Bigger Better Tennis - Paul Dale

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 ...

Why 95% of Tennis Coaching Accidentally Creates Chokers Why 95% of tennis coaches are accidentally creating chokers (and the 3AM method that fixes it) By Paul Dale | 50 Years of International Coaching If you're still teaching players to "slow down, relax and breathe their way through stress," you're using the same outdated methods that have created generations of practice champions who can't cope with pressure and crumble at competition time. Here's what most coaches need to realise: Every breathing technique, every ritual, every "stay calm" instruction is actually making your players weaker under pressure. We're approaching the topic of stress and pressure all wrong. Players don't need to learn avoidance strategies to conquer their mental meltdowns; they need to see pressure as a motivator and something to be embraced. Avoidance of pressure and stress is a very Western way of dealing with the problem.  The Practice Champion Problem (Yo...