Tennis Strength – Get It Right!

I see so many people working on their tennis strength in the gym, many of whom are making fundimental flaws.

So many people seem to have forgotten that the main objective of every strength training for tennis programme or session you do should be to improve your tennis performance.

Even Rafa Nadal & Roger Federer have the end game in mind everytime they get near a training facility

If your sport was power lifting, that would mean lifting heavy weights, but because your sport is tennis – that means improving your ability on the court.

I’ve seen many players over the years that have the top bench press in the club – but haven’t won a match all year.

What use is that!

Tennis-Strength.Com get’s you to that point whilst de-mystifying the jargon & steering you away from the “old school” body building routines that just – DON’T WORK!!!

Check it out!

HERE

Tennis Strength - Get It Right!

Is This The Ultimate Tennis Tip?

I recently set myself a challenge.

And I’ve thought lot’s about this one.

And whilst it may well be almost impossible to do……

If I absolutely HAD TO come up with one piece of advice that was THE only piece of advice I could give to someone to help their tennis…..I think it may well be this…..and it’s a bit of a question.

Here Goes!!

“Can you (always) think about what to do RIGHT on the next tennis point as opposed to thinking about what you did WRONG on the last point?”

If you can come up with the “correct” answer to this question, I believe you are on the right track.

What do you think??

If you have an opinion or even have one yourself,  just add it in below as I’d love to see it.

Tennis Confidence – The Key To Your Success

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that tennis mental toughness and the mental game of tennis is hugely important to your tennis success.

Why?

Because players have told us so:

“I make an unforced error and lose my focus.”

“I can’t keep my concentration when I’m down in the match.”

“I always drop a couple games because I lack of focus at the start
of match.”

“I’m missing easy shots because I get distracted by things.”

But there is something wrong with all these scenarios!

Most players (and coaches in fact) often assume that a lack of focus is the culprit for their mental mistakes on the court!

But that’s not always the real problem.

In most cases, concentration errors are usually triggered by another inner game tennis issue…

Here’s the proof:

1. Frustration causes a lack of focus because you are upset with something that just happened and can’t focus in the present.

2. Lack of motivation or intensity causes poor focus because you are not “up” enough to focus at your peak.

3. Tension, anxiety or fear can kill your power to concentrate early in the match when not confident.

4. A lack of trust in your strokes can lead to missing easy shots and you assume that you just didn’t focus enough.

Too many times, players assume their concentration is causing mistakes. In reality, a poor focus results from other things such as frustration, lack of confidence, and low trust in your strokes.

Do you want to really understand your mental game better?

Want to find REAL solutions to the culprits of mental mistakes?

Check out my good friend Dr. Patrick Cohn’s brand new “Tennis Confidence” program.

“Tennis Confidence: Mental Toughness for Tournament Players” is a complete step-by-step solution to boosting your mental toughness.

I have personally reviewed it and endorse it 100%.

So much so, I am using it with many of the players I am working with!

Jump over to Dr. Cohn’s site and learn how this program can rocket your mental game:

CLICK HERE

P.S. Don’t assume that your focus is to blame for mental errors.

Sometimes it is, but in most cases, doubt, intimidation, fear, frustration and lack of trust are to blame.

The program is available for download which is great because it means you can get started immediately:

CLICK HERE

Tennis Singles – The 3 Things You Need To Think About Just Before You Play

The time just before you play a match is actually much more important than you think.

All the big players Federer, Nadal, Andy Murray, Venus Williams, Serena Williams etc all use this time to not only fine tune their bodies but also their minds.

They all know that by using this time effectively they can hit the court running and start the match well & with purpose.

They also know that by doing this it can have the effect of dampening the spirit of their opponents if they have any self doubt.

It also is crucial for the players who are playing the “BIG” players.

They need to be 100% sure about what they are doing otherwise they will be blown away.

But what are the 3 things they think about and therefore what should you be thinking about?

1. What are your strengths – you need to know these so that you can focus on using them e.g. there is no point having a strong tennis volley if you never get yourself to the net!! Focusing on your strengths will help you construct the game around them.

2. Watch the tennis ball at all times – most people I come across don’t understand the difference between looking at the ball and watching the ball.  Watching the ball properly will also “frame” your zone of concentration correctly – more about this another time but believe me it’s HUGE!!)

3. Never give up – don’t forget that regardless of the score the tennis match is not over until the last point is finished.  If you are feeling tired then your opponent probably is too.  Instead of giving up if you are in trouble, try to think of ways to play/change the game to suit your condition/position.

4. Be positive – there is nothing worse than walking off the court after losing a match and feeling you hadn’t really put in 100%.  You need to believe in yourself and go for all your tennis shots.  If you hold back you will probably miss anyway.

I know that’s 4 guys Hope that helps!!

P.S. Let me know what you do if you do anything else!!

Double Handed Backhand-It’s Easier Than You Think

I had a question from someone the other day asking for help with their double handed backhand.

Well without seeing them or even getting some more info as to the exact problems they are having, here is one tip that is “Guaranteed” to make this shot better.

Practise with your non-dominant hand.

Your non dominant hand should have a much larger role to play in this shot than most people think so if you practise using it more (a bit like having 2 forehands!!) you will notice a marked improvement in your double handed backhand in no time at all!

Check out this video of a player we are working with.

This was shot when he was 9 years old.

He has all the hallmarks of some of the modern great double handed backhand players such as Nadal, Djokovic, Agassi & Venus & Serena Williams.

Let me know what you think!!

Return Of Serve Variety – Your Key To Wining Tennis Matches Part 3

I took my kids to Maddame Tussauds the other day to see the waxworks.

They were keen to look around and see who they could spot and couldn’t wait to get to the Michael Jackson statue.

The thing that struck me most as I walked around was this.

I see people with as much movement as the dummies when they are waiting to hit a ball.

This is crazy and this is why.

I mentioned and illustrated a couple of things in two other posts HERE and HERE which highlighted what variety in its various forms could do for your tennis game and how it would help you win more tennis matches.

Both of those were mainly concerned with tennis strokes.

But you know me by now and you will know what I think about just basing your game around your tennis shots.

With that in mind here is something you can do that will have a massive impact on your game even before you hit the ball.

So many people stand in the same place to return serve (first & second) every single time – BIG mistake.

This actually limits your returning options and here’s why!

What I see is that many players at club level (esp the guys) can hit a tennis serve with a fair amount of speed (with a flat serve) but with limited accuracy.

So if that’s the case, you need to stand as far back as you can/need to until they start serving aces out wide (if they can).

The same goes for the server who just slices their serve.

You need to move in and across to cut off the serve untill they start to serve bombs down the “T” (middle).

Can you see how you can soon juggle things to get the best “fit” for YOU??

You may well be the one who is returning, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t have a say in what serve the server will hit.

With you moving around and adjusting your return position, you will force the server to think about what to do with the serve and that for many people with limited accuracy can be a massive problem.

Just move around until you suss out where their strong serves are.

You can then position yourself to cover those most of the time and get them to try and hit their “weaker” serves more often – A Primary Principle of my Beat All The Tennis Players You Want Matchplay System.

Try it and see.

Another example of how to improve your game without adjusting any of your shots.

Which is the model?

Being A Success At Tennis Is All About Knowing Yourself

This is just a follow on to the previous post HERE

You probably need to read it for some background.

Anyway, following on from the last post, here is some more stuff behind it.

You have got to realise that variety and accuracy are the most important weapons you can develop – even more than pace.

Look at this years Mens final at Wimbledon.

As brilliant as Roddick was (and he was) we all know that he has the fastest recorded serve in the World – yet Federer out aced him by serving 51 aces in the match.

We all know about the pace of Roddicks tennis serve but believe me Federer has the “best” serve purely down to the ability to hit the “spots” again & again when needed.

So pick out a shot in your game that you can exibit a lot of variety and accuracy and work on it.

Try this drill.

Play tennis points with a partner and you are not allowed to hit the same variation of that shot twice in a row.

That doesn’t just mean spin, but can also be length, speed, height, direction.

I include the serve in this – you cannot serve the same serve twice in a row.

I am going to go more into this in an upcoming series – “The Match Winning Variation Quotient”

Use it and tell me what you think.

Be The Tennis Player You Are Before You Try To Be The Tennis Player You Are Not

The tennis player is I’m afraid not on a level playing field!

We are not all created equal with similar amounts of tennis skills and even if we are someone else is physically more gifted.

Even if you can overcome that, you find someone else has better tennis mental strength………….and so the list goes on!

But, wait a minute.

Even before you start worrying about how you measure up against others, there are plenty of other things to worry about.

For example, do you make the most of your own game?

Do you know your strengths and weaknesses?

Do you understand them well enough so that you are able to make your strengths as strong as they could be?

Can you see that maximizing your tennis strength or tennis strengths (if you are lucky enough!!) could actually rank pretty high, if not at the top when it comes to things that you might need to do to move your tennis game on?

If not, then think about it for a minute.

If you do then carry on.

I was working with a player recently.  I watched her play some singles and asked her about the tennis match I just watched.

She then proceeded to explain the match in terms of what her opponent did and didn’t do.

When I asked her about what she was able to do during the game I came up against a baffled silence.

I then asked her about what she thought her strengths were and whether she was able to implement them in the game and again I got some puzzled looks.

“I don’t really know” she said, “I never really think about things that way!!”

So Bang!

Out goes the No1 Principle from my “Beat All The Tennis Players You Want” Matchplay System, which talks about trying to impose your tennis strength onto your opponent.

If you don’t know what it is, how can you impose it?

Anyway, I thought she played the volley and played around the net prety well and wondered why she didn’t do it more.

She said, she thought she had a good volley but felt a bit strange because all the other ladies tend to play from the back of the tennis court.  She also felt like she was put off when she was passed or missed a volley.

I agreed with her but told her she didn’t set the points up well enough and that was the real reason why her net play was a bit “sketchy”.

This is what we did (and you can do the same if your net play could/should be your A game).

You serve and play out the point – BUT!!

You have to get to the net by your 3rd shot or you lose the point.

This will force you to serve well enough to get to the net straight away or get your opponent out of court to allow you to hit a telling approach to get “in” on one the following balls.

Of course she messed up early on, but pretty soon she began to think about what it took to get to the net on “her terms” from the beginning of the point and sure enough things were soon falling into place.

So pick something in your game that you know is a strength and work out how you can work things so that you can get yourself  in “that” situation more often in matches.

Remember that Beat All The Tennis Players You Want 1st Principle of Tennis Warfare – Deploy your weapons & work out how to diffuse your opponents weapons!!

It can only be a good thing.

How The Tennis Net Can Help You Play Better Tennis

Most people think that the tennis net is there just to divide the court in two.

But, in reality it is a lot more than that.

It can really help your “court geometry”.

For example, if you get pushed wide, often the best place to aim is actually straight over the band in the centre of the net.

This is for several reasons.

1. The net is at its lowest point here (3 feet as opposed to 3 1/2 feet at the net posts – with single sticks).

2. This will give you a cross court shot which is the longest area of court and means you are less likely to hit out.

3. It gives you a visual cue as to where you should be aiming the ball – which is important when you are pushed out of position and in a rush.

Next time you get pushed wide give it a try.

The Sun Shines On Andy Roddick But Costs Him The Wimbledon Title Thankfully For Federer

Just some further reaction to the Wimbledon Mens final between Andy Roddick and Roger Federer.

Apart from the fact that there was nothing between them for nearly 5 hours, was there an extra factor that ultimately decided the match?

Was there a non-tennis related intervention that decided this tennis match?

If you don’t know what I am talking about, think back to what became the last couple of games.

I don’t know if anyone else noticed but because of the time of day, Roddick ended up at the sunny end of the court.

You could see that the ball was coming from Federer, out of the shade into the bright light and into Roddick.

Roddick was also looking into the sun to an extent and the question is whether Federer played on that or not??

Whatever you think, it was clear to me that the sun factor along with a sudden drop in footwork speed forced the two shanks off the frame that cost him the match.

Did anyone else notice that?

Was that a factor?

Did Federer play on it?

What do you think??