Bigger Better Tennis - Paul Dale

 To Snap or Pronate, Which is Best?  There are two theories on how to hit a serve.   There are people who believe that “Snapping” the wrist is the best way and others who believe that “Pronating” is the best method of serving. The difference between the two options is difficult to detect visually. When you Snap the wrist to execute the serve the racquet-head tends to finish with the tip leading and the right and left edges going through contact almost symmetrically. When you Pronate to hit the serve the left edge (in the case of a right-hander) tends to lead the racquet through the ball. For me, both styles do the same thing when executed correctly. Both Snapping and Pronating, when done correctly, promote a wrist that dominates the arm during the serve. Whenever the arm dominates the wrist during the serve the result will be a serve lacking feel for your target and reduced racquet-head speed. A dominant wrist that Snaps or Pronates will give the serv...

I recently worked with a group of strong ITF-level juniors. Each player had a solid game; the task for me was to take these accomplished juniors and prepare them for the next tournament. Because ground strokes are essential to a player’s competitive success, I focused on adding to their existing ground stroke games.   Many players at this level have good ground strokes but lack that X-factor separating promising juniors from juniors who transition successfully into the professional ranks. I wanted to remove them from their "consistent, safety first" mindset and add some "X-Factor" to their games. During the week of training, I brought 3 different teaching theories together. I created a much stronger, more effective game that would continue to develop far into the future. The 3 Theories I worked with them on were:      1.  THE 7 TARGET ZONES: Knowing where to hit the Ball and Why There are 7 target zones on the court. They are… (1) ...

I recently had a player, “James”, who was going through a rough period. James was struggling in practice and in competition. He didn’t seem to be enjoying himself on-court, becoming over-stressed and making poor decisions while executing strokes and tactics. It would have been easy to point the blame at his faltering ground-strokes and poor on-court execution, but I felt that spending time working on the details of his game would not have helped.   It seemed to me that the problem was mental and not technical.   Sometimes players lose sight of the real reasons they love to play tennis and compete. Often I ask players “Why do you play tennis”?   The answers are mostly the same.   Players say they “Like to Win” and “It’s fun”. But if that was true we would all play against opponents that we could beat easily.   Obviously playing against opponents that can be beaten easily would not be satisfying at all, therefore “winning” is not what brings us back...

                                                                   Nothing is more satisfying than beating an opponent who is, on paper, at least better than you.   A win against a superior opponent sets you apart as a genuine competitor. Beating superior opponents set you apart from the other players. Here are three ways to overcome a stronger opponent. 1.  Do Your Homework First Playing someone supposedly better than you suggests that your opponent is technically, physically, OR mentally stronger than you. They could even be technically, physically, AND mentally stronger than you! Don’t panic. It's time to plan their demise. Begin by l ooking at what they do best. Ask the following questions: Speed: do they prefer the ball fast or slow? Direction: do they like the ball wide or tight into the body?...

Men's Singles 4th Round Oredictions: Tsonga bt Wawrinka , Del Potro bt Berdych , Ferrer bt Granollers , Gasquet bt Murray , Almegro bt Tipsarevic , Nadal bt Monaco

Men's Singles French Open predictions (third Round): David Ferrer bt Mikhail Youzhny , Granollers bt Mathieu , Gasquet bt Haas , Murray bt Giraldo , Tipsarevic bt Benneteau , Almagro bt Mayer, Raonic bt Monaco , Nadal bt Schwank. 4th Round predictions: Djokovic bt Seppi , Tsonga bt Wawrinka , Federer bt Goffin , Del Potro bt Berdych

With the 2012 French Open about to start here are my predictions for the men up until the third Round: Djokovic v Melzer, Davydenko v Verdasco, Simon v Wawrinka, Fognini v Tsonga, Federer v Mahut, Stephanek v Lopez, Del Potro v Ferrero, Anderson v Berdych, Ferrer v Haase, Granollers v Isner, Haas v Gasquet, Falla v Murray, Tipsarevic v Benneteau, Kolhschreiber v Almegro, Monaco v Raonic, Karlovic v Nadal.