To grunt or not to grunt at Wimbledon 2011…

That has been the question of a lot of tennis players and fans alike for some time now. And for some, the “problem” is just getting worse.

In fact, Wimbledon 2011 is having a big issue with the amount of tennis grunting going on, in during the first week of competition.

Some Wimbledon 2011 tournament officials have even gone on record, essentially saying it’s really killing tennis and takes away a lot from the game.

“We have discussed it with the tours and we believe it is helpful to reduce the amount of grunting.”

Although spectators may find the noise off-putting, “We are one tournament in a global circuit… But we have made our views clear and we would like to see less of it.” - Ian Ritchie, the chief executive of the All England Lawn and Tennis Club.

I mean, does grunting really even help? Or is belting out a loud yelp or scream just something that players like Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova do to be annoying?

Science Says Grunting Gives Wimbledon 2011 Players Tactical Edge:

Well, science says it’s both.  Thanks to a new study published in the journal, Public Library of Science ONE, we now have at least some concrete evidence that suggests that a “tennis grunt” could actually give the initiator a strategic and competitive edge. And it could really do some damage to the receiving player’s game.

Two psychologists, from both the University of Hawaii and the University of British Columbia, recently conducted a survey which showed that making “extraneous sound,”  a sound that simulated grunting, while a player is awaiting an oncoming ball can cause their response/reaction to decrease both in the speed and accuracy departments.

The findings of the experiment also gave support to the idea that grunting could compromise the receiver’s judgment when attempting to read and analyze the spin and speed of a ball as well.

How did they come to this conclusion?

The two behind the study, Dr. Scott Sinnett and Dr. Alan Kingstone, took 33 students from western Canada and showed them 374 video clips of a tennis player hitting a ball to either the left or the right. In half of those clips, the player added a loud grunt while hitting his ball, and in the other half he remained silent.

Then, upon hearing the ball hitting the player’s racket, the students had to decide on the direction it would take. And no, they couldn’t sit there all day trying to decide.  It was imperative they come up with a definitive answer right away.

And what happened? Well, what was noticed was that the scores of those students suffered a significant drop off when viewing shots where the player made extra noise or became very vocal.

It quickly became harder to distinguish the ball’s trajectory and destination – much more difficult than it was when they viewed clips where no outside noise was provided (…when they only had to deal with the ball hitting the strings).

After this observation, Dr. Sinnett gave his obvious conclusion of the results when players are forced to analyze the shot of a grunting opponent. “They were basically slower and could actually be wrong-footed, if you could extend that to a real-world tennis court.”

OK, so they’re slower. But now you’re probably wondering exactly how much slower and how much longer a player would have to wait to make a movie, right?

Well, based on the findings, it suggests that a tennis ball struck along with a loud grunt can travel a whopping 2 extra feet in the air before the opponent is able to respond. Wow, that’s a lot of lost time, isn’t it? You bet!

Now, this is shocking, sure.  But it’s not surprising at all, if you ask me.   If you think about it, these results truly make a lot of sense.  How so?

Well, I’ve always believed that the sound exerted during racket-ball contact can be a great indicator of what type of shot will be generated and where the ball may actually land inside (…or outside) the court.

For example, a player hitting a hard flat-bomb (…right in the sweet-spot) is going to sound much different than a backspin, slice shot, or even a mishit.

Hearing these sounds can assist you in understanding the proper positioning and stance you’ll need to acquire, in order to complete a worthwhile return – two concepts extremely critical in the world of tennis strategy.

Grunting Can Make These Important Sounds Almost Impossible To  Hear, Wimbledon 2011 Player or Not.

You see, since a player generally will grunt at the exact same time he/she strikes the ball,  it becomes very difficult (…and at times impossible) to tell how well the ball and shot have been hit. Why? Because that sound indicator will have been totally masked or canceled out.

And with that, there comes an extra moment of indecision.  The receiving player is forced to wait a fraction of a second longer and (…24 inches of ball flight) to make his move.  So, he’ll find himself a step behind, when he could have been well on top of things.

It’s the same thing in baseball. Time is incredibly crucial there as well.  You need to be able to react within a split-second of contact.  The sound of that ball hitting the end of the bat is going to give you a big clue as to which area of the field the outfield players should cover.

And heck, now you have multiple players (…more than 5) involved. So, it’s importance is magnified. Make the wrong move there, and you’ll run into one another and fall flat on your butt.

And when the volume of the crowd reaches a certain decibel, it becomes much harder to know where that thing is going (…grounder, left-field-right-field, or center field).  Again, you lose that second and are forced to wait.  The only difference in tennis is, the player can control the noise. He can release it or silence it on a whim.

So, if you want to slow down your opponent in your next match, go ahead and grunt. Feel free to open up those vocal chords!  But hey, you don’t want to make it a point to be as loud as possible or overdo it.  That will displace your focus.

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Now before I head out, let me ask you… Is this strategy a fair one?  Many people, like Martina Navratilova, believe grunting is awful and should be banned from tennis or at least be made punishable by the commission.

But if you ask the legendary tennis coach Nick Bollettieri, who has coached many “grunters” like Andre Agassi, he says grunting is 100% natural and no action should be taken.

So… With all that said and the new evidence provided… Should grunting be banned from tennis? Is there a significant enough of an unfair advantage in play here? Or should we all just forget about it and play tennis, because all is fair in tennis warfare? What do you think?

For more kick-butt tennis tips and strategies on how to steal away your opponent’s reaction time (…without grunting), click here.

Have a great week guys! And enjoy the rest of Wimbledon 2011

Brian
TennisMindCamp

Though power isn’t the be all and end all of your tennis serve, it’s a pretty important ingredient.

In fact, the ability to add pace, power, or velocity to this shot can really improve your tennis game in 3 very dynamic ways.

Your tennis serve…

1. Decreases your opponent’s response time and ability to get ready.

2. Allows you to start off the point on the offense and in the drivers seat.

3. Gives you the opportunity to change speeds and alter the tempo of both the game as well as the match to keep your opponent on his heals.

So yea, it’s a pretty powerful element – No pun intended. But then why do so many tennis players fail to obtain it? What’s the problem?

Well, from the many players that I’ve had the privilege to teach (…and play with), I’ve found that both the problem and the answer lie in how we grip the racket when getting ready to serve.

Tennis Serve: The Right and Wrong Philosophy

Our philosophy on our tennis serve is all wrong.  What do I mean? Let me explain…

We think that the more miles-per-hour we want to generate on our serve, the tighter we have to clinch the handle.

Many times, it almost comes to a point where it seems like we’re strangling it or have it in some sort of “kung-fu grip!”

Because with our muscles clinched, we’re able to produce more force, right? Wrong! That’s where we mess up. It may sound like it makes sense and is a logical concept, but it’s completely off the mark.

You see, the key to producing power on your serve is heavily based on your ability to generate fast racket head speed.

The faster the racket travels upon making contact with the ball, the more whip-like action will be created on your tennis serve.

This will lead to a much greater impact and the faster the ball will whiz over to (…and hopefully passed) your opponent.

Now, on the other hand, the tighter you grip the racket (…the more you clinch your muscles), the less racket speed you’ll have to work with.

When that happens,  the result is much less racket-to-ball impact and a major decrease in power production.

That means a much lower probability your opponent will be knocked onto his heels, with you kicking off the point on the offensive end.

It’s the same thing if you get into a fight with a guy who took the last ice-cold water bottle after a grueling practice on a hot day or because he said that you hit like his baby niece.

You can’t let that go right? Of course not.  That said, if you really want to “wamp” him good,  don’t over-tighten your muscles.  Keep them loose and you’ll deliver a much harder blow (…just like Pacquiao did to Margarito)! Then, you’ll get the last water next time… Guaranteed!

IMPORTANT: Tennis Serve Warning

Keep your hands and arm muscles loose but not at the actual point of impact. If you do that, the racket will probably fly right out of your hands.  You want to tighten them a bit more just before the hit.

A good analogy that helped me understand this concept is by thinking of it like you were snapping a wet towel. Loose then tight! Loose than tight -  Ouch!

Now, how much is too much? How tight is too tight? Good question.

When executing your tennis serve, you don’t want to hold the racquet  like someone is trying to snatch your last piece of delicious pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving – you know, life or death. But you don’t want it to just drop out of your hands (…like it has vomit all over it) either.

…Just somewhere in the middle. Pretty vague huh? Ok, more specifically… I would say if you think of it on a scale of 1 to 10 (…1 being loose and 10 a choke hold) I would suggest giving it a 2.

That means, you should feel like you have a good hold, but you shouldn’t see any veins bulging out of your arms like Arnie Schwarzenegger in the Terminator or Predator series. Got it? Good.

So next time you want to generate some more “UMPH” or serve power, learn how to serve the right way.  Just loosen up and let it fly!

For more awesome tennis serve tips, click here. And for a boat-load of mental tricks and other opponent-crushing strategies, click here.

Brian
TennisMindCamp

It’s common sense that as a match progresses and more energy is used, you’re going to tire. Right?  As you hit more shots, and as you’re forced to run more balls down…

Your technique will start to decline… Your tennis footwork will begin to go and your focus will begin to fade as well.

Yeah, it really is frustrating when you’ve got a grade A game and can only show it a fraction of the time (..before the match really gets going) because of player fatigue.

And here’s the kicker, it doesn’t matter how good a player you are… We all have to deal with it.  That’s just mother nature for ya.

But listen…

How would you like to defy nature?

How would you like to go through an entire match without showing any sign of wear and tear, forcing your opponent to deal with your best stuff from racket spin to handshake?

Well, the findings of a new scientific study could be an answer to your prayers.  This study says you can eliminate that awful fatigue by adding something that you’ve seen in your bathroom or under your kitchen sink for years.

I’m Talking About Baking Soda!

Dr. Chen-Kang Chang from the National Taiwan College of Physical Education recently conducted a study that suggests that by adding a little sodium bicarbonate ( baking soda) to your pre-match beverage, your engine will be running like that of a formula 1 racer, all the way until the last point has been completed.

He says that if taken on the morning of a tennis match, it’ll enable you and other tennis players alike to eliminate many of the side-effects that we endure when fatigue sets in (…dry mouth, weak knees, fading technique, etc), allowing them to play at an optimum level throughout.

How’d they figure this out?

A group of 9 tennis players in the study was selected and given a drink. Of those nine, some included a small sample of baking soda while others were given a placebo.

Next, all were asked to go through a series of activities that would analyze and test their playing ability (…control on ground strokes, serve accuracy and consistency, and court movement etc.)

They did this once before and another immediately after participating in simulated match play.

Then, they checked out the results!

Conclusion:
What exactly did Dr. Chang and his team find?

“We found that sodium bicarbonate supplementation can prevent the fatigue-induced decline in skilled tennis performance seen during matches,” Chang said.

What does this mean?

Scientifically speaking, baking soda positively changed the acid-base ratio in the blood by decreasing lactic acid levels, which are commonly attributed to fatigue.

And in regular terms… “The service and forehand ground stroke consistency was maintained after a simulated match in the bicarbonate trial. On the other hand, these consistency scores were decreased after the match in the placebo trial,” he said.

So there you have it. It’s pretty simple.  Dabbling in your household box of baking soda before you take the court may really improve your tennis game, your athletic performance and your ability to consistently perform over long stretches.

But be careful, you want to make sure you don’t take too much of this stuff, because it can also cause your potassium levels (…which help fight against dehydration) to dip.  If that happens, it can cause abdominal cramping, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Now hey, if you’re a little weary about your “arm&hammer,” go ahead and break out the Ovaltine next time you’re in for an intense tennis training session.  Drinking chocolate milk also has been proven to refuel fatigued muscles (… and increase athletic performance in tennis) – without any possible side effects.

Have a great day and an even better game!

And for more ways to fight the onset of fatigue and to make sure you have great energy throughout every match you play, click here.

Brian
TennisMindCamp

There are two kinds of tennis players…

1) The Recreational Tennis Player: This is the player that breaks out his racket simply because it’s something fun to do with the buddies and to have a good time or because the doctor said they need more exercise.

2) The Ultimate Competitor: This is the player or athlete who will do whatever it takes to get the win – the one who puts in hours and hours of intense training everyday (…giving his 110%), eats all the right stuff, scouts out his opponents before match time, and plays every point like it’s his last; so he can kick the butts of his opponents on a consistent basis.

Which one are you?

Now, don’t worry, neither of these are wrong or even ideal. It’s a personal choice. But since you’re reading this post, I can make a pretty good assumption that you fall into the second group.

And if my assumption is correct, that’s great! I love it when a player really puts their all into achieving a personal goal – and even more so when they actually achieve it.

The feeling of accomplishment is incredible, especially after you’ve put so much into it.  Oh, and it’s always a lot more fun when you’re royally kicking tail too!

But you have to be careful. Why? Because though having a strong will to win is a great thing, if you let that urge get too out of control, it can become toxic to your chances of getting the victory. What do I mean?

You see, too many competitive or serious athletes unconsciously take things a little too far sometimes.  They expect to do no wrong and make no mistakes, when they go out to battle.

They feel that since they put in tons of time, effort, and hard work, they should be rewarded by playing a perfect match every time they step onto the court (…or at least close to it). Sound familiar?

Then when it doesn’t happen (…and they do mess one up), those players get all out of wack. Why? Because when we U.C players produce an error, a lot of times we think it’s because we’re underachieving or aren’t working hard enough.

And when you’re an “Ultimate Competitor” kind of player, that really stings! It’s like a spear right through the heart.

So with that said, this is where the U.Cs problem starts to manifest itself.  In many cases, the greater our desire is to win, the stronger our memory becomes.

When we make an error (…even if it’s just 1) we end up holding on to that one point or that one error for too long.  It’s like we’re holding a grudge against ourselves,  finding it extremely hard to let go.

We keep saying to ourselves, “Why did I miss that?” or “That was so easy….” or “Maybe the other guy, but not me!”

And that feeling of regret or failure can stick with us in following games and show up in later points and games, causing our once stellar performance to take an incredible nose-dive. Your technique goes south and your strategy or game plan is all but forgotten.

Oh yes, the failure to clear your mind of that one point or one mistake is a mental training error that can prove to be very costly.

It can, and often times, completely ruins your chances at a  great win.  It’ll be almost leech-like sucking all the positive energy, attitude, and body language right out of you.

And it doesn’t matter how great your strokes are. If your mind isn’t in it, it’s going to be an obstacle next to impossible to overcome.

Mental Training: Transcending Throughout The Sports World

We saw it in the meltdown of Andy Roddick back in 2001 against Lleyton Hewitt. And just this past Sunday (…which is one of the main reasons I decided to bring this up), we saw and heard a prime example of this concept during the Chargers (…my favorite team) vs Jaguars game.

Towards the beginning, Charger’s Ryan Mathews, one of the most talented and hardest-working running backs in the NFL, was having a great game.  But later on, he fumbled the football. Oops! That’s right, he made an error!

But instead of shrugging it off, and getting ready for the next down mentally fresh, he unfortunately allowed his fumble in Monday night’s opener to put a major dent in his performance for the remainder of the contest.

“After that play, everything went downhill.  The problem was that I wasn’t running smart. I ignored my instincts and went away from everything I’ve been doing over the past few months.” “I’m trying a little too hard to be perfect.”  “I didn’t respond well when something went wrong.”- said Matthews.

Before the second-quarter fumble, Mathews averaged a commendable  4.8 yards per carry. But after his mistake, his performance suffered a major drop off by almost 2 whole yards, decreasing to only 3.0 per carry. For non-football fans, that’s a BIG difference!

So, take Ryan’s words and experience and learn from them.  Incorporate them in to your game beforehand so you can avoid this happening to you, and so you’re not singing your shoulda, coulda, wouldas afterward.

But that’s not all… Ryan isn’t the only one with some words of wisdom for you here 8-).

The next time you feel like you’re on a roll in one of your matches, and you mis-read a ball, accidentally shank a kill-volley into the stands, or somehow allow your opponent to best you on a couple of points, give the three things I’ve listed below a try as well.

Mental Training: 3 Keys To Great Ways Enhance Your “Inside” Game:

Mental Training Tactic #1: Understand That No Player Is Perfect (…including you)

Aspiring to achieve perfection is fine.  But “EXPECTING” perfection is an unrealistic concept.  It’s pure fantasy. And expecting to attain it 100% of the time, will drive you wildly insane .  And before you say it, nope, it has nothing to do with skill.

It has everything to do with reality.  It doesn’t matter if you’re Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, or Roger Federer. Honest mistakes are and will be made. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the truth.

You MUST realize that you’re going to miss one or two (…at least).   Once you shift your mindset (…and cease to play in the fictional or fantasy world), you’ll be much better equipped to get yourself back on track when you do make an error and will avoid setting yourself back even further.

Mental Training Tactic #2: Erase Your Memory (Operation Amnesia):

Later on in the press conference RB Ryan Matthews gave out some more valuable advice in saying, “I have come up with a bad case of amnesia. When a bad play happens or I make a mistake, I have to let it go right away.”

…And he’s absolutely right!

If you make an error like a double fault or botch up an overhead smash, it’ll be tough (…because your competitive fire runs so deep), but you just have to let it go and erase it from your memory.

Each point has it’s own dynamics (…strokes, positioning, court coverage, footwork, weakness exploitation, weakness protection techniques etc). You don’t want to think about all of that, TIMES 2.

Not only will you be further out of wack mentally, you’ll be forced to reach for your bag to grab a extra strength Tylenol soon enough. Why? Because you’ll  have given yourself a major headache from thinking too much. Trust me!

So, once that point is over, you must activate “operation amnesia”. Forgive yourself and Forget about it. Why? If you hold on to it, you’ll be distracted and it’ll eventually consume you.  And we never do anything well when we’re distracted.  That’s why it’s illegal to text while driving .

You’ll be playing your B game (…an inferior game plan)  against your opponent’s A game. That’s not good and can potentially cost you the match every time. Because you have even more fish to fry.

The match is not going to stop or slowdown because you’re having a “moment.” If anything, it’ll get even harder, because your opponent will notice that you’ve begun to unravel.  And once he smells blood and sees that you’re wounded…

It’s just like if you were out in the wild, he’ll bare his teeth and get even more aggressive – forcing you to deal with even heavier firepower.

Alright, so while playing a match, you want to play “IN THE MOMENT.” Anything outside that single point that’s live is none of your concern. Period!

Mental Training Tactic #3: Take a Breathe Brake:

If you sense yourself getting upset behind a mistake, mis-read or miscalculation, don’t attempt to go right back into the thick of the action (…or the heat of the fire) immediately after the mistake is made. Why? For two reasons:

1) Because once you create that error, chances are your tennis mind has immediately transferred to a negative state. Whether it’s from the rise in the levels of pressure, anxiety and bad adrenaline or the tightening or over-clenching of your hand on the racket, your mental engine won’t be running on all cylinders yet.

You need some time to bring things back to center (…both mentally and biologically) before you continue.

2) This will provide you with a brief moment to analyze what you did wrong, so you can correct it and minimize any further damage. If you rush right into it, history will just repeat itself.

So, take a couple of long deep breaths and allow yourself to get your mind and body centered once again. The longer and deeper the breaths, the more you’re going to get out of it.

Now, you want to do this asap, before your anxiety shoots through the roof. Because once it blows, it’s very difficult to bring back down. It may take a lot longer that you think.

And hey, don’t say “Ehh” that just sounds like nerdy mumbo-jumbo….. I breath all the time…. even when I’m not playing.”  You’ll be surprised exactly how powerful breathing can be.  Your breathing is one of the most vital core components that enables you to win and play at a high level.

In fact, I actually talk about a very special type of breathing (…in great detail) that can get you focused in 50% of the time of any other breathing style and will have an incredibly positive impact on your game.  Click here to check it out.

Alright guys, let me know if this tennis tip of the week made sense to you. Apply this type of tennis training to your next match, and you should definitely notice a difference.  And remember, forrrgeeet about it!

All the best,
Brian Hall
TennisMindCamp

P.S. Thanks to all of your who wrote me during my stay at the US Open this year. I had a wonderful time, and the action as awesome as always!

Hey guys,

It’s been crazy in New York over the past few days. Top seeded players have had to battle back from the brink of defeat, while others like Andy Murray never could really pull it together and suffered a major upset.

There’s been an outcry over an over-the-top dress worn by one of our players from another planet.  We’ve had a major fan-on-fan brawl that eventually led to a 3 year US Open ban!  Yea, it’s been a wild first week.

But considering all that, there’s still something else that has been talked about by literally every analyst at the Open and been felt by the skin of every fan and tennis player in attendance – the HEAT!

If any of you have been watching the US Open, you’ve probably heard the commentators lamenting about how tough the on-court conditions have been.

Though it’s come down and cooled off a little bit (…thank goodness), the first week of the US Open has been literally blazing hot (…hotter than I’ve ever remembered it being)!

I know first hand, because I’ve been frying out there each day myself, in the Ashe, Armstrong, and Grand Stand stadiums.  On-court temperatures at the U.S. Open have consistently been shooting up into triple digits!

Now even though it was close to unbearable for most fans, the players got it by far the worst.  It affected their bodies, as well as the outcome of their matches.

“The weather was my biggest enemy today,” said Ivan Ljubicic from Croatia, who credited the scorching heat for his loss, more than Ryan Harrison (… who could have been this year’s Cinderella story).

He was also quoted as saying, “The concrete of the tournament’s hard-courts, it’s just brutal.” Why would he say that?

Well, on the hard courts, it’s even greater than what you and I feel, sitting 10 to 20, or even 100 rows above it.  It reflects the heat upwards towards the players, making it an average 15 to 20 degrees hotter for the people working the hardest! Add that to the already increased body heat, and you’ve got a horrible problem.

Now though some players (…like Ljubicic) fell victim to the weather’s wrath, some managed to pull out big wins and are still alive in the tournament today, despite it.  So, how were those players able to withstand these wicked weather conditions? What did they do?

Some say it’s the product of working hard to be in great physical shape, while others believe that you staying hydrated is the key.   And I actually talk bout these concepts in much greater detail in TMC Strategy Secrets 101.

But these are both very true. And of course, you want a combination of these two elements to avoid both a physical and mental collapse.

But there’s also something that you can have ready in your bag and eat during changeovers to keep your mind sharp and your muscles firing.

Tennis Nutrition: Believe In Bananas!

Yes, Bananas. I knew about how great they can be for athletes, but couldn’t believe I hadn’t posted something on it before.

So, when the announcers during the US Open online broadcast of the match between James Blake and Novak Djokovic  began to talk about it (…not to mention the footage I recorded of at least 2 players per round scarfing these down these bad boys), that’s what made me say Ah-Ha… I should tell or at least remind you guys (…if you’ve been told in the past).

Now listen, when you unfortunately have to play in 90 degree and 100+ degree temperatures, you want to have at least a couple bananas in your bag, ready to go.  Why?

Because when you’re playing hard, you sweat out a lot of nutrients your body needs. And in the extreme heat, you’re going to perspire much more profusely and lose those nutrients at a much faster rate.

Two of the most important nutrients your body loses are sodium and potassium.  And if you want to be able to kick it in to the next gear and push past these conditions, without collapsing or being forced to retire, you’re going to have to replenish those nutrients asap!

And bananas are great for this, because they are often dubbed one of the most potassium-packed food on the market – absolutely great for your tennis nutrition.

I’m telling you, that sodium to potassium balance in the body is very important in maintaining constant blood supply to your muscles, which in turn will both enhance and distribute your energy supply to active parts of your body (…giving you more energy).

Many in the sports medicine, tennis nutrition and therapy fields appreciate the potassium-power delivered by this high energy fruit.

Because hey, when you get to a critically low point with them, your body will start to cramp up. And it’s going to hurt!  So, you want to bolster your tennis nutrition and attack this potential problem before it hits and takes over.

Tennis Nutrition And Muscle Response: The Bad News

Because once that happens, BAD NEWS! You might never get your muscles back to responding as efficiently as you want, and it can very well cost you the match, from your inability to continue.

So, don’t wait until you can barely walk to start eating. Just like with your hydration routine, do it during EVERY change over. Take a bite… Take  gulp… Take a bite… Take A gulp…

So next time you feel the temperature starting to rise (…like in New York, Miami, or Las Vegas in the summer time), pack a couple of Chiquita bananas  in your tennis bag.  You’ll be much better equipped and perform at a much higher level..

Hope you enjoyed this quick US Open update and fruit-filled tennis nutrition tip. Oh, and let me know what you thought of this tip and your take on how the open is going so far.  I’d love to get your take on everything.

All the best,

Brian

TennisMindCamp

Enjoy the rest of the open… Gotta run!

TMC NEWS: Before we get into how to give your tennis forehand and back for punch, I want to let you know that TennisMindCamp Strategy Secrets 101, the new and intense strategy collection totaling almost 19 hours of professional tennis tips, tricks, and tennis secrets is now available.  If you’re interested in really taking your tennis game to the next level, click here.  For this week’s tennis tip, see below .

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Now like I stated in my last tennis tip, bringing the aggression when you’re down is an

extremely powerful strategy and can be great for pulling you out of a mental hole.

But unloading too much in the wrong situation or going into overload with its usage, is an ill-advised decision and one of today’s players most detrimental mistakes.

Oh yeah, going “all-in” on your tennis forehand and other strokes can dig you even deeper into a hole (…mentally and physically) if you’re not careful.

If you bring it too often (…and attempt to pound every ball),  sure you’ll feel that rush from the adrenaline and be confident for a moment, but that feeling will quickly tank from putting yourself in too many unfavorable positions and accumulating too many errors.

That said, you don’t want to play with  the “Kill It” mentality every time you take your racket back. If you do, your game can take on two terrible traits that may ruin your winning chances completely.

1. You’ll Quickly Experience Tennis Fatigue:

Going “all in” on your tennis forehand and backhand requires a substantial amount of energy (…much more than if you were hitting a milder shot in an average baseline rally), and thus leaves you with less energy to use on the next shot – and in future games as well.

And get this, this isn’t just an arm thing.  For every shot you hit, your whole body is engaged (…arms, legs, knees, torso, head, shoulders, toes, wrists, and mind). And each time you really push it, the more your entire body takes a hit.

So, if this strategy is attempted in great numbers, you won’t have much left in the tank if the match turns into a long one or goes into extra innings so to speak.  You’ll simply be too exhausted.

And it won’t matter how badly you want that win or if you have the momentum in your favor or not. If your body can’t go anymore, the party is over .

That will ultimately result in your retirement – giving your opponent a free “express” pass to the next round. You don’t want that. You want to make your opponent earn everything.

2. You’ll Become The “Predictable Tennis Player.”

This is one of the worst labels in tennis. As a result of your uncontrolled aggression on your tennis forehand and backhand (…your serve too), your opponent will be given the chance to “settle in” and get comfortable – TOO COMFORTABLE. Why? Because you won’t be forcing him to adjust.

And with no variable or variety involved, he won’t have to think. He’ll know what you’re going to attack him with. He’ll already be prepared and know exactly what part of the court to cover, how fast he needs to be, how much pace he has to generate to get off a solid shot, and he’ll already have figured out where you’re going to recover.

And as a result,  he can even be further ahead of you on the next one – something that can turn into a circle of terror pretty quick.

Tennis Forehand and Backhand: The Bottom Line

Bottom line, YOUR SHOTS (…your tennis forehand and your tennis backhand) will have much LESS IMPACT. I mean, it won’t even matter if you blast your best screamer (…a shot with amazing speed) over there and it felt amazing coming off your racket, your opponent won’t feel your intended wrath and will return it with relative ease.

So yeah, what once was your “bread and butter” would now turn into your “day-old brussels sprouts.”  It’ll be hurting a lot more than helping.  And that can greatly affect your confidence level – thrusting it into a downward spiral.

How do you avoid these two negatives? You’ve got to set up.  You’ve got to set yourself up to make the big play.

And in order to do that, you have to change your mental state or frame of mind to that of a chess player or a championship-level boxer, instead of the incredible hulk.

Don’t set your sights solely on smacking the winner. Just go firm and secure – mixing it up with some flat shots, topspin shots, slice shots, and even sneak in a few drop shots now and then.

Then, what do you do? You play neutral or “detective tennis.” You wait – wait until you see you’ve got your opponent in a defensive position and on the ropes. That’s when you can load up, strike, and really let him have it.

Jab Your Tennis Forehand… Then Uppercut:

It’s the same thing in boxing. You don’t want to approach a fight, looking for the knock out blow with every punch.

For example, look at one of the greatest fighters in the world today, Manny Pacquiao.

In his recent bout against Puerto Rican born Miguel Cotto, he worked Cotto until he could find or generate that opening to really unload on it.

Even though Pacquiao has the power to knock his opponent out with one punch, he would jab his opponent a few times to the body, just to get a better feel for his opponent and what his possible responses and counter-attacks might be.  Then he’ll hit him with a couple up-stairs.

He would fade back and retreat (…assess the situation), then move in and regain the role of the aggressor, with hopes of landing a killer power shot every once in a while.

Then, when he would see that opening (…the opponent letting his guard down or falling out of position), that’s when he would load up that heavy left cross that sent Cotto crashing down onto the canvas.

You see, when those fighters are “dancing around the ring,” they’re not running away from confrontation like many believe, they’re very strategic and calculated warriors. Because hey, if you go for it (…load up that big swing) too soon or too often, it could very well be you who’s looking at the ceiling, flat on your back.

So keep your aggression in check, and only use it when you feel (…and see) the time is right. This will help you conserve energy and keep your opponent honest, so he doesn’t end up beating you to the punch.

Let me know if you think of this tip on tennis forehand and backhand strategy was helpful. Or if you have something like you’d like to share.  I’d love to get your opinion and insight.

Have a great day and an even better game,

Brian
TennisMindCamp

Tomorrow is the day. Only 1 more day until the TMC SS101 course will be released! Now this entire weekend, there have been countless number of emails coming in, asking what exactly you would get “extra” if you’re within the first 150 players to take action.

I didn’t say anything until now, because in fact, I was still adding (…up until 3:13AM this morning). And I wanted to  make sure everything was going to be to the max.  That, and I wanted wait and tell you guys all at once because I was so dang excited!  Well, this is it.

There were 8, now there are 10! Press play to check out every one of the “Kick-Butt” bonuses and find out how you can increase your chances 10 fold on making sure, they go home with you. NOTE:  (Please Allow Time To Properly Load Before Viewing, As This Video Is Being Eagerly Watched By Quite A Few Of Our Camp Members… All of us !

Alright guys, I told you it was going to knock your socks off in terms of incredible value! Was I kidding? So, before you leave your computer right now, you want to make sure that you sign up for that “early bird“ list, so I can send you the special serious player link an hour before the rest of the camp members.

Again, I’m doing that for players like you who want to turn their game around – but want to do it today (…not months from now).

Now hey, these bonus slots will not last long. With so many of our guys and girls on the list already, I’m guessing these bonuses will be gone in the first couple hours.  So, jump on that special list, so you can at least give yourself a fighting chance! You at least owe yourself that.

Ok. I gotta run. See you bright and early  tomorrow morning. Good luck. And thanks for the continued support. But most of all, thank yourself for really wanting to improve your game and be the best you possibly can. You’re well on your way.

All the best,

Brian

TennisMindCamp

==> Tennis Strategy Secrets Course Now Available!

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Let me ask you a question.

When everything seems to be flowing for you out there on the court, you’re hitting the balls with great accuracy and you can see you’re giving your opponent problems… What should be your next move?

That’s easy!  We ALL know what to do and what tennis strategy to use when we’re playing well – just keep doing what we’ve been doing.  You never want to deviate from a plan that’s working.

But when the flip side happens and things aren’t going your way, that’s where it can be difficult. That’s when you can really see the gap between the good players and the legends. Oh yeah, when the negative emotions begin to stir up from being beaten, that’s when you see a player’s true colors emerge.

So, let me ask you another question.  When you are down and feel the match starting to slip away, what’s the best tennis strategy use in order to turn the tides of that tennis match to help you get back on top?

Two possible options available: You could…

Tennis Strategy #1: Tone It Down Pull up and ease off on your shots and just focus on getting it in, with the attempt of trying to eliminate making any errors.

OR

Tennis Strategy #2: Turn It Up: Go in the opposite direction and turn it up a notch – even higher than you we’re playing at before.  I mean, you can hit out on your shots and really let them fly – despite the possibility of a possible error here and there.

Which do you think would be the best option? Which game plan would you go with? …Got Your Answer?

The answer is tennis strategy #2. What?!? Yes, this is a rather tricky one (…and goes against what you probably have seen some others do). I mean, who wants to increase the possibility of missing a shot, right?  We always hear that we should take some off and “get the ball in.”

But number 2 is going to be your best play the majority of the time. Why?  Check it out.

When we begin to recognize that the terms and tempo of the match are slipping out of our grasp, much of the time we pull back and take our foot off the gas, so much that you can’t even tell that we’re driving at all. We start playing “too safe” and even “passive” tennis.

But little do we know, this “going into our shell” and “hoping not to lose” can be just like driving the stake right through our own chances of making a comeback.

When we back off, that subconsciously sends the “we can’t” message to our brain. Then of course, we tighten up, and our technique falters because we end up tucking in our swing.

And then, what began as a small storm, quickly grows into an immense hurricane of slammed rackets, self-sabotage and loud (…disgusted) screams/grunts.

And the core of why all this is happening… is what? Because we stop believing. We stop believing in ourselves and that we have what it takes to pull this off.

Boy, would Melanie Oudin be upset . I mean, she feels so strongly against this, she even has it printed on her trademark sneakers.

You don’t want to do that! Don’t allow yourself to be pushed or play passive tennis. Play with a tennis strategy that’s active, not passive!  Push back! When you hit out on the ball, that sends a mental message of “I can, and I will.”

As a result, you’ll feel more confident and upbeat. You won’t compromise your technique or your tennis strategy, and you’ll continue to extend and follow through on your shots – which in turn give you more power a more threatening game.   So with this, you’ll be playing to win. See the difference.

Who cares about an error every now in then? Heck, you’ll commit a ton more by playing that other way!

As a matter of fact, we saw this tennis strategy live in and in abundance just this past week with some of the toughest players on tour. This was obvious in the stellar match where Sam Querrey stunned the top seeded Andy Murray at the Farmers Classic… when Dinara Safina ousted Alona Bondarenko at La Costa… and who can forget the local newcomer (…fresh out of high school) Coco Vandeweghe who surprised the heck out of Vera Zvonareva at the Mercury Insurance Open.

Check out what the players and expert analysts actually said was the biggest reason why these players were able to conquer their emotions after being down and how “bringing the aggression” was the reason that virtually changed the out come of these matches single-handedly!

Querrey, Safina, and Vandeweghe Choose An Aggressive Tennis Strategy, And It Works!

Los Angeles Times (…On Querrey): “After he lost the first set, Querrey seemed to settle into a positive place. He decided to play offense more than defense and to accept the occasional error as a fair exchange for extravagant winners. He also went to the net more.”

Dinara Safina: “I played a tiebreak last week and lost,” Safina said. “In practice I played a tiebreak and lost. Every time I play the tiebreak I play defensive.

Tonight I said it was OK to not be defensive, to be aggressive and whatever happens happens. I was maybe a little bit tight on match point.”

On her first match point, Safina served a double fault. On the second, she hit a forehand return wide but on the third Safina cracked a winner and pumped her fist.

Zvonareva (…Vandeweghe’s opponent): A rout looked imminent after Zvonareva took the first game, but Vandeweghe wouldn’t be beaten so easily. “She decided to be a little bit more aggressive,” said an emotional Zvonareva, the tournament’s No. 3-seeded player and this year’s Wimbledon runner-up.

You see, all of these players “turned it up” instead of “toning it down” and basically becoming the designated “defender” for the entire match.  They used the aggressive tennis strategy to battle through the nerves of being down and to help flip the script to generate major wins!

So the next time you fall behind and start to feel somewhat emotional and want to play “not to lose” by going into your shell, just remember to turn it up and let it all hang out. Do that, and you’ll enjoy more victories, I promise.

Have a great day and an even better game!

Brian

TennisMindCamp

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