Tennis

Coaches and players often say that every point should be played the same, but this isn't true as there are more important points within a match. When the score is 40-love or Deuce, players should look to be more aggressive and take advantage of their patterns and best shots. For points at deuce, momentum swing points, players should also look to be aggressive in order to gain an advantage and shift the momentum back in their favor.
 
Transcript: "I think this is a really interesting question because you'll find coaches and players that so often say oh you should play every point, the same and every points just not the same, it's just silly to think like that. They're definitely more important points within matches. And if you look at these score lines at 40, love love, 40 or Deuce. There's big differences in those points. And obviously, it depends on whether you're serving or returning in those situations, but You know, if you're if you're looking at the possibility of breaking serve in Europe, love-40 on another guy serve, then I think you're looking to try and be very aggressive once you get into the point. I think one of the mistakes that players make is trying to be too aggressive on the return itself, I'm a big advocate of making a good solid return getting into the point and then looking for what is your best shot your best play that you can. Try and set up or pull the trigger on. So, if you're for hands your weapon, then at 40 and love, if you get into the return comfortably, if you can find a position where you can get a forehand and you've got your feet underneath you and you're in good balance, take a rip at that one and see if you can close out the game and get the break on the other hand. If you're down, love 40 and you're serving and trying to keep from getting broken. I think that you have to try and be a little bit more. Cautious play with a little bit bigger. Margins, you don't want to give anything away and get broken. Obviously, the biggest thing in tennis is to try and hold on to your serve and not give it away. So I think that you look to play bigger margins that point, the douche points, I think are big opportunities to try and be aggressive. I tend to call those points where the score is even whether it's love, love 15, all 30, all or deuce, Mentum swing points. So you can't lose the game on that point. So you've got an opportunity to try and take advantage and get ahead in the game again and that's an opportunity to swing the momentum in your favor on those points. So I'm an advocate for playing those points aggressively again and looking for your patterns or your best shots that you can take advantage of."

The amount of time needed to talk with a player after a win or loss depends on the player and the coach. Generally, it's best to give some time for players to process their emotions after a loss before discussing what happened. After a win, it is usually best to talk to players right away about what worked and how to prepare for the next match.
 
Transcript: "Well, there's no real specific answer to this question. It depends on whether you're talking about after a win or after a loss and how that occurred sometimes a great mentor and friend of mine. Once told me that every player needs 30 minutes of insanity after a loss. And that's something that I've always tried to apply a little bit. I think that you have to give players time after a loss, especially To get away from an emotional state from the match and be able to analyze and evaluate what happened in the match. In a way that is positive and can help them move forward and improve upon what they're doing. Oftentimes players aren't in a great mode to be able to do that right after a loss. And so it's important that you give them a little bit of time and sometimes as a coach that stuff you have to separate yourself and and give them a little bit of distance sometimes. Before you approach things, for me, personally, sometimes I'll even allow an overnight situation to occur. Prior to speaking to a player about a loss, winds, are a whole lot easier. Obviously, you can talk to a player right away. After a win, they normally want to talk to you and, and kind of go over things and the things that worked and what was successful in what you can put together for for the next match. So it just depends on one your athlete and how they approach. Things and to on the effects and how you feel as a coach. And that's where part of being a coach and part of coaching is, is the Artistry of recognizing those kind of things in the timing that it takes to be effective and efficient within that frame and with different athletes. So I hope that answers the question. Well, it's it's not exactly specific but that's part of becoming a better and better Coach and what you're doing with your players."

One of the biggest risks I took that paid off was my choice of college. I went to Purdue, which was a big change from growing up in Wisconsin. It set me on the path to where I am now, and I wouldn't go back and change any of it.
 
Transcript: "Have you ever taken a risk where it really paid off? Oh my gosh, how much time do you have? I would say probably one of the biggest was my choice of college. I grew up in Wisconsin, wanted to double major in exercise physiology and dietetics. I wanted to be a sports dietitian back then. It wasn't really that big of a thing, and so I went to Purdue out of state, and I never looked back. One of the best decisions I made in my life. Then when I graduated college, I decided to move to Florida, really far away from where I grew up in Wisconsin, but that worked out for me as well. And then there have just been a ton of just risks that I've taken in my career and in my personal life. And I think some things were difficult and were learning experiences, but I think it's the attitude. If I wouldn't have gone to Purdue and I would have gone somewhere else, I would have had a different life, but I would have embraced that life and I would have figured out how to make it the best life that I can have. And so I look at how one decision in your life could change the trajectory of your life, but I love the decisions I've made and the risks that I've taken, and I wouldn't go back and change any of them."

It's important for adults to help direct junior tennis players, especially those in the 10-14 age range, to focus on their attitude, effort, and competitiveness rather than solely focusing on the results of their matches. A good balance is 60% winning and 40% losing, so that players can learn to cope with both wins and losses as they develop their skills.
 
Transcript: "Great question. And an extremely important one in the development of a junior tennis player. It's really important for we, as adults, both parents and coaches that are around young players to make sure that we're directing them in the right way and emphasizing the things that are going to help them to develop their games. So that they become better, players down the road. And especially with young players, if you're looking at juniors in the tens 1214, it's important to Nice, both for them and for the adults that in those age levels, so often all the wrong things win. And if you have a long-term vision for the development of that player and want them want them to be the best player, they can be at the ages of Sixteen Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen. And when they become adult players, then it's important to focus on trying to develop them with adult skills as early as you possibly can. And that means That they may be suffering more losses in those early age groups, while they're developing their game, you have to focus on the fact that what's really important is their attitude, their effort, their competitiveness and that the results of the matches are less important at that point in their early career and stages as players. It's not an easy thing to do. Sometimes parents feel the pressure of wanting to win. Kids don't like to lose too much but hopefully you put them in a position where they can find a good balance. I think the key is to try and find a balance of about 60 percent winning versus about 40 percent. Losing that gives you as a coach and as a parent and opportunity to work on and help them develop the skills to cope with both of those things. And you do need to learn to cope with both of those things. Including the Winning part. Hope that answers the question. Well for you. Good luck."

To get into your opponent's service games, it is important to put balls in play. Try varying your return position, going deeper in the court, and blocking returns off of one side or the other. You can also try a block-style semi lob return like Andy Murray often does. These strategies should help you get back into the point and fight for each ball.
 
Transcript: "What do I do if I'm struggling to get into my opponent, service games, good question. Because if you're not able to be putting returns in play, then you're not putting much pressure on your opponent and that gives them the freedom to be more aggressive in their return games. So, you have to put balls in play that's first and foremost. How do you do that? Well, if you're playing someone that's got a really, really big serve, you may want to vary your return position if you're trying to Turn from a little bit more of an aggressive position. Closer to the Baseline. Take a step or two back, return from a little bit more neutral position. If you're still struggling from there then go deeper go go Medvedev style or Rafa Nadal stylist and very deep in the court. I think also one of the things that you can do, if you're playing a big server is look to block the return off of one side or the other. If you think about as examples, stand vronka, Or Roger Federer. Those are two guys that block from one side or the other stand. Normally, from the forehand side, Roger normally from the backhand side. So if you have one side that you returned, particularly better on look to hit from that side and look to block from the other side, and see if you can put more balls in play. Remember that if you're struggling, any return in plays a good return. So you got to fight and do anything and everything, you can to make your opponent at Least have to play a ball that leads also to I think one of the guys that's really great at the Block, kind of semi lob returned, almost a full lob. Sometimes if you has to is Andy Murray, Andy Murray from the full stretch on the backhand side especially with one hand will just block the ball up and hope to get it deep into No Man's Land someplace and make his opponent have to hit a ball, look to defend off the next ball and see if you can settle into the point. So those are a variety. ID of different things that you can try and do. It's very important to be putting balls in play. So see what you can do and find a position that will help you do it. Good luck."

To increase the probability of entering a flow state, one should become more mindful of their body and sensations without judging them. Additionally, they should put their attention on external things such as the ball and target to help create the conditions to be in the flow.
 
Transcript: "Question is, how can I increase my probability of entering a flow State? Yeah everybody would love to be in this state right? When you and more often and it is actually achievable. You can create the internal climate to to experience this more often or get closer to this. And there's two things I want to suggest in this in this clip here one is to become more mindful off the court to become More present. What is mindful mean? It means your present in your body, but you're not judging yourself. You're not judging things. You're accepting whatever's happening, but your your present in your body, for example, feel your feet on the ground. Walking a lot of players love this. This experience right? 43 seconds between points or off the court. You can just put your mind into your feet Furthest Thing from your head, right? Feel the shower, the water on your back and You can, you know, just be more in than what we say, sensation, you're feeling it and you can't have a thought. At the same time in, that is really a revelation, you know, and Rafa takes a really cold shower when he, when he went before he plays because it just gets you. So present, you cannot be having thoughts when you're feeling all right, feeling your grip on the court. So there's this mindfulness aspect that can help you cultivate This experience of flow right now. The key Point here though, is you're not judging anything right? Because when we're present and and sort of focused on our Sensations, it eliminates thoughts, but we're not judging key. The second thing is which is sort of maybe the opposite of that, you know, because you can toggle between these twos, in terms of these two things is to put your attention on things. External to you, you want to be less self focused on yourself and focused on. Other things. So you're ordering food at the deli, looking at the menu. Look at car plates, as you drive, you know, external a tree outside the court. So the more external you can put your attention and and often on relevant, things like the ball and the target to, but this mindfulness internally and being able to toggle to an external focus, and being less self-focused will help create the conditions to be in the flow."