Bigger Better Tennis - Paul Dale

The tennis term 'loading' refers to the action of a player interacting with the ground by bending their knees and thrusting out of that position to create greater racquet-head speed.   While that is exactly what should happen on all good ground-strokes, serves, returns, and overheads, teaching a player to only load the legs will not always guarantee success, and can sometimes be detrimental to the stroke. For the stroke to succeed a player needs to understand the real purpose of Loading. A player who only follows the instruction to Load their legs will usually go through a process of bending their knees.   This is what most coaches want to 'see', and will encourage the player to 'bend their knees' on every stroke.  With a small percentage of 'talented' players, this process of loading will automatically translate into better timing and increased racquet-head speed. They can naturally incorporate a knee bend with their stroke and it will go much b...

Looking for ways to recover and regulate stress?  Have you ever watched a racehorse trying to catch its breath at the end of a race? Its nostrils flare as it takes in air but its mouth remains closed. It can be exhausted from a race and desperate for oxygen, but it never opens its mouth. A dog will pant with its mouth open while running but a dog also uses its mouth to sweat. The horse, like humans, sweat through the skin. This is a fundamental similarity between humans and the horse. Unfortunately, over time and through a lack of understanding humans have lost the art of nose breathing. For a long time, athletes and recreational runners have been told to push themselves hard during exercise, to the point where they must open their mouths and gasp for oxygen. But is this gasping for oxygen the natural way we should breathe when exercising?  Does pushing ourselves to this extreme level, and eventually experiencing the need to breathe through the mouth really ...

  MOVING WELL ON-COURT IS ESSENTIAL TO PLAYING TENNIS AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS Tennis today is played at a much faster pace than ever before. The demands on a player to move faster place tremendous importance on fitness, speed, and anticipation. I teach a system of movement that involves all three of those requirements and some more. There are 3 main parts I try to teach my students when working on court anticipation and movement: 1.   OBSERVATION  2. REACTION  3. RECOVERY Here are the 3 parts explained in more detail - OBSERVATION In today's fast-paced game, players must anticipate where the ball will go to some degree. Observation is the most critical aspect of anticipating well. Anticipation requires players to read their opponent's preferences and swing patterns and get a quick read on the ball's direction. It's then time to move! I ask my players to observe the moment of contact at the other end of the court. The moment the opponent make...

PROFESSIONAL TENNIS IS PLAYED AROUND THE WORLD AT MANY LEVELS There are thousands of players, both men and women, who are trying to make their way in the world of professional tennis. I thought it would be interesting to clarify the steps, in my opinion,  that a player must take to get all the way to the top.  No National Ranking & No ATP points Can’t always get into the qualifying draw for local futures and must rely on wild cards National Ranking but no ATP Points Possible to enter qualifying of Futures events because of his National ranking but not always accepted Enough ATP points to enter Futures qualifying Must compete in the qualifying events where physical & mental fatigue can be a major obstacle in progressing deeper in the tournament Qualifies into the main draw consistently But has trouble progressing much further because of the physical and mental demands of qualifying Enough Points to ent...

At the beginning of a match, both players think they can win. What changes? You see it more clearly when the players are young and new to competition, but it’s common to all levels of tennis.  Two players are locked in an on-court battle for some time, and then one of the players wins the mental battle of wills, and the match is essentially over. Don’t be fooled by appearances. The remainder of the match may seem competitive, and the points may be exciting, but the match was over once the mental battle of wills was decided. That early “arm wrestle” decided the outcome of the match. Think about that for a moment. Winning that mental arm wrestle can decide who wins the match. In most cases, both players start the match believing they can win. Both players can even start the match, convinced that they will win. However, in nearly every match, something changes that self-belief in one of those players. But is the importance of winning the game of wills really anyth...

Visual blocking is a technique you can use to force your opponent to hit the ball where you want them to.   The benefits are obvious.   If you can dictate where your opponent will hit the ball you can anticipate earlier and cover the court easier. It can also be used to expose weaknesses. Several years ago I was watching a player of mine in a match where his opponent was having trouble hitting forehands down the line. In the heat of the battle my player couldn’t see this pattern but sitting off-court in the shade I could! The opponent would return most balls crosscourt and when they did hit the ball down the line it was done very cautiously and without any confidence. Two things could develop from this knowledge that would help my player gain a big advantage in the match (1) we could anticipate that the vast majority of forehands would be returned crosscourt and be under no real pressure because we are essentially only guarding the crosscourt side of the cour...

 Never settle for the obvious because the real solution may just be around the corner  In whatever endeavor we tackle, if we never went beyond what is obvious or outside our comfort level, we would never develop at our chosen skill.   Think about the level you have reached in coaching.   At the present moment you think you know a lot about helping players improve their rankings right?   Hopefully in six months time you can look back and say that you are another 15% better than you are now. This should be our goal. The ability to improve your craft over time is dependent on you asking the hard questions of yourself.   Instead of using the same “fix” each time for a particular problem, try another way. In time you will have a variety of methods to solve a problem and you will be able to select which particular fix works for an individual player. Many years ago I attended a coaching seminar and an old friend, Bernard Gus...