Bigger Better Tennis - Paul Dale

  Mastering Tennis Doubles: The DNO Theory and Why Doubles Is a Different Game By Paul Dale | The 3AM Tennis Method Tennis doubles isn't just singles with extra players on the court. It's a chess match requiring synchronised movement, tactical awareness, and split-second decision-making between partners. Whether you're looking to improve your doubles understanding or specialise in doubles entirely, mastering the unique aspects of this format will transform your game. The Foundation: Partnership and Shot Selection The first fundamental truth about doubles is that both team members must work together in very specific ways. This isn't about simply avoiding collisions or deciding who takes the middle ball. A true doubles partnership means each player must constantly create opportunities for their partner while keeping them safe from aggressive returns. This dual responsibility comes down to one critical factor: superior shot selection. Every shot you hit in doubles shou...

Stop Chasing Confidence. It's Not Important By Paul Dale | The 3AM Method Bad week of practice. Lost your last two matches. Feeling shaky when under pressure in matches? Everyone's advice? "Start working on your confidence!" Yeah. But will that work? The Confidence Trap Here's the problem with chasing confidence: You've often been through periods when your confidence is high and you go into matches feeling as good as you've ever felt—but eventually the same problems in your game surface, and the downward mental spiral begins again. It's circular. "I'll perform well when I feel confident" → "I'll feel confident when I perform well." You're stuck. And those pre-match confidence checks? "Do I feel confident? Am I ready?" That's like checking if you're relaxed every five minutes. The checking itself creates the problem. What If Confidence Is The Wrong Target? Here's a different way to think abou...

MAKING YOURSELF IMPOSSIBLE TO BEAT By Paul Dale | The 3AM Method The three words that matter Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. Everything else is noise. But most players prepare for matches the wrong way. They practice their weapons. Their power. Their serve. They prepare to dominate. Then the match starts, and they can't survive long enough to use any of it. The ancient general who understood tennis Sun Tzu never played tennis. He lived 2,500 years ago in China, advising rulers on how to win wars, where losing meant entire kingdoms would cease to exist. The book, based on his war strategies, " The Art of War ," is still a bestseller today. Not only has the plan for winning a war remained unchanged, but winning competitive sports has also remained the same. He wrote something that every tennis player needs carved into their racquet: "You cannot lose if your defence is strong. You can win if your attack is strong." Read that again. Both matter. Equally. H...

Tennis Match Preparation:  The 4:1 Rule for Peak Performance By Paul Dale | The 3AM Method Your match tomorrow is expected to last approximately two hours. During the last few weeks, how much time did you spend preparing for it? An hour or two each day? You may have hit 4 times this week. But here's the ratio that separates those who complain about their results from those who consistently perform: 4:1. Four hours of preparation for every hour you'll be on court. Minimum. That two-hour match needs eight hours of preparation. Most players invert this completely. They spend 45 minutes, four times a week, getting ready for a 2-3 hour battle and wonder why they begin to struggle in long matches, or why things that were working in practice start to fall apart. The four corners Think of match preparation as a table with four legs. Remove any one leg, and the whole thing collapses when it is first used. Physical Sleep. Nutrition. Conditioning.  This is the leg everyone sees,...

Why Elite Players Depend Mostly on Defence (And Win More Matches) By Paul Dale | The 3AM Method The Hidden Truth About Success in Professional Tennis Picture a tennis iceberg. Above the waterline— the crushing forehand winners, explosive serves, and down-the-line winners  that make highlight reels. But beneath the surface lie the most significant parts of your game that determine your wins and losses: keeping good depth on the ball during the rally , great anticipation, consistent return of serve, low unforced error rate, and the unglamorous art of staying in points. Here's the truth about achieving wins in high-level elite tennis: Winning is less about the 40% offensive part of your game—and more about the 60% defensive effort you put in. The Professional Tennis Reality Check Let me pose a question that should reshape your tennis coaching strategy: If your player were stepping onto the court tomorrow to face Jannik Sinner, what aspect of their game would you prioritise toda...

I Need Players Who Empty Their Tank:  The Mindset That Separates Champions By Paul Dale The 3AM Method The Message That Woke Me Up I was jolted awake by the persistent buzzing of my watch. A series of messages were coming through from Joy, one of the players I work with. She'd just finished playing in a doubles final—a match that hadn't gone her way. The messages came in quick succession: updates about the match, frustration about missed opportunities, analysis of what went wrong. But it was the final message that stopped me cold:  "I hate losing." Three simple words that revealed everything about what makes a true competitor. The Tale of Two Players As I sat there in the dim light of my room, those words echoing in my mind, I couldn't help but think about another player I'd been working with. This player had talent—real talent—but when matches got tough, when the pressure mounted, something entirely different happened. Instead of fighting harder, they ...