FEBRUARY 2009
Insights to Mastering your Game, from Jak
SUPPORTING YOUR GAME
You’ve put in the time on the practice court – you’ve paid your dues. You’ve invested your hard earned money into lessons and coaching. Yet, achieving improved mechanics and technical skill, even high level ball striking skills, will not pay the dividends that you’re banking on if you fail to consistently support those abilities.
Q. – What is the most important skill in tennis?
A. – Watching the ball!
Q. – What is the most difficult skill in tennis?
A. – Watching the ball!
Yes, it is indeed a skill, one that not only has to be developed, improved upon, and monitored day in and day out, but one that must be reinvented in every single warm-up on a daily basis.
Besides paying close attention to the optimal moment to strike your shot – that’s what you’re watching the ball for – always maintain a relatively still head while you’re in the act of tracking the ball. If you are a frequent "bobble header" you will not only adversely effect your timing but also have difficulty finding the racket’s sweetspot.
How many times do we hear world class player’s state in press conferences after an especially good on-court performance: "I saw the ball really well today."
Don’t be confused about this since you claim that you "saw" the ball. But that was through your periphery – that’s not good enough. Sure, you can "see" through your periphery, but you must focus intensely on the flying yellow sphere as best you can since the human eye is somewhat limited, but, thankfully, they do receive help from the brain.
Remember the Rod Laver’s (only player to ever capture all four slams in one calendar year – twice!!!) take on the great game of tennis: "It’s a simple game. It’s just not easy."
Questions and comments are welcome at anytime for all tips present and past via email.
This Tip of the Month is copyright© by Jak Beardsworth Tennis. All rights reserved. Copies may be made only with the permission of and by Jak Beardsworth. Contact him here.
Tips Archive
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- March, April, 2013 SELF-TALK: Good, Bad, or Indifferent [read more]
- January, February, 2013 BOOK-A-MILLION: Do Tennis Players Read? [read more]
- December, 2012 THE KEY TO TOUR LEVEL BALL STRIKING: And How to Learn It [read more]
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- September, October, 2012 SMART SHOTS [read more]
- July, August, 2012 TEN TOP STRESS REDUCERS [read more]
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- May, 2012 THE IMPOSSIBLE: Accelerating and Decelerating Simultaneously [read more]
- April, 2012 PLAYER DISCONNECTION [read more]
- March, 2012 BENDING THE SERVE IN [read more]
- February, 2012 UNDERSTANDING TERMINOLOGY: Drill vs Clinic vs Team Practice [read more]
- January, 2012 PLAYING SCARED? [read more]
- December, 2011 CUTTING OFF THE ANGLE…VERTICALLY [read more]
- November, 2011 WHY COACHING? [read more]
- October, 2011 THE EASY BALLS ARE NOT EASY [read more]
- August/September, 2011 NEVER TOO LATE FOR OLDER DOGS [read more]
- June/July, 2011 HARD COURTS, SOFT COURTS, and YOUR BODY'S ADAPTATION [read more]
- April/May, 2011 JAW DROPPNG [read more]
- March, 2011 CLUB DOUBLES' INCREASINGLY MISSING LINK [read more]
- February, 2011 TIP 2 | POOH POOHING DOUBLES STRATEGY SESSIONS [read more]
- February, 2011 TIP 1 | CLAY TO HARD, HARD TO CLAY [read more]
- January, 2011 ICING THE SERVER WHEN RECEIVING IN THE BIG MOMENTS [read more]
- December, 2010 JOHN ISNER’S “GOOD MISS” [read more]
- November, 2010 THE MOST NEGLECTED SHOT IN THE GAME [read more]
- October, 2010 BALL BOUNCING and the SERVE [read more]
- September, 2010 TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE BALL [read more]
- July-August, 2010 SUMMER SCHOOL COURTSIDE CRIB SHEET [read more]
- May-June, 2010 THE 2-HANDED JUMP BACKHAND: The Dumbest Shot in Tennis [read more]
- April, 2010 THE STANDING AROUND SYNDROME [read more]
- March, 2010 THE ELUSIVE SERVICE TOSS [read more]
- February, 2010 PREPARING TO START THE POINT: Serving and Receiving [read more]
- January, 2010 DEBUNKING THE MODERN GAME [read more]
- December, 2009 RELAX – IT'S JUST A RALLY BALL [read more]
- November, 2009 DEFEATING THE POACHER [read more]
- October, 2009 PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE [read more]
- September, 2009 SERVING SUCCESS: Warming-Up vs Match Play [read more]
- August, 2009 THE SPLIT STEP: Defending the Court, Rushing the Net, and More [read more]
- July, 2009 THE THIRD GROUNDSTROKE [read more]
- June, 2009 HOW MANY HANDS DOES IT TAKE? [read more]
- May, 2009 THE MOST IMPORTANT SKILL [read more]
- April, 2009 PLAYING IN THE FLORIDA WIND [read more]
- March, 2009 Letting them Play for Peak Performance in Clubland [read more]
- February, 2009 SUPPORTING YOUR GAME [read more]
- January, 2009 RESPECTING THE GAME: Top 10 Do's & Don'ts [read more]
- December, 2008 Getting the Warm-up Right [read more]
- November, 2008 Visualize...Realize: The Mind Body Connection [read more]
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