my strokes (5.5) if interested

I appreciate the encouragement guys, thanks. Today was a tough day, and I dont feel so good about it. I played a pretty bad first set, lots of errors and lackluster energy, lost 6-2. Second set I battled, ran down nearly everything and wasnt beating myself, and lost 6-3. Wettengel played great and was just too good. Biggest key was his serve and return. He has one of the best serves ive ever faced and I had major problems with that, and he also was returning nearly every serve of mine and I didnt serve too bad for myself. Besides my errors, he just played extremely aggressive and I was on defense too much, so most of the credit goes to him although I felt I wasnt hitting as well and as penetrating as usual. He was nice, he admitted he played exceptionally well against me compared to this morning when he lost a set.

This loss hurts though. I had a tough time getting over my loss to Strode this summer, when I played very well and still got handled. I feel like Im no good at tennis, Im losing confidence. I dont think ill be as good as I want to be unfortunately. Alot of it is just having an upbringing in rural Minnesota without access to good players and far away from indoor courts, and not having been trained for the very best technique. Im sure I would have been alot better if I had grown up in ideal situations, and touring/playing full time after, but even then I probably still wouldnt have made it. It is hard because I am so competitive, and have such a burning desire to train and improve, and I play and practice at maximal focus and intensity nearly all the time, but I still lost. I have alot of speed and athleticism, and Ive used that to overcome my deficencies and get to where I am, but Im losing to this level, the level where Im playing top 200-300 players and getting beat soundly, again once where I played and competed my very best.

Ive had success in my area and beaten several top 700 and below players, good college players, and built confidence, had a feeling like I want to see where I can go, and now I feel like Im no good even after Ive had a couple great years and have kept improving for the last 6-7 years every year. I dont know what to do now, I dont know what I can do to make it right. The way I feel, I could somehow try to let the losses go and lift,run/train 3 times harder than I ever have even when I already work very hard, but that probably wont help me alot, or enough to win against this level. I can keep trying to improve my serve, but Im not sure I will ever be able to have a "great" serve, for this level. My strokes I basically learned myself through basic guidance, and Im not sure if I can change much. Maybe I dont need to, or maybe just a little.

I probably just somehow need to accept that its near impossible to have everything in place to make it in this sport. And considering where Im coming from, Ive done alright. I can keep working hard and try to enjoy the game, try to keep improving, but realize that its alot harder to improve the better you get, and there is a limit. I guess I think I want to run. lift and workout like a maniac, and improve my serve, and maybe that can push me closer to that level. 5 years ago, I would have loved to be where Im at, so I think if youre as competitive as I am, eventually it wears out, and youre not satisfied, and youre hoping for the next step. There can be only one #1, it is a tough fact of life...

Thanks for all the really supportive people on here. Thats it for now, Im off to do some hard jump rope...

Hey Tonlars,

Just wondering if you've had any coaching? A good coach might help you get out of the doldrums.

Also, you said you had trouble handling big serves. Maybe that's one area where you could show some improvement to get you to the next level.

TonLars said:

I appreciate the encouragement guys, thanks. Today was a tough day, and I dont feel so good about it. I played a pretty bad first set, lots of errors and lackluster energy, lost 6-2. Second set I battled, ran down nearly everything and wasnt beating myself, and lost 6-3. Wettengel played great and was just too good. Biggest key was his serve and return. He has one of the best serves ive ever faced and I had major problems with that, and he also was returning nearly every serve of mine and I didnt serve too bad for myself. Besides my errors, he just played extremely aggressive and I was on defense too much, so most of the credit goes to him although I felt I wasnt hitting as well and as penetrating as usual. He was nice, he admitted he played exceptionally well against me compared to this morning when he lost a set.

This loss hurts though. I had a tough time getting over my loss to Strode this summer, when I played very well and still got handled. I feel like Im no good at tennis, Im losing confidence. I dont think ill be as good as I want to be unfortunately. Alot of it is just having an upbringing in rural Minnesota without access to good players and far away from indoor courts, and not having been trained for the very best technique. Im sure I would have been alot better if I had grown up in ideal situations, and touring/playing full time after, but even then I probably still wouldnt have made it. It is hard because I am so competitive, and have such a burning desire to train and improve, and I play and practice at maximal focus and intensity nearly all the time, but I still lost. I have alot of speed and athleticism, and Ive used that to overcome my deficencies and get to where I am, but Im losing to this level, the level where Im playing top 200-300 players and getting beat soundly, again once where I played and competed my very best.

Ive had success in my area and beaten several top 700 and below players, good college players, and built confidence, had a feeling like I want to see where I can go, and now I feel like Im no good even after Ive had a couple great years and have kept improving for the last 6-7 years every year. I dont know what to do now, I dont know what I can do to make it right. The way I feel, I could somehow try to let the losses go and lift,run/train 3 times harder than I ever have even when I already work very hard, but that probably wont help me alot, or enough to win against this level. I can keep trying to improve my serve, but Im not sure I will ever be able to have a "great" serve, for this level. My strokes I basically learned myself through basic guidance, and Im not sure if I can change much. Maybe I dont need to, or maybe just a little.

I probably just somehow need to accept that its near impossible to have everything in place to make it in this sport. And considering where Im coming from, Ive done alright. I can keep working hard and try to enjoy the game, try to keep improving, but realize that its alot harder to improve the better you get, and there is a limit. I guess I think I want to run. lift and workout like a maniac, and improve my serve, and maybe that can push me closer to that level. 5 years ago, I would have loved to be where Im at, so I think if youre as competitive as I am, eventually it wears out, and youre not satisfied, and youre hoping for the next step. There can be only one #1, it is a tough fact of life...

Thanks for all the really supportive people on here. Thats it for now, Im off to do some hard jump rope...

Click to expand...

You know what's funny about this, I can't tell you how many times I've seen a result you've had and thought "man, I'd give anything to be that good." I'm sure it's frustrating to be right on the brink of being a player that could live off of playing tennis, and I'm sure not having elite coaching makes it feel like you may have been robbed of a professional career. However, I think after tough losses it's good to look at things in perspective. You've reached a level that only a tiny percentage of players ever reach. I, and countless players like me, love tennis, love competition, want to be great, and work hard, but we'll probably never be good enough to get a game off of you. Sure, we haven't been able to put in the time that you have, but we also haven't had the experiences you have. You've gotten to play college tennis, compete (and win against) professional players, win high level tournaments, and even hit with Mike Russell.

I guess it's hard for people to appreciate their own accomplishments. That attitude is probably what got you this far. However, I can't help but think what a shame it would be for you to not have a full appreciation of your level. I guarantee you, when you play open's tournaments, all of the NTRP players, and most of the open's players, look at you with a combination of awe, envy, and jealousy. They think "damn, why can't I play like that?" So it's fine to be disappointed, but after you're done, try to look at yourself with clearer eyes and be thankful for the skills and talents you have.

That's a great post, HunterST. Well said...

And well done Tony, Chris is a fine player, no disgrace in that result at all!

I lost to Wett earlier this year 1-1 and his serve was sick. I had additional game points and the score might have been closer by a couple games but I never managed a break point on his serve. The problem with his serve is that you can’t practice with someone else to get a grove on it because very few people can consistently hit it that hard and heavy. Not to mention I played him indoors and he hit a few well into the 130s down the T which I never even had a sniff at. His return was also very good and it put pressure on you right away if you powder puffed a second serve in. Still, I’d imagine on a good day you could definitely have made it much closer. 7-5, 6-4 or maybe on a very good day 3 sets or if you played amazing take the win. He has been on a roll lately though and his ranking is back in the 600s I believe after making the finals of a couple futures events.

TonLars said:

This loss hurts though. I had a tough time getting over my loss to Strode this summer, when I played very well and still got handled. I feel like Im no good at tennis, Im losing confidence. I dont think ill be as good as I want to be unfortunately. ...

Click to expand...

Haha you have the commitment the physicality and the shots. The one HUGE main obstacle to get to the next level is practice partners. If you can’t consistently practice with futures level players you’re so screwed. Like you said, you play Wett, he’s bombing 130s. Now what? If you don’t consistently practice against players that hit ATP level serves you’re going to be going into a match with almost no chance to break. You cant take 1 set just to get comfortable returning someone’s serve. You have obviously beaten high caliber players before but I think the confidence needs to come from practice. If you’re getting the chance to practice with tour players to where it’s second nature to respond to certain shots that’s going to be huge. When I played more competitively 15 years ago, practicing with the best players I could was the only way to get to the next level. A good players can maintain their skill practicing with 5.0 players but to improve you need the higher level of training partner.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hgzxHb1eds

Chris epitomizes winning.

equinox said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hgzxHb1eds

Chris epitomizes winning.

Click to expand...

he's a great guy to watch. Lot's of antics on court, talks to himself in the 3rd person etc. Very competitive and never gives up on a match.

LeeD said:

That's called RESPECT.
Tony owes the kid that double bagel.
Any less, and it's disrespect. The kid enter's A/Open. That means he expects to play someone of that caliber. If that someone goofs around, talks to his buds, plays 1/3 effort, and still wins, it's disrespectful.
Thank you, Tony, and good luck foreever.

Click to expand...

Exactly. The biggest favor you can do an opponent is to beat them as badly as you can so they have a guage of exactly where they are and how much they need to improve.

TonLars said:

I appreciate the encouragement guys, thanks. Today was a tough day, and I dont feel so good about it. I played a pretty bad first set, lots of errors and lackluster energy, lost 6-2. Second set I battled, ran down nearly everything and wasnt beating myself, and lost 6-3. Wettengel played great and was just too good. Biggest key was his serve and return. He has one of the best serves ive ever faced and I had major problems with that, and he also was returning nearly every serve of mine and I didnt serve too bad for myself. Besides my errors, he just played extremely aggressive and I was on defense too much, so most of the credit goes to him although I felt I wasnt hitting as well and as penetrating as usual. He was nice, he admitted he played exceptionally well against me compared to this morning when he lost a set.

This loss hurts though. I had a tough time getting over my loss to Strode this summer, when I played very well and still got handled. I feel like Im no good at tennis, Im losing confidence. I dont think ill be as good as I want to be unfortunately. Alot of it is just having an upbringing in rural Minnesota without access to good players and far away from indoor courts, and not having been trained for the very best technique. Im sure I would have been alot better if I had grown up in ideal situations, and touring/playing full time after, but even then I probably still wouldnt have made it. It is hard because I am so competitive, and have such a burning desire to train and improve, and I play and practice at maximal focus and intensity nearly all the time, but I still lost. I have alot of speed and athleticism, and Ive used that to overcome my deficencies and get to where I am, but Im losing to this level, the level where Im playing top 200-300 players and getting beat soundly, again once where I played and competed my very best.

Ive had success in my area and beaten several top 700 and below players, good college players, and built confidence, had a feeling like I want to see where I can go, and now I feel like Im no good even after Ive had a couple great years and have kept improving for the last 6-7 years every year. I dont know what to do now, I dont know what I can do to make it right. The way I feel, I could somehow try to let the losses go and lift,run/train 3 times harder than I ever have even when I already work very hard, but that probably wont help me alot, or enough to win against this level. I can keep trying to improve my serve, but Im not sure I will ever be able to have a "great" serve, for this level. My strokes I basically learned myself through basic guidance, and Im not sure if I can change much. Maybe I dont need to, or maybe just a little.

I probably just somehow need to accept that its near impossible to have everything in place to make it in this sport. And considering where Im coming from, Ive done alright. I can keep working hard and try to enjoy the game, try to keep improving, but realize that its alot harder to improve the better you get, and there is a limit. I guess I think I want to run. lift and workout like a maniac, and improve my serve, and maybe that can push me closer to that level. 5 years ago, I would have loved to be where Im at, so I think if youre as competitive as I am, eventually it wears out, and youre not satisfied, and youre hoping for the next step. There can be only one #1, it is a tough fact of life...

Thanks for all the really supportive people on here. Thats it for now, Im off to do some hard jump rope...

Click to expand...

Tony, what a great and honest post. I have sat with a least 5-6 about your age over the years who have hit the same exact place in their tennis. I think you came up with the perfect thing to do when you get to this point....go jump some rope! Good luck, you are a class act.

Devilito said:

Haha you have the commitment the physicality and the shots. The one HUGE main obstacle to get to the next level is practice partners. If you can’t consistently practice with futures level players you’re so screwed. Like you said, you play Wett, he’s bombing 130s. Now what? If you don’t consistently practice against players that hit ATP level serves you’re going to be going into a match with almost no chance to break. You cant take 1 set just to get comfortable returning someone’s serve. You have obviously beaten high caliber players before but I think the confidence needs to come from practice. If you’re getting the chance to practice with tour players to where it’s second nature to respond to certain shots that’s going to be huge. When I played more competitively 15 years ago, practicing with the best players I could was the only way to get to the next level. A good players can maintain their skill practicing with 5.0 players but to improve you need the higher level of training partner.

Click to expand...

That's a great point about practice partners. Can't really expect to beat the top players in the world when the only time you experience that level is in matches.

TonLars said:

I appreciate the encouragement guys, thanks. Today was a tough day, and I dont feel so good about it. I played a pretty bad first set, lots of errors and lackluster energy, lost 6-2. Second set I battled, ran down nearly everything and wasnt beating myself, and lost 6-3. Wettengel played great and was just too good. Biggest key was his serve and return. He has one of the best serves ive ever faced and I had major problems with that, and he also was returning nearly every serve of mine and I didnt serve too bad for myself. Besides my errors, he just played extremely aggressive and I was on defense too much, so most of the credit goes to him although I felt I wasnt hitting as well and as penetrating as usual. He was nice, he admitted he played exceptionally well against me compared to this morning when he lost a set.

This loss hurts though. I had a tough time getting over my loss to Strode this summer, when I played very well and still got handled. I feel like Im no good at tennis, Im losing confidence. I dont think ill be as good as I want to be unfortunately. Alot of it is just having an upbringing in rural Minnesota without access to good players and far away from indoor courts, and not having been trained for the very best technique. Im sure I would have been alot better if I had grown up in ideal situations, and touring/playing full time after, but even then I probably still wouldnt have made it. It is hard because I am so competitive, and have such a burning desire to train and improve, and I play and practice at maximal focus and intensity nearly all the time, but I still lost. I have alot of speed and athleticism, and Ive used that to overcome my deficencies and get to where I am, but Im losing to this level, the level where Im playing top 200-300 players and getting beat soundly, again once where I played and competed my very best.

Ive had success in my area and beaten several top 700 and below players, good college players, and built confidence, had a feeling like I want to see where I can go, and now I feel like Im no good even after Ive had a couple great years and have kept improving for the last 6-7 years every year. I dont know what to do now, I dont know what I can do to make it right. The way I feel, I could somehow try to let the losses go and lift,run/train 3 times harder than I ever have even when I already work very hard, but that probably wont help me alot, or enough to win against this level. I can keep trying to improve my serve, but Im not sure I will ever be able to have a "great" serve, for this level. My strokes I basically learned myself through basic guidance, and Im not sure if I can change much. Maybe I dont need to, or maybe just a little.

I probably just somehow need to accept that its near impossible to have everything in place to make it in this sport. And considering where Im coming from, Ive done alright. I can keep working hard and try to enjoy the game, try to keep improving, but realize that its alot harder to improve the better you get, and there is a limit. I guess I think I want to run. lift and workout like a maniac, and improve my serve, and maybe that can push me closer to that level. 5 years ago, I would have loved to be where Im at, so I think if youre as competitive as I am, eventually it wears out, and youre not satisfied, and youre hoping for the next step. There can be only one #1, it is a tough fact of life...

Thanks for all the really supportive people on here. Thats it for now, Im off to do some hard jump rope...

Click to expand...

Tony, I usually follow your tournaments/matches update but I never really comment on that because I would tell you what everyone says "great job,great win", etc and think it would be useless.
This time though is a bit different, I would like to somehow try to give you a little encouragement in this tough time. You got to the point in which you really face tennis player. Before to get here you were pretty confident on your skill, you were winning sometimes loosing, but putting up a nice fight so the losses were not that unbearable at all, and you knew that sometimes happens to loose but you were cool with it.

Now playing with 200/300 ranked players opened your eyes and showed you a different tennis world which you may have not thought to be that hard and you struggle to digest this.

I think there are 3 important points in the post you wrote I would like to say something about them:

1 You will never be satisfy the way you play no matter what because you are competitive and this pushes you always to get to the next step. It's in you, there is nothing you can do about it and you will never totally feel accomplish playing a step below or where you are now.

2 I also believe that time is playing a big role in your tennis career because you know you don't have too many years ahead you can play at this level and as you mentioned but in a subtle nice way.

3 You feel like you could have been a much better playing with a proper coaching since you have started playing. I honestly think you are 100% right but you I have the feeling you are angry because of this and maybe jealous of other players they had a different sort.


I don't know you of your life/economy situation but if tennis is your life do what your gut tells you. You got to a pretty high tennis level right now and I think you have two options: do your best to stick where you are now till you fall apart or the second is to stop beating up yourself and the place you come from and have been practiced! you know you got all you could from that but if you want to step up you shouldn't waste more time; take a 6 months a year off move somewhere you can get a real coach or some academy.

You are hungry to win as many matches/tournaments as you can because you love the sport and the competitiveness but also to show yourself you could made it even though not having a elite coach, but now it's time to change a little your attitude. Use that anger along with whatever you think it would help you, do what it takes to get you to as far as you can.

Start a new chapter, give yourself another try.

Interesting side note, and I don't wish to hijack the thread in any way, but I notice here on TT a lot of posters a very dismissive of Brian Battistone and his two handled racquet.

At the same time, there is universal respect for Chris Wettengel (rightly so) as a good player.

So... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSdvDkB_90M

plus they are playing doubles together and may well win the Phoenix event..

double standards, perhaps?

Timbo's hopeless slice said:

Interesting side note, and I don't wish to hijack the thread in any way

Click to expand...

total thread hijack and irrelevant to anything Tony is doing

Well, except Chris beat Tony, aand Brian and Chris are finalists in the event in which Tony and young DB played...

Goes to level vs known quantity, actually.

I was interested in how TT posters view Brian vs how they view Tony, and his strokes...

Both could be argued to be unconventional.

TonLars said:

I appreciate the encouragement guys, thanks. Today was a tough day, and I dont feel so good about it. I played a pretty bad first set, lots of errors and lackluster energy, lost 6-2. Second set I battled, ran down nearly everything and wasnt beating myself, and lost 6-3. Wettengel played great and was just too good. Biggest key was his serve and return. He has one of the best serves ive ever faced and I had major problems with that, and he also was returning nearly every serve of mine and I didnt serve too bad for myself. Besides my errors, he just played extremely aggressive and I was on defense too much, so most of the credit goes to him although I felt I wasnt hitting as well and as penetrating as usual. He was nice, he admitted he played exceptionally well against me compared to this morning when he lost a set.

This loss hurts though. I had a tough time getting over my loss to Strode this summer, when I played very well and still got handled. I feel like Im no good at tennis, Im losing confidence. I dont think ill be as good as I want to be unfortunately. Alot of it is just having an upbringing in rural Minnesota without access to good players and far away from indoor courts, and not having been trained for the very best technique. Im sure I would have been alot better if I had grown up in ideal situations, and touring/playing full time after, but even then I probably still wouldnt have made it. It is hard because I am so competitive, and have such a burning desire to train and improve, and I play and practice at maximal focus and intensity nearly all the time, but I still lost. I have alot of speed and athleticism, and Ive used that to overcome my deficencies and get to where I am, but Im losing to this level, the level where Im playing top 200-300 players and getting beat soundly, again once where I played and competed my very best.

Ive had success in my area and beaten several top 700 and below players, good college players, and built confidence, had a feeling like I want to see where I can go, and now I feel like Im no good even after Ive had a couple great years and have kept improving for the last 6-7 years every year. I dont know what to do now, I dont know what I can do to make it right. The way I feel, I could somehow try to let the losses go and lift,run/train 3 times harder than I ever have even when I already work very hard, but that probably wont help me alot, or enough to win against this level. I can keep trying to improve my serve, but Im not sure I will ever be able to have a "great" serve, for this level. My strokes I basically learned myself through basic guidance, and Im not sure if I can change much. Maybe I dont need to, or maybe just a little.

I probably just somehow need to accept that its near impossible to have everything in place to make it in this sport. And considering where Im coming from, Ive done alright. I can keep working hard and try to enjoy the game, try to keep improving, but realize that its alot harder to improve the better you get, and there is a limit. I guess I think I want to run. lift and workout like a maniac, and improve my serve, and maybe that can push me closer to that level. 5 years ago, I would have loved to be where Im at, so I think if youre as competitive as I am, eventually it wears out, and youre not satisfied, and youre hoping for the next step. There can be only one #1, it is a tough fact of life...

Thanks for all the really supportive people on here. Thats it for now, Im off to do some hard jump rope...

Click to expand...

It's just a tennis match. Learn from it and move on.

BTW, there can only be one #1 at one time. But, being #1 is always a temporary status for all #1's.

HunterST said:

You know what's funny about this, I can't tell you how many times I've seen a result you've had and thought "man, I'd give anything to be that good." I'm sure it's frustrating to be right on the brink of being a player that could live off of playing tennis, and I'm sure not having elite coaching makes it feel like you may have been robbed of a professional career. However, I think after tough losses it's good to look at things in perspective. You've reached a level that only a tiny percentage of players ever reach.

Click to expand...

Thank you for taking the time to write your post, I appreciate it alot.

Devilito said:

The one HUGE main obstacle to get to the next level is practice partners. If you can’t consistently practice with futures level players you’re so screwed. Like you said, you play Wett, he’s bombing 130s. Now what? If you don’t consistently practice against players that hit ATP level serves you’re going to be going into a match with almost no chance to break. A good players can maintain their skill practicing with 5.0 players but to improve you need the higher level of training partner.

Click to expand...

I think youre absolutely right, I have thoughts like this even during these types of matches since Im having to work much harder and my opponents are able to handle my good play which im not used to. Would definitely be nice, thanks for your kind words and perspective.

Tmano said:

You are hungry to win as many matches/tournaments as you can because you love the sport and the competitiveness but also to show yourself you could made it even though not having a elite coach, but now it's time to change a little your attitude. Use that anger along with whatever you think it would help you, do what it takes to get you to as far as you can.

Start a new chapter, give yourself another try.

Click to expand...

Thanks for your post, it is nice to hear when someone can really understand, even between the lines with things unsaid. I think youre right and it would help a ton to do my training in a better place, it would be tough with my job and location. I will try to make some changes though, these have been eye opening matches and I think I will be more motivated than ever while I work hard these next 3-4 months before tournaments again.

I know I'm not out on the circuit trying to make my living. I'm a 15 year old from a family that has been nothing but supportive. I can't say that I've had to overcome obstacles that many have to face.

But I can tell you that you have no reason to think you are not a very good tennis player. You're out there beating literally some of the best tennis players in the world. There are always times when either you or I feel like we just aren't going to make it to that next level. Heck, I remember when I had just beaten a 4 star soundly, felt really good, then went into my next match and got absolutely manhandled by a blue chip. I legitimately considered forgetting my dream of even getting into a decent dII college program. Everyone goes through that. You just need to realize that there's nothing preventing you from becoming the best you can be.

You have everything you need to become a world class tennis player.

Some ideas on how to simulate the conditions you'd encounter playing a good
player:

1) have someone serve from the service line or even standing on a chair.

2) have someone feed from inside the service line. use heavy, topspin feeds.

3) overhead/volley drill: Feeder at baseline. Random mix of overheads and
volleys. After every shot you must touch the net with your racquet.
If it gets too easy, then move the feeder in closer toward the net. (but don't
hit him!) goal is to not let the ball bounce, hit solid volleys and putaway
overheads at various targets.

4) the usual 2 on 1 baseline drills that you probably already know.
2 on 1 with you at the net is also good.

Oh, my

onehandbh said:

Some ideas on how to simulate the conditions you'd encounter playing a good
player:

1) have someone serve from the service line or even standing on a chair.

2) have someone feed from inside the service line. use heavy, topspin feeds.

3) overhead/volley drill: Feeder at baseline. Random mix of overheads and
volleys. After every shot you must touch the net with your racquet.
If it gets too easy, then move the feeder in closer toward the net. (but don't
hit him!) goal is to not let the ball bounce, hit solid volleys and putaway
overheads at various targets.

4) the usual 2 on 1 baseline drills that you probably already know.
2 on 1 with you at the net is also good.

Click to expand...

I really don't react to posts on the internet but......I'm pretty sure a player (and teaching pro) of Tony's caliber has figured out advanced drills to improve his game much less the simple suggestions above....

EDIT: wtf posted in wrong thread sorry

^ Can't help thinking at tonylars level the difference between winners and also runs is up here. Mental. ^

Ask around local uni's, should lead to some recommendations for sports psychology practitioners.

To the OP, maybe if if you think there is some more you could do on your serve then the next few months is a good time to test. It is the most important shot in tennis. Remember,the 1% rule applies,especially at the highest levels. Djoko is the perfect example of that with his serve. Todd M tried to change it all in one go and what happened? Everybody remembers.So,1 little bit at a time. And,only if it actually works.

onehandbh said:

Some ideas on how to simulate the conditions you'd encounter playing a good
player:

1) have someone serve from the service line or even standing on a chair.

2) have someone feed from inside the service line. use heavy, topspin feeds.

3) overhead/volley drill: Feeder at baseline. Random mix of overheads and
volleys. After every shot you must touch the net with your racquet.
If it gets too easy, then move the feeder in closer toward the net. (but don't
hit him!) goal is to not let the ball bounce, hit solid volleys and putaway
overheads at various targets.

4) the usual 2 on 1 baseline drills that you probably already know.
2 on 1 with you at the net is also good.

Click to expand...

Or just practice with onehandbh!

Will Wilson said:

I really don't react to posts on the internet but......I'm pretty sure a player (and teaching pro) of Tony's caliber has figured out advanced drills to improve his game much less the simple suggestions above....

Click to expand...

Yeah, he probably already knows all of the above. I must say I'm a bit
surprised that post evoked such emotion, though. To get back to a peaceful
state, Mr. Hanks recommends you spend some one-on-one time on an island
with a volleyball.

onehandbh said:

Yeah, he probably already knows all of the above. I must say I'm a bit
surprised that post evoked such emotion, though. To get back to a peaceful
state, Mr. Hanks recommends you spend some one-on-one time on an island
with a volleyball.

Click to expand...

LOL, I can see you have a great sense of humor with a line like that. Brilliant.

Plan for 2012:

I think the best way for me to try to compete with and win against the level I have been losing to this year is primarily to strengthen my strengths. My main strengths are court coverage, consistency, aggressive forehands and moving the ball around side to side. Ive always worked hard on my fitness but Im going to try to take it to a much higher level. If I can be faster than anyone I play, and maintain "all out" effort throughout a long match or for much longer, I think this could make a big difference that I took for granted since Im already strong in these areas. When you play a tough opponent, you have to work alot harder, and for much longer periods of time if it is a close score, and the level can drop off toward the end. The difference from my already dedicated workouts to the future will be willingness to really suffer and progress rather than maintain, by increasing the workload and frequency of what Im already doing, along with a few new things. Other than that, I can try to make small improvements to everything else, especially the areas Im not as strong in, such as the first serve still.

-Increase stamina and energy greatly (insane workout schedule, better sleep, better nutrition), along with increased speed and strength any small amount possible

-Add height and spin to overall groundstroking, small changes in technique and equipment settings

-Improve aggressive backhand, including the down the line especially

-Improve handling high backhand stroke and return (technique and positioning)

-Improve first serve technique, develop more effective first serve (power, accuracy and consistency). This used to be a weakness, but now for sure no longer hurts me and does gain some free points.

-Improve net game volleys and overheads (experience, using feet/legs better for technique and anticipation)

good luck Tony.

maximise your strengths, minimise your weaknesses. Simple concepts, good plan!

TonLars said:

Plan for 2012:

I think the best way for me to try to compete with and win against the level I have been losing to this year is primarily to strengthen my strengths. My main strengths are court coverage, consistency, aggressive forehands and moving the ball around side to side. Ive always worked hard on my fitness but Im going to try to take it to a much higher level. If I can be faster than anyone I play, and maintain "all out" effort throughout a long match or for much longer, I think this could make a big difference that I took for granted since Im already strong in these areas. When you play a tough opponent, you have to work alot harder, and for much longer periods of time if it is a close score, and the level can drop off toward the end. The difference from my already dedicated workouts to the future will be willingness to really suffer and progress rather than maintain, by increasing the workload and frequency of what Im already doing, along with a few new things. Other than that, I can try to make small improvements to everything else, especially the areas Im not as strong in, such as the first serve still.

-Increase stamina and energy greatly (insane workout schedule, better sleep, better nutrition), along with increased speed and strength any small amount possible

-Add height and spin to overall groundstroking, small changes in technique and equipment settings

-Improve aggressive backhand, including the down the line especially

-Improve handling high backhand stroke and return (technique and positioning)

-Improve first serve technique, develop more effective first serve (power, accuracy and consistency). This used to be a weakness, but now for sure no longer hurts me and does gain some free points.

-Improve net game volleys and overheads (experience, using feet/legs better for technique and anticipation)

Click to expand...

Sounds like a GREAT plan, go for it!! We'll be rooting for you.

I am excited to see this. In the photos of you serving from the last tournament you looked like you were dropping your racket head a lot further down and really going after the ball. Good luck in 2012!

Try the L-tec strings. Best for control: Os 18g/4s crosses. Best for spin/power: 5s/3s set up. Best for outright power: 3s/gut. Since you hit so hard you would be suited to the tension loss method of stringing.

Hey Tony I watched a bunch of your videos and I actually do believe you can take it to the next level. I think you are a very athletic guy with really quick reflexes. Because you can get away with it because of your quickness you are reactive to the ball as opposed to being proactive. You're relying too much on your natural quickness. You can beat a lot of guys because of your natural quickness but with the top flight guys you need to be more aggressive and faster with your movement. If you watch Federer or any top pro, they hit almost every ball on the rise. You are making contact too late on your strokes. I've noticed in all your clips that you don't even split step before your opponent makes contact with the ball. You should be in the air before your opponent makes contact to get the really explosive first step. Take time away from your opponent on every shot! It's a testament to your amazing quickness and hard work that you are winning and are really competitive at the level that you're currently at. But seriously, you've got the strokes and fitness to ramp it up. Split step buddy, hit on the rise and i guarantee you'll see big improvements. You might want to hug that baseline. Fed's footwork and quickness are what makes him great. I really wish you the best.

asifallasleep said:

Hey Tony I watched a bunch of your videos and I actually do believe you can take it to the next level. I think you are a very athletic guy with really quick reflexes. Because you can get away with it because of your quickness you are reactive to the ball as opposed to being proactive. You're relying too much on your natural quickness. You can beat a lot of guys because of your natural quickness but with the top flight guys you need to be more aggressive and faster with your movement. If you watch Federer or any top pro, they hit almost every ball on the rise. You are making contact too late on your strokes. I've noticed in all your clips that you don't even split step before your opponent makes contact with the ball. You should be in the air before your opponent makes contact to get the really explosive first step. Take time away from your opponent on every shot! It's a testament to your amazing quickness and hard work that you are winning and are really competitive at the level that you're currently at. But seriously, you've got the strokes and fitness to ramp it up. Split step buddy, hit on the rise and i guarantee you'll see big improvements. You might want to hug that baseline. Fed's footwork and quickness are what makes him great. I really wish you the best.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the comment, you are right that I probably can be more proactive and anticipate more on the court with my movement rather than simply just reacting and moving fast. Also need to be ready to get up on shorter balls to take on the rise more often.

However, I split step alot, and I went to look at some clips just to watch for it, so im not sure what you were seeing unless you just want a higher hop. Thanks for the encouragement

Hey, I see your recognition of the ball coming but not an explosive split step. I also see you setting up just as the ball is bouncing. That's way too late. I would say practice hitting everything on the rise and consciously saying you want to hit the ball back as fast and quickly as humanly possible to take sooooo much time away from your opponent. You should be set up and in position way before the ball bounces. I think you may be naturally a counterpuncher? Watch some clips of Fed, Djokovic, etc., compared to them you are moving in slow motion. Really hard to be counterpuncher once you get pretty high in the rankings, especially with the pace everyone hits with today.

asifallasleep said:

Hey, I see your recognition of the ball coming but not an explosive split step. I also see you setting up just as the ball is bouncing. That's way too late. I would say practice hitting everything on the rise and consciously saying you want to hit the ball back as fast and quickly as humanly possible to take sooooo much time away from your opponent. You should be set up and in position way before the ball bounces. I think you may be naturally a counterpuncher? Watch some clips of Fed, Djokovic, etc., compared to them you are moving in slow motion. Really hard to be counterpuncher once you get pretty high in the rankings, especially with the pace everyone hits with today.

Click to expand...

The first step is what needs to be explosive, the split step should usually be light; nothing wrong with my split step. My movement doesnt really need alot of improvement other than a little bit more anticipation and immediate recovery. Ive had a former top 150 pro tell me he thought I moved like Djokovic or James Blake, but I only come close when Im feeling my very best. I get to alot of balls when someone is making me play defensively. You are right though that my forehand prep is late at times, I will try to consciously set up earlier. But no, I dont usually play counter puncher, I almost always am moving the opponent corner to corner and hitting hard aggresive forehands as youll see in the match videos.

TonLars said:

The first step is what needs to be explosive, the split step should usually be light; nothing wrong with my split step. My movement doesnt really need alot of improvement other than a little bit more anticipation and immediate recovery. Ive had a former top 150 pro tell me he thought I moved like Djokovic or James Blake, but I only come close when Im feeling my very best. I get to alot of balls when someone is making me play defensively. You are right though that my forehand prep is late at times, I will try to consciously set up earlier. But no, I dont usually play counter puncher, I almost always am moving the opponent corner to corner and hitting hard aggresive forehands as youll see in the match videos.

Click to expand...

How tall are you, tonlars?

Tony, assuming your nutrition and training blocks are right.

Spend the money on sports head shrink.

Tony, I must congratulate you for being such a good player. Hope you improve!

Become a body clock master.


________________________________________
“Play within yourself.” How many times have you heard that phrase? You are playing within yourself whether you like it or not! You play within yourself due to your internal timing mechanisms. I call it the body clock/engine. You have several types of internal body clock/engines. There is both a conscious, and a subconscious body clock/engine. These “clocks” control our rhythmical timing mechanisms and the different “engines” in our bodies. There is an upper body engine and a lower body engine. These clock/engines control your unit turns and your movements. The upper engine controls your upper core rotation and the lower engine controls your feet and legs. The ideal energy feels like, “Drunken monkey upper body, and fast Cheetah feet.” There is such a thing as a reliable flat shot. If you attack the shot you like. Wait for the weak or short shot you like to finish. The body knows what it likes. And that’s different for everyone. Keep the rpms of your internal engines revving fast through all energy mode transitions. One rpm speed is easier to master than many. One weapon is easier to master than many. One strategy is easier to master than many. Your body energy is more easily controlled if it only has one thing to concentrate on: speed. You don’t have to release your coil fast, but you always need to coil quickly.


My purpose in writing this piece is to speed up your ability to make transitions. When you master the body clock/engine transitions and your unit turns, those unforced errors will vanish and you will beat players you never beat before. However, a greater awareness of the hidden battle will help you win the exterior one.
Even at the highest level of play, most points are lost due to mistakes. Two out of three points are lost to mistakes, not winners. On slower courts, this figure goes up even higher! It’s your mental energy, that controls and creates these mistakes you make. Most club players make far more mistakes than the pros, even while hitting for far less. The club player typically has no idea about the relationship between movement and the body clock/engines inside him which are totally controlling and causing his shots.


TRAPPED
So you have gotten yourself into a match, and now you have nowhere to run or hide from the body clock and the score. You are inside a gladiatorial box with no way out until there is a victory or a defeat. The court is a box that you cannot escape. “It’s fight or flight out there.”, and your emotions create and fuel your energy.
Your body clock times the delivery of energy and determines whether you win or lose, or whether you improve during a match or not. The body engines deliver the timed energy.

Every match is made up of many small energy bursts and small emotional bursts. These bursts power our internal body clock/engines during a match. These energies fall into three categories. Conscious and unconscious forces affect your application of each energy.

THREE BODY CLOCK ENERGY CATEGORIES: LULL-JAM-FINISH
Lull energy: Is putting your opponent to sleep. Some of those bursts are lull energy based which are medium paced, medium risk, “put your opponent to sleep” shots with 2-5’ high net clearance and medium spin and medium mental attack. It’s as if you are projecting your thumb across the net onto the forehead of your opponent and bothering him with it. It’s low risk and easy to maintain.
Jam energy: It’s jam your opponent’s timing. Some of those bursts are jam based energy: they change the speed of the ball radically or the direction or the height after the ball bounces, and it’s this “radical change” which can jam any body clock rhythm. It’s as if you are jamming a spike into his body’s timing.
Finish energy: It’s put the ball away. Some of those bursts are finish based: they are clean winners. This is lower net clearance, higher risk, higher stick speed shot. These force your opponent to do a lot of emergency running.
There are psychological components of each of these energies as well as the physical incoming shot. Mastering the transition game requires the ability to master both the physical and psychological transitions.
Nadal is the most adrenalized player. Federer is the smoothest. Djokovic is the most improved. Murray is the defensive-lull master. Each controls their body clock/engines in the same manner. Each transitions in-between the three energy categories in every match, and sometimes in each point.

TWO INTERNAL SIMULTANEOUS ENGINES: LOWER AND UPPER

There are two internal body clock/engines running us at all times, an upper body engine and a lower body game. Our mental unit turn tells us to kill a shot, or push a shot, or jam a shot, or lull a shot, and the feet are on board if moving quickly, and the upper body is on board if moving fluidly and cocking against the opening hip. It’s the Blazing Cheetah feet, and drunken monkey torso.
When the engine running your torso slows down and there is no fluid coil and no draw to your shots.... If any shot upsets your timing, it has succeeded.
The torso engine turns you sideways and uncoils sideways. The feet engine keeps you moving quickly and uses positioning steps. The body clock is jammed when one or both of the bodies’ engines slows down.
They have to be running at the same speed, a fast one, no matter what incoming shot! You have to defend your body clock speed just as you defend your contact point, regardless of any shot.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SPLIT STEP FOR THE BODY CLOCK/ENGINE:
Edberg came into net almost sitting down in his split. That gave him quicker lateral movement. Murray will jump up 6”-9" up in the air on his split. So did Chang and Hewitt. Players with the biggest or most extreme split steps, often have the best defense/better foot work/quicker feet, ie, Chang, Hewitt, Sanchez vicario, Nadal, Murray, Agassi, etc., because the split step affects the unit turn so profoundly. The advanced split step will point one foot to the the same side the ball is heading towards and plant the other foot pointing towards the net, perpendicular to each other. This advanced split step causes a faster unit turn, because the turned foot pivots the upper body when that pivoted foot lands, and forces a faster unit turn, a faster decision on which shot you are going to hit. This strategy is all about removing time from the unit turn, deciding ahead of time which shots to hit, so you don’t have to waste time thinking about it during the point, and force your opponent to spend more time reacting and thinking!
Your mental unit turn has to be just as practiced and polished as the physical. It’s the decision of which type of energy to use, lull, jam, or finish, and how deep/ hard/ high the shot will be.


THE CONSCIOUS AND THE SUB CONSCIOUS CLOCK/ENGINE
In each match the clock’s timings are also under pressure of all types the entire duration of the match. Some of it is conscious: such as the shots you are facing up against, the wind, the sun, the heat, the court, the onlookers, your equipment, your strategy. And some of it is unconscious. Many unforced errors are the result of the unconscious body clock’s domination of the physical rhythm.
Other factors are your diet’s internal effects, your digestion such as gluten intolerance, extra weight you carry effecting your speed, the psych jobs you are facing up against, your underlying confidence, your core self beliefs, your latent emotions/desires/conflicts/hidden stress! These react to create the matched energy flow within you at any given millisecond. If you make a conscious decision to turn quickly and decide quickly which shot to make, this decisive quickness will cause your timing to improve dramatically.
Timing is everything in life and tennis. Uncle Tony once heard Jack Nicklaus say, “First learn to hit it far, then learn to keep it in.” , and he taught Nadal to hit the ball hard as a child. He also taught Nadal to be a master body clock jammer. Nadals’ whole game was built to jam his opponents, with psych, and with extreme spin that causes the ball to change radically after the bounce. Those who master the radical change, jump to the next level.

BODY CLOCK/ENGINE JAMMERS
Some body clock engine jammers are: fear, tightness, frustration, anger, anxiety, over eagerness, physical conditioning, too much emotion, fear based adrenaline, not enough adrenaline, hatred, cramping, nerves, sickness, bad diet, may all combine in part to jam the timing of your internal rhythm.
LIST OF COMMON CLOCK JAMMERS

Hatred for opponent
Psych job
Caring too much
Trying out something new in stroke or equipment
Not knowing your own weaknesses
Not being able to test for opponents weak points
Vulnerability to a particular type of incoming shot: spin, slice, high balls, twisting serves, change of pace or depth
Match pressure
Not enough practice
Cramps due to loss of salt, and water loss
Confidence dropping factors such as lack of sleep, etc.
Fear for any reason such as fear of missing the shot
Physical factors such as jet lag, injury, too much weight, etc.
Self belief or lack thereof for any reason
Not good enough on the run/footwork errors and no split stepHate your opponent? That can lock up internal rhythm. Has a psych job ever worked on you? Has an opponent called a ball out that was 6” in, and you went ape over it? Care too much about the win vs. the loss? Vulnerable to heat cramps? Not ready to play? Injured? Not confident? Know you are going to lose to a better player? Did you change a stroke before the match? Are you trying a new stick or string or new tension or new pair of sneakers? Playing within your self isn't just knowing which shots you can hit under pressure…. It's knowing what jams you up, and how to prevent it. Decide to be fearless. Whether or not you induce jams into yourself or your opponent is decided by the body clock battle.

FIND OUT WHAT MODE JAMS YOUR CLOCK AND PREVENT IT

If your diet is not good, or if you are overweight, or out of shape, it won’t matter how good your strokes are. You will not be able to maintain a high quality clock/engine mode during a match….. One thing all top players have in common, is fitness of body and fitness of mind/energy modes. (Recently Mardy Fish lost 30 lbs and won 16 of 17 matches in 2010 and has reached his highest ranking ever.) Look at Djokovic and what he was able to do when his weight went down after changing his diet. Djokovic now owns Nadal, who said, “He is in my head.”, after beating Rafa in six straight finals. Beforehand it was Rafa who beat Nole 5 times in a row in finals. Djokovic steps inside the baseline and attacks Nadals high topspin shots and drives them flat. Nadal can’t get any free points on his service games anymore. His jamming/psych game does not work on Djokovic anymore.
If you've ever seen a match, where one of the players all of a sudden started playing better and dominating an opponent who used to beat him, like Djokovic vs. Nadal, you have seen a player regain control over the clock/engine battle. Djokovic hired a psychological nutritionist, Igor Cetkovic, and started using a CVAC chamber along with the diet change. Igor left after Djokovic won Wimbledon and Nole hasn’t been the same. He lost to Nishikori. He almost let Troicki beat him. He defaulted to Tsonga. He defaulted in Davis cup play. All after his psychological nutritionist left him- 2011 July. You may have also seen a player suddenly start missing due to fearful nerves, and then lose a big lead and his prior dominance… His adrenaline caused fear and fear caused tightness and tightness caused his body to become jammed! Look at what happened to Fish at the end of the 2011 end of the year Nadal London match.
WHAT ENERGY ARE WE STRIVING FOR?
The fast running, smooth burn of a fluid, flowing, clean adrenaline. It’s an extremely relaxed yet very fast energy. Just enough adrenaline to make us faster and smoother than we normally are. This smooth yet quick energy, determines how relaxed we are, determines how freely we swing the stick, determines how accurate and powerful we are under pressure and how fast we move our feet. Good butterflies in the stomach! But it is up to us to realize that truth, and up to us whether or not we make the decision to use that knowledge to work on and perfect our adrenaline flow! It’s just like working on a shot, only more important. Shots flow with fluid coil. Coil identically whether the coil is released fast, medium or slowly. Unit turns are the coil. A very quick coil will give you the most time to choose and deliver your energy.
CALL ON ADRENALINE, AND YOU WILL CALL ON CONFIDENCE
Some people call it intensity. We must polish our adrenalized energy just as much as we work on any other part of our game. This energy is affected by both conscious and unconscious factors. This energy determines how well our clock/engines run. It’s the oil on the piston walls. Some call it “psyching yourself” up.
So how do you psych yourself up? It’s related to breath. It’s related to emotion. It’s related to intensity/intention and focus. It’s related to health and confidence. There is always a reason to gain your confidence and it should be foremost in your practice routine, a regular intention to notice and improve how confident you feel. Call for confidence into your game and it will come. It’s related to self belief. Some use breath, like yoga or chi or weight lifters. Some use interior mantras, short slogans you repeat in your mind. Some use emotion like McEnroe used to attack his energy mode. Some use the antelope Nadal method, of jumping up high and sprinting off to the baseline. Some use the gloating vampire scream, like Serena, Kvitova, Nadal, etc. Some use psychological nutritionists, like Djokovic did. Some use off court training to increase their confidence. Some use a lot of practice to ensure their self belief. Some use sports psychologists and even hypnotists to reach their unconscious mental energy. If you don’t have the ability to self psych, then don’t be surprised or upset when you lose. It’s a good idea going into a match thinking you are going to play well and win. You have to be able to warm yourself up. You have to be able to hear your interior mantra and call on your warrior intensity. Grunting can modulate adrenaline.

THE WARM UP EFFECT ON OUR INTERNAL CLOCK
Many matches are won in the warm ups. Most of us find out in the warm ups how consistent and how powerful or confident our opponents are in that first five minutes. We make up our minds without realizing it, whether we have a chance to win…. The expert body clock jammers use the warm up to plant the fatal suggestion in the opponents’ mind, that they have no chance, to win the match. The expert psych artist will make great effort to make every shot in the warm up. They will celebrate good shots. They will move fast and suggest they are in better shape than their opponent. They will fast serve you and work to under mine your confidence. They will probe you with all types of pace/spin/depths. They will insult you under the surface. The veneer of civilization is thin in the soul of the psych masters. Become aware of all the psychs and decide to become invulnerable to them.


PSYCH JOB EFFECT ON THE INTERNAL RHYTHM
Every psych aims to jam your body clock up, and make you play worse than you would if you were loose and relaxed. Whether the opponent admits it to himself or not, whether he does it consciously or not, that is his goal. To jam the flow of your adrenaline by manipulating your emotions and your internal transitions of your own body…. It’s your emotions that determine the quality of your adrenaline, whether it is a fearful or whether it’s an excited or confident flow…. Emotions can either jam us or super charge us! McEnroe and Djokovic and Serena and Nadal all play with a lot of emotion. He’s trying to make your feet move a little slower, to make your arms feel a little more tight, to make your core rotate a little slower, just enough to make you miss the next shot – and lose the next game. He’s trying to make himself feel more powerful and able to move smoothly. Psych is all about the body clock/engine jam. It’s about instilling fear, both conscious and unconscious. Ever see the face to face stare down between two fighters just before their fight? No athlete trains harder at the psych than fighters. Their lives are at stake. How would you like to be staring down face to face with a murderous Mike Tyson?

Currently, the best pro psych jammer is Nadal. He’s also the most adrenalized player and one of the most emotional players. For example, he always enters the court second. He makes his opp. Enter the stadiums before he enters. Always. He controls his opponent before a single shot is struck. He always antelopes up to the baseline just after the coin toss. He always vampires out a huge gloat after winning a big point. He vibrates his feet up and down on the change overs super fast. He scrapes the clay baseline clean after each game. He arranges his water bottles in a very particular manner. He makes his opponent wonder, “Is he on something, to be so fresh after 4 hours, when I am so tired?” Nadal is an adrenalinilized psych master!
Not only does he use his game to jam your rhythm, he uses his whole emotional persona to free his own...No one can psych him. They are too busy defending against the Nadal psych…..”First learn to hit it hard, Rafa, then learn to keep it in.”, uncle Tony drilled Nicklaus’ wisdom into Rafa’s head over and over…Nadals body clock was jam proof, until he ran into the new and improved Djokovic…..
No psych, works on him..The only time a shot can jam him is the flat ball, (or the great drop shot) which is how Soderling, Federer, Murray, Delpotro, and now Djokovic have all been able to beat him: by hitting down flat on his short and high bouncing top spin balls on faster surfaces, and they now can jam him with pace after lulling him until he hits too short.
THE SHOTS THAT JAM US:
The most common shots that jam our clocks are the ones that change speed radically after the bounce. The American twist serve to our back hand return, makes the ball speed up and change direction after the bounce. The heavy top spin shot that kicks in speed and height after the bounce. The super rpm slice ball that either speeds up or slows down after the bounce. The flat ball hit hard and deep, that makes the ball skid low and heavy. The short low drop shot that makes the ball kick back wards and side ways. The top spin lob that kicks hard and spins to the back fence. The slice serve that slides sideways low and out of reach. Lull shots set these up to be more effective due to the contrast in transition. The large contrast from lull to jam/finish creates the jammed clock.
To prevent these shots from jamming us, we must practice against them before the match ever begins. To jam others, we must practice these shots until they are second nature. It’s the transitions that are the equivalent of the mental unit turn. The decision to move from lull to an attack mode causes errors. The unforced errors are made most often when switching from one mode: lull-jam-finish: to the next mode. We see so many rallies, where both players are trying to lull the other by taking no risk. Then when a weak short shot presents itself, we see one of the players pounce on it, and puts the ball away with finish energy. . We must practice the transitions, from lull, to jam, to finish, every time out…Most errors are made in transition from one energy stage to the next.
SOME SAY THE “INNER” GAME IS THE MOST IMPORTANT
Does spirituality determine the best player? Are Christians any better at the game than Buddhists because of their belief in Jesus? Can any religious Ideology help you move faster or more accurately? Zen tennis, or mindful tennis has a following, but spirituality has nothing to do with the blue collar battle on the court.
Those who are neutral about winning don’t win more often. Good people don’t win more often. Those who believe that good and evil are illusions and all competition is an illusion don’t win more often. The opposite is also true. Dark souls only win more often if they cheat to do so and it’s a tight match!
It’s a blue collar battle out there. There is a lot of sweat, blood and tears involved. Everyone loses, and no one plays as well as they can play. You only get what you pay for. Every little gain you make is paid for. Speed hurts. The body clock controls speed, and good things happen when you move fast, coil fast, and unleash fast.

VARY ALL ROUTINES DURING MATCHES TO JAM MORE OFTEN
I played Rob Levin in an open tournament about 30 yrs. ago. He was a top norcal junior player. He had a watch, which he would turn on when serving, which let out a mnemonic tempo/beat, very loud beeping, 1-2-3-4, when he was serving. Then he would turn it off during the point! His father had controlled him to do this on every serve he hit in matches. It was extremely irritating! When I played Herman Bauer in singles, I found, that if I went to a no bounce ritual, in my serve, like old men do to young men, that he would miss his returns at a far higher rate. This was more effective, if varied, and not done all the time. It's part of the old man psych. I also found that when I changed my return position, to move way back, it affected his serve as well. If you suddenly change your shots it can change the match.
People are far more dependent on the sameness of athletic timing, in their own games, than they realize. They unconsciously depend on you doing the same things over and over in a match. If you've ever seen Doug Sykes, return, from four feet above the serve line, against anyone, it also drops the time down the server has to react to the return than they normally have and can upset their routine because no one else does this.... Vary your routine during matches. Show all forehand on returns. Move up close, and then all the way back on returns. Don’t show the same look every time or hit the same shot! Change the number of ball bounces during serving. Djokovic is the master of this variable bounce rhythm. It’s his thumb on your forehead from 80’ away. Delay your net attack, and then go. Play inside the baseline during rallies. Change up your pace and spin and depth. Try the lull game. Try the serve/volley game. Hit some soft kick serves. Try the flat attack or the high ball to the back hand. Everybody has weaknesses. Some panic after the rally goes over 14 shots. Find out what works the best against him and then keep going for the jugular veins over and over again.

TWO INTERNAL SIMULTANEOUS ENGINES: LOWER AND UPPER

There are two internal body clock/engines running us at all times, an upper body engine and a lower body game. Our mental unit turn tells us to kill a shot, or push a shot, or jam a shot, or lull a shot, and the feet are on board if moving quickly, and the upper body is on board if moving fluidly and cocking against the opening hip. It’s the Blazing Cheetah feet, and drunken monkey torso.
When the engine running your torso slows down and there is no fluid coil and no draw to your shots.... If any shot upsets your timing, it has succeeded.
The torso engine turns you sideways and uncoils sideways. The feet engine keeps you moving quickly and uses positioning steps. The body clock is jammed when one or both of the bodies’ engines slows down.
They have to be running at the same speed, a fast one, no matter what incoming shot! You have to defend your body clock speed just as you defend your contact point, regardless of any shot.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SPLIT STEP FOR THE BODY CLOCK/ENGINE:
Edberg came into net almost sitting down in his split. That gave him quicker lateral movement. Murray will jump up 6”-9" up in the air on his split. So did Chang and Hewitt. Players with the biggest or most extreme split steps, often have the best defense/better foot work/quicker feet, ie, Chang, Hewitt, Sanchez vicario, Nadal, Murray, Agassi, etc., because the split step affects the unit turn so profoundly. The advanced split step will point one foot to the the same side the ball is heading towards and plant the other foot pointing towards the net, perpendicular to each other. This advanced split step causes a faster unit turn, because the turned foot pivots the upper body when that pivoted foot lands, and forces a faster unit turn, a faster decision on which shot you are going to hit. This strategy is all about removing time from the unit turn, deciding ahead of time which shots to hit, so you don’t have to waste time thinking about it during the point, and force your opponent to spend more time reacting and thinking!
Your mental unit turn has to be just as practiced and polished as the physical. It’s the decision of which type of energy to use, lull, jam, or finish, and how deep/ hard/ high the shot will be.

THE CONSCIOUS AND THE SUB CONSCIOUS CLOCK/ENGINE
In each match the clock’s timings are also under pressure of all types the entire duration of the match. Some of it is conscious: such as the shots you are facing up against, the wind, the sun, the heat, the court, the onlookers, your equipment, your strategy. And some of it is unconscious. Many unforced errors are the result of the unconscious body clock’s domination of the physical rhythm.
Other factors are your diet’s internal effects, your digestion such as gluten intolerance, extra weight you carry effecting your speed, the psych jobs you are facing up against, your underlying confidence, your core self beliefs, your latent emotions/desires/conflicts/hidden stress! These react to create the matched energy flow within you at any given millisecond. If you make a conscious decision to turn quickly and decide quickly which shot to make, this decisive quickness will cause your timing to improve dramatically.
Timing is everything in life and tennis. Uncle Tony once heard Jack Nicklaus say, “First learn to hit it far, then learn to keep it in.” , and he taught Nadal to hit the ball hard as a child. He also taught Nadal to be a master body clock jammer. Nadals’ whole game was built to jam his opponents, with psych, and with extreme spin that causes the ball to change radically after the bounce. Those who master the radical change, jump to the next level.
CONSCIOUS VERSUS THE UNCONSCIOUS
The unconscious often confuses positive with negative thoughts. For example, good hypnotists don’t use negative words, such as: don’t, not, no, never, cannot, do not, etc. because the unconscious mind will often confuse these statements to mean, do, always, can, etc, and they then have the opposite effect intended! Positive thinking is crucial regarding the unconscious mind and how it “listens” to the conscious mind’s decisions. Therefore it is recommended that in your own thoughts, to use only positive statements and imagery, such as, “I am going to turn sideways faster.”, or, “I am going to move more quickly with smaller steps.”, or “I am going to feel confident today.”, rather than, “Don’t be sluggish.”, or “Don’t move so slowly!” , or “What’s wrong with you?”
The unconscious may not want you to be playing, injuring yourself, spending time with guys you don’t like, spending money, humiliating yourself in matches, spending time away from another pursuit. It can sabotage your rhythm at any time, for any reason it chooses. It is by definition, that which you are unaware. It most often manifests as the dreaded “lead” arm affect, the body clock jam that slows you down and causes hesitation in your movements and shots. It manifests as the unvoiced fear of missing, fear of losing, fear of injury, an unacknowledged hidden desire, etc.
You have to know who you are out there, and if you want to be out there, and what kind of player you really are. Do you love to hit winners above winning? Do you love to have long points above winning? Do you know how to push the ball above all else? Do you know who you are on the court? Who you are is sometimes a little different than who you see yourself to be.
Frustrated public outbursts also are negative, and only tend to help your opponents’ confidence and harm your own! (McEnroe was a freakish exception unless you count the French open against Lendl where he collapsed on the ground and then lost a two set lead. Even the great Mac was vulnerable to the destructive effects of negative emotion on his body clock/engines’ timing.) When you are at war with yourself, it emboldens your opponents’ underlying confidence. He knows you don’t want the results you are obtaining, and his underlying mind will take credit for all the symptoms you voice. Avoid any negative thoughts and actions and use only positive ones, like the gloat scream, the fist pump, the “Come on!”, the thoughts like, “I am going to feel confident.” Avoid any formation of the negative thought, emotion, or visible action.
Controlling the lead arm is as easy as deciding to unit turn quickly and unleash a lull, jam or finish rhythm.
Positive energy will even help you beat a superior opponent, one who knows he will beat you! The best internal body clock energy runs fast and free, like a torrent of water, during the point, when we are in the fluid/fast energy mode. When the point is over, the ideal energy is still flowing! Fluid energy wins matches and protects our internal rhythm. This causes our feet and hands to attack the ball quickly and smoothly and confidently, on all types of shots coming in, without a jammed miss. Steady yourself. Apply speedy positive energy.
All of you have felt fear jam you badly, and jam up your internal body clock/engine rhythm, worse than any other factor, and yet, fear is often driven by unconscious thoughts and commands! These unconscious thoughts and commands don’t just cause fear of the opponent, they cause fear of missing the shot and performing badly. Those thoughts are the ones we can’t normally hear nor argue with, we just feel their after effects. The body clock self jam.
Shutting them down and overpowering their hidden influence should be a part of every practice. Develop your own interior mantra for this purpose, a short phrase you can listen to in your own private mind. That is why so many players are grunting and screaming now, to consciously shout down the silent forces inside the mind and enforce the dominance of your conscious will over the unconscious will. Their intention is to project dominance towards their opponent. Often, the toughest opponent you have to defeat is the one you can’t hear nor see.

THE MENTAL UNIT TURN
When your internal clock is getting jammed: The mental unit turn is the dead give away. It’s the mind’s ability to coil itself and to decide which of the three energy modes to draw from. The unforced error made is made most often in a transition from one mode to the next mode. If you cannot move from lull to jam or from lull to finish in match pressure, you will make a lot of easy errors and it doesn’t matter who you are playing or how good they are, you may lose to anyone! If you are feeling too many fear/nerves during a match, you are in danger of jamming both the mental and the physical unit turn, jamming it’s smooth power, and jamming your fully relaxed opening out of the unit turn.
The English junior development program offered Murray a spot on the team, all expenses paid. His mother opted out and paid his way to Spain, where they concentrate on unit turns and racquet head speed. None of the juniors who accepted the English offer got appreciably better, and Murray didn’t have more power than they did, he just opted for consistency and maneuvering opponents around the court. After Spain, Murray was world class even though he was a year younger than the juniors who didn’t make it. When you pay for it you value it more. All the Spanish juniors are cut off after 18yrs. old.

Fear of making a bad shot is extremely common underneath the conscious surface on any given moment…. All of these can jam the fearless flow of adrenaline, and stop your feet from moving well, stop your hand from relaxing, stop the torso from coiling. If there is no coil there is no power. The coil is not just physical, it’s mental as well…. The torso won’t coil, the feet won’t stutter-step into perfect place, the speed will not step up and deliver unless they are told to do so.
You have to coil your mind to obtain power just as there is no power without the upper body engine coil. Coiling the mind is deciding ahead of time which energy mode to use, and how hard and fast to use it.
The unit turn is the only thing all pros have in common, because it turns them sideways, fast, and prevents loss of time and stops the body clock from being jammed easily. They all differ slightly in take back, snap back, and follow through. But if you look at slow motion clips of the pros, they all look the same at the unit turn. If you are landing/pivoting on the ground as your opponent is hitting his shot, it’s hard to be surprised by that shot or overpowered by that shot because you have given yourself the most amount of time possible to decide which energy mode to unleash.
You can deal with all psych jobs and defeat them all by creating an internal mental unit turn. Decide which mode to use before you hit the next shot, lull-jam-finish as quickly as you can, before the physical unit turn is made. You can learn how to prevent most balls from playing you, by attacking shots with quick feet as well as quick hands, even on slow or stopped balls, on short balls, on deep balls, and on heavily spinning balls. (Agassi was great at this, especially effective after Gilbert taught him the lull game.) That’ what James Blake game lacked. He was just a flat hitter, and a failure as a lull master. Show any good player one pace, one spin, one shot and they will all adjust within a few games.
Decide where you are going to hit the return before the serve is struck. Decide which strategy you are going to use before the match starts. Decide which is your opponents weaker side and attack that side more often. When Nadal played Federer at the French Open, he hit 85% of his shots high to Federer’s back hand. When he played Murray, he hit 54% to his back hand and 46% to his forehand.

DECIDE TO FEEL CONFIDENT AND READY.
Use your will power to control and shape your emotional energy. The goal is to arrive at a fast footed, fast handed state, that feels relaxed, fearless, a controlled adrenalized state. Excited, but not too much so. Clean adrenaline.
IT’S CALLED MOTIVATION.
Football coaches tell their teams, the other team is coming into their house, to take their belongings, and steal from them, and hurt their families. What the coach is really doing: is adrenalizing the team…. Focusing their emotional energy and raising their adrenaline levels so they move faster, hit harder than normal… It’s a focusing of emotional desire. It is a conscious call for speed and power. It’s also a way of focusing the unconscious by making it believe there is a physical threat to survival!
When you feel like you are playing poorly, decide to play with confidence and decide to walk with confidence. Your opponent will pick up on even the smallest cues about your confidence. It’s your emotions that determine your adrenaline flow during any match! Emotions can block or release the right hormones. Decide to be the master of your own emotions, and your own hormone flow. Fear jams the body clock and induces a fearful adrenaline. Hungry desire opens access to the righteous- fearless adrenaline. Find out which thoughts spike your adrenaline. Maybe it’s a thought of loss. Maybe it’s a fantasy of revenge against the IRS head or your room mate or your boss or the last guy who beat you. The unconscious mind can relate to all those thoughts very easily and give you the fearless adrenaline boost you need to move well. Discover what releases the fearless adrenaline into your own system on command. Clean adrenaline creates confidence. Fearful adrenaline blocks it.
THERE IS NO FIGHT OR FLIGHT. IT’S FIGHT OR FEAR OUT THERE.
Are you going to default? Most people have defaulted their responsibility to practice their mental unit turns and to dominate their unconscious will. Fighting with fear will often result in a jammed performance. Decide how much intensity you are going to feel. Coaches use imagination. The opponent is coming into your house! How many times have you heard a coach say, “This is our house!” ? “Are you going to let them come into our house and take what is ours in front of our fans?” How many times have you heard that on TV? Create your own interior mental coach. If you want to win, you must be aware of all the weapons available….


PERFECT THE MENTAL UNIT TURN AND MASTER THE MAIN ENERGIES
Lull energy Jam energy Finish energy


The mental unit turn: It’s your minds ability to coil itself, and to decide which and how strongly, energy to use, on any given shot. Lull energy is when you are not trying to win the point outright, but just patiently hypnotizing the other player's body clock to go to sleep! “Listen only to the sound of my shots. Everything else vanishes from your mind. Your eyes are getting tired and they are burning. Your legs are getting heavy and you are getting tired now. You can barely lift your feet. You can barely hit the ball. Your arm is very heavy, almost like it’s a piece of lead.” How many times have you felt like that out there against a pusher or a careful player? That’s their whole game, to lull-hypnotize you to sleep.
Think of Gilles Simon or Murray or Nadal or Federer or Djokovic, waiting for an opportunity to counter punch. All top pros are lull-jam-finish masters. He's just stroking the ball medium pace, depth, angle or even right down the middle. Every top player uses lull energy in every match. The goal is to let the other player beat himself by making too many unforced errors, and to put the other player to sleep, so the disguised shots are more effective. Lull energy is very relaxed, with no tension, or speed added into the body. It's like idling the engine. The body clock is running medium and smoothly, as is the energy inside the body and the net clearance is high. It is also intended to make our jam and finish shots more effective, due to the contrast and surprise that they create….
They force the other player into a transition!
How many slow shots have been missed, for that nail on the head reason of "I've got so much time, so my feet don't have to move very fast.", and now, even the slow ball is playing me,- not the other way around, such as an easy volley. So your mind is in finish energy mode,- but the feet are not. It's the recipe the pusher depends on to jam us: slow sliced balls, with nothing on them, that we try to kill and frame, or miss horribly, when our minds are in finish rhythm, and our feet and torsos are not. The two engines have to be in synch, especially against the easy sitters that all lull players will hit over and over again until you miss.


Jam energy is ramped way up, ie, when you are trying to jam the other player with a shot that changes speed radically after the bounce. Think Nadal. Super top or super slice, or a short drop shot, or a super flat shot, something that will jar or jam the other player's internal body clock, and either cause an error or a weak reply. Many players will make errors off the lull shots as well, and it might take 15 lull shots before the other player makes an unforced error, often, by going for a jam shot himself, and jamming himself in the process, by not relaxing while ramping up his own from his own lull energy. The jam energy must be relaxed or you run a way higher chance of making a mistake on a jam transition. The jam transition, from lull to jam, is difficult to learn, to relax while swinging out hard and full and freely, and not making the mistake while attempting the jam.

Finish energy is similar to jam, but, you are moving to finish, not jam, the other guy off. Requires a winner mentality, and a flat shot, or an extreme shot, to a line or a corner, or very short, or a topspin lob, or an outright passing shot, etc.... Also it is very difficult to learn the transition from lull to finish, or from jam to finish. It requires a faster internal energy and more risk to be taken and a lower net clearance. Quicker movements of the muscles, yet, smooth. Extremely fast, yet repeatable.

^ LTDR ^

Seriously create a blog and link.

Or youtube google text 2 speech podcast.

That's not the whole piece I wrote, but it's part of it. I was going to put up a youtube of me hitting with different frames, like the pt57a and the h22 with different strings and review them in the video, but most of my hitting partners are not good enough for such a vid.

I'd like to watch it if someone else does it. Not too many open players around who can hit like Tony. None of them who are hit with me.

I played a couple of sets with a local open guy who is always seeded last night with the l-tec. First set I lost 6-1, but I did not move or play so well. Second set I broke him with a dtl bh that he called out, for a 5-3 lead, then got broken for 6-4 loss, but I switched to the h22 from the pt57a. I did well at net, and should have gone in more. I'm not ready for match play: ankle is sprained, and my serve is not ready. Been hurt for too long now. It's upsetting to be cheated, though.

whoa kiteboard....whats all this about???

tony-you are a great guy and a great player no doubt. but as you suspect going pro in tennis is unlike another other sport. being good is nothing. being great is nothing. its not like you play college basketball get drafted sit on the bench and if someone gets hurt you sub in. in tennis its just so HARD. you cant sub in for roger is he gets hurt. the gap in level is insane. good to see you slug it out there! keep it up!

TonLars said:

I appreciate the encouragement guys, thanks. Today was a tough day, and I dont feel so good about it. I played a pretty bad first set, lots of errors and lackluster energy, lost 6-2. Second set I battled, ran down nearly everything and wasnt beating myself, and lost 6-3. Wettengel played great and was just too good. Biggest key was his serve and return. He has one of the best serves ive ever faced and I had major problems with that, and he also was returning nearly every serve of mine and I didnt serve too bad for myself. Besides my errors, he just played extremely aggressive and I was on defense too much, so most of the credit goes to him although I felt I wasnt hitting as well and as penetrating as usual. He was nice, he admitted he played exceptionally well against me compared to this morning when he lost a set.

This loss hurts though. I had a tough time getting over my loss to Strode this summer, when I played very well and still got handled. I feel like Im no good at tennis, Im losing confidence. I dont think ill be as good as I want to be unfortunately. Alot of it is just having an upbringing in rural Minnesota without access to good players and far away from indoor courts, and not having been trained for the very best technique. Im sure I would have been alot better if I had grown up in ideal situations, and touring/playing full time after, but even then I probably still wouldnt have made it. It is hard because I am so competitive, and have such a burning desire to train and improve, and I play and practice at maximal focus and intensity nearly all the time, but I still lost. I have alot of speed and athleticism, and Ive used that to overcome my deficencies and get to where I am, but Im losing to this level, the level where Im playing top 200-300 players and getting beat soundly, again once where I played and competed my very best.

Ive had success in my area and beaten several top 700 and below players, good college players, and built confidence, had a feeling like I want to see where I can go, and now I feel like Im no good even after Ive had a couple great years and have kept improving for the last 6-7 years every year. I dont know what to do now, I dont know what I can do to make it right. The way I feel, I could somehow try to let the losses go and lift,run/train 3 times harder than I ever have even when I already work very hard, but that probably wont help me alot, or enough to win against this level. I can keep trying to improve my serve, but Im not sure I will ever be able to have a "great" serve, for this level. My strokes I basically learned myself through basic guidance, and Im not sure if I can change much. Maybe I dont need to, or maybe just a little.

I probably just somehow need to accept that its near impossible to have everything in place to make it in this sport. And considering where Im coming from, Ive done alright. I can keep working hard and try to enjoy the game, try to keep improving, but realize that its alot harder to improve the better you get, and there is a limit. I guess I think I want to run. lift and workout like a maniac, and improve my serve, and maybe that can push me closer to that level. 5 years ago, I would have loved to be where Im at, so I think if youre as competitive as I am, eventually it wears out, and youre not satisfied, and youre hoping for the next step. There can be only one #1, it is a tough fact of life...

Thanks for all the really supportive people on here. Thats it for now, Im off to do some hard jump rope...

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TonLars,

You are being WAY too hard on yourself. If you would like some training resources, contact me and I will help. I can put you in touch with some VERY good players and outstanding coaching. I suspect your needs (outside improving the mechanics of the serve) fall more into the match experience (at this level) and strategy/game-planning arenas.

Best,

BHBH

zapvor said:

whoa kiteboard....whats all this about???

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He ran out of Prozac...
May calm down in a next few days

Hey Tony,

First of all I'm really impressed with all that you've accomplished. This is just a stab in the dark as I haven't been able to read the whole thread, but do you have a coach? It sounds like you need someone who played at the pro level to help you and tell you what you need to do to make to the highest level. I don't know him personally but Jeff Salzenstein is a former pro who not only runs a online instruction site but also coaches players similar to your level. Here a link to his website where you can take a look at what he does and find contact info if your interested. Hope this helps.

http://www.jeffsalzensteintennis.com/

P.S. I have absolutely no affiliation with Jeff and only know him as I bought his forehand program and have learned lots form his online coaching.

kiteboard said:

Liar Liar pants on fire! Look at the proof! Emails are 100% genuine! promise!

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1. No one cares. It's a personal matter.
2. You're way off topic.
3. Good/bad references go in buy/sell section.
4. Private details shouldn't be disclosed on public forum without consent.
5. Your spammy text bores us.

TonLars said:

I probably just somehow need to accept that its near impossible to have everything in place to make it in this sport. And considering where Im coming from, Ive done alright. I can keep working hard and try to enjoy the game, try to keep improving, but realize that its alot harder to improve the better you get, and there is a limit. I guess I think I want to run. lift and workout like a maniac, and improve my serve, and maybe that can push me closer to that level. 5 years ago, I would have loved to be where Im at, so I think if youre as competitive as I am, eventually it wears out, and youre not satisfied, and youre hoping for the next step. There can be only one #1, it is a tough fact of life...

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Tony I've enjoyed following your tournament posts here on TW.
You've developed into a very good player and should be proud of your accomplishments. It is very difficult to make it no matter where you come from. I watched Phillip Simmonds this past summer at the Atlanta ATP tournament play in the qualies and then the main draw. Good player, former top 20 in the world junior. Had the benefit of major tennis academy training,
Now 25 yrs old and ranked #497, lost to a 17 yr old earlier this year at a Futures tourney. Hang in there, enjoy it while you can.