, the new and intense strategy collection totaling almost 19 hours of professional tips, tricks, and 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 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” 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 Fatigue:

Going “all in” on your shot 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 Player.”

This is one of the worst labels in tennis. As a result of your uncontrolled aggression, 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.

Bottom line, YOUR SHOTS 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.

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 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

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 !

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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

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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 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 yea, 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 way to turn the tides of that tennis match to help you get back on top?

Well, there are two possible options available: You could…

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

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 option #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-sabotoge 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 active tennis!  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, 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 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!

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 tactic 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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So remember, jump on that pre-order list asap to get all the extra goodies that I mentioned in the video. If you’d like to pre-order right away or have any questions at all, just email me at webmaster@tennismindcamp.com See you Wednesday!

Have a great day and an even BETTER game,

Brian

Unfortunately, last week was an awful one in the eyes of professional women’s tennis. The injury bug escaped again and ran wild, taking massive bites out of some of the highest ranked players of the WTA: Serena Williams, Francesca Schiavone,  and Lucie Safarova.

And now the consensus among the fans is that there’s no way they can be ready to the take the court in Flushing Meadows, New York this year.

Many believe they might as well throw in the towel because by the time late August hits, they’ll be out of shape, their conditioning will have dipped, and their sharpness and reaction skills will be nowhere near up to par.

Well, that’s certainly possible but nowhere near guaranteed. And see, that’s a problem. Too many players actually give up on preparing for a match or a big tournament after an injury, because they were led  to believe that nothing could be done. They had the “what’s the point” mindset.

So that’s why I wanted to take a quick second to really address this and debunk a myth that has been swirling around the sports world for a long time.

Many are under the impression that you MUST stop everything, plop yourself in a lazy boy, and rest-it-out until you’re 100% pain free – otherwise you won’t heal properly. And deterioration of fitness is inevitable and just something you have to work through.

Not True.

If you have a tournament or a big match coming up and you go down with a minor but nagging injury (…a tweak of the wrist, soreness in your knees, or even a quirk in your shoulder), you can still exercise, train and be physically ready to go come match time! In fact, you HAVE to!

Your training may have to be revised, depending on the severity of your injury, but it’s incredibly important that you continue your strength work and your cardiovascular exercises.

Here are two great ways to keep the motor running on all cylinders during your recovery period:

1.  Jump In The Pool: Being in the water is great for many muscle related injuries, and it also takes a heap load of pressure off your joints. So whether you chose to do a light free-style, breast stroke, or even dog paddle, your  muscles are active.  You’re revving up your metabolism and burning calories as you would while running on the court. You’re also  building more strength by pushing through the resistance of the water.

This enables you to get stronger without heavily impacting the injury. Oh and don’t think this is easy stuff or this somehow will be a push over. You’re really going to  be working! In fact, swimmers are some of the fittest athletes I’ve ever seen.  Just check out my good buddy from the USA Olympic Water Polo team, Tony Azevedo in google images.

2.  Restructure Gym Workouts: Weight training is crucial to keeping up your core strength and endurance.  But when you get injured, that doesn’t have to (…and shouldn’t) change.  Just because one part of your body is less than 100%, that doesn’t mean you have to shut down your entire body. In order to keep your edge, you want to make your training sessions as similar to your non-injury sessions as possible.

So, if you have a foot injury, you might go lighter on the foot, but you don’t have to neglect the lower body all together. You can do light-weight leg extensions (…sitting or laying down). Having a strong lower base will make getting down to those low balls and volley shots 10 times easier.

If you’re suffering from discomfort in the knee, you can still work your back, arms (…bi-ceps and tri-ceps), chest and abs. Elastic bands, free weights, or machines for resistance are great too.

NOTE: If your joints are what’s giving you trouble, avoid the treadmill. Use the elliptical machine instead. With the elliptical machine, it’s a very smooth, rotating motion so you don’t have the pressure of your body weight constantly going up then landing on the injured body part.

It’s very much like your riding your own bicycle.  Not only that,  it’s been proven that you can burn close to double the calories than when using the regular treadmill. So, you’ve got 2 BIG positives!

But listen, just like with any medicine or remedy, this “staying in shape” prescription does come with a “warning” and a “do not use unless” label.

WARNING: Don’t overload your body with too many exercises, too fast. Start off light and slow and see what your body can handle.  If you try to do too much too quickly, you can cause yourself yet another injury.

DON’T USE UNLESS: Before you resume training, make sure you check with your doctor, training staff, and coach before doing any sort of exercises.  These guys know what they’re doing and can save you a lot of time by making sure you do things the right way and won’t risk further injury.

Not only will keeping your training consistent, benefit you physically, but you’ll see the effects mentally as well. Because when we suffer a bad injury, the immediate response that is triggered is negative. Of course, who enjoys pain right? Nobody!

And when that happens, our minds flood with regret, anger, and anxiety – which cause our muscles to tense up.  Plain and simple, we’re stressed. And this stress can actually cause the healing process to slow down a great deal.

But check this out…

TMC MIND FACT: Numerous scientific studies have shown that by continuing to exercise, you’ll decrease your ‘stress hormones’ like cortisol, better regulate your adrenaline flow, and increase endorphins production …(your body’s ‘feel-good’ chemicals), giving your mood a natural boost. And ultimately, you recover faster.

So, if you revise and continue your recovery workout program, you don’t have to worry about not being physically able to take out your next big opponent that you’ve spent so much time preparing for. Keep a positive mindset.  See yourself accomplishing this goal and getting back out there.  Do that and you’ll be out on the court, playing like a pro in no time.

Oh, and don’t worry about Serena, Fran, and Lucie as long as they’re training the right way, you’ll see them blasting balls on the hard court come August (baring any major complications.

For more info on mentally tackling injuries, click here

Update on Strategy Secrets 101, early next week. Yes, it’s finally here . The Pre-order list is filling up fast, so email me asap or place a comment below so I can add you .

All the best,

Brian

Your serve is one of the most important (..if not the most important) shot you have at your disposal. It has the power to dictate the tempo of each point, boost your confidence level, and put fear in the hearts of your opponent.

You might say, then “Why MOST and NOT all?”  Because there are some exceptions.  Many players say that this saying is completely bogus and complain that (…when playing a match),  they…

1. Feel behind or a step slow in the point (…when they should be ahead). Or…
2. Are frequently overwhelmed by their opponent’s return.

…Despite having an excellent serving session. Sound familiar?  Why does this happen? The answer lies in a critical training error that we’ve probably all been guilty of committing at least once.

Let me explain why some face this problem and I’ll give you a quick and easy way to fix it. Sound good? Great!

Now, when we go out to the practice court to serve ‘em up, what is our mentality? We want to serve as many balls as possible.  How do we usually carry it out?

Well, the majority of us today would probably answer that one the same way.  We usually bring out the old ball basket, plop it down about 3 to 5 feet behind us and just wail away at the balls.

We grab a ball, serve it, then reach into the basket to get another; serve the next one, then again turn around once more to get another ball – so on and so forth.  Am I right? Does this sound like you?

If so, let me tell you, this is where it mentally starts to go downhill. True, this is great for repetition and technique (…like we’ve been taught is important since we held our first racket, but it’s complete kryptonite for our reaction and recovery skills.

Frankly, I think it should be *banned* from all tennis practices, and academies everywhere.  Why?!? Why would I want one of the most fundamental tennis drills for improving your serve thrown out?

Well, on second thought,  I wouldn’t say  to do with it completely – more like amend it or give it a makeover.

The reason why the way we’ve been doing it for years just isn’t good enough is because we’re programming our minds (…and bodies) to stop prematurely.  When you serve and immediately turn around to pick up a ball, you’re subconsciously communicating the message that the play is over.

That’s right. You’re telling your mind, “No more focus and no more action is needed to successfully complete the task at hand.” And that’s just not the reality. The sad and unfortunate truth is you’re NOT going to ace your opponent on every serve attempt.

So, if you practice this way,  only readying yourself for one shot, your serve, then your mind will be so used to relaxing after one shot, and you’re NOT going to be as well prepared to take on your opponent’s return.

That’s why you feel behind in the point.  It’s not because your serve isn’t working properly.  It’s not because your opponent’s returns are coming over faster or with too much punch for you too handle.

It’s because you’re late. You didn’t program yourself to expect it.  While your opponent was letting it rip on his return, you’re mentally going to retrieve another ball out of your ball hopper.

How do you fix this?

It’s easy. Just change up the drill a bit and make it a little more realistic.  To keep from being killed by unexpected returns and to take advantage of the times when your serve is rockin’, all you have to do is add an extra shot to your routine that simulates the return you’ll likely see in a real match.

Simply, ask one of your hitting buddies to join the party. Have him/her stand on the opposite side of the court and return your serves back so that you’ll be forced to get ready and respond with a reply of your own.

By doing this, you’ll sharpen, your recovery senses, find yourself with more time to react, and enhance your shot execution – all in the same swoop!

Self-Feeding:

Now, what if you’re out there by yourself… problem? Not at all. You can still create that extra stroked need.  Just pack an extra ball in your pocket. And after each serve, toss the ball in front of you and execute an aggressive follow up stroke as if you we’re in tournament or league play.

And hey, you can even sync up the ball machine to pop one over immediately  after you serve. It’ll take some time to get it right. But that’s another option you have available to you.

Try out this new serving drill, and your reaction time will be much quicker and you won’t be a step slow or give away tons of free points in the most important games of the match. Just remember, two is always better than 1 .

Have a great day, and an even better game!

Brian Hall, Head Coach

TennisMindCamp

In this 2010 French Open tournament, she rolled over Jankovic, roared back against Justine Henin, and stuck to a winning plan when she played the almost unbeatable Serena Williams – all former world #1s, essentially back to back to back.

Then… went into the final as the overwhelming favorite. But… lost to a 17th seed girl by the name of Francesca Schiavone.

How did this happen? How could this happen? How did the under-dog manage to defy the 1 to 120 odds of winning this unbelievable tournament in Paris?

Well, check out a pretty detailed analysis I just completed and find out some of the main reasons for this historic upset.

1. Superior Serving: This is definitely one of the biggest reasons.  Previously at TennisMindCamp, we’ve talked about how much of an impact the serve can have on the outcome of a match, and on Saturday, Francesca showed just how true a concept that is. She…

A. Played The Percentage: Early on, it was easy to see the nerves being tested and the anxiety seeping through for both players who were on the biggest stage of their lives. Both were a little tight.

But as the the first set began to unfold,  not only did Schiavone make it difficult for Stosur, by giving her minimal break opportunities, ZERO, the amount of serves that she was strategically placing around the service box reached a high of an amazing 70%!

And when the serves started popping in one after another after another after ANOTHER, the sky opened up and the confidence began to pour on the 29 year old Italian.

As a result, the shackles of tension and unfamiliarity were broken, and her game really began to flourish.  She began to fully extend out on her shots and seemed to effortlessly float (…or fly), depending on the tempo of the point, to each ball and execute with great precision.

Now, seeing that the score was only 6-4 in that set, by no means did Schiavone completely run away with the set, but that noteworthy first serve percentage is what enabled her to really play “HER” game (…which was to use ALL of her shots) and to steal a boatload of momentum heading into the second set.

Now was she “serve perfect” throughout the entire final? Well…Almost. She did have one minor mental lapse in the second set where Sam was able to get a break and hold at to take the score to 4-1.

And as you would predict, that’s when the Australian power-hitter began to pick up some steam.  Though it made for a great wrinkle in the match and stirred things up a bit, it shouldn’t come as a big surprise to us.

Why? Mr. momentum usually likes to stay on the side the player who serves the best – which was definitely the case here. The one “ON” when serving usually can do so many great things like dictating the tempo of the match and making the opponent play at an undesired pace.

Luckily, Fran stuck it out, stayed as poised (…as humanly possible), and got back on serve, which lead to winning 3 of the biggest game of her career back to back to back – dumping all of the pressure  right back onto her opponent.

B. (Fooling Around): Anyone who’s seen the scouting report on Miss Samantha “Smack That Thang” Stosur, knows that she has a thunderous forehand stroke that can reek  havoc on her opponent strings – both ground strokes and the return of serve.

So, this being the case, normally an opponent would force them to return the serve from her backhand side up the T, the weaker of the two strokes. And Sam “expecting” this to happen, would (…if possible) run around it and smack back a smokin’ hot forehand. So… No harm done, right?

Not quite. Schiavone, fooled her by going the opposite side.  Yes! She did the reverse.  She sporadically would serve balls directly out wide into her opponent’s deadliest weapon. On purpose? on Purpose !

Guess what happened? Easy points! It frequently left Stosur wrong-footed. And if she did get it back, it didn’t have enough on it to do any real damage.  Stosur wasn’t prepared for it. Why? She didn’t think anyone would be crazy enough to do that.  She was wrong, and it cost her.

See, sometimes it’s good to go down the road less traveled! She did, and made tennis history because of it.

2. Weakness Exploitation:

A. Placed Instead of Punished: You might say, “Wow, how did Schiavone produce such a top-level tennis performance against one of the heaviest hitters on the WTA without using power. Power? What for?

That’s actually one of the biggest mistakes even the most seasoned and competitive tennis players make. They try to out muscle the “power monger” as I like to call it.  That does NOTHING but add fuel to flame.

Fortunately, Schiavone did NOT make that mistake in her French open final match this past weekend.

Instead, she denied her opponent that gift and took the pace away!  She put it in her pocket, and sealed it.  Well, she would pull out the big gun O-ccasionally haha. But for the most part, she used milder shots like soft high-topspin loopers and sexy slice backhands.

This strategy not only almost drove the Aussie to the looney bin,  a big it also drove a stake right through the heart of her rhythm gaining hopes! And as a result, she was forced to generate her own pace – something difficult and out-right exhausting to do over and over and OVER again.

It takes a ton of patience, near perfect timing and boundless concentration – something that few possess – even a 7th seed at Roland Garros.

Bait is what it was. Most players end up becoming impatient and wanting to blast it out of the stadium. Sam took the bait… went for the BIG SHOT… and shanked a bunch because of it.

3. Flucuated Between Offensive and Defensive Posture: Much to many player’s dismay, we can’t be running and gunning on high-octane offense 100% of the time. You have to be able to tactically switch between both as each situation changes.

Schiavone did that. She analyzed and evaluated each situation one-by-one.  If she had Sam with her back turned or in an inferior position, she made an offensive advance.  If Stosur had her scrambling she would shift to a more defensive gear.

Do the opposite, or mixing the two up can spell disaster! So, great job!

4. Became The Neutralizer: As I mentioned before, Sam “Smack That Thang” Stosur is a baseline-banger. That being the case, Schiavone knew it would be championship suicide to engage in a slug-fest battle from the baseline.

So, her plan was to get aggressive and neutralize her brutal baseline strokes by aggressively attacking the net. She ended up being quite successful more than 80% of time she went net hunting – deflecting well angled volleys to finish her off, point after point, after point.

And when she saw it working, she doubled the dose – winning 14 of the total 15 times she came in.  Smart girl!

The Tie-break: So with all this wonderful strategy working for her, by the time the tie-breaker came around, it was lights-out for Stosur. Confidence, momentum, and the adrenal push were all on Schiavone’s side!

She felt almost invincible. I mean, everything was clicking. And like anyone would do with that type of feeling,  she went for broke – firing away with ease – executing gutsy (…yet intelligent shots) like the cross-court backhand into her opponent’s weak spot. She was hitting corners and nailing lines.

It was really incredible to watch.  She just steamrolled through the final few points needed to capture the 2010 French Open crown. And that was that – 6-4, 7-6 (7-2).

So, though it was a hard fought match… It turned out the way she ironically predicted the day before when she said, “The smartest player will probably win the match – not the strongest.”

And indeed… It came down to the more strategic player who had the calmest nerves. Fabulous job Francesca!

Oh, and that making history thing (…the first Italian to win a Grand Slam in the Open era, well… that’s good too. Enjoy the biggest win of your tennis life. We all here at TMC wish you much continued success!

Let me know if you liked this French Open Finals Analysis by leaving a comment in the blank below. Have a great week, and an even BETTER game!

Brian Hall, Founder
TennisMindCamp

TMC Strategy Secrets Coming Soon…

If so, you’ve got plenty of company: Kim Clijsters (WTA) with a muscle tear, Kobe Bryant (Lakers) with a ruptured tendon on his shooting hand, Ryan Johnson (Vancouver Canucks with a broken foot, and Manny Ramirez (L.A. Dodgers) with a strained calf!

So, if you thought there was something critically wrong with your physical upkeep and that you were one of the weak ones because you got injured, that’s not the case.

The truth is almost ALL competitive athletes (…at all levels) sustain injuries.

And though, at times it can be a result of poor conditioning and not taking care of your body, the reality is it can happen to anyone – from the best of the best OF THE BEST (…who workout 6 times a week) to the most casual recreational player.

And they can take place anywhere. From during the most obvious and appropriate events like training in the gym, when they’re out on the field or performing for a huge audience…

…To a total freak accident in something as simple as getting up from the couch the wrong way (…Greg Oden – #1 pick of the Portland Trailblazers), you just never know. Ok. We’re ALL susceptible to injury.

Now, with that being the case, then you may ask, “Why is it that a lot of the top pros may suffer the same exact ankle sprain as you or the same back spasms as you, but they’re back out there playing at the top of the game while you’re still in the bed aching?!?”

Is it because they’re in better physical shape? Sure, at times, yes. Many of the high level pros do tend to be somewhat more “fit” then you. I mean hey, it is their job, right?

Is it because of the pro-like perks of having access to the best trainers in the business  working on them day and night? Yes, that’s definitely a plus there as well.

But there’s actually another reason that’s absolutely HUGE and even more critical to their recovery than the type of ice wrap that’s applied or what school the therapist went to.

The reason is actually has nothing to do with the physical part at all – just the opposite. You seem, when many club or amateur players get injured, they often times look at it as just a physical thing – totally neglecting the most important part – the “mental” aspect of it all.

The pros like Lebron James and veteran boxer Sugar Shane Mosely know that you can’t just throw on an ace bandage, and WAIT for it to get better without readying your mind to deal with the many mental challenges that may come about during a healing period.

Mental challenges? Oh yes! When a competitive player like you is forced to sit out against his/her will, it can stir up a lot of negative emotions: Here are some of the main ones:

A. Anger: You may get angry because you’re losing valuable practice time as you prepare for a big tournament.

B. Anxiety: You can panic, because you start to doubt your ability to make up that time and be ready with the necessary game come match time.

C. Denial: If the injury doesn’t seem to be improving at the rate you would like it to, you can totally flip the script and go into 100% denial about the whole injury thing. Chances are,  you’ll  pretend you’re fully healed (…when you’re NOT), and you’ll attempt to play anyway and, extending the down time even more.

D. Depression: You can get depressed because they can’t play with the guys after work or after school. You’re not having the fun that comes a long with playing this beautiful game. I mean, it rocks, doesn’t it?!?

So you see, without being steady between your ears and not knowing the tools to combat these negative feelings can make recovering from an injury 100 times as difficult.

So, avoid this happening to you by checking out 3 key tennis mind strategies the pros use that are sure you make your off-time a lot more manageable and see to it that you get back to an athletic and healthy lifestyle without going completely insane (see below).

Try these 3 strategies out the next time you get bitten by the injury bug.  Knock on wood! You’ll notice how much better you’ll feel, and how much faster you’re able to take the court again.

Let me know what you thought of this tip. I’d love to hear from you! Have a great week.

All the best,

Brian Hall, Head Coach

TennisMindCamp

P.S. Per my e-mail, here are some of the pics from the wedding and game this weekend.

1. http://www.tennismindcamp.com/fun/IMG_0268.JPG

2. http://www.tennismindcamp.com/fun/IMG_0284.JPG

3. http://www.tennismindcamp.com/fun/IMG_0178.JPG

4. http://www.tennismindcamp.com/fun/IMG_0186.JPG

5. http://www.tennismindcamp.com/fun/IMG_0309.JPG

Over this weekend (…in between touching up TMCSS 101, getting ready for one of my best friend’s wedding), I had a few extra minutes. So I  thought I’d do something a little different and a little fun.

What I did was, I recently bugged (…tapped into)  the practices of nearly every highly competitive tennis player known to man. It was tricky at first, but it finally worked.

Now, since I couldn’t type out everything from all 1,659,756 players and coaches word for word. I summarized what I saw the most frequently and that was having the most impact.

Check it out…

Sound familiar? Thought it was just you? Not at all. This sort of coach to player difference in opinion happens ALL the time.

This alone, is one of the things that tends to cause some of the biggest snags in a workout and can even cause a potentially great career to come to a screaming halt. It just wastes too much time.

Clearly, the coach has the better view in this situation. But that doesn’t seem to clear things up – obviously. So, why does this happen? Where does this come from? Why do us players have such a problem with it?

Well, we as players tend to hold one or both of the following beliefs :

1. The Invincible Desire: Think that we can do no wrong. Believe it or not, this many times stems from the intense desire to get better – seeing any type of correction as a weakness and possible delay in our progress.   Either that, or… we’re just plain old stubborn haha.

OR…

2. Super-Human (Double) Vision: We have the idea that we’re some kind of superhuman that has eyes that are double-sided – as if we could look outwards towards the ball and our opponent while simultaneously looking backward towards ourselves. Yes, IMPOSSIBLE. But, we still subconsciously believe that.

Whether you have 1 or both of these beliefs, it will simply do you no good.  So what’s the answer? What can be the “be all” and “end all” to solve this once and FOR ALL?

VIDEO! Bring a video camera out to your next practice. A lot of the big time pros use this strategy. Now, in case you we’re wondering… No, it doesn’t need to be some $3,000 Sony Super HD Camera with a zoom so strong, you can see the moon.  A simple, mini-recorder from your local elctronic store (…like the Mustek DV 526L Camcorder with digital player/voice recorder) will more than do that job.

You can either use a tripod for and extra steady view. Or ask your hitting partner to to lend a hand if you’re looking to get a more mobile type of shot (…great for hard angles).

By doing this, you’re taking the guesswork out of the entire equation. No more arguing. No more going back and forth with your coach. You get all the right answers with indisputable evidence.

If you’re not getting down, the cam will show you – plain and simple. If you tend to get a little flat-footed or sloppy on some shots, it’ll show you. And if you’re doing a phenomenal job on everything, you’ll be able to see that as well.

Bottom line, this will save you a ton of time and make your practice session 10 times as productive. You’ll know exactly what parts of your game that are weak and need tweaking and what parts are solid enough to do some real damage as they are.

They’re will be no OPINION, only FACT. You know what they say, the camera never lies!

Have a great week and an even better game!

Brian Hall, Founder
TennisMindCamp

P.S. For those curious, no I didn’t magically tap into or spy on anyone haha. I thought it’d be a clever way to make the strategy tip pop a little bit.

P.P.S But, FACT. I was polishing up TMC STrategy Secrets 101. And FACT, the Andrew Bynum and the Lakers Did Silence the Thunder!

Andy Roddick defeated Tomas Berdych to claim the 2010 Sony Ericsson title in Miami, not by learning to hit harder, but by using a more strategic and tactical approach.

Of the many mental punches Andy gave Berdych throughout their two set rumble over the weekend, there were two main strategic blows that were most responsible  for Tomas taking home the consolation prize instead of the one given to the last man standing.

Strategy: #1: Mixing It Up.
Strategy: #2: Go Low.

Strategy#1: You always hear how important it is to mix things up on your opponent in order to keep them on their heals and off balance, right?

Well, if you saw any part of the match between American darling Andy Roddick A.K.A A-Rod and Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic this past weekend in the Sony Erricson Open, you got a chance to see a great example of this fundamental strategy worked to absolute perfection.

This past Sunday in Miami, Andy showed that the “mix it up” saying isn’t just a bunch of coaching mumbo-jumbo that your instructor tells you in practice to sound like they know what they’re talking about .

Now, if you’re wondering if this is the same Andy that has been known to serve over 140mph… the Andy who is predominantly known as a fiery lightning rod with a thunderous serve and very powerful ground game – one that is almost guaranteed to make anyone take notice (fans and top-seeded opponents alike).  Aboslutely. It is the same Andy.

Except this Andy showed he’s more than just a one dimensional player.  Against Berdych, he changed his usual power game approach and toned his aggression down a notch. By doing that, he demonstrated how going after power shot after power shot after power shot isn’t always the best pathway in getting the win.

On Sunday, it was quite the contrary.  Andy Roddick’s *softest* shots actually made the biggest impact. He disrupted Berdych’s ability to gain a rhythm by hitting delicate backhands, high-looping forehands that seem to just hang in the air and altered his first serve with varying speed, spin, and angle (..instead of incessantly going after the flat-bomb that we so often see).

And it wasn’t just the fans and commentators who noticed this type of play frustrating Berdych. He openly confirmed the idea and named Andy’s serve as one of the main culprits when he said…

“He [Andy] was just too strong today,” “He’s not just serving the big bombs. His variations of the serve are a really big improvement. … I was really looking for maybe to get one chance, but he held pretty well. I didn’t get any chance during whole match.”

The reason why Berdych found it so difficult to play and gain any ground in that final match was that Roddick was desperately working on (…and had obviously achieved) a goal that every player should be looking to obtain  – unpredictability!  As a player, we love to be able to figure out what our opponent’s tendencies are.

We love patterns. Those patterns allow us to develop our own plan of attack (…what shots to use, how to cover the court better, our foundation, etc.) to make properly counter. Our muscles get used to the movements to whereby we can do them with less thought and/or concentration. And things feel much more natural.

But Berdych didn’t have that. He wasn’t given that luxury. Why? Because Roddick kept switching things up. He wasn’t allowed to just stand there, set up and execute in the same position, preparing for the same type of ball point after point as if he we’re drilling in practice.

His mind and body we’re consistently being uprooted and sent on the move – leaving him no time to regroup and gather himself. So before he knew what hit him, he was physically and mentally exhausted! As a result, Andy seemed to always be a step or a shot ahead – which consequently left Tomas a shot… a move.. or a step behind.

And hey, I don’t care who you are or what kind of game you have… If you can’t gain your footing and you’re playing catch-up throughout, the odds are are going to be heavily stacked against you pulling anything out. Yea, even if you you’re  a seasoned vet like Tomas Berdych.

It happens to all of us. We need balance. We need to find our groove if we want to be successful. And Tomas couldn’t attain it. By the ninth game, Berdych was so confused and disoriented, he even lost track of the score and even lined up to play a point on the wrong side.

I mean, Wow how often do you see that happen? So yea, Andy had him mentally rocked! He couldn’t settle in.

Strategy #2: The second key strategy Roddick used was when he cut him down with his slice.  Now, why would the slice shot be a good decision here? Well, Andy noticed a major weakness in Berdych – not in his game but in his F-R-A-M-E.

Berdych being almost as tall as Kobe Bryant, standing at 6-foot-5, does have it’s advantages in that he has a longer reach laterally… B-U-T he also had a glaring flaw. When you’re that tall, it’s very hard to hit balls that are low, because he has to reach much further downwards to make contact with balls that rise much or take high bounces.  It’s a lot more demanding on his body.

So given that fact, what did Andy do? He bombarded Berdych with slice backhands. And when I say that, he just didn’t give him one and forget about it. He saw it was a major weakness, so he executed slice backhand after slice backhand  after slice backhand – over and over and over AND OVER again!

He was relentless!  As a result, Tomas was forced to hit the ball at ankle level, stealing almost all the power from his massive forehand.  Oh, and not only did this hurt him physically (…body strain), it most likely affected him mentally as well.

Because when you’re forced into very unpleasant positions time and time again, and begin to string together a few lost points in a row, you may begin doubt the fact if you can ever emerge from that circle of terror, if you will.  Like there’s no hope…. Like at the end of the tunnel so to speak.  All hope is lost. Ahhh, you get the picture .

And shortly thereafter, sure enough, he cracked. Well, he was broken .  The match officially turned two games later, when Roddick reached the first break point of the match. He broke when Berdych hit a forehand out out bounds, then held at love to take the first set.

That was part of a streak where Roddick won five consecutive games. He broke again to start the 2nd set. After that, the match was pretty much just a matter of time. Then, a few games later, Roddick had done it.  Roddick beat Berdych 7-5, 6-4 to win the Sony Ericsson Open.

And with this win, Roddick, who made the final in Indian Wells last month, has more match wins than any other player in 2010 with 26.  The 2004 champion becomes only the fifth man to win the Miami title twice.

Roddick joins Andre Agassi (6), Pete Sampras (3), Roger Federer (2) and Ivan Lendl (2) as multiple winners in Florida.  When it was all said and done, Roddick offered reporters this quote,  “I’ve been able to have a game plan and execute it regardless of what kind of shots it takes.”

So… What’s the moral of this story? (A) Don’t give your partner the same look over and over again. And (B) If you’re playing a giant of the court, make him go low with a steady diet of the slice shot!

Have a great one guys!

Brian Hall, Head Coach
TennisMindCamp