TennisMindCamp » andy roddick

Tennis Strategy: Run Wild, Win Big!

Head Coach — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:11:46 +0000

Time for some quick tennis strategy trivia..

What if I told you that by making yourself run more on the court could help get you the win?

Would you believe me? Well, it’s actually true. Running for more balls can actually help improve your chances of obtaining a great victory.

One of the critical things that really separates the successful players from the players who seem to be stuck and find it hard to make it to that next level, is heart.

Sure it’s ok to have great mechanics. And yea, it’s even better have sound strategy, but the ability and the willingness to push yourself to the limits is one of the biggest difference makers in the sport today.

The winning players, they’re hungry for it. And they’ll do anything in their power to get it. You see this in the way players like Andy Roddick and “Raffa” Nadal go after every single ball like it was their last. They DON’T QUIT!

They treat each point as if it’s a tie-break in the 5 set at the US Open. THAT’S why they see so many outstanding results. But check this out… That’s the exact same reason why so many club players DON’T. That’s why so many club players don’t get the results they’re looking for. That killer instinct… That hunger… It’s not there.

When playing points, too many players end up calling it quits way before they should. If the shot LOOKS to be a tad out of their immediate reach, they won’t budge. They’ll just reply with something like “too good” or “GREAT SHOT.” Both of those are just cop out responses because they didn’t “feel” like asserting themselves to put forth the needed effort to get to it. Why? Too much work? Probably so.

You don’t want to do this. If you do, you’ll be just like the thousands of other frustrated players out there wasting tons of time and not seeing the winning results they want. Now, I can’t manually give you the heart of a champion or the will of a tennis warrior, but I can tell you a quick way to help jump-start a change. (see below)

Kick-butt Tennis Strategy: Here Are 2 Two Give Your Game The Jumpstart It Needs

Tennis Strategy#1: Go For It.

If it’s in bounds, (…and if you’re not already out of breath and desperately gasping for air), go for it! Kick it up a notch and try to get those balls you used to think we’re to far away or weren’t “worth it” to try for. As long as it’s not sailing 10 feet out, it should be fair game for you.

So stay on your toes and be ready to move. If you “believe” (…like Melanie Oudin) that you can get to those balls and that you will make it there in time, then the probability that you’re going to be able to get there and execute is going to more than double.

How so? Well, just like I mentioned in the tip on pre-match anxiety, your mental has direct control your physical. If you believe you’ve got what it takes… And you can visualize and see yourself achieving that success, you’ll send positive energy through out your body.

Your body will then be more loose, much more fluid and ready to explode to your ideal destination. If you don’t believe, you’ll send negative energy through your body, your legs will feel like cement and you won’t go anywhere, and the point, game, set, match, or even championship would have been lost.

Now this isn’t going to be a night and day switch right away. Now, implementing this tennis strategy and changing your mindset, does take some time to really be re-programmed. But hey, after going through it a number times, you’ll really start to see the change.

Tennis Strategy#2: Get Inside Your Opponent’s Head

If you make a habit of using this tennis strategy, and going after every ball, then your opponent’s mindset will begin to shift in a negative direction. He’ll begin to feel hopeless, because nothing that he has in his arsenal will seem to be working. Then, your opponent will begin to feel that he’s on the story of the never ending point.

And if he’s not an object of good consistency, he’s going to try to do things to help finish the point sooner – which may force your opponent to attempt more lower percentage shots. Why? Because he won’t want to be run around like rag doll over and over again. That’s no fun.

Hopefully you got something from this. Hopefully, it ignited a spark inside .

Fore more tennis strategy on other topics, click here.

Have a great weekend,

Brian

The Extreme Tennis Focus Formula

Head Coach — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:42:23 +0000

Hey guys,

I know I normally do the “Tip Of The Week” a little later on in the week, but with that amazing Mens final that happened at Wimbledon yesterday,this one just couldn’t wait.

Now, before I say anything, I need to clear something up. A lot of people have been saying that they’re surprised of how well those two guys played yesterday. That is a bunch of rotten tomatoes.

Because let me tell you, I was not surprised by what happened yesterday in London, and you shouldn’t be either. Amazed, yes. Entertained? Most definitely. But surprised? Not in the least. The reason why I’m not surprised is because I expected a high level of tennis. Why?

Well, what many of the top-ranked players on both the ATP and WTA tours like Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Venus Williams, and Dinara Safina do is execute a very special mental formula. Now this formula does slightly tweak itself for the individual player, but they all have one very powerful characteristic in common.

…The same characteristic that was put on display at the all-England club yesterday – Intense Mental Toughness and Focus. All of those players I mentioned are very well trained in this area and can increase the level of their game during the most mind-wrenching moments in the match.

They’re able to maintain great power and consistency on the ground, and can fight off as many break points as they need to. Stretching a match to the limits of 15-13 in the 5th set of the biggest tennis tournament on the planet is just one of the perks.

But seriously, this ability is what separates the many players who would normally develop a brain freeze during those critical points from the ones holding up the trophy at the end of the day.

Sadly, the ones who end up struggling in this area are falling victim to the sport’s most deadly elements: indesicion, fear, doubt, and hesitation. Now, if you have trouble with your IFAMT, it’s highly likely a result of one of those 4 elements or some combination. But I can’t be 100% sure because I’ve haven’t been out on the court with you personally (…yet).

But, I can tell you this… Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a pro to gain this type of mental prowess. You have to know “why” it is that you’re having this problem, and then, get the formula on how to fix it.

That being said, check out the formula below.

In most cases, the majority of players I’ve had the pleasure to watch and to hit with tend to get mentally unglued due to one of these 3 reasons:

A. Broken Focus:

As a tennis player, you have to remain focused on the most immediate task throughout the game. If you get caught up on something that happened on a previous point or look too far ahead, you will get distracted. And let me tell you, distraction kills!

Now by distraction, it could be a number of things. Things that shouldn’t get to you actually wind up doing just that. They get to you!

Whether it’s intentional like an over-the-top grunting sound when you’re opponent strikes the ball or unintentional like the foot steps or the sporatic clapping from the spectators watching you play, you have to put those in your ignore box.

If you find this difficult to do, don’t worry. Focus alone is one of the single most difficult concepts to master in the entire sport – mainly because the need for it is so constant.

You can rarely take it easy or take a point off. So, naturally your brain weakens and your ability to execute suffers as a result.

Quick Fix #1: The way to give your brain an extra boost is by giving it a rest. It may sound backwards, but it’s completely true. Take small focus-breaks between points and during change overs. This can help to keep the mind fresh and vibrant for longer periods of time.

Some players accomplish this by looking into the sky, taking deep breathes, or even plucking their racket strings before they walk up to the line.

B. Rushed Perfection

The second common way you can lose critical points during the match is by trying to thread the needle and be overly accurate with your shots. You stop thinking and start forcing. It’s a very stressful situation for most players. So naturally, they want to get out of there ASAP.

For example, you end up trying force the ball 2 inches from the corner or literally try to hit the ball smack-dab on the lines, that doesn’t do you any good. Your strokes end up all over the place - becuase your muscles are very tense from the pressure of wanting to get it over with pronto!

Well, trying to go for too much when you’re already at a disadvantage 100% self-sabatoge!

TMC Quick Fix #2:

Don’t rush. You want to relax and play with confidence. Let the game come to you. In other words, trust your shots and your ability to play well. Don’t play like your frightened baby sister who just finished watching the music video for Michael Jackson’s thriller. Take the “He must deal with me” mindset.

Your shots will then have more pop, and your shot selection will dramatically improve – thus putting your opponent on the defensive end. As a result, you’ll be able to hit out and extend through your shots smoothly and in rhythm, and have a great chance at winning the match!

C. Playing Not To Lose: This happens when you’re in a great place in a match to really do some damage and just give up.

For example, you have a 5-3 or 5-2 lead, and just about to close it out, and you go blank. Everything goes numb, and you end up giving up game after game after game.

The reason why this happens is because you become too afraid to take any offensive initiative.You want him or her to mess it up instead of you taking it. You think about the people you know who are watching you, and you don’t want to do anything to let them down.

So, you stop doing what got you in that winning position and change it to something that causes you to tank. Not very smart, but I know it’s really hard to control.

TMC Quick Fix #3:

Deal with reality and what’s actually happening in between those sidelines, NOT in fantasy! Play in the moment. Don’t waste any mental energy on the things that happened in the past or may (…or may not ever happen) during and/or after the match is over.

If you watched the finals yesterday, you could see this kind of strategy working deep within Andy Roddick.

Though he let that incredible chance at taking a commanding 2 – 0 set lead slip away, you would have never known anything like that happened.

He wasn’t thinking “What if he breaks me, how will I catch up?” or What will my friends say when I’m holding the trophy above my head??

He was poised, and dealt with what was right in front of his face, and that was all. That’s how you maintain that type of intense mental toughness to take the best player in the era to 13-15 in the 5th set of Wimbledon.

Whenever you’re not in the immediate present, your anxiety will spike and your game will suffer. So, avoid doing that, and you’ll avoid hearing the most hated word in the entire sport – CHOOOOOKE!

————

I really wanted to write this post to let you know that impeccable mental strength is not merely a gift that you were blessed with when you were born or given to only a select few. Anyone can attain it. The ones who do have really worked for it through practice and learning the right stuff to get the job done.

Applying the 3 strategies above is a great place to start. After that, practice is all you need, then you’ll really start seeing a change! Good luck. Hope to see you at the next Wimbledon!

All the best,

Brian Hall, Head Coach

TennisMindCamp

webmaster@tennismindcamp.com

P.S. Congratulations to Rafael Vital Jr. for winning the “Are You A Wimbledon Wiz?” contest over the weekend. Feel free congratulate our fellow camp member by posting something simple like “way to go”, he deserves it!