Bigger Better Tennis - Paul Dale

Tennis is as much a mental game as a physical one, and this truth becomes painfully evident for many junior players when they step onto the court. Mental struggles—stress, pressure, negativity and a lack of confidence—can lead to feelings of helplessness, self-doubt, and frustration.  For these players, and there are many like this, it’s so overwhelming that it affects their results every time they compete. This mental anguish is not limited to junior players; even seasoned competitors struggle with it. So, how do we address this challenge? The Baby Analogy Let’s think about a baby for a moment. When a baby is uncomfortable—hungry, tired, on danger—it cries. Crying is their way of signalling to their caregiver that they need help. It’s instinctive, it’s their only way to communicate that something is wrong. Now, here’s the problem: many people never truly grow out of this stage. Even as they age, their first response to discomfort, failure, or challenge is to seek external help or ...

The foundation of great tennis lies in control of the ball. When you can control the ball, you can control the court—and when you can control the court, you dictate the match. Too often, players focus on power or speed without understanding that none of it matters if you can’t place the ball exactly where it needs to go. That’s why mastering ball control is essential. It’s not just about hitting—it’s about precision, strategy, and using every shot to take charge of the game. In this lesson, I’ll share three simple, easy-to-implement techniques that will transform how you think about ball control. These methods will help you develop a deeper understanding of how to command the ball, take control of the court, and ultimately dictate the outcome of your matches. Let’s dive in and start building the control that every great player needs. For any player wanting to make sense of ball control.

Tennis matches can be won or lost on how well you can control your unforced error count. In this video Paul talks about how to take control of your unforced errors through self discipline so that they don't end up destroying your chances in competition.

This video deals with the biggest problem for competitive players worldwide: combating mental issues during matches. Paul gives you four steps to better identify and manage your mental struggles during competition.

A comprehensive guide for the Serve for advanced Coaches and Players. Paul breaks down the critical elements in successfully holding your serve. Learn 3 simple serve techniques and 3 easy-to-follow serve strategies to help keep your opponent guessing.

While strokes, movement, and strategy are crucial, the true battle often lies in the mind. In this insightful video, Paul reveals three powerful techniques to enhance your "Mental Arm Wrestle" and elevate your performance in competition.

  To play your best match these 5 elements must be present, or your game will not function

The cross-court ground-stroke in tennis is the equivalent of the boxing jab. It's used as a stepping stone for other, more offensive shots and is also the best direction to defend.

Successful coaching requires the coach to understand the students and what motivates them. This video explains two forms of motivation and their strengths and weaknesses.  We look at the Task and ego-motivated mindsets and how they affect the player in practice and in competition.

ONE OF THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTIONS IN TENNIS... Being successful in competitive tennis  depends largely on how  well, you can manage  problems and control your emotions.  If you have trouble with anger and frustration during matches and believe those emotions during the match are due to playing poorly, then you're mistaken. This notion suggests that errors trigger negative emotions. You make mistakes and then your negative emotions arrive as a consequence.  But after many years of working with competitive players I now believe that a player's predisposition towards negativity and frustration is actually waiting to be triggered by events during the match.  Your current negative mindset amplifies  your reaction to  mistakes; the emotion  doesn't  start from the errors themselves.  This inherent negativity  inside you   amplifies your reactions to errors during a match. The more negativity you carry around with you, the ...

, You may have been looking at competition all wrong. Maybe competition should not only be about throwing the "kitchen sink" at your opponent to try and beat them down. Even if your strategy leans towards all-out offence: relying on a big serve and a dominating forehand, introducing some subtlety to your game might produce surprising results. After all, why would you want to play an opponent at full strength? Wouldn't it be better to neutralise their strengths first before playing them?  While that may seem overly simplistic to most, reducing your opponent's effectiveness is possible and entirely necessary if you want to reach the top.  STRATEGICALLY SMART "The first job of any army is to  make  themselves  unbeatable first" You must have a plan before every match that addresses your opponent's strengths and weaknesses; otherwise, you're inviting trouble. Without a plan, every match could be a battle because you could be allowing for the best version...

All competitive players strive to perform at their very best. They hope for consistency of performance and believe  that playing to the best of their ability should be enough to win matches. However, while trying to achieve your highest level might seem like a good goal, I feel there is a better mindset for you to adopt when you compete.  PICKING WINNERS Have you noticed how difficult it is to confidently pick who will win at tournaments? That's because players throughout the draw all play at a very similar level. Even players who seem to have all the strokes and look like world-beaters often lose in the early rounds. Yet often, players who end up winning the event don't look special at all. I have a theory for this. It's often difficult distinguishing why some players win, and others lose.  During matches, all players experience highs and lows. There will be periods of struggle and periods of comfort.  I BELIEVE CONTROLLING THE "GAP" BETWEEN THE HIGHS  AND...

While stroke mechanics and fitness are crucial, they pale compared to the advantages of being mentally resilient, strong, and adaptable.  This article will deal with a topic I have expounded on for years: the importance of mental training and highlighting how it can make or break  a player's performance.  TENNIS IS A MENTAL GAME People often describe tennis as a mental game; coaches are happy to make that statement but later continue emphasising technique and form in their practice sessions! Everything returns to the status quo.  Nothing is done on the practice court to reflect the importance  of having  a r esilient, strong and adaptable mindset during competition. ...in competition, the battle is fought against  an opponent and also within one's own mind.  Your ability to stay focused, composed, and  confident during crucial moments can be the  deciding factor between victory and defeat. RESILIENCE UNDER PRESSURE: At its ess...

So much time is spent by players working on their groundstrokes, yet in my opinion the Return of Serve is a bigger factor in winning matches. If each player is dominating with their service games during a match, it's up to the Return Of Serve to create the break of serve to  win the  match. The Return of Serve is the key to unlocking tight matches.                                       THE GOAL WHEN RETURNING SERVE Your goal when Returning Serve is consistency. You want to get as many balls back to start the rally as possible.  Put yourself in the Server's shoes for a moment. You've been serving really well and landing lots of first serves, but your opponent keeps making their returns and forcing you to engage in the point. What should they do? Do they change something or continue to play the same? Whichever course of action the Server takes, you have managed to get into their ...

Poor footwork will significantly impact your ability to hit your ground stroke targets accurately, and y our ground stroke game will never reach its full potential if left untouched. There are two main components involved in the relationship between your Footwork and your Ground strokes: THE TECHNIQUE To achieve consistency and accuracy in your ground strokes, you must set up the ability to hit each ball with balance, timing, and inertia. Achieving these three elements allows the racquet-head to work through the ball uninhibited and without contamination.  This is all hitting great ground strokes involves, but each element is fundamental to achieving a controlled and powerful stroke. Let's break each element down separately; Any lack of balance creates contamination because if you are falling uncontrollably during the stroke, the path of the racquet is affected (contaminated). A solid platform allows you to execute the stroke smoothly and consistently. Any lack of timing during t...

" Most practice sessions prior to competition  often  revolve around  perfecting strokes  and gaining confidence." The biggest misconception among players and their coaches is that practice sessions should create comfort. Most practice sessions prior to competition often revolve around perfecting strokes and gaining confidence. However, relying on comfortable practice conditions and seeking to develop confidence during practice sessions will later hinder performance in real match play. In this article, we will explore the significance of making practice uncomfortable and focusing on mental toughness, decision-making, and adapting to unpredictable situations to achieve success on the match court. The Illusion of Comfort: Many advanced players approach practice sessions with the goal of making their strokes feel good and comfortable. They believe that by grooving their strokes in ideal conditions, they will automatically transfer that confidence into match play. Unfor...