5 Ways Elite Players Make Their Own Luck
Many events in tennis appear lucky. The ball dribbles over the net for a winner. Someone hits a second serve ace on the line. A forehand is shanked high and deep, and ends up...
The Modern Forehand – A Biomechanical Masterpiece
When performed correctly, the forehand is a stroke with a very large margin for error. Proper forehand mechanics ensure that the swing is fault tolerant – when things go wrong, the swing still succeeds....
The Pusher’s Strategy is Better Than Yours
The pusher's strategy isn't very good - hit the ball back into the court and never play offense. Clearly, the pusher is wasting at least some opportunities to get ahead in rallies at...
A Shot’s Probability Distribution
Tennis is random. Each shot is best understood not as a particular result (winner, error, rally ball, etc.), but as a probability distribution of possible results, from which a particular result is chosen at...
Tennis Is Random
Tennis doesn’t feel random, because, as we swing, we feel like we’re in full control of the racket, and thus the result of the shot. This control is an illusion. Don’t believe me? Let’s assume...
Gold: “Roll Your Racket Over The Ball”
Last year, I worked with a 14 year old girl who had one of the most mismanaged forehand strokes I’ve ever seen. Her problem: “roll your wrist over/around the ball.” She turned to me,...
Three More Examples of the Winning Attitude
We’ve already discussed the common trap of incorrectly believing that winning is your goal, when, in reality, it’s something else. Typically, these winning imposters look similar to winning at first glance (ex: hitting good...
Silver: “Point Your Butt Cap at the Net”
Many bad cues originate from watching the pros; to the untrained eye, it looks like Rafael Nadal is turning his racket over through contact, even though he isn’t. As we watch on TV, there...
Do You Actually Like Winning?
No really, do you? Because most of us instinctively think “well of course I like winning,” without taking the time to really internalize everything that entails. Many assume that they enjoy the winning itself,...
Bronze: “Bend Your Knees”
“Bend your knees” is one of the most overused and oversimplified cues given not just in tennis, but in sports in general. When most coaches say “bend your knees,” they are trying to cue...