Bigger Better Tennis - Paul Dale

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...

To improve your game, you must begin to shift from reacting emotionally and use your brain more. The emotional realm is when you play points with doubt, a lack of confidence, fear, and even anger, and you are often overcome with insecurity and frustration. Sound familiar? Even at the top level, tennis players deal with many negative emotions that conspire to wreck their game. It's just that the top players can override the negative emotions better, or their more brilliant intellect takes over art practised in crucial times and saves the day by helping them complete the win. But at the lower level, players are overwhelmed by all their negative emotions, which subotage their game. It's not surprising then that tennis, and many other sporting pursuits, can be very frustrating for most and gut-wrenching for others. The continual emotional conflict between what you want to do and what you actually do in reality can result in us having a mental meltdown during the match. When our int...

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...

Gael Monfils, his tennis shirt stained with clay from numerous falls during this nearly 3-hour match, is bent over his racket, looking like he can't go on. Will he continue? Can he even run to another ball? You bet he can! During his long career, Gael Monfils has been involved in many matches like this. Gael Monfils employs the classic " wounded duck " strategy often and successfully. Imagine that you've worked your way back into a match after losing the first set and have continued to control the momentum by dominating the 2nd set.  At the start of the third set, everything feels under control. Your opponent is making uncharacteristic errors and physically and mentally looking like a beaten player. You have established momentum in the match but is everything as it seems? During a match, momentum can be with you, with your opponent, or in a neutral state whereby both players are trying to wrestle control of it. Players who adopt the wounded duck strategy are ultimatel...

MISTAKES IN TRAINING During matches, all players face repercussions for their errors from the first point. There's no "play it again" or "continue the rally" in real match-play so don't allow for it into your practice session. Players must face repercussions for any mistakes they make in  practice , otherwise, they'll get lazy. I detest when players want to continue playing if the ball goes a little out during practice drills or points. Their reasoning is that continuing the rally or the point makes for a better practice. That's the wrong way to look at it. An important goal of any practice session should also be to create a stronger mentality for upcoming matches. That means adding pressure, decision-making, and unpredictability to your sessions. Look for any way you can to achieve this, it's really important! Reproducing the mentality of real match-play during practice sessions is one of the most important ingredients of my training   I like...

  You could be mistaken for thinking tennis is all about aggression. At the top level, players are pounding the ball at every opportunity. You'd be surprised then if you learned that my goal when coaching advanced players is to first have them develop a defensive mental foundation.   I'm not suggesting that I teach players to send up continuous lobs during the rally or for them to stand at the back fence to retrieve balls. My goal with advanced players is to change the internal mental dialogue all players experince before every stroke.  A PLAYERS INTERNAL DIALOG BEFORE SHOTS Every player has a continuous mental dialogue inside their head when they play a point.  "How aggressive should I be on this ball?", "Is this the ball to change direction down the line?" etc. The internal dialogue inside our heads drives our decision making There's nothing wrong with this type of internal dialogue, but there are better questions to ask yourself before each shot. So,...

All advanced tournament-level players have reached a high degree of technical proficiency, which has played a significant role in getting them to where they are now.  However, as an advanced tournament-level player, it's important for you to constantly look for other ways to refine and improve your game. There will be areas where slight enhancements or adjustments can lead to further improvements in performance. One such area, and my favorite recommendation for most players, is the mental and strategic side of our game. It's there that you will make the most dramatic improvement in your tournament results. Try to stay open-minded. While the Mental and strategic side of the game can seem daunting, confusing, and even scary to some players, this is where the real opportunities for growth exist.  LOOK AT SIMILAR SPORTS I often compare tennis to boxing. The two sports are very similar. Both involve offense and defense. Both are one on one (except in tennis Doubles) encou...