Bigger Better Tennis - Paul Dale

When you hit a ball with late or early contact, that can be a positive thing or a negative thing. You either did it on purpose or by mistake,  Let's look at late and early contact in the positive sense first. To master the tennis rally you need to be able to direct the ball both down the line and cross court at will. This is where the ability to hit late and early on purpose is crucial. INTENTIONAL LATE AND EARLY CONTACT: If you contact the ball early with in the contact zone the ball will go cross court.   If you contact the ball late within the contact zone the ball will travel down the line or inside out ( depending on how late you hit the ball) This is the positive aspect of late and early contact. UNINTENTIONAL LATE AND EARLY CONTACT: However, most players think of late and early contact in the negative sense. This is when they can get fixated with only one contact point and start to struggle with timing the ball in the one spot within their c

I would have a very good chance of beating Roger Federer...   if I was given multiple chances to take mistakes back again or replay any shots I didn’t like. Here’s an example. If I was given multiple attempts at all first serves and was able to select the one serve that I liked the most amongst my many attempts, my service game against Roger Federer would probably be good enough to hold my own. Expand that idea to include every shot I play during the point and this "second chance"  concept would allow me to (1) Prepare myself much better for the shot because I already know where the ball is going (2) Make accurate decisions on where and how I want the ball to go, and (3) Technically perform the shot perfectly.  With multiple chances, I have a very good  opportunity to beat Federer. Now I know you are saying “but nobody has the luxury of taking shots again”, and you would be correct. But let’s look at why this “2 nd Chance” scenario is important to unde

A correct physical training program can enhance your tennis game significantly, while an incorrect physical training program can also harm your game tremendously. In past years players honed their skills on-court and then participated in an off-court physical training program that was very general and non specific to the demands of a tennis match. This all changed several years ago when players, coaches and trainers began to mimic the physical demands and skills required in competitive tennis. Suddenly off-court training became highly specific to tennis and the players began to experience a marriage of tennis skills and physical ability… the two facets of training began to enhance each other! If you have not yet synchronized your on-court and off-court training programs you are definitely missing out on obtaining optimal results in competition. So what areas do you need to be aware of when synchronizing physical training with tennis technique?  Here are 5 areas

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