Jak Beardsworth Tennis

APRIL, 2012:

PLAYER DISCONNECTION

It’s not unusual for me to quickly suspect that wildly inconsistent players, albeit adequate ball strikers, not only fail to visualize their shots, but are also startlingly unclear when asked after a less than stellar shot, what their resulting margin-to-the-net actually was - as well as where, as a result in part, their shot landed in the opponent’s court. Leonardo da Vinci didn’t play tennis, but the king eclectic of his time related to how it should be played when he said, “…like a sailor who enters a ship without a helm or compass, and who can never be certain whither he is going.”

How do you dial-in your shot trajectories and bounce points if you’re without a “flight plan”? How do you correct errors if you’re unaware of precisely what your shot’s “flight” characteristics were supposed to be? This is precisely when you start choking – holding your breath for dear life and hoping for a good result.

Conversely, how can you be in a good shot-making position when you’re not observing an opponent’s margin-to-the-net and its accompanying trajectory and, as a result in part, where their shot is going to bounce?

Jak Beardsworth Tennis The court, particularly in singles, is very forgiving – it’s an aircraft carrier deck laterally, and vertically - no one is crossing and picking-off your high-over-the net shots intended to create depth. Doubles is quite another story. Rogue poachers abound, and the hitting lanes are primarily cross court and 50% less forgiving than in singles, alleys included. Simply being consistently cognizant – that means every single shot struck – of intended ball flight “paths” in relation to the net, and how they convert to spotting the ball on the court, will elevate your game .5 on the NRTP scale in a matter of days! Now you’re making any needed adjustments on the fly and nipping in the bud those bad patches, which can cost you a close match.

Know the margins that you’re playing within. Visualize them by thinking in pictures. Use the net and the lines as reference points, always creating safety and room for error without stifling aggressiveness.

More than anything (unless it’s a gross mismatch in skill), it is you, not them, who determines the level of your performance. It's something you do have total control over.

Questions and comments are welcome at anytime for all tips present and past via email.

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]
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June, 2012 MAKING YOUR LESSONS STICK [read more]
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]
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December, 2011 CUTTING OFF THE ANGLE…VERTICALLY [read more]
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October, 2011 THE EASY BALLS ARE NOT EASY [read more]
August/September, 2011 NEVER TOO LATE FOR OLDER DOGS [read more]
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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]
October, 2008 Reading Their Mail [read more]