I just ran across this article on Wozniacki by James Martin of Tennis.com. On the surface, the article might appear to equate offense with power. “She needs to hit harder and go for more winners.’ But if you read a little deeper you will see that there is more to it than that.

James Martin also talks about a mindset.  It is an assertive mindset that distinguishes the true champions.  Sampras does not have the most powerful serve. Federer does not have the most powerful strokes. They hit hard but there are others who can hit harder.

They both have fluidity and variety. In fact, if you think about Federer, Sampras and McEnroe everyone would agree they have incredible hands. So does Borg and so does Nadal. It is not as natural but they have used variety to augment their games.

And all of them used offense.   But the overall theme of the article seems to bottle up the essence of a higher level of tennis.

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Dear Mr. Mencinger: Great blog and website. I need your help, please. I am an active club player. 31 yrs old playing my best overall game (good groundstrokes and volleys).

But for the last 2 years, my serve toss has been a struggle. I thought it was technique, but I have served well in the past. I tend to start serving well and then the moment I miss one toss, doubts kick in.

My tossing arm feels paralyzed and I forget what my toss motion (and overall serve motion) looked like. I start changing things out of nervousness. (more…)

What’s the best advice you can give me on how to improve my game most efficiently?

I’m an educator in passion and mathematician by training, so I’m always interested in the most efficient method.

Feenix Y. Pan, Ph.D.
Learning Consultant in Mathematics
www.door2math.com

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Hmm, tough question.

Let’s look at your question from this perspective: you need to play a lot in con-competitive situations and complement that with competitive play.

Fast improvement in technique and coordination and feel comes from NOT playing for points. (more…)