Bigger Better Tennis - Paul Dale

Driving Your Success in Tennis: Why Strategy and Mentality Trump Perfect Strokes Imagine planning a long road trip to another state and you've never made this particular trip before. Your car is ready, but what are the real essentials you'll need for the trip?  A map to guide you, and the ability to navigate highways, follow routes, and drive within the stressful environment of the motorway.  Getting to your destination requires knowing where to go and driving skills In tennis, many competitive players and their coaches obsess over perfecting their strokes, believing flawless technique is the key to winning matches. That's like polishing your car in the driveway at home every day and expecting that a clean car makes a difference in getting where you want to be, but of course, it doesn't. Similarly, great strokes don’t suddenly translate to great results. Just like a spotlessly clean car doesn’t guarantee that you will reach your destination, classic strokes won’t win...

  More and more matches today hinge on just a few special moments, such as a loose shot that your opponent can take advantage of or one player pulling off a miraculous winner from almost nowhere. These situations occur frequently in today's highly competitive environment. It is becoming less about a technical or physical problem and more about a player's shot selection during important moments of the point. “…today…(losing the point) is becoming  less about a technical  or physical problem…” I’ve begun to see two distinct types of groundstrokes players are being asked to play during a point. I’m beginning to call these two types of groundstrokes the “Dynamic” and the “Set & Unload” options. Characteristics of a Dynamic Groundstroke: A Dynamic Groundstroke is any ball that doesn’t allow you time to set up and will be mostly hit while on the move or when you're at a disadvantage. If you are compromised in any way, you're  playing a Dynamic Groundstrok...

If you’re a junior tennis player or coaching junior players focusing on the right skills can make all the difference. Let’s explore three essentials that can make all the difference to a junior career and set you up for your next step in tennis. 1. The Value of Underspin Underspin is one of the most useful tools in tennis, but it’s often overlooked by young players and their coaches. Underspin keeps it low and controlled. Mastering underspin gives you a significant edge in several parts of the game: Approach Shots:  The art of moving forward in the court and putting pressure on the opponent is missing from a lot of junior games. However, if you can't move forward to the net when the opportunity arises later at the professional level your game will be severely limited. Underspin keeps your approach shot low and forces your opponent to hit up, giving you an easier volley and making it harder for them to pass you at the net. Volleys: When volleying, underspin helps you create fee...

Tennis is as much a mental game as a physical one, and this truth becomes painfully evident for many junior players when they step onto the court. Mental struggles—stress, pressure, negativity and a lack of confidence—can lead to feelings of helplessness, self-doubt, and frustration.  For these players, and there are many like this, it’s so overwhelming that it affects their results every time they compete. This mental anguish is not limited to junior players; even seasoned competitors struggle with it. So, how do we address this challenge? The Baby Analogy Let’s think about a baby for a moment. When a baby is uncomfortable—hungry, tired, on danger—it cries. Crying is their way of signalling to their caregiver that they need help. It’s instinctive, it’s their only way to communicate that something is wrong. Now, here’s the problem: many people never truly grow out of this stage. Even as they age, their first response to discomfort, failure, or challenge is to seek external help or ...

The foundation of great tennis lies in control of the ball. When you can control the ball, you can control the court—and when you can control the court, you dictate the match. Too often, players focus on power or speed without understanding that none of it matters if you can’t place the ball exactly where it needs to go. That’s why mastering ball control is essential. It’s not just about hitting—it’s about precision, strategy, and using every shot to take charge of the game. In this lesson, I’ll share three simple, easy-to-implement techniques that will transform how you think about ball control. These methods will help you develop a deeper understanding of how to command the ball, take control of the court, and ultimately dictate the outcome of your matches. Let’s dive in and start building the control that every great player needs. For any player wanting to make sense of ball control.

Tennis matches can be won or lost on how well you can control your unforced error count. In this video Paul talks about how to take control of your unforced errors through self discipline so that they don't end up destroying your chances in competition.

This video deals with the biggest problem for competitive players worldwide: combating mental issues during matches. Paul gives you four steps to better identify and manage your mental struggles during competition.

A comprehensive guide for the Serve for advanced Coaches and Players. Paul breaks down the critical elements in successfully holding your serve. Learn 3 simple serve techniques and 3 easy-to-follow serve strategies to help keep your opponent guessing.

While strokes, movement, and strategy are crucial, the true battle often lies in the mind. In this insightful video, Paul reveals three powerful techniques to enhance your "Mental Arm Wrestle" and elevate your performance in competition.

  To play your best match these 5 elements must be present, or your game will not function

The cross-court ground-stroke in tennis is the equivalent of the boxing jab. It's used as a stepping stone for other, more offensive shots and is also the best direction to defend.

Successful coaching requires the coach to understand the students and what motivates them. This video explains two forms of motivation and their strengths and weaknesses.  We look at the Task and ego-motivated mindsets and how they affect the player in practice and in competition.

ONE OF THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTIONS IN TENNIS... Being successful in competitive tennis  depends largely on how  well, you can manage  problems and control your emotions.  If you have trouble with anger and frustration during matches and believe those emotions during the match are due to playing poorly, then you're mistaken. This notion suggests that errors trigger negative emotions. You make mistakes and then your negative emotions arrive as a consequence.  But after many years of working with competitive players I now believe that a player's predisposition towards negativity and frustration is actually waiting to be triggered by events during the match.  Your current negative mindset amplifies  your reaction to  mistakes; the emotion  doesn't  start from the errors themselves.  This inherent negativity  inside you   amplifies your reactions to errors during a match. The more negativity you carry around with you, the ...

, You may have been looking at competition all wrong. Maybe competition should not only be about throwing the "kitchen sink" at your opponent to try and beat them down. Even if your strategy leans towards all-out offence: relying on a big serve and a dominating forehand, introducing some subtlety to your game might produce surprising results. After all, why would you want to play an opponent at full strength? Wouldn't it be better to neutralise their strengths first before playing them?  While that may seem overly simplistic to most, reducing your opponent's effectiveness is possible and entirely necessary if you want to reach the top.  STRATEGICALLY SMART "The first job of any army is to  make  themselves  unbeatable first" You must have a plan before every match that addresses your opponent's strengths and weaknesses; otherwise, you're inviting trouble. Without a plan, every match could be a battle because you could be allowing for the best version...

All competitive players strive to perform at their very best. They hope for consistency of performance and believe  that playing to the best of their ability should be enough to win matches. However, while trying to achieve your highest level might seem like a good goal, I feel there is a better mindset for you to adopt when you compete.  PICKING WINNERS Have you noticed how difficult it is to confidently pick who will win at tournaments? That's because players throughout the draw all play at a very similar level. Even players who seem to have all the strokes and look like world-beaters often lose in the early rounds. Yet often, players who end up winning the event don't look special at all. I have a theory for this. It's often difficult distinguishing why some players win, and others lose.  During matches, all players experience highs and lows. There will be periods of struggle and periods of comfort.  I BELIEVE CONTROLLING THE "GAP" BETWEEN THE HIGHS  AND...