Bigger Better Tennis - Paul Dale

A mentor of mine told me years ago "A good big man will always beat a good small man". What he was saying was that all other things being equal, size plays a big part in the result of a tennis match.  Today, I'm not so sure he was correct. There's no doubt that you need to be tall to play in the NBA, and for that matter to qualify for the Olympics in the High Jump. But while being tall may play a significant part in other sports, thankfully in tennis, we don't solely rely on height. We have mobility, strength, endurance, speed, flexibility, mental strength, and strategy as other necessary attributes.  Tennis requires a long list of attributes than many of the other sports. Currently, a lot of the new players making their mark on the game are tall. A quick look at the heights of the new generation of players shows us that many of the top players are well over six feet. Where tall players do have an advantage, is on the faster surfaces such as grass and indoors.  Ba...

Is there a resurgence in the use of underspin in tennis today? Having witnessed years of topspin domination (and underspin neglect), are we finally seeing underspin getting the recognition it deserves? I think we are. For too many years, players have relied almost totally on topspin to attack and defend in points.    This new trend from the top male and female players in tennis may be signalling a new and exciting era for the once-maligned underspin. During this year's French Open, players were mixing in underspin groundstrokes during the rally to keep the ball low and using underpin to help defend the point whenever needed. Underspin is also a key element when playing the drop shot, which we see much more now in rallies, particularly by Novak Djokovic.   "...players today must understand how to technically incorporate under-spin into their game, and just as important when to execute under-spin during the point."    As tennis gets increasingly diverse in its...

As a coach, I've always believed in allowing my students to develop their own games naturally as much as possible. I often provide the lead but later I like to see my players find solutions to their own problems. I design the lesson plan, create the most appropriate drills for the topic and provide feedback whenever necessary.  However, once all this is successfully taking place on the practice court it's often best for me to literally take a step back and allow players the freedom of self-discovery. The only time I seldom let this happen is when I'm teaching the Volley. I find that most players have a warped idea of how the Volley should work. Perhaps this is because they've watched the pros volley on TV and feel they now understand how it should be performed and can easily imitate what they saw.  If left to their own devices the vast majority of students would flounder around in lessons trying to perfect their volley game over a long period of time.  Because of the ...

Starbucks knows its coffee-drinking customers much better than any of its competitors. How else do you explain why Starbucks customers happily purchase its products at inflated prices, and yet their stores are always full of contented patrons? If you know me at all you know that I'm a huge Starbucks fan, it's my go-to place to work and relax. But I don't like coffee! Often as I make my way to a Starbucks coffee shop (Starbucks operates 372 stores in Thailand, most of them located in Bangkok), I can't help but notice the other empty coffee shops within the exact same mall. The difference is stark and anyone interested in marketing or improving their own business should be looking at this phenomenon and trying to understand what's going on here. The stores of Starbucks competitors in the same mall look great and their drinks taste great too, probably in some cases even better. Why then are Starbucks still able to do so well in the face of so much competition? The answ...