ETI 051 | Reality Therapy – Facing the Truth on Court
Winning matches will not always lead you to work on your “weak spots” But for sure, there is stark reality if those same weak spots cost you the match. And, in those instances, are you able to go back to the practice court with renewed focus?
ETI 050 | Multitasking on Court
No judgment, one shot at a time, where the “winning takes care of itself.” Well in the 1970’s before we ever knew of multitasking or mindfulness – those concepts were developed in a breakthrough book – The Inner Game of Tennis. Are you mindless or mindfull on court? Want more – check out Mindset by…
ETI 049 | Racquet Rebound Potential
How tight, or loose should your grip be? Common sense suggests tight. This experiment, done by real “tennis scientists” confounds the issue. Enjoy
ETI 048 | 8 Board on Court
Lagging A dog wagging it’s tail Centered Balanced Simple but deceptively difficult
ETI 046 | Gravity Motion
Agility = moving quickly and easily. We know when we are gliding, we know when we are moving heavily. Equally, when can see on the adjacent court who moves well and who does not. But often more than strength training or explosive movement, the secret can be in a subtle unweighting where the body leads…
ETI 045 | Sidespin Serve
Pete Sampras, “I won 7 Wimbledon titles because I had the best second serve in the game.”
The second serve is about spin that will make the ball curve down as it crosses the net. Yes it may corner the opponent and either swing them wide and out of court, or kick up into their backhand.
ETI 044 l Topspin and the Racquet Drop
Consider the critical 24 inch hitting zone when creating topspin on a forehand or on a serve – to create this spin the racquet must be swung up from beneath the ball (12 inches) but carry upward after impact (another 12 inches) to create the rolling spin that more and more of us want in…
ETI 043 | Point of Contact Area of Contact
Ball control – ours is a game of accuracy, of consistency, but equally it is a game of timing for the opponent will send us shots of varying spin, speed, length and difficulty. Timing describes the relation between the incoming ball and the swinging racquet – and certainly the entire game revolves around the moment…
ETI 042 | Measure Twice Cut Once
https://dg2e30wx7kvei.cloudfront.net/eti_podcast/ETI_042_Measure_Twice_Cut_Once.mp4 The carpenter measures twice to cut once, to make sure the cut is accurate, for if too much is cut off that mistake cannot be undone. In tennis consider measuring as preparing first to the side for the incoming ball, but then to measure precisely the height of the backswing such that the racquet…
ETI 041 | Quantum Tennis/Golf
Many interesting parallels have been drawn between the tennis serve and the golf swing. Once the tennis player (or golfer) gets the feel for the mechanical elements of the serve (or golf swing) then rhythm becomes the overriding issue. Does the swing build smoothly and gracefully? Is there economy of effort? Can the server (golfer) swing easily yet hit hard? Are the body parts coordinated so that the force from the legs moves to the hips, and then to the torso, and then to the shoulder, then the arm, then the forearm, then the hand, and finally the fingers?
ETI 040 | The “X” Factor
Rotational body power But, is there a way to separate the hips from the shoulders as one winds up or unwinds The “X” Factor shows how to get a little more stretch and release
ETI 039 | Improvise (when necessary) on the tennis court
A few years ago I was encouraged to take a class in improvisational theater. It took me months to find the courage (stage fright and more) but I finally enrolled and then thoroughly enjoyed this class within the Stanford continuing studies program.
ETI 038 | Dead Hands
The 3 R’s of tennis – ready, read (where the ball is going) react!
As to your reaction – what precisely is your first move? What moves first, what initiates your preparation?
Really an important question.
ETI 037 | The Art of Winning
80% of the points in professional end with an error, 20% with a winner.
As regards unforced errors, if your opponent never misses and is patient as the day is long, would you consider missing a routine forehand in the 12th shot of a rally a forced or unforced error.
I am now believing that errors are simply errors, and the distinction is unnecessary.
ETI 036 | Spin – Changing Two Things at Once
Three factors control your tennis shot – not your feet, not your eyes, not your balance (though all of those do help) but the only three elements are; Angle of the racquet face, Swing Path and Tempo.
ETI 035 | The Dead Spot on the Racquet Face
Swing path, type of spin, power, 3d playback (with Zepp) but perhaps the most interesting as well as the most useful is the data that shows where you make contact on the racquet face.
And before going further, one of the most important (IF NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT) skills in the game of tennis is concentration, focus, and closely and continually watching the ball.
ETI034 | Creating your own Report Card
Take a few moments with the following report card – a method to either evaluate your own skills, or use this with your coach or regular practice partner.
The idea is to take a deeper look at your “Use” – the broader issues that influence all you do on court, your awareness, the elements that make you a strong player, but equally perhaps the element that is holding you back.
ETI 033 | Throwing vs. the Pendulum
Consider the elements in a strong and fluid overhand throw – and how the actions of the hand and elbow can be used or even copied in the modern forehand as well as certainly the serve.
Once when racquets were heavy and wooden, we could see (and still see now and then) a type of pendulum swing – back and forth with little whip or acceleration. Interestingly McEnroe still uses such a forehand to truly devastating effect.
ETI 032 | Attitude – the Space between Stimulus and Response
An excellent book, Man”s Search for Meaning, written by Victor Frankl, serves as a useful guidepost in living but equally when playing on court.
When Andy Murray hooked up with Ivan Lendl to capture his two grand slam titles, he was working at the same time with a sports psychologist (the same one who had worked with Lendl years before) to improve his attitude – to improve his emotional responses to the challenges he faced (and still faces) on court.
ETI 031 | Building Self Confidence
One of Northern California’s legendary teachers, as well as a dear friend and mentor to me, Fred Earle penned the following 5 keys – that he expected his players to answer with a resounding yes, each and every day at the end of practice or a game.
ETI 030 | Forward Spin
Squaring up – Hitting the ball true – precise contact on the back of the ball.
We all know about topspin – but have you ever tried to strike the ball with true topspin – where the ball rolls forward – precisely forward?
The following drop hit drill will improve your time spent practicing on court – and help you with your forehand and or your backhand.
ETI 029 | Tap Tap Tap
Balance, holding your finish, placing your weight precisely against the ball.
Yes there are many ways to hit the ball, and many ways to play this game, but with all the variety of styles and technique – our best professionals are balanced more often than perhaps we readily notice.
ETI 028 | Scan and Zoom
Is there more to it than simply watching the ball?
Well, the answer is yes. But the answer is not readily apparent.
Scan and zoom describes two different visual orientations, both of which occur on court.
In your own game, are you better at scanning or zooming? Better yet, are you skilled at both?
ETI 027 | The 3R’s of Tennis
Ready Read React – the all important “3 R’s” of tennis.
But the question, once you have been ready and now have read the incoming direction of the ball – how do you react? What is your first move?
The first move is about quickness, it is about simplicity, but equally if not more importantly, it is about committing and reacting to only and simply what you have read.
If you want to be quicker and find more time to hit the ball – improve your first move.
ETI 026 | Loose Strings – Very Loose Strings
The game has changed from the old wooden racquet era. Next was graphite composite racquets. Then stronger and stronger players. Followed by more and more topspin (unfortunately from further and further behind the baseline).
The next era in our game’s development occurs from the new “copoly” strings – essentially a polymer material, but somehow little or no friction between the strings.
You will note, no longer do the players walk around between points straightening their strings. That is because those strings move back and forth when meeting the ball – imparting much much more spin.
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