of being ready after the serve) Chances are, if you are an average club player, you have an average serve. In fact, i would go so far as to say that if you are not consistently winning two points a game from…
Modern Doubles Strategy: 2 back on return
One of the most successful tactics on the professional doubles tour at the moment is playing both receivers back on the return. The Bryan brothers use this strategy often to counter the bigger servers they face and to set up their booming groundstrokes. Due to Mike being a right hander and Bob being lefty, both…
What you need to know about your stance!
Currently there is much debate in professional tennis circles over common ground stroke stances, of which there are 4 variations. Open, closed, semi-open and neutral stance. The most common discrepancy between teaching methods is the open vs closed debate. In the modern game, you don’t need just open or closed, you need to use all…
Offense Vs Defence
Yesterdays Super Bowl XLVIII result proved one thing in football, that the #1 defense in the NFL is more important that the #1 offense. Watching the trend in tennis over the last decade has proven to yield a positive correlation between increasing defensive abilities and Grand Slam success. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic…
Momentum in Matches
Knowing when to slow the pace of play down and when to speed it up is crucial in competitive tennis! Momentum swings in tennis happen so quickly. You need to understand every tactical swing and play of the game. Your not just feeling your way through the dark during a match. Knowing when your opponent…
Tennis Talk 