JAK'S MONTHLY ESSAY SERIES: Achieving Your Personal Best
Shot Selection Decisions
The great Roger Federer, on his website Q &A section a while ago, responded to a subscriber question regarding what he thought his greatest skill was with this:
"I think my greatest skill is that I think I see (visualize) my shots faster than anyone else."
Really? Yes, really. You could almost “see” the invisible early shot commitments in his stellar play.
Just as a football quarterback, in a huddle in that sport, verbally calls a specific play for his team to sync to, so must you as an individual in tennis. But in tennis you make this split second call non-verbally in your mind’s eye – “thinking” indeed, but in pictures (imagery) for every shot you hit. Even if it’s the same somewhat repetitive ones – after all, tennis is very redundant in its nature. One has to visualize each and every time! Including, especially, when under duress. Too many, in situations where just preventing a second bounce becomes their only goal without any purpose.
Hoping for a good result, with an over there somewhere shot goal, without a specific plan, even with solid mechanics, is a recipe for a low level of consistency against capable opponents. I see it all the time in league matches for both men and women.
I like the “throwing darts” analogy. You typically get three consecutive throws, no doubt aiming for that bullseye on the dart board on the first throw. Do you not bother to “aim” for it on the second and third tries as well? Of course not! You continue to visualize where you want your dart to land on each and every throw, all three, all game long without fail.
That begs the on-court tennis game question: Do you habitually visualize each and every shot you hit, beginning with the very first ball struck in the warm-up? No you probably don’t. Mr. Federer thought it was key – confirmed in his website stated belief at being the quickest doing it, just as he noted as his advantage over other world class shot makers. Are you taking heed clubbers?
Cartoon like simplicity: The brain, through visualization, tells the racket what to do…that’s the mind-body connection! – getting it sync’d up - so crucial in tennis.
Copyright© 2007- 2025 by Jak Beardsworth Tennis. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
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[read more] - February 2024 - Giving Opponents too Much Respect
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[read more] - November 2023 - "You're Only as Good as Your Second Serve"
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Essay Archives
Click a year to view more essays
2023
- October 2023 - good misses vs bad misses
[read more] - September 2023 - Why good players are good players!
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August 2023 - On poaching and fake poaching: Becoming a Force at the Net in Doubles
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July 2023 - The Beautiful Game is Getting Ugly
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June 2023 - The Approach Dropper: Lob Killer
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May 2023 - Why club players don't practice
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April 2023 - DON'T FIGHT TIGHT
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March 2023 - Classic finish line failure
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February 2023 - Defending the lob over your net partner - The "Switch"
[read more]
2022
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December 2022 - E. I. D. - Extended Impact Duration
[read more] -
November 2022 - Movement Enhancement to Stay Better In-Point Connected
[read more] -
September 2022 - Advanced Visualization 301
[read more] -
August 2022 - Tennis' uniqueness: warming-up the enemy
[read more] -
July 2022 - Extracting Double Faults Through Receiving Positions... and more
[read more] -
June 2022 - Consider Serve and Volley
[read more] -
May 2022 - How the Toss Primes the Serve Relaxation Pump
[read more] -
April 2022 - Ball Watching and Science
[read more] -
March 2022 - Caving
[read more] -
February 2022 - Kenny G and Emmo
[read more] -
January 2022 - The Knees
[read more]
2021
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December 2021 - The Match is with You
[read more] -
November 2021 - The Backup Racket in Your Bag
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October 2021 - Every Tennis Player Can and Should Have a Weapon
[read more] -
September 2021 - LEARNING NEW SKILLS: First the Process, Then the Results
[read more] -
August 2021 - The Challenge of Visualizing… For Some
[read more] -
July 2021 - Playing with both your feet and your hands
[read more] -
June 2021 - Finding the Range
[read more] -
May 2021 - The Focus
[read more] -
April 2021 - About Your Butt Cap
[read more] -
March 2021 - The Essential Forehand and Backhand
[read more] -
February 2021 - On Being a Doubles All-Courter
[read more] -
January 2021 - Same Grip Volleying Myths
[read more]
2020
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December 2020 - On mechanics and style
[read more] -
November 2020 - THE BIG 3: The Glue That Keeps Your Best Game Together
[read more] -
September 2020 - Protocol and Game Tradition Revisited
[read more] -
August 2020 - As Good as Your 2nd Serve
[read more] -
July 2020 - Shot Shaping
[read more] -
June 2020 - Getting a Point in Jeopardy Back to Neutral
[read more] -
May 2020 - A Positive Mind-Set: On and Off the Court in Today's C-19 Reality
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April 2020 - The Zombie Tennis Creed – Top Ten
[read more] -
March 2020 - A Roadmap Into "The Zone"
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February 2020 - The service toss: myths and realities
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January 2020 - Shot Gazing
[read more]
2019
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December 2019 - The Dreaded High Bouncing Moonball Dilemma
[read more] - November 2019 - Chalk Flew: Troublesome Line Calling without Hawkeye in Clubland [read more]
- October 2019 - In the Spirit of Don't Drink and Drive… Don't Think and Hit [read more]
- September 2019 - Old School vs New School [read more]
- August 2019 - Getting the Ball Where You Want It [read more]
- July 2019 - Taking Points Off…What? [read more]
- June 2019 - Confidence Is Confidence: Take It Wherever You Can Get It [read more]
- May 2019 - TENNIS INNOVATION IMPLODES [read more]
- April 2019 - Defending the Court with Older Bones: A Club Player's Guide to Saying "Nice Shot" Less [read more]
- March 2019 - Do You Have Doubles Rally Tolerance? [read more]
- February 2019 - I Knew Jimy Van Alen: A Historical Look Back [read more]
- January 2019 - The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste: Mental Toughness Skills [read more]
2018
- December 2018 - Less Bling is the Thing [read more]
- November 2018 - Anatomy of a Doubles Serve Return…from the Inside Out [read more]
- October 2018 - Older Dogs and New Tricks: Still Improving at Any Age [read more]
- September 2018 - The All-Important Dynamic of Gripping [read more]
- August 2018 - The Cinemascope Syndrome: Undermining Your Ball Watching [read more]
- June 2018 - Serving and Returning Better with a Quiet Eye [read more]
- May 2018 - The Man Who Breathed for Two [read more]
- January 2018 - Rituals Anyone? [read more]
2017
- December 2017 - Why Serving is so Difficult in Clubland [read more]
- October 2017 - Managing your body and mind in tennis space [read more]
- August 2017 - Why Bother Breathing to Improve Your Game [read more]
- May 2017 - The "Maintaining" One's Game as One Ages Fallacy [read more]
- February 2017 - Punta Gorda Tennis Clubs: Setting the Bar [read more]
- January 2017 - State of the Club Game: The Growing Death of Sportsmanship [read more]