Pure Drive Purist

  If you are serious about taking your game to the next level, which I hope you are, then you need to be serious about moving up in the court. Moving forward is not limited to getting volleys and overheads. It is about winning a court-positioning battle within the match. If you can win the court-positioning battle, everything else in the match gets a little easier and your likelihood of success increases. When you are able to move up in the court, you put pressure on your opponent in a few key ways... You take time away without even hitting the ball harder You can make your opponent move more through access to more angles You appear bigger and the court appears smaller by cutting off angles All of these combined make it very difficult for your opponent to win points. They need to move more, they have less time to react, and they have smaller windows to make their shots. If you can do this time and time again over the course of a match, your odds of winning more points increase sign...

  If you're serious about taking your game to the next level and want to win more matches, this is for you. "Playing to win" can look different for various styles of play, and there are common themes that you can implement. In my experience coaching high-level juniors and college players, the strong majority of points result in unforced errors. Very few points end in winners. I think that winners happen, but should never be intended. What I mean by that is a winner should be a normal, controlled shot that is hit after creating an opening on the shot before.  Knowing these stats help define a strategy for junior players. I tell players that I work with to try to force errors out of their opponents instead of hitting winners by them. When we do this, it changes the mindset and mentality from "I don't want my opponent to touch this shot" to "I want to make my opponent miss." This is a massive advantage in junior tennis where unforced errors abound. Wh...

Want to win more doubles matches? You're not alone. The problem is, we watch tennis on TV and what do they show? Singles. We go to a tennis tournament and what is on the main courts? Singles. Doubles is played more than singles recreationally, but it does not get the love and attention on the pro tour. Very simply, singles and doubles are two completely different games with significantly different strategies. Here are a few strategies to help your doubles game next time you get on court. Stop worrying about getting passed down the line. When you're at net, you can essentially give up your alley. If an opponent is able to hit it there time and time again, then adjust your strategy and positioning. Too often, though, there are shots that pass through the middle that are not hit by the net player because that person is too busy guarding his/her half of the court. Forget my side and your side. Start thinking that if the net player can get it, they need to. Will you make some errors...

For those new to tennis or just unsure of the structure of the pro tour, this post is for you. Tennis is basically a year-round sport. The first tournaments of the year start in January and the season typically ends in November, although there are some smaller tournaments between November and January as well. Most players have a 6-week off-season, which we could spend a whole post just talking about the schedule. But that's not why we're here now. If you're watching tennis on major TV networks, not the tennis channel, you are likely watching one of the four majors. Here's some info to help you become more well-versed at the nuances and significance of each tournament. Australian Open Dates: from mid-January through early February Location: Melbourne, Australia Court surface: hard court What makes it special: first slam of the year, extreme heat & humidity, party atmosphere French Open (Roland Garros) Dates: from mid-May through early June Location: Paris, France Cou...

In the market for an upgrade to your current racket? Do you consider yourself an aggressive baseliner in today's game? Here are some of the best rackets for your game. Rackets that suit an aggressive baseliner's game will typically be in one of two categories: power or spin. Babolat Pure Drive (Power) The Pure Drive is a great choice for aggressive baseliners with fast swing speeds. The launch angle will be slightly lower and the string pattern is less spin-friendly than some other rackets here (like the Pure Aero), but still a great option for aggressive baseliners who want a combination of spin and pace. The 98 model will be slightly less powerful than the 100, and younger players can look at the Team for a solid, light-weight option. Babolat Pure Aero (Spin) The Pure Aero is Babolat's spin-friendly racket of choice. This is great for baseliners who are looking to generate significant spin and are comfortable with a higher launch angle from the open string pattern. Simi...