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 ...

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.

  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.

, 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...

Within a match, winning a point can be achieved in two ways: hitting a winner or capitalising on your opponent's errors. While hitting winners may give you an immediate sense of satisfaction, strategically drawing errors from your opponent can greatly impact the match.  1. The Psychology of Errors: When your opponent makes an error, it not only adds a point to your score but also creates a sense of frustration and self-doubt in their mind. You can disrupt their rhythm and confidence by consistently putting pressure on them and forcing them into making shot-selection mistakes or rushing them into technical errors. 2. Building Pressure: Drawing errors from your opponent requires you to analyse their game and give them the speed, width, height and placement they least enjoy.  Combining these factors means you constantly force your opponent to make difficult decisions and never allow them to feel comfortable. When building pressure in a match, the ultimate goal is t...

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...

Many coaches believe that all points are the same, but in reality, there are normal and "Big" points. Your ability to distinguish normal points from the big points and take the necessary steps to win the big points more often than your opponent makes you much tougher to beat. The significance of a point can vary depending on the context of the game, match or set. For example, a point at 40-15 in a game may be less crucial than a deuce point, which can determine the outcome of a game. This ability to understand what is "normal" and what are Big points is called good Game Management. A player who understands Game management constantly adapts their shot selection choices throughout the match. Game Management has nothing to do with age, but everything to do with maturity Game Management also involves the score, match stage and a point's psychological impact on the opponent. If you're facing a Break Point near the end of a set, serving an ace to bring the score b...