THE 3AM THEORY

DICTATE WHERE THE FIRST 3 STROKES SHOULD BE PLAYED AND HELP THE PLAYER GROOVE THEIR RESPONSES DESCRIPTION: The most important two shots in tennis are the serve and the return of serve. While many “modern players” today are extremely competent hitting ground-strokes, the very best players have also developed their serve and return games to a high level. Unfortunately it’s normal that little more than 10-15% of practice sessions involve these two shots. Serving practice involving a basket of balls is helpful to develop technique but it lacks those elements that would make it realistic. What you really need to help your serve and your return and make practice more realistic is to include the mental pressure, variable outcomes and spontaneous decision making of a real point.     We also need the serve and the return to be repeated many times so that they both become instinctive. The Combination Drill does all these things. The Combination Drill will ...

The right foot supplies timing and energy  for this open stance forehand DESCRIPTION Good timing is essential in every sport. Timing can involve swinging an object at a ball, such as a tennis racquet or golf club, or, in football, you must achieve timing in your leg and foot to kick the ball successfully. Timing is also essential when throwing something. When throwing a basketball, you use a wrist action, and skilled players can throw half the length of the court with ease. For the ball to cover that distance, something else must assist the wrist. Wrists can't function that efficiently without the help of good timing. But what exactly is timing, and how is it achieved? If you are like most tennis players, you know when you have timed the shot well (or not) but are not sure what occurred for you to achieve it. How can you re-create perfect timing without knowing how you achieved good timing? Timing involves the successful synchronisation of Ground energy into...

The Secret Tennis Practice Mindset That Creates Better Match Players (Why Focusing on Others Unlocks Your Own Game) By Paul Dale | The 3AM Method How the "hitter mindset" reduces tennis anxiety and builds match-ready confidence through outward focus The most important tennis drill you practice each day isn't physical—it's mental. The mindset patterns you rehearse during tennis practice will automatically repeat during competitive matches, making your mental approach as crucial as your forehand technique. I've observed something fascinating over decades of tennis coaching that challenges conventional thinking about practice intensity. While most tennis players obsess over their own performance during training sessions, the ones who develop the strongest match temperament often adopt a completely different mental approach. The Overthinking Trap in Tennis Performance Tennis players who overthink during matches typically struggle with excessive unforced errors...

ANA IVANOVIC HAS SUFFERED FROM CRONIC TOSS PROBLEMS THROUGHOUT HER CAREER DESCRIPTION The ball toss is one of the most common ailments with many players when serving.  Ana Ivanovic is a player who consistently struggles with her ball toss.  For many years, I have taught the importance of using an intelligent wrist instead of focusing on the ball toss. However, the toss is essential because the wrist can only operate effectively if the ball is within a reasonable range.  If you have to reach or, in some cases, step to get the ball, as Ivanovic often does, your serve will suffer from inconsistency. The usual cure for a wayward toss is to work on the toss arm so that the ball can be placed in the perfect position for the ball strike.  Ana Ivanovic told me that coaches have been trying to work on her left arm toss for years.  They had tried a variety of drills and gimmicks, but the problem still persisted. It was after hearing this that I began se...

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