Tips for Handling Fear Take a look at fear and ask yourself ” What is the worst that could happen if I followed through on this fear-producing situation?” If you can live with the worst-case scenario, you can go beyond your fear. Vigorous exercise coupled with relaxation or meditation helps to put fear into perspective. … More Mental: 2nd article on the Obstacles to Optimal Performance
Just like it’s important for you to understand your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses, you also need to understand your own. Don’t try to do what you’re not capable of doing. If you’re incapable of hitting a power serve, why try it? If your backhand is much weaker than your forehand, run around it. If your … More Strategy, the Fourth Foundation: You
In a match you cannot think about or experiment with your strokes. Practice is the time to experiment, but you should mostly rehearse your strokes so they become familiar and dependable. A rehearsed stroke is acquired through practice at a comfortable pace. An improvised stroke is a spontaneous reaction that occurs during match play or … More Rehearsed vs Improvised Strokes
“All things in the cosmos will be aroused to movement through fear. This movement will be cautious, and cautious movement will bring success” – 1 Ching no 51 Fear is a natural emotion. It’s a survival instinct and indicates that you need to be alert. Trying to fight or force away fear creates a counter … More Obstacles to Optimal Performance: Fear
Most strategy involves finding an opponent’s strength and denying him a chance to use it. The one exception is when you decide to bust a strength. Some players lose confidence when you break their strength down. Boris Becker was such a player on the ATP tour. His forehand was amazing, but it fell apart as … More Strategy Third Foundation:Opponent Awareness, Busting a Strength
Since most moves in tennis are only a few yards, it seems like raw acceleration should be the determining factor in getting to the ball. But, of far greater importance, is anticipation and the ability to change directions without losing balance. Anticipation means knowing early where your opponent is likely to hit and being ready to … More Movement: Anticipation
“What is skillfully established will not be uprooted. What is skillfully grasped, will not slip away. Thus, it is honored for generations” – Ta0 Te Ching Centering Optimal performance is greatly influenced by your ability to remain centered within. Centering means remaining true to yourself and performing up to your capabilities, regardless of the changes … More Achieving Optimal Performance: Centering and Reflection, 7th in a Series
Today’s post continues the discussion on angular and linear momentum and includes some ideas on how you can help your players develop better skills.
Most players think they should win if they play well. They give very little consideration to the opponent’s game or how to exploit it. Identifying your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses is an important skill to have. Every player’s game is like a combination lock. It’s tough to open, but with the right combination, you can … More The Third Foundation: Opponent Awareness
Hard courts The basic strategy on a hard court is related to the speed of the surface. The slower the hard court is, the more you follow clay court strategy. If the court is fast, the points last fewer shots. The chances of exploiting an opponent’s weakness are therefore less on a hard court. It’s … More Court Awareness: Hard Courts and Grass Courts
Rhythm & Flow Tennis 