Bigger Better Tennis - Paul Dale

Everyone talks about fundamentals and how important they are.   Anyone playing well is said to have “great fundamentals”, while anyone playing poorly is  accused  of having “poor fundamentals”. But have you ever tried to find a list of these fundamentals? If such a list existed, surely this would immensely help players and coaches. The truth is that you will never find a definitive list of the “Tennis Fundamentals”. Although players are continually admired or criticised for their fundamentals and training programs worldwide attempt to install “fundamentals” in their players, no definitive list is available. So, let’s start defining what exactly a fundamental is or should be. I believe a fundamental cannot be taken out; in other words, you cannot play without it. Think about that for a moment. What elements cannot be taken out of our game? Is the backswing fundamental? No, because some volleys, service returns and half volleys don’t require a backswing. Is footwork fundam

At any given time, you are in one of three conditions: Defence, Neutral or Offence. You need to clearly define which condition you are in to compete successfully. If you attack the point at the wrong time or have an opportunity to attack but fail to take that opportunity, it doesn’t matter how well you stroke the ball your overall game will lack cohesion and meaning. So, how do we define when we are in a Defensive, Neutral, or Offensive situation?  What exactly are the factors which put you in a defensive mode? When can you attack the point with a high degree of confidence that you will be successful? How do you know you are in a Neutral situation? Whether you are in Defence, Neutral, or Offence depends on two criteria, and you must constantly be aware of these criteria as you play.  Those criteria are: THE POSITION OF YOUR FEET WHEN YOU HIT THE BALL If your feet are behind the baseline when you contact the ball, you are on Defence. If your feet are inside the baseline

RE-DIRECTING THE BALL DOWN THE LINE IS DIFFICULT BUT CAN HAVE HUGE REWARDS  DESCRIPTION One of the scariest things you do in tennis is to change the direction of the ball and hit down the line off a ball coming from cross-court. You are attempting to re-direct the ball to another angle which requires considerable skill. It’s much easier going back cross-court because you are hitting through the same line. If you can execute the down the line shot well during the rally it’s a big plus to your game because it stops your opponent getting too comfortable with your shot selection, they will now have to worry about the unexpected change of direction – something few players can do that well. Here are the key things to focus on when going down the line (backhand and forehand). 1.       The position of your feet: o   The best way to change direction, either down the line or cross-court, is to change your contact point. Many players try to change their swing to alter

The right foot supplies timing and energy  for this open stance forehand DESCRIPTION Good timing is essential in every sport. Timing can involve swinging an object at a ball, such as a tennis racquet or golf club, or, in football, you must achieve timing in your leg and foot to kick the ball successfully. Timing is also essential when throwing something. When throwing a basketball, you use a wrist action, and skilled players can throw half the length of the court with ease. For the ball to cover that distance, something else must assist the wrist. Wrists can't function that efficiently without the help of good timing. But what exactly is timing, and how is it achieved? If you are like most tennis players, you know when you have timed the shot well (or not) but are not sure what occurred for you to achieve it. How can you re-create perfect timing without knowing how you achieved good timing? Timing involves the successful synchronisation of Ground energy into the

ANA IVANOVIC HAS SUFFERED WITH CRONIC TOSS PROBLEMS THROUGHOUT HER CAREER DESCRIPTION The ball toss is one of the most common ailments with many players when serving.  Ana Ivanovic is a player who struggles with her ball toss constantly.  For many years I have taught the importance of using an intelligent wrist instead of focusing on the ball toss. However the toss is important because the wrist can only operate effectively if the ball is within a reasonable range.  If you have to reach or in some cases step to reach the ball, as Ivanovic does often, your serve will suffer with inconsistency. The usual cure for a wayward toss is to work on the toss arm so that the ball can be placed in the perfect position for the ball strike.  Ana Ivanovic told me that coaches have been trying to work on her left arm toss for years.  They had tried a variety of drills and gimmicks but the problem still persisted. It was after hearing this that I started looking for an alt

Deep balls are unavoidable so better to learn how to handle them when they come DESCRIPTION: For some, perhaps one of the most difficult ground-strokes is the deep ball that lands on or near the baseline. Martina Hingis was very good at taking the ball off the bounce, often choosing to stand her ground on deep balls and return the ball with excellent timing.  I asked her once how she learnt to hit this type of ball so well.  She told me that as a youngster her mother would sprinkle objects just behind the baseline, making it almost impossible to step back for deep balls.  This had developed her ability to coordinate this very difficult ball.  THE DRILL If you are having trouble with balls that land deep and that give you little time to move back, try a similar drill to the one that helped Martina Hingis. I’m sure you spend a lot of time hitting from the baseline during practice.  Next time you practice, spend some of your baseline practice keeping your feet

ON-COURT MOVEMENT HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MAJOR ASSETS A PLAYER MUST DEVELOP If you are trying to improve your on-court reaction time during points, you’re wasting your time. Improved reaction skills may even hinder your ability to reach balls quicker.   Webster’s says that the definition of reaction is, “a response to something that involves taking action.” In other words the horse bolts first and then we try to catch the horse! In tennis terms we wait to return serve and plan to react when we know if the ball will go to the forehand or backhand side. Or, we watch our opponent getting under the ball and plan to react to his overhead once he completes his shot. Chances are that you are not going to get too many of those serves and overheads back into play. You’re going to be too late! You’re asking yourself the wrong question “where will the ball go?” I believe that reaction is merely the 3 rd step in returning that first serve and defending that overhead. In to

The art of playing at the net has almost disappeared.   This is due to a variety of reasons.   Players are hitting much better ground-strokes today, with more power, spin and greater accuracy. This has put a lot more pressure on any player who comes into net. Courts today have also become more similar, the faster courts are being slowed down, while the traditional slower courts such as clay are playing faster because of the type of tennis balls being used. This is illustrated best when we look at Wimbledon and the French Open. The grass surface at Wimbledon has been changed to make it slower and to encourage longer rallies. The authorities have done the opposite at the French Open.   To eliminate long boring rallies they have introduced tennis balls that reward players who like to attack the point. Modern doubles exponents have also departed from traditional volley technique. When you get a chance to poach the ball at the net in doubles you have the luxury of taking a fu