Challenge Yourself

There are key points in a tough match where you have to dig deep and find the motivation that you need in order to push through the barriers of pain and the obstacles posed by your opponent. You can find yourself at 5-5 in the third set on a brutal, hot and humid summer day. How do you deal with these situations?! The reality is that as you progress in the game, you will face greater obstacles and more momentous occasions. 

To overcome these situations it helps if, in addition to your standard training and workouts, you include some sort of physical challenge into your routine. Be it running up hills (like Andre Agassi or Jerry Rice), sprinting up sand dunes (like Marv Dunphy's Pepperdine volleyball team), running miles through the desert or in the snow, jumping rope for 2 hours straight, biking a century, participating in a survival race or something equally taxing, having an "extra-curricular" training method that is extra tough will assist you on the tennis court. Some of these methods can also improve your overall fitness, so that's a bonus. 

More importantly, however, they make the voice inside your head telling you to keep going louder and more convincing ("you CAN do it", "come on PUSH it"). When you're on the court, you're out there by yourself. You can have 1000 fans supporting you or 1000 fans rooting against you (and if you make the NCAAs you will experience both). But only one voice matters and that's the voice that's inside your head; your INNER COACH. It can tell you to give up ("it's OK to quit; losing's fine") or to keep going ("no pain, Rocky! No Pain!"). If you include a difficult training method into your routine - even if it's once every 2-3 weeks - you can recall the positive voice inside you. You say to yourself "hey, if I did THAT I sure as heck can do THIS." Or, "I'll be darned if I'm going to let this son-of-a-gun run away with this match. He didn't run up those hills in the middle of summer...all by himself! I DID! There's no way he's beating me". 

Drop Shots

As much as I love watching a player who exploits the entire court (I am reminded of Federer's win over Soderling in the French Open final), it is disappointing to see a player who uses that particular tactic for the first time in the match. The match is not the first time when you should practice new shots - shots as the drop shot. Unfortunately, too many players either run out of gas or ideas and go for the low percentage shot at a key point in the match. Sometimes they make it; a lot of times they do not. In addition, players sometimes cannot control their urges - if they make the shot, they tend to go to the well over and over again. If they do not, they tend to retry it thinking that "I was so close last time".

The drop shot, just like any other stroke, should be practiced diligently and purposefully. However, baby steps should be taken in order for the player to FIRST develop the control necessary to hit a decent slice. In terms of hitting drop shots, I would recommend that the player practices alternating slices and drop shots in order to develop a feel for each stroke. The ball should be amortized with the legs as much as the arm (i.e., pace should be absorbed with the legs; similar to catching a football that punt). Furthermore, in the developing stages, I would recommend that the player hits the drop shot only after hitting 2-3 decent slices. Not only will this help the player practice his "range" but the opponent may be tricked into thinking that the short shot is in fact a deep slice. 

Nevertheless, how do you deal with a player who hits a drop shot at inopportune times? Well, sprints help. Lots and lots of sprints. You see, we talk to the players but a lot of times they think that they know better. They will continue to go for the high-risk shot if they perceive that there are no negative consequences. But, in a match, such consequences do exist. For example, if you try a drop-shot at deuce and lose the point, now you have to win THREE points in order to win the game. Had you played a solid point and won it, you'd only have to win ONE more point in order to win the game. In other words, a stupid shot costs you in terms of energy. And that's OK as long as you're willing to put in the effort to win those next three points. My favorite solution (rather than begging, pleading and being angry) is to make my players a deal: for every drop-shot (win or lose) at key points (15-30; 30-30; 30-40; 40-40; 40-30), the player will run a sprint (sometimes two). I don't do this to punish the player. I do this to make him understand what's at stake. If he's doing it with the forethought that if the play doesn't pan out he has to work twice as hard in the next two points, it means that the player has evaluated the risks v. the rewards. That indicates that the player is starting to think in advance as to the potential consequences of her decisions. 

Learn To Lose?

Coaches (and some parents) often advocate playing in higher age divisions in order for the player to become accustomed to more pace and a "higher level of tennis". Sometimes, they justify the poor results by claiming that it's good for the player to "learn how to lose." Nothing can be more detrimental for a developing tennis player than a losing record. What does this player have to look forward to in life?! Bust her butt in practice, work hard in the gym and then get thrown into an age divisions where they stand no (or little) chance of succeeding. Listening, winning is an addiction; winning begets winning. If winners win, then those who lose are....well you get the point. 

What is important for a player to learn is how to DEAL WITH LOSSES. This is not learning how to lose; it's learning to handle the results and utilize them to propel forward to a different level. Take for example a junior player who has just lost in the morning match of a tournament. This player will mope around for a bit, find consolation in the words of some friends, family coaches, eat a snack and then jump in the car for the ride home. What is his opponent doing? Well, most likely, the opponent will have to play another match. So where the losing player spends 1.5 hrs on the court, the winning player spends 3 hours on the court. Who benefits more from that Saturday? The winning, player, obviously. First, she learned how to pull off a tough match. She has figured out a strategy, devised various tactics to implement the strategy and executed those tactics at the right time. Second, she now has to step on the court (maybe 30 minutes, maybe 45 minutes later) and have to toughen out a second match. All this time, the player who lost the first round is driving home. If the goal of this player is to improve, she would be better served by (a) having a practice right after the match (wipe the slate clean; work on some things while they're fresh); (b) play a practice match against someone who may have also lost; AND/OR (c) have a fitness workout (to "punish" herself for losing). Follow any (or all) of these paths, and the defeated player will keep up with the rest of the pack. 

If you want to be in the top pack when it matters (U18s), you have to spend just as much on court (or doing fitness) as your better peers. You cannot allow them to get an extra 3-4 hrs of tennis/week. You have to be right there with them. They may have beaten you but they have not DEFEATED you (unless you let them). So, get knocked down seven times, get up eight times. If you lose, no big deal. Grab a basket and a back-court and work on the things that you feel need improving at that time. Show your opponents that you are tough to beat. 

Make Your Opponents Quit

Sun Tzu, in the Art of War, said

"For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill."

In other words, it's the sign of a good warrior when he shows up on the battle field and the other side puts down its weapons. Conversely, having to constantly prove yourself over and over again may end up costing you. Think about all the 3-set matches that you have won in the morning only to be too exhausted for your afternoon match. Wouldn't it be more desirable to defeat your opponent outright in the morning match and still have the energy to do the same in the afternoon?! 

This goal can only be achieved by being the toughest, fittest and smartest warrior out there. Think: Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, Serena, Venus, etc. These players - through their presence and preparation - intimidate their opponents into losing before they've even stepped out on the court. Take Nadal, for instance. How many players think that they can outlast him in a 5 set match?! Not many. Not a guy you'd want to meet in a dark alley. He is so fit, strong and mentally tough that every player knows that he has his work cut out for him if he wants to take him on head-on. Many choose to not fight at all. Same with Federer. He intimidates people through his skill that he often cruises through the first 3-4 rounds of a Grand Slam without so much as dropping a handful of games, breaking a sweat or changing their shirt. Djokovic - same thing (see how he dominated the 2011 season). Due to their individual characteristics, they have bullied their opponents before they've even stepped onto the court. At that point, going through the motions of actually winning the match is merely ministerial. As a consequence, they are capable of going deeper into the draw than players who are, on paper, just as good but who don't possess the same aura. 

So the advice is to improve every aspect of your game to the point where people will lose the match before it ever starts. Your opponents need to think "geez..I don't want to play this guy. She's too fit/strong/tough for me. There's no way I'll win". Often, they will "go in the tank" before the match has even started. Make them doubt their preparation, skills, and commitment to the game. Don't just beat your opponents! MAKE 'EM QUIT! Send them the message that you mean business and this is not just a game to you. 

Practice Patience

In terms of tennis, technological developments have had a positive as well as a negative effect on tennis development. Improvements in racket, string, ball and shoe technology has resulted in an exponential increase in power but with a detrimental effect in the artistry of the game. American players, in particular, are affected the most because we don't tend to play as much on clay (which takes away some of the advantages of power and teach the player how to create opening with angles, placement, spin, depth and guile). 

Now, we can talk about the benefits of playing on clay until we're blue in the face. The fact is that until clubs and parks figure out a way to make clay court maintenance as financially efficient as hard courts (maybe a wash once every two weeks) the fact remains that we will continue to be a hard-court nation. So, with this in mind, how do you learn to patiently push your opponent around the court and create openings? One answer is to PUT THE RACKET DOWN! Literally! Put the racket down and play games where the players have to THROW the ball around the court. This game will not only develop your throwing ability (good for serves) but is is also a great way to figure out the geometry of the game. In addition, this is one of the best ways to improve tennis-specific fitness because the points last longer and you don't have a racket with which to reach the ball. 

I suggest that, once in a while, you spend 10-15 minutes (perhaps as a warm-up, perhaps as a way to finish the workout) by playing games up to 15 where the players have to catch and throw the ball. The rules are fairly simple: the player must throw from the place from which s/he catches the ball (or, like frisbee games, can only take one more step to stop and throw). The clever player will figure out how to push their opponents around the court with just as much angle to make the opponent sprint for the ball, but not so short that the player can "attack". Your tennis IQ will improve dramatically when you learn how to open up the court and make the opponent work for every point.