Now, last week we talked about some of the critical mistakes that players make when they step onto the court for a much needed practice session.
And though, the 3 that were mentioned were pretty powerful, there’s actually one that I left out. To be honest with you, I thought we already had enough content to work with and didn’t want anyone to feel overwhelmed with the whole thing.
And I know you’re a strong believer in doing everything possible to get your game to the next level. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be on this website week after week, taking action, and actually doing something about it.
Let me tell you, there are tons of talkers out there that “say” they want to get better, but few actually do anything about it. That’s why I felt I had to share this additional 4th concept with you this week. So, congratulations first and foremost for sticking with it!
So listen, if you want to become the best tennis player you can possibly be, you already know that practice plays a huge part in allowing you to continuously improve in very sizable ways. As we talked about before, this isn’t just tennis specific. This idea can be applied to any sport around the globe (…hockey, basketball, football, and a lot more).
Now during practice, there are two primary methods that thousands of tennis players around use to enhance their game. We’ll discuss Method #1 below, and focus 100% of our attention on the Method #2 next week.
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Method 1: Drills
I know many of us, including me, usually don’t get overwhelmingly excited when our coach tells us to get ready for the next drill. In fact, we may even hide behind the guy (…or girl) in front of us or sprint to the back of the line just to avoid it. Why though? Why do you think we’ve become so terrified of the term “drills?”
Drills are difficult for us a lot of times. They often times demand large amounts of focus, concentration, and poise. And to be quite honest, having to execute anything over and over and over again in a sport as meticulous and detailed as tennis can be very difficult to pull off (…and takes a toll on us mentally) – especially when you are required to do it for an extended period of time.
And that’s the reason why so many of us don’t like to incorporate them into our practices. Many players go to practice under the assumption that it’s supposed to be easy – like it’s nothing more than a chance to hit with a buddy or simply “show-off” what they can do when the pressure is non-existent.
Well, I’m telling you that the players who adopt this type of mindset are the ones who are the most ill-prepared come match time and have the highest number of built-in excuses why they didn’t get the win. You, my friend, want to avoid this type of thinking at all costs.
You see, you want that pressure to be on you during practice. Why? That’s the same intense pressure you’re going to feel when you need to save that critical break point or maintain great form even though your legs are gone, and you’re “dead tired.” That way, you don’t have to have to attempt to switch gears so to speak when the time comes to really buckle down.
Some say, “You can just turn it off and on like a light switch whenever you need to.” WRONG! It’s NOT that easy. If you’re used to “taking it easy” and not going all out and doing the critical things that it takes to consistently give yourself a winning chance, that’s what you’ll find yourself doing in the game – I guarantee you. And by the time you finally realize what you’ve been doing wrong, you’ll already be shaking hands.
Instead, you want to be mentally and physically prepared ahead of time. Give yourself a chance to find that winning groove that you can simply carry over from practice right into your next match without having to change a thing. Bridging the gap between those two elements should be one of your ultimate goals!
That being said, you should really be pumped-up and excited when the drill segment comes around. Oh yea, I mean it. If you’re as serious as I know you are about winning matches more quickly and easier than ever before, then you should have a big smile on your face here instead of that “Awww, I don’t want to do this; I just wanna rally” look.
No I’m not crazy, despite what you may be thinking at this very moment. The reason why you should be excited is because by participating in drills, you’re actively making your chances at winning every match thereafter much more realistic instead of just some lofty goal or a far-fetched dream. How so?
As the world renown performance coach Anthony Robbins says, “Repetition is the mother of skill.” In other words, the more times you do something, the more it’s going to be ingrained in your mind and in your muscles and the easier it’ll become to replicate. As a result, you’ll eventually get to the point where you don’t even have to think twice about doing the necessary things needed for you to win (mechanical or strategic). It’ll become second nature to you.
Should you hit the ball cross court or down the line? Should you go for the ace or just get it in play? Should I pass him on the left or right side? What is the perfect amount of backspin I need to make this ball drop exactly where I want it? These are the types of questions you WON’T have to ask yourself. You’ll already know the answers.
This also is extremely important, because I find one of the reasons why many players lose very winnable matches is because they’re having to think way too much. You can actually see it on their faces and in their body language.
They’re utterly confused out there. And a big part of that reason is because they haven’t trained both their mind and body in practice. So, they’re having to constantly make adjustment after adjustment without being quite sure if what they’re doing is helping them or in fact hurting them.
QUESTION: Have you ever heard of the concept referred to as muscle memory?
Many use this term, but few really have a good understanding of its functionality and how it works. So, let me explain. Muscle memory is commonly described as a type of movement with which the muscles become more familiar over time.
For example, babies, when they’re first born, don’t have muscle memory for activities like crawling or walking. The only way for the muscles to become accustomed to these types of actions is for the baby to learn how to do these things and then practice them.
Gradually, as the baby becomes a skilled walker, he falls less, is able to balance, and figures out exactly what it needs to do to get a desired result time and time again.
This is the exact same in tennis. At first, you’ll have some trouble executing some of the necessary things to become successful. But once you get more and more familiar with them and do them more often, everything becomes much more clear to you and a lot easier to put into action so that you come out with the win. And the best part, you won’t find yourself having to guess. You’ll KNOW what works!
Check out one of my personal favorite drills for pressure situations below:
| The Pressure Serve: The purpose of this drill is to dynamically increase your ability to serve when the pressure is on. It’s not just enough to go out there and serve without a care in the world. There are tons of players who can do that with they’re eyes closed, but still struggle to win matches. But by doing the following exercise, you’ll be able to perform when it counts most.
What do you need? You need an audience for this exercise. Oh yes, a lot of onlookers and spectators is a must for this to work properly. So, gather up your friends, hitting partners, teammates, and even some people who you don’t know if you’re lucky. Encourage them to cheer and go crazy as if they were watching a real live match and your opponent is their favorite player.
What time frame? Alternate with 5 minutes per player to start. Feel free to pick up the pace and lengthen the time as your get more comfortable. The idea is you want to always to push yourself as much as possible. That’s when you’ll really begin to see results.
Execution: Imagine you’re in the third set of an extremely critical match. One player has a lead of 6 games to 5. And we know that getting your first serve in and not having to rely on your last resort dramatically increases your chances of holding serve.
That being said, if the player in the lead can hit four consecutive 1st serves in, then she is the winner. But, if she misses one of those 4 first serves, then she has to go onto the next court and hit 40 practice serves before trying again. This dramatically raises the stakes and applies extreme pressure on the server.
I mean, come on, no one wants to hit 40 serves alone and then have to come back and finish the game. It’s tiring and can be quite embarrassing to say the least. Remember, all those crazy spectators are watching too!
Since not all players are at the same skill level, you can adjust the degree of difficulty accordingly.
Beginner: The serves may land anywhere as long as they are within the appropriate serve box.
Intermediate/Advanced: Each serve must land beyond a pre-determined depth line since more skilled returners will eat short serves for breakfast.
Coaching View: If you’re a coach or instructor, you want to be sure to remind your players to take their time and not to rush when executing their serve. The best way to do that is by developing a ritual – a series of motions that you do every single time you step to the line to serve. Having a constant routine will be more likely produce better results.
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The whole idea behind practice is to get you ready for a real live match, to get over the anxiety, the uncertainty, and the confused feeling we get many times when placed in pressure situations. And that’s why drills and participating in them is so important. They give you that sense of comfort and “I’ve been here before feeling.”
Because let me tell you… If you’re not ready… If you don’t feel comfortable out there… It’ll show, believe me. Your opponent will become the shark who smells blood in the water and you’ll be the bait. And that’s no fun at all.
So, when your coach or hitting partner says on to the next drill, let’s see that big Kool-Aid smile shall we. I mean, even if he/she just has you rallying out there for the time being, I encourage you to politely make a request. Simply ask for at least one drill, even it’s only for 10 minutes, where you can really hone in and work on something specific.
If you do that, I guarantee that you’ll be showing more of those beautiful pearly whites after more and more matches as a result.
All the best,
Brian Hall, Head Coach
Tennis Mind Camp
webmaster@tennismindcamp.com
The USTA just announced former No. 1 Carlos Moya of Spain is withdrawing from the 2009 U.S. Open because of an injury to his foot.
