Bigger Better Tennis - Paul Dale

So many players are finding that under the spotlight of an actual match, all their pre-tournament preparation seems to amount to nothing. Are we approaching "practice" all wrong?

THE DROP-SHOT IN MODERN TENNIS The drop shot has evolved from a rarely used tactic a few decades ago to now being an essential weapon in a player's arsenal. By employing it, players can exploit their opponents' being  either  of f balance or standing too deep in the court.  The primary objective of the drop shot is to take advantage of your opponent's court positioning. When executed well, it forces the opponent forward and, if timed correctly, leaves them scrambling to reach the ball and again out of position for the next shot.  To execute the drop shot well, you'll need a combination of the following; THE TIMING You have to execute the drop shot at the right time during the point. If the timing is wrong, your opponent will end up at the net with an easy put-away. The best time to execute the drop shot is when your opponent is deep off the baseline or off balance running the wrong way. You'll need to train your observation skills as you play points so that you make...

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 ...

" 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...

If you're an advanced competitive player, you must constantly seek an advantage, continually improving your game. Just one strategy or technical change can make all the difference to your results. One area to work on is your shot selection, When, why and where to hit the ball. Great shot selection can compensate for a lack of power and help you attack and defend the point better. Many players focus primarily on two basic targets: hitting the ball wide to the baseline corners during ground-stroke rallies and serving wide or "big" down the "T." However, a third target often goes unnoticed and can be a game-changer – the "body target." There are significant benefits when you target the body and adding this dimension to your game can make you a more versatile and unpredictable player, The Body Target: A Game-Changing Strategy Hitting the ball wide to your opponent's baseline forehand and backhand corners is a well-established tactic. It forces your opp...

The Serve is considered the most aggressive stroke in tennis and the only stroke in which the player has complete control over the placement and speed of the ball. It is the only Closed-skill stroke in an Open-skill sport like tennis. The serve is an opportunity to take control of the point by gaining an advantage over your opponent early in the point. Focusing on the Serve can help players become more dominant in key moments and improve their results quickly. I have been focusing recently on improving players' mindset during the serve. An aggressive attitude coupled with good technique will take you a long way. Along with being more positive and optimistic, you'll make better decisions, execute the stroke more confidently, and maintain an aggressive mindset throughout service games. Negativity hurts your service games a lot because it leads to conservative decisions regarding the targets and the overall execution of the stroke. If you merely  get the ball in to start a rally d...

MISTAKES IN TRAINING During matches, all players face repercussions for their errors from the first point. There's no "play it again" or "continue the rally" in real match-play so don't allow for it into your practice session. Players must face repercussions for any mistakes they make in  practice , otherwise, they'll get lazy. I detest when players want to continue playing if the ball goes a little out during practice drills or points. Their reasoning is that continuing the rally or the point makes for a better practice. That's the wrong way to look at it. An important goal of any practice session should also be to create a stronger mentality for upcoming matches. That means adding pressure, decision-making, and unpredictability to your sessions. Look for any way you can to achieve this, it's really important! Reproducing the mentality of real match-play during practice sessions is one of the most important ingredients of my training   I like...