Bailey’s Blog

Well I am proud to say this is Blog number 150!

Thanks to all my loyal readers….I hope you have enjoyed them as much as I have enjoyed writing them! I have always said ..”Don’t trust your memory, Write it down!”….so I really recommend writing your ideas down as soon as they come into you head as the next day they mightn’t be there. The following story is one of my favourite of all times…..it is a great one to share with your kids, students etc…when exposing them to new concepts and ideas etc…

Empty your Cup

A Japanese Zen master received a university professor who came to study about Zen.  

It was obvious from the start of the conversation that the professor was not so much interested in learning about Zen as he was in impressing the master with his own opinions and knowledge. The master listened patiently and finally suggested they have tea. The master poured his visitors cup and then kept pouring. The professor watched the cup overflowing until he could no longer restrain himself. “The cup is overfull, no more will go in”. “Like this cup’, the master said’ you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen until you first empty your cup?” 

I learnt this from watching the dance show “So you think you can Dance!” 

A great dance teacher gives the student great knowlegde and versatility because just like in tennis… competition in the big wide world is fierce and to survive you have to be adaptable!! 

Therefore in a footwork lesson -

Give your student knowledge.

That is, how to move to the ball, set up the feet, recover automatically and instinctively, react and respond to an oncoming ball, use the back leg for balance, use you hips for power, keep good body alignmnent, reinforce the importance of a wide base and timing the split step etc…

Give your student versatility.

That is, a variety of contact moves which means they are equally good at defense, rally and offensive plays. They can use the hips and legs to impart a variety of spins and angles and direction to the ball. Also, by mastering many different contact moves they can then learn  and understand which move it best to hit the ball to different parts of the court and also have the ability to hit a variety of shots off the same ball while adapting to different court surfaces….In a nutshell …if you have versatility in your game, it is like selecting from a menu ….you have a variety of options… or a tool box of moves that you can pull out of the box on demand. You become Federer like!!! 

The other really important thing about a footwork lesson….is that when the player walks onto the court i.e. 20minutes to 1 hr a day….the FEELING ATTENTION ONLY WANTS TO BE ON THEIR FOOTWORK.

Forget grips, swings, tactics and mental practices there is so much to think just on their feet + there is some many other hours in the day to focus on all these other equally important aspects. Most attention spans can only handle 1 thing at a time!

Remember, it is foot WORK not foot WALK. Work hard at you footwork don’t walk through the motions. 

Don’t psych yourself out!

In tennis competition, don’t think too much with your conscious mind. Its like trying to force someones name into your head when your have forgotten their name. It only comes when you stop thinking.

Think only in practice. In practice you want to recognise, understand, experiment, select and CONSCIOUSLY FIX.

But….in match play it is the totally opposite. In match playyou want to black out your conscious mind and play instinctively.

Your conscious mind will tie you up if you listen to it. It will call your attention to all your mistakes, fears and inadequancies. When playing matches you can’t afford to be confused.

You must trust your training. Trust comes from great preperation, smart as against hard work and studious study of all aspects of your game. The goal through great practice it to let your instinctive subconcious handle the game and do things without analysing or debating.

We can all play great in practice…but what about when under pressure? Because when playing a match …it matters when you miss…it is a totally different mind set to practice

I believe the most convincing evidence in combating tension is to relax.  . When you relax you put all your attention on the other side of the net….this is the difference when in competition to working on things when practicing (where you have time to think only about yourself).

Thinking in practice = Planned playing

Instinctive in combat = Reactive competition

When I take my players on the court there is a lot of planned playing. But, playing matches is stressful and reactive. Repetition is the mother of skill. Practice is about great muscle memory and understanding and doing what works BEST FOR YOU.

The secret in match play is to relax under pressure and bring your playful practice into your tournament play. By great preparation it becomes like excellent study for a maths exam ….when the questions are asked the answers just flow!!