Wholistic Tennis
Why is that when tennis players miss a ball, they often look at their racket with an accusatory glance that suggests the racket is somehow to blame; but when they hit a winner, they push their chest out and strut around the court as if they are the cat’s whiskers!
“Watch the ball” is a phrase repeated endlessly by coaches and players of all levels from the hallowed grounds of Roland Garros and Wimbledon, to local parks and private clubs everywhere. Yet if we were truly failing to watch the ball, we’d regularly prepare to hit backhands while the ball is moving to our forehand […]
The idea that some points in a tennis match are more important than others seems logical, obvious, and so hardly worthy of discussion. Yet I have always enjoyed challenging commonly held beliefs. The concept of the “big point” is deeply embedded in competitive tennis. But popularity does not necessarily make an idea true. Let us […]
Coaches often extol the virtues of the “killer instinct” and argue that without it, success is impossible. Players, in turn, will do almost anything to develop it. But what exactly is the “killer instinct”? It seems to be the ability to close out a match when we are in a “winning” position. If that is […]
For anyone who has ever used an excuse to explain away a poor performance or disappointing result, consider this ancient parable. A wise man and a fool go for a walk in the park. After a while, they sit down and talk for an hour. Who learns the most: the wise man or the fool? […]
This article is the first of a two-part series on what it takes to improve and grow as a competitive tennis player. While the examples focus on tennis, the principles apply to virtually any sport—and to many areas of life. Most of us like the idea of improving. But are we willing to pay the […]