THE 3AM THEORY

It's not uncommon for players to play extremely well throughout a match but for various reasons fail to win the important points.  The important points in a match are the break points, game points, and set points. If, for whatever reason you are not converting these opportunities it's very tough to win matches. Players often change their mindset for the important points and suddenly do things out of character. While they might have been playing calm, intelligent tennis for most of a set, when they get to the "business end" of the set they suddenly decide to play risky shots that they weren't attempting before.  To see a player suddenly change to risky low percentage shots at the most important times in the match is a coach's worst nightmare Establish Patterns Early: Start analyzing your opponent during the warm-up, and continue observing her throughout the match, just in case adjustments to your strategy are needed. Look for obvious strengths and weaknesses...

THE LINE: The Footwork Concept That Transforms Your Groundstrokes & Serve By Paul Dale | The 3AM Method If you're like most club players, you've spent hours adjusting your grip, perfecting your backswing, and refining your follow-through. And yet the inconsistency persists. Here's something most coaches won't tell you: the real gains in your ground-stroke game aren't found from the waist up. They're found from the waist down. There's a deceptively simple technique that, once you understand it and begin to apply it, will transform your balance, timing, power, and consistency on every single ground stroke you hit. It works on forehands, backhands, and even the serve. It requires no new equipment, no complex drill sequence — just awareness and practice. It's called The Line and the Contact Foot. The Line: Your Body's Hidden Balance Indicator Picture an imaginary line running from the crown of your head, straight down through the centre of your...