Situational Awareness Practice

There is a distinction between cockiness and true confidence and it rests on the latter's knowledge the she has done everything possible to improve herself as a tennis player. A cocky player is often full of bravado that masks phobias and lack of confidence. A confident player does not need to shift attention away from her insecurities because she knows that she has practice for every situation imaginable. By having practiced under every condition, she can often identify the key points and adjust her game accordingly. In this regard, I would suggest playing practice games as follows:

a. Set where the server starts down 0-30 in every game. This is a normal set, but when you think how easy it is to get down 0-30 (e.g., a double fault and a good/lucky shot by the opponent), it is surprising that more players do not practice being in these situations and learning to win. Another variation would be for the server to start at 15-40. For advanced players, I recommend that the returner runs a sprint before his return game (e.g., a ten-ball). This will teach the player how to regulate his adrenaline and channel the energy towards winning the next critical points. 

b. Set where the server gets one serve. This is a variation on the 30-point game. To spice things up, I suggest adding a component where the returner has to do kangaroo jumps (or other form of physical exercise) for (i) every return missed or (ii), for advanced players, every return that lands inside the service line. 

c. Set where the server has to serve-and-volley on the first serve and the returner has to come in (chip/topspin-and-charge) on the second.

d. Set where the server has to win 6 points (rather than 2) in order to improve stamina. 

e. Set where the players start off at 30-30 every game. This is a great game for emphasizing the first 2 points of every game (since, in this instance, if you lose the first 2 points, you lose the game). 

f. Set where, except for the return, the players MUST use their slice backhand when the ball comes to their backhand. 

By placing yourself in these situations over and over again, you will be in a better position to (i) identify the situation when it surfaces during the match, (ii) identify the critical obstacles, (iii) determine what you have to do in order to pull yourself out of the situation, and (iv) figure out how to win the point. Lastly, these points are a great way to shift the focus away from winning or losing (particularly if you have only 1-2 practice partners) to actually improving as a player. 

Steal this Drill: Games To Improve Your Serve

Often times, the server takes a back seat to the rest of the game. It is practiced at the end of the workout when the player is fatigued and the least attention is available for improving the shot. It is true that the serve is the type of shot that can be practiced on your own. In reality, however, how many people get to do this?! 

To improve your serve - and particularly the second serve - try doing serve specific workouts. My favorite drill involves serving a game up to thirty points where one player serves the entire game. Also, the player is allowed only one serve. This is a great way to build up stamina for the serve and learn how to win points on your second serve. You will be so much more relaxed on the first serve if you know that holding the game with the second serve is "a lock". With two players of equal ability, the server should win (if you follow the stats of the best professional players, you will always see second serve percentage of points won that exceed 50%). With developing players, however, this is not always the case; they hit way too many double faults and, initially, their serves will be shaky even if they manage not to miss. But the serve will get noticeably better from week to week as the player learns to RELAX UNDER PRESSURE. This drill will definitely shine a light on the player's serving skills. Furthermore, this game is far superior to the baseline game as it is purposeful practice. 

Once this drill is mastered, the players can transition to other serving-based games. Another favorite drill is for the players to play a set where one person serves the entire set (this time, she gets two serves). Then, the other player will serve the entire second set. Another variant is for each player to serve two games at a time (and they play an 8-game Pro Set). These games are intended to build stamina and confidence. In addition, as one of the most important strokes in tennis, the serve will once again take center stage. 

Steal this Drill: 7-11 Game

7-11 is a game where one person is standing in a corner moving the other person around.  Player 1 (in the deuce corner, lets say) is allowed to hit the ball anywhere he or she pleases.  Player 2 (covering the entire court) is only allowed to hit the ball to the deuce side of the court.  The player who doesn't have to move tries to get to 11 points and the player who does the running tries to reach 11.  One key rule:

The player attempting to reach 11 points is not allowed to hit winners

Anything goes, either player can dropshot, lob, slice, volley...test your imagination.  The way the game is setup, it should create for a very even match-up between players.  For the player running, the goal should be consistency and extending the points long as possible.  If the player running is engaging in a bunch of 1, 2, 3 shot rallies and missing- you are going for too much.  Remember, it will be nearly impossible to hit a winner into half a court...even for a world class pro.  A much more sophisticated way to attack the situation is to use a plethora of attacks- be it looping, slices, depth, short, change of pace, and mental will to catch the non-mover off guard.  If you can sucker the non-mover into errors, that is your only and best chance.  

Ingenius Way to Defeat a Counterpuncher (aka Moonballer)

I always hear people say, "I can't play pushers.  They get everything back and give me no pace!"  There are a few remedies you can practice to solve this dire situation (heaven forbid someone makes 10 balls in a row against you).  The easiest solution is to suck up your pride and do to them what they are doing to you.  Are they giving you no pace?  Give them no pace back.  See how they respond to generating their own pace.  See if they can create enough pace to hit some winners by you.  In fact, let them hit some winners by you.  Give them no pace to work with and let them overwork their muscles while you just block the ball back.  Take immense pleasure in their struggles and chuckle at yourself inside.  Think about what you will cook for dinner in-between shots, really have fun with it.  Matter of fact, plan your dinners a few days in advance and all the ingredients you need to shop for.  Try to nudge them towards the edge of the cliff and dare them to do something uncharacteristic like swinging for the lines.  And if they say something along the lines of "I'm playing soooo bad!" you are starting to get under their skin.  Keep it up, keep pushing them towards the edge of the cliff.  To really tickle them, give them even more time in-between shots (not points, but shots) and see how they like tasting their own medicine.  Now if they slam a ball into the fence or hurl the racquet towards the bench, you are doing FANTASTIC!  

Sure they might hit a few winners here and there out of frustration, just ignore it.  Its part of the master plan.  There will come a time in the match, the tipping point, where your opponent will realize their is no easy way out.  That is when you will need to double-up your efforts as he/she will decide to engage into a battle of mental and push the ball back with you, trying to outlast you.  This is when you need to stick to your plan and match them.  Doesn't matter if it takes 10 balls, 20 balls, or 60 balls- you do what it takes to extract as much mental energy from them as possible.  Sure they might win that point, but then make them do it again, and again, and again.  You really should have the next months' worth of dinners planned out, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Really take extreme pleasure in their suffering and pain- then after you crush their spirits and have them succumb to your master plan, I am willing to bet they will never "push" with you again.  And if they do, you will practice some of these other solutions to the ever annoying "Moonballer"....

Most Effective Fitness Routine for Tennis Players

Tennis is a moving sport; that should be obvious to anyone who's ever picked up a racket. However, often times players do not make the best use of their practices in order to achieve both technical expertise as well as physical conditions. Dollars to doughnuts, most developing players will spend 2 hours practicing tennis and then performing a fitness routine (maybe cardio, weights, jumping rope, stretching, etc.) for 30-45minutes thereafter. 

What if there's a better way?! There is. For maximum benefits, try performing your fitness routine DURING practices. For example, players could jump rope while the coach is collecting the tennis balls, sprints could be run in between drills, push ups, kangaroo jumps, etc could be immediately performed for missed shots. Performing fitness exercises during tennis practice will ensure that the tennis component is improved at the same time as the fitness component. In other words, players need to understand that fitness is not secondary; it is as important as the rest of the game. However, perfuming exercises at the end sends the message that they are less important (same message is sent when serves are practiced during the last 10 minutes of practice). Furthermore, if the player performs fitness exercises during practice - particularly points - his level of performance will skyrocket. It's one thing to play points or do drills when you're relatively fresh; another to do the same while you're fatigued and sucking oxygen. 

A great way to improve your tennis fitness would be to play a set where the players have to run a sprint (1minute; e.g., ten-ball sprint) between EVERY single game. This will ensure that the player's conditioning will not break down throughout the match. Of even greater importance would be to run 2 sprints before the ever-important 7th game. If you can hold serve while fatigued, well then you're a player. Similar concepts are implemented by the elite military forces throughout the world. Some units perform tough physical exercises and then are asked to perform some mental task in order to determine how the soldier thinks under the pressure. Elite tennis players would benefit from the same type of training.