One of our tennis buddies has created a product on a really important topic. After talking about it my analytical brain started pulling it apart and putting it in perspective with the other parts of the game..

I came up with a pretty cool conclusion and I could not wait to share it with you!

Below I have connected a few dots that I don’t think many players see the important relationships!

Lets get stated! In this email you will learn

1. Why some players improve quickly and others seem to stay at the same level year after year!
2. The 3 most important shots in doubles
3. The highest percentage serve to play under pressure
4. What to do next!

1) Why some players improve quickly

The serve along with the return are two of the most important shots in the game. When you think about it, they also make up a major part of the game yet strangely they are also the least practiced!

Usually a practice session goes like this – Groundstrokes 80% – Volleys 15% – Serves 5% – Returns 1% (maybe) Sound familiar? Even if you play a practice set usually the long warmup will be close to these proportions.

However, a match is very different. Lets think about it Some points are

• Serve 100% (Ace)
• Serve 50% Return Error (or return winner) 50%
• Serve 33% Return 33% Groundstroke 33%

I believe you know what I am pointing out. If you cannot even start the point with a serve or return then you do not even get to hit a ground stroke.

Actually, when you are playing doubles you play even fewer ground strokes!!! So, if you are not dedicating a serious amount of time per week or per session to your serve and return then DO NOT EXPECT TO IMPROVE VERY QUICKLY..

So, spend some good quality time with a basket of balls serving or serving and returning with a partner.

2) The 3 most important shots in doubles

When playing doubles the majority of points are

• one serve,
• one return
• and one volley!!

If I was to pick one of the shots as THE MOST IMPORTANT I would say the serve.

You must win your serve. You must be able to have a strong serve.

When I say strong I don’t mean a hard and heavy serve. I am talking about a solid serve. A serve you can rely on under pressure.

Something that you can use to set up your partner with a solid volley.

When you have a reliable serve a few things happen

1. You set up your partner for an easy volley
2. Your opponents start to feel more pressure on their return over the duration on the match.
3. Your opponents start to feel like they don’t have a chance to break your serve
4. Your opponent MUST win their serve to stay in the match!

What does this do? Your opponent feels pressure on their serve and pressure creates errors!

3) The highest percentage serve to play under pressure

There are 3 types of serves.

• Flat
• Slice
• Kick

Sometimes you can do variations / combinations of these. For example half flat / half slice or half kick / half slice.

Here is my order of risk

1. Flat Serve is the most risky. – It has the lowest clearance over the net therefore most chance of hitting the net. – If your racket face is a few degrees off at contact the ball will land outside of the box. – You need to hit the serve hard to be effective – otherwise you will be punished – The flight path of the serve means you have a very small ‘gap’ to hit the ball over the net and not too high otherwise it will go too long.
2. The Slice Serve – Safer – You have a higher clearance over the net – You do not have to hit it as hard to be effective – Initially the slice is tricky to read – You can swing the ball away from or cramp your opponent – Effective for opening up the angles of the court
3. The Kick Serve – The SAFEST! – Maximum clearance over the net – Hardest for the opponent to read – You can get the ball to bounce into an uncomfortable zone or height for your opponent – around shoulder high – Greater spin means greater control – Greater control means greater accuracy! – You can create angles to open the court – You can attack the serve and stay positive – In windy conditions the fast rotation of the ball makes it easier to control direction

So, If you don’t have a kick serve my suggestion is to try and develop one! Are you asking yourself, ok, I need one!!

The guys at Essential Tennis Instruction have put together an amazing product called Mastering The Kick Serve ..

They are releasing some great free instruction in their lead up so make sure you get your hands on the FREE STUFF NOW!

The free content is only available for a short time so jump in sooner rather than later and review it at your leisure!

Essential Tennis Instruction – Mastering The Kick Serve

Enjoy the information and talk soon!

Improving Tennis Globally

Michael and Pete TennisAssist.com

Disclaimer: We don’t often promote other people’s products. In fact, we only do if we think its high quality material and relevant to the topic we are discussing. Yes, we may receive a commission if you choose to purchase something from some of these links.

I am sure by now you would have seen that Will and his team at Fuzzy Yellow Balls are promoting their new product with the Bryan Brothers…

Firstly – if you EVER get an opportunity to learn from anyone who has become a world number 1 – DO IT !!

I know that listening to famous people talk about themselves in normal interviews is sometimes – well – very boring!

However, in these videos they are not talking about themselves, they are passing on valuable information you can implement immediately!

Pete and I, here at TennisAssist.com KNOW how many amazing nuggets of gold you get from talking with former world number 1 players!

So far tennisassist.com has interviewed over 10 world number 1 players!

We got down and dirty with them. Asked them how they felt walking out onto center court in a grand slam final. How
they handle losing. How they handle many coaches. How they build strategies to give them the highest change of winning
and much much more!

It is amazing that you expect to become world number 1 you must hold this magic formula – well guess what.. We found
the opposite to be true… More on that later!

First YOU MUST check out FuzzyYellowBalls latest free videos with the Bryan Brothers.. Start learning!

These will only be available FREE for a limited time so, we strongly suggest you click link below ASAP and check them
out.

http://www.doublesplaybook.com/sq/6697-doubles-playbook?=assist

This link is a special TennisAssist.com link. Our reputation is on the line and we only promote products we believe in. If you do end up purchasing this FYB product 2 things will happen.

• Firstly FYB will give us commission.
• Secondly, YOU will receive our THANK YOU BONUS PRODUCT

(it involves Former World Number 1′s also)

You must use this link to get access to our bonuses and we will explain about the bonus and process to get it soon!

Have a great weekend!

Michael and Pete
The Team at Tennis Assist

Ball, Bounce, Backhand, Baseline

Ball – One BIG mistake that many people – even coaches – make is they do not watch the ‘ball’ for long enough onto their racket. The windier the conditions the more you need to concentrate on the ball position. Next time you go out on court just watch that ball for a split second longer and see if you start making better contact.

Bounce – Become aware of the shape of your opponents shots. The height and kick out of the court are vital parts of the ‘bounce’. Respect the opponents shots and make sure the shot you decide to play matches the ‘bounce’.

Backhand – Work on your backhand as an ‘anchor’ for your game. Slice, flat or topspin – you should feel comfortable hitting your backhand under any pressure situations!

Baseline – Use the baseline as a guide of where to stand during rallies. Be careful not to just go side to side along the baseline. You want to be moving into and out of the court in response to shots you are hitting or shots you just hit. Many recreational players just go sideways. Try and move into the court at least 2-3ft after hitting a strong shot. Likewise 2-3ft behind the baseline if you hit a weaker shot.

What are some more ‘B’ words you can think of? Write them in the comments below! …

To better tennis and beyond…

Michael and Pete

There are so many words starting with ‘A’ which every complete player needs in their tennis toolkit!

Athleticism, Anticipation, Attitude and many more.. Here are a few thoughts…

Athleticism – This is crucial these days. Tennis has now evolved to a point where your ability as an athlete is weighing very heavily on your success. Years ago athleticism was secondary to technical and strategic skills.. Now you need to ensure your athleticism is at the same level- if not better – than your technique or strategic skills.

Tennis has evolved to now become a sport where we are athletes first, then great technically, strategically and competitive. Talent identification process have acknowledged this . Arguably their is a train of thought that you must have the potential to be a great athlete first then add tennis ability..

Anticipation – Great players understand the game to a level where they have great anticipation skills. They build upon thousands of hours of experience and can make split second decisions and predictions based on instinct/anticipation.. Great players have mastered anticipation..

Attitude – To be a champion is to have a champion attitude. Be ready to win and expect to win. Train like a champion. Dress like a champion. Be respectful like a champion. Demand your team to be champions also! Your attitude determines your actions, your actions determine your outcomes and your outcomes are your level of success.

What are some more ‘A’ words you can think of? Write them in the comments below! …

To better tennis and beyond…

Michael Maidens

Confidence, it is a weird thing. It can be there one second and gone the next.
Here is a cool way to ‘recover’ your confidence!

Step 1 – Think to yourself, what do I DO when I am confident?
How do I hit my forehand?
backhand? volley? serve?
second serve? approach? passing shots?

Step 2 – Write these actions down
You might be writing.. When I am playing confident tennis I
- go for my forehand – take it on the rise
- hit big first serves, heavy kick second serve
- go for passing shots
- get to the net at any opportunity

Step 3 – Do them in practice
Take your piece of paper out on court with you. Read it as many times as possible during the session. DO IT as soon as possible. If it is before a match do them in the pre-match warmup

Step 4 – DO IT in a match or in point practice
Practice these actions in a match. Under pressure. On big points. Remember you do not need to win points or the match. Just DO what you would DO when you are confident.

Step 5 – Reflect and say HI – your best friend ‘confidence’ is back!

Quick summary:
“DO what you would DO when you ARE confident”

Michael and Pete from TennisAssist.com
If you found this tip valuable please share it with your friends via email, Facebook or Twitter!

Inside you will discover the following:

• how to construct points with confidence
• know when to change your strategy in a match
• understand the mystery of a ‘good looking loser’
• know in advance why shot your opponent is going to play
• how a match is a process and strategies take time
• and much much more!

Process and Outcome Oriented goals are very different things. You can achieve one without achieving the other. Be careful focusing on the outcome can distract you from the process. For example – focusing on winning a match will not win you the match. Focusing on winning the current point or keeping your first serve percentage high are examples of process oriented goals. Focus on them and the result will take care of itself.

One of the key areas that many developing players make is trying to
guide the ball into the court. In actual fact you have much less
accuracy with this approach. Instead use the laws of physics – using
more wind resistance on one side of the ball than the other combined
with speed to make the ball drop into the court. The more speed and
spin the faster it drops. Experienced players know control comes from
spin – which comes from racket head speed. Try it

With regards to errors in tennis – into the net is the worst. Missing
the ball long or wide is much better! So, if you are making many
errors into the net start hitting long. Then roll the wrist and add
racket head speed to bring them back into the court.

Instead of being a passive student – have your own goals for each
training session. It does not matter what drills the coach runs in the
session you can still achieve your own goals. eg Make every backhand
today or Nothing in the net today.