Bigger Better Tennis - Paul Dale

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...

Playing with confidence is crucial for all tennis players. Any lack of confidence can affect not only your ball-striking but also your decision-making. Additionally, facing an opponent who is determined to create difficulties for you on the court can contribute to feelings of fear and self-doubt regarding your strokes. However, there are strategies and mindset shifts that can help players overcome these challenges and regain their confidence. Here are 6 ways to develop a more courageous and confident you. #1 REMOVE THE DOUBT Regaining confidence in your game starts with believing in your ability to hit the ball well. If you start striking the ball better, your confidence will grow.  During practice, remove the doubt in your mind and begin striking the ball confidently; after all, it's only a practice session!  Trust your technique and focus on executing your shots with conviction.   What you are doing is treating Doubt as an inconvenient habit that has been affecting ...

I attended a tennis event during the weekend with a team of college players. On the first day of matches, we had some disastrous starts. In several matches, we went down by 5 games before we began playing at our normal level, but often it was too late to save the game. Here are 4 ways you can avoid slow starts in your matches: THE WARM-UP IS 90% MENTAL The most significant difference I see between the top professionals and college players is players at the top only have one mental "gear". They're always focused. Whereas college-level players think it's ok to warm up in a different mental "gear" than the one they use in the match. Your body and your mind like doing things habitually, meaning anything you repeat enough times will become the norm. If you ask more from yourself in practice and matches, your body and mind will adapt to that new normal.  This matters most during the morning warm-up before matches. If you're not focused or you’re clowning aroun...