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.

Moya has been out of action for the majority of this tennis year. His ranking recently took a skid, taking him  out of the top 100. I bet that hurt… Ouch!   Also, Kei Nishikori of Japan was atop the alternates list for the previous year, but he won’t participate because of an injury as well.

The two unfortunate injuries mean that Ecuadorian Nicolas Lapentti who holds the world’s 106th spot in the ATP tour will now gain an automatic entry into the tournament’s main draw.

Remember guys, you always want to work on your fitness. Train your body both in and out of the gym. The stronger you are are, the less likely you will be to succomb to an injury.

Being in great shape and being physically fit can do wonders for your mind as well. Why? Becuase you won’t think twice about putting your body out there on the line in stretching for a hard to get drop shot. You can get to your proper setup and recovery position without getting winded or thinking twice about it. You’ll feel much more secure in everything that you do.  You’re NOT wondering whether your body will be able to handle it.

But hey, don’t get me wrong guys, some injuries are simply unavoidable (… like the twisting of an ankle while charging the net for a short ball), but you want to do everything in your power to prevent something like that from happening.  And strength training can definitely be a HUGE help in making sure something like the twsiting of a knee or something more serious doesn’t happen.

Because the truth is, you never want that to be the reason you miss a big opportunity that could change your game as well as your life forever. So good luck Carlos and Nicolas. We at TMC, wish you a speedy recovery and much success in the upcoming year!

Brian, Your Tennis Mind Coach

TennismindCamp

P.S. How many of you guys currently have a gym routine?  Just curious

Hey guys, I hope you’re having an awesome week so far and getting a lot of good practice in! Did you get a chance to try out the pressure serve drill yet? If not, you definitely want to make some time for it in the next few days. It’ll help your game out tremendously, trust me .

Now this week, as promised, I’m going to shed some light on a second method that you can use to dramatically increase the productivity of your practice sessions, and at the same time, be better prepared for your next opponent no matter what skill level or style of play they possess. (see below to get the answer how)

Perfect Practice Method #2: Vary Your Competition

Though the drill factor that we discussed in last week’s tip is incredibly effective in getting you to really focus in on every single shot you hit, going toe to toe with another player on the other side of the net is one of the greatest ways improve every aspect of your game.

You can work on your serves, ground strokes, volleys, and overheads etc. without the risk of getting too mechanical. Because let’s face it, if you’re doing a forehand drill or one where it involves coming to the net to finish off a volley, you sometimes, get tempted to cheat so to speak.  Cheat? Yes, cheat.  I know you’re probably saying, “I thought that you could only do that in a match, when you’re playing someone else.”

Well yes, that’s one form of cheating. But you can also cheat yourself. When you know where the ball is going to be coming ahead of time, it’s easy to jump the gun and head to your destination too early. That may make it “easier”, but in the long run it’s going to hurt you. Why? That takes away the reality of the drill all together. You lose that playing “in the moment” feeling. In a real match, many times, you won’t have that luxury.

Now on the other hand, when you’re playing against someone else who is trying to beat you, everything suddenly becomes very real and very live. You see, when you’re involved in a drill, you have someone there who’s on your side and who’s pumping you up and motivating you to go harder and push for more. He or she is telling you to get to a particular spot or destination on the court so you’ll be able to get to the ball and get the most out of the repetition.

But when you’re engaged in battle with another player, that player isn’t going to be as supportive as your coach would . He could care less if you get to the ball or not, and he’s definitely not going to let you know before hand where he’s going to be directing his shots. Not only that, but if you miss a shot or lose a point, you don’t get to trot back to the line and do it again.  All these things are really great for you. You know why?

By adding these real match-like elements, you won’t get that false sense of security or that fantasy-land illusion that everything is working like a well-oiled machine, firing on all-cylinders, and then get a sudden rude awakening when the pressure is on.

If something goes wrong or you mess up, you’re going to have to live with the consequences. This adds more pressure to the practice session, the same type of pressure and crucial decision making that you’re going to have to deal with if you want that trophy at the week’s end and even better, bragging rights in some cases, wink wink.

So, do you incorporate this element, that of one on one (… all out) competition, into your practice sessions? If so, great job! But hey, don’t get too excited just yet. There’s something very critical that you must add if you want to get the most out of this strategy and really give your opponents a royal beat down.

And I know that’s what you want to do, right? You don’t want to go out there and only get 50% of the benefit and only beat a couple people. That’s outright looney ha-ha. You want the whole enchilada… You want to beat everyone who has the audacity to step onto the court with you… Am I right? Of course you do, and that’s why you’re definitely my kind of player.

So, listen up. Though many players use this method to improve their winning percentage in live match play, they often leave something out of the equation that really can make a world of difference. I mean, it can catapult you from winning 30% of your matches to a whopping 60% to even 75% of them, maybe more. And that missing piece of the puzzle is none other than variety.

Frequent practice against real opponents that are coming at you with everything they’ve got is very important but it’s equally if not more important to be sure that you’re not just playing against the same people and the same hitting styles over and over again.   Because if you do end up in this type of cycle, players like you and I, begin to get very comfortable, too comfortable with certain players and certain styles of play. And as a result, we end up limiting our own growth and progress because of it.

I mean, if you only play against the people who you’ve played with and hitting styles you’ve seen a million times, there’s little room for spontaneity or surprise – two fundamental elements of what the sport of tennis is really made of. This is because you gradually begin to know your opponent’s style inside and out.

And when this happens, you don’t really find yourself on your toes as much with that “wolverine-like” heightened sense of awareness. Practicing against another player is supposed to be sharpening your senses, like speeding up your set up, reaction, and recovery times so that you’ll be ready for battle.

But what ends up happening, whether you know it or not, your game begins to weaken. And instead of sharpening your instincts, they begin to dull.

You just find yourself going through the motions and end up turning into a whole different kind of animal – one that’s passive without much bite. You see, playing against strangers, allows you to improve your adaptive skills and will ensure that you learn how to vary your style, make the necessary adjustments, and read opponents at a more efficient pace. And in the end, you’ll become a much more well-rounded player – the kind that really strikes fear in others.

IMPORTANT: Don’t be afraid to play against people who are more skilled as well as less skilled than your regulars or even yourself. By playing someone better, you’ll be able to improve your skill set and “step your game up”  so to speak. And by playing against weaker players, you help eliminate the possibility of playing down to your competition. Both of these will really give you a major boost.

———-

In tennis, there are literally thousands of different game types, styles of play, and player tendencies. I’m talking about players that hit with their left hand, have a one-handed backhand, have a two-handed backhand, like to serve and volley, use bone crunching pace, pushers, kick servers, flat servers, out of control players, poised players, etc. The list really will go on forever.

But if we are only exposed to 1 or 2 of them… You see where I’m going with this?

Hey don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with playing matches against your buddies as it can surely help get those competitive juices flowing as well as make the game much more fun. The thing is though, you’ll only get better at playing against those particular individuals. So, you don’t want to stop there.

In order to truly take your playing to the next level, you’ll have to expand your competitive circle, and try your game out against different opponents as often as possible. Try going to different parks or tennis clubs, you’re sure to find plenty of people that’ll help elevate your game. Then, you’ll be on your way to becoming the incredibly fierce, king of the court, ready to bare your teeth, and pounce on anyone brave enough to step on the court with you.

All the best,

Brian Hall, Head Coach
TennisMindCamp
webmaster@tennismindcamp.com

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 4^th 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.

———

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 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

Hey there! I’m so excited that you decided to join us. Here at Tennis Mind Camp, we take your tennis playing seriously, and we want to make sure you get the results you want out there on the tennis court.

As a group, we’ve already been blessed to help literally hundreds of tennis players all around the world just like you to increase their winning percentage by almost double. But we didn’t want to stop there. Hundreds of satisfied people wasn’t enough. Our goal is to reach thousands or even more.

That’s why we’ve decided to create this one of a kind website, where everyone can instantly access tons of game-ready strategies (…in one centralized location) to help put them over the top. You shouldn’t have to go scouring and searching all over the net for information just to see your game improve. So from strategy on your volleys, to the ability to effortlessly hold your serve time and time again, as well as the very popular TMC tips of the week, it’ll all be here.

This expansion has given TennisMindCamp a much stronger reach and a better opportunity to help more aspiring tennis players like you achieve their goals. And that really makes us want to do back flips over the net because we feel anyone who picks up a racket should be able to play tennis and win the “easy way” without having to experience tough loss after tough loss trying to “will” their way to a victory.

The game of tennis has evolved tremendously since the sport began back in 1896, and that trial and error idea is a thing of the past. I’m glad that more and more players like you realize that tennis is a thinking man’s game more than anything else. Strategy is the true way to winning. And by digging deep into these professional tips, tricks, and strategies available on this site, you’ll begin to see your game drastically improve quicker than you thought possible!

Oh, and don’t worry, it’s not ALL hard-hitting facts here at TMC. We’re going to have LOTS OF FUN too! You can…

==> Personalize each post with your own questions and commentary or even add your own story!

==> Register your own free account (…in the bottom right hand corner) and post your own tips that come straight from the heart so tons of other members can see the same success you have!

==> Interact with the entire TMC team, and build great relationships with all the other camp members and maxmimize your tennis network… maybe find a new hitting partner !

==> Participate in monthly contests for tons of really cool prizes!

==> And so much more!

Hope you have fun!

All the best,

Brian Hall, Head Coach
TennisMindCamp
webmaster@TennisMindCamp.com

P.S. I want to personally thank my dearest friends and students on our special e-mail list (…Jesus, Christi, James, and Josh just to name a few) because they’ve really been the fuel to our fire and have really kept us going strong. And that’s not all, though they were the only ones getting this powerful information at first, many of them we’re actually the ones who encouraged us to go bigger. THANKS GUYS!

P.P.S. If you want to get up-to-the-second informtion before anyone else, just put your email in the “subscribe via email” blank in the right hand column.

Tennis Tip of The Week: 3-11-09 :: Serve Rituals Are For Winners!

For this week’s tip, I’ve decided to go deeper into serve strategies since I’ve been receiving so many emails about it in the last few weeks. I actually posted some quotes of some of the others who were experiencing serve problems, and the major issue that I saw across the board was consistency (see below).

Have you felt like Jon, Megan, or Nick at any time during the course of a set? If so, I think I’ve got something that just might get them, and you, over the hump.

Well, first, let me tell you, it’s not magic. There are actually some factual reasons behind why this happens to you. Check them out below.

**********************

3 KEY REASONS FOR YOUR

SERVE INCONSISTENCY

**********************

If you feel those reasons apply to you, don’t worry. There’s an easy way to fix this.

You need to develop a ritual. And by ritual, I mean a series of mannerisms or body movements that you do EVERY single time you step up to the service line. It’s been proven to dynamically boost consistency of performance in the sports world for ages.

You see it in basketball when players are at the free-throw line, when the quarterback is getting ready to hit his receiver for a touchdown, and in baseball right before a strike out. Why? It works! And it’s the same for tennis.

I’ve listed some of the most common and effective ways to produce a working ritual for your serve below. Go ahead and check them out.

SERVING RITUAL THAT WORKS FOR MORE THAN 93% PRO PLAYERS

This ritual strategy will help to eliminate the lack of control and consistency problems that you were having on your serve, and give your confidence a royal boost at the same time – especially if you’re involved in a rather long match!

Yes, this is definitely win-win-WIN situation for you. Give it a try, and let me know how it works.

Here’s to winning,

Brian Hall, Head Coach

Tennis Mind Camp
http://www.Myspace.com/TennisMindCamp
webmaster@TennisMindCamp.com

P.S. If you have any suggestions for future tips of the week or have concepts
that you would like covered, simply reply to this post.

TMC -Volley Warriors 101

Being able to play at the net is incredibly important. If you can’t, taking advantage of points that could be easy winners for you will be far and few between. When you can come to the net and execute efficiently and effectively, you allow yourself to become a multi-dimensional player and a great volley warrior.

Nothing is worse than being “stuck” with only one plan of attack. You’ll quickly become predictable, and predictability is the last attribute you want to be associated with.

In order to establish a proper volley strategy, the #1 thing you should be concerned with is the appropriate positioning. In most ideal situations, it should be at the “T” also known as the center-hash mark. From there, you’ll be able to conveniently move up to the net and defend most shots.

Now I do want to stress “most” shots. The reason I say that is because not every volley requires the same stance and recovery position. But setting up at the “T” will leave you in pretty good shape to cover most down the line and cross-court passing shots.

Jot down the tips below in your tennis notebook, and you’ll be on the road to becoming a volley warrior in no time!

Volley Tips:

1. The best way to play is to understand how to play the different volley variations appropriately.

2. Do not always wait for the ball to come to you. Move forward so you can unload on it, especially if it’s high enough and in your SSR (sweet spot range).

3. In case of a low volley, assess the point where it is likely to drop and return the ball before it bounces by using a firm grip along with a strong wrist .

4. In case of a chest level volley, use your opponent’s force to return the ball by simply blocking it with a firm wrist.

5. If a shot comes at you much quicker than expected, keep your racket going forward instead of sideways. This will give you a better opportunity to generate enough force behind it and place it in the area of your choosing.

Have a great day and an even better game!

Brian

TennisMindCamp

TennisMindCamp: Tip of The Week (2-19-09): Don’t Let Your Opponent Back In The Match!

Hey,

When you find yourself on the brink of winning the set, and the score is 5 – 2 or something of that nature, a lot of players find themselves tensing up and a lot of times get extremely nervous.

This usually results in the loss of their competitive edge and makes it very difficult to finish out the set properly.

Does that ever happen to you?

You don’t hit out on your shots. All you keep saying to yourself is, “One more point, don’t miss it, don’t miss it.” When this happens, you begin to develop the mentality of trying NOT to lose instead of trying to win.

You never want this to happen, because this kind of thinking and match play can open the door for your opponent and could help ignite a comeback on their behalf. And I know this is true, because it’s happened to me.

So how can you prevent this from happening?

Mental Method #1: Give your brain a break !

Don’t look too far ahead. Many players actually begin thinking about too many external factors that really have nothing to do with the immediate task at hand, winning the match. They begin looking towards their supporters to make sure they’re feeling good about what they’re doing, visualize themselves on the podium holding the trophy, and a host of other things.

This will undoubtedly screw up your focus, and then when your opponent begins to take advantage of your “mental slippage,” you freeze up mentally and play tentatively like it’s your first match ever because you were caught off gaurd . Well, I got news for you. Don’t think about holding the trophy yet. Simply play one ball at a time.

The game is filled with so many things (…serves, volleys, court positioning, recovery shots, offensive vs defensive awareness, picking out your opponent’s weaknesses etc.) it’s virtually impossible to take on everything all at once, deal with the extra stuff you’re thinking about, and still maintain your focus you need to get the victory.

Mental Method #2: Think positively!

If you’re mind is filled with negative thoughts, the self-fulfilling prophecy will take over. For example, if you’re hanging on to a bad point you played earlier in the match, all that does is help your opponent even more, which can easily lead to more bad points played on your behalf. And this horrible cycle will continue to haunt you until the match it over.

You have to let points go. Singles is a one on one sport. You don’t need two people beating out there. So instead, you should say to yourself what you’ve done correctly after the point is completed (…even if it’s a point you weren’t successful on), the difference in your game will be quite noticeable.

Try out these two mental methods, and you should become much more calm when you can see the end of the game, or better yet, the match in site.

Stay tuned for next weeks tip. And have a great day and an even better game!

All the best,

Brian Hall, Head Coach
Tennis Mind Camp
http://www.Myspace.com/TennisMindCamp
webmaster@TennisMindCamp.com

TennisMindCamp: Tip of The Week (1-30-09)

Playing Sets In Tennis Practice Eases Pressure!

Have you ever been frustrated because you have excellent practice sessions but perform poorly when it really counts – in match play? Here’s a tip for the serious tennis players out there.

Problem:

If all you do is rally during your practice sessions, you’re going to get too comfortable. I mean, just hitting the ball back and forth with nothing to lose isn’t going to adequately prepare you for a real match environment.

Answer:

The main difference between practice and a tournament match is the pressure and internal expectation you place on yourself in wanting to succeed.  To help with this, I strongly recommend you simulate as many game-ready situations as you can. How do you do that?

Play sets in practice!

This will elevate the pressure just enough as well as fill your mind and body with the emotion that you’ll have to deal with in a game.  Not only that, but by playing sets, you’ll also be working on and strengthening the most important elements of your game that any serious player MUST have if they want to win:

These include: focus, intensity, maintaining a lead, recovering from a deficit, break-points, match-points, baseline strategy, serve strategy, and volley angles.

So when you get to a match, your mental environment will be very much similar if not EXACTLY the same. A feeling of “been there done that” will take over and the anxiety and pressure you used to feel will be sliced by more than 50%!

Give this a try, and you’ll definitely begin to bridge the gap between practice and real game performance, I promise!

Stay tuned for next weeks tip. And have a great game!

All the best,

Brian Hall, Head Coach
Tennis Mind Camp
http://www.Myspace.com/TennisMindCamp
webmaster@TennisMindCamp.com

P.S. If you have any suggestions for future tips of the week or
have concepts that you would like covered, simply reply to this
post.