Concentrate like anything. Relax and prepare for a long point. Keep the ball in play. Whatever you do, win the first point of every game. It makes it so much easier. Like riding a bike downhill. Once you have the first point under your belt, start concentrating on the second one. Same thing, no let…
It does happen once in a while. Even the best of callers, the most honest citizens, the one who gives the call to his opponent if there is ever a doubt … will be called a cheater or insinuated to be one. Toughen up. Thicken the skin. Stay calm. If you are uncertain of your…
You’re winning. That’s good. You’re composing your victory speech. That’s bad. You can still lose! Think about how devastating it will be to have been winning and then it all disappears. It can happen. It will happen. Unless you are so scared that you still might lose. The fear will keep you focused. Concentrate on…
Wishing, hoping and praying are great in houses of worship … but not on tennis courts. Especially "watching" your shot during play, "hoping and praying" that it stays in or wins the point. This can be very detrimental. The best thing to concentrate on is to keep moving … keep telling yourself, "hit and move."…
You’re down love-40 and your world is coming apart. Not to worry. Try to get temporary amnesia … in other words, forget about it. You only need three points to pull even and then two more to win the game. Play one point at a time, regular points, no going for intentional aces or winners. Just…
Practice, right? Yes. However, it’s how you practice. Repetition is how you do it. Unrelenting repetition. Whatever it is that you are trying to improve, keep practicing it, over and over again. It must become second nature. The only way to reach that advanced state of execution is to practice it repeatedly. Usually, you would…
Do you take control at key moments? Do you make everyone on your team better? Do you know the strengths of your team members and give them opportunities to produce results using them? Do you make good decisions under duress? Do you take some calculated risks, fail occasionally, get up and keep going with a…
I just filled in as "guest instructor" at one of our QuickStart after school programs in Pelham, N.Y. for kindergartners, about 5-years-old. There were 12 children in the class. Each child had a racquet and sponge ball. The first exercise was hitting the ball up with the racquet, letting the ball hit the ground, and…