BUILD YOUR TENNIS ON A DEFENSIVE FOUNDATION

 

You could be mistaken for thinking tennis is all about aggression. At the top level, players are pounding the ball at every opportunity. You'd be surprised then if you learned that my goal when coaching advanced players is to first have them develop a defensive mental foundation. 

I'm not suggesting that I teach players to send up continuous lobs during the rally or for them to stand at the back fence to retrieve balls.

My goal with advanced players is to change the internal mental dialogue all players experince before every stroke. 

A PLAYERS INTERNAL DIALOG BEFORE SHOTS

Every player has a continuous mental dialogue inside their head when they play a point.  "How aggressive should I be on this ball?", "Is this the ball to change direction down the line?" etc.

The internal dialogue inside our heads drives
our decision making

There's nothing wrong with this type of internal dialogue, but there are better questions to ask yourself before each shot.

So, what should we base these internal questions on?

HOW MOST PLAYERS THINK

Imagine running into the forehand corner for a ball but can't recover for the next one. 

Most players will decide to hit a forehand winner with as much speed as they can muster. The attempted passing shot must look good. 

These players (I call them tennis Cowboys) will go for the lowest percentage shot during stressful situations. And these tennis "cowboys" play under the illusion that they're doing their best to win the match. 

THE WAY ADVANCED PLAYERS THINK

As advanced players run to the same wide forehand, they will ask, "How much speed do I need to give the ball?" "How much spin should I give the ball?" and "Which direction should I hit?" Advanced players will further factor in whether their opponent has continued forward and approached the net and will be quickly calculating whether or not their opponent has a weak volley, the strength of their overhead, and their ability to cover the net effectively.

WHAT CAN'T I DO IN THIS SITUATION?

There is a much better question that you can
ask yourself before important shots

Advanced players ask themselves, "What can't I do in this situation?" If you ask yourself this question throughout the match at key moments and come up with an honest answer each time, you will dramatically reduce your shot selection mistakes and become a much better player.

Two things happen once you begin to ask yourself what you can't do at those key moments. Firstly, You've identified the dangers and decided to avoid them. Everything else left on the table is available for use. That's extremely empowering.

This is playing tennis using a defensive foundation mindset: Identifying the low-percentage options, taking them out of your game, and then playing with everything left at your disposal.

ARE YOU PLAYING TO WIN OR PLAYING TO IMPRESS?

You've got to be honest with yourself. You're either serious about winning matches or you're in tennis to show off or have a good time. Your commitment to winning will often be revealed at crucial moments in matches.

Your seriousness in winning matches will show in your shot selection. 

"PLAY SCARED AND NEVER LET UP"

"Play scared and never let up"

The great Rod Laver recommended players to "Play scared and never let up". 

This brings up a final piece of the "defensive foundation mindset". When you have your opponent on the ropes, you must finish them off. Never give your opponent a break. Be ruthless when you're in front. The legendary warlord Sun Tzu also had defence as the foundation of his "Art of War" philosophy when he said, "Invincibility lies in your defence". 

Creating a defensive mental foundation will make you a more solid and effective player. The benefits of your changed mindset will be a more honest assessment of each ball and appropriate shot selection during stressful situations.