Could you approach on every shot you play? I follow Brent Abel of web tennis. Every so often he shares a nugget. Today that happened. He covered something I have been working on myself. Being unpredictable. To do this Brent suggests learning how to use any shot you play as an approach shot. That does not mean you have to …
We all have our own fears and reasons behind them. The trouble is when your fears get in the way of living your life. Many people in my life have taught me how to conquer my fears and I’m very grateful to them. The fear has not always gone away, it just stops being the boss of me and I …
So I have shared my thoughts on the Mens 2013 US Open. Let us look now at the womens. Generally the hardest to predict and this year there really is a lot to consider. Along with Serena Williams, Azarenka and Sharapova we have newcomers like Sloane Stephens and Laura Robson rising fast and fearing nobody, and previous slam winners like …
Arthur Ashe Stadium This years US Open may just be the most exciting slam of the year, perhaps for several years, both on the mens and womens side On the mens it is because there are arguably more genuine contenders for the title than we’ve seen for years including: Murray, Djokovic, Nadal, Del Potro and Federer. All have won it …
An important part of of this blog is about my journey of self-discovery. Figuring out who I am and then how to fit my life around me so it is fun and flexible not a limiting straight jacket. One thing I have discovered is that I am addicted to food. I don’t know many people who like food as much …
I am at a point in my tennis development that moving to the next level requires a focus on feel. Using my senses more. Feeling at one with the court, ball, racquet and situation. Feel for ball, shot, game and match. That means sensing what they need and delivering what’s required. Correct technique in all areas will be the result …
Exercise has an impact on your health within minutes. That is the insight I take from a New York Times piece explaining how exercise changes fat and muscle cells.It is in interesting piece exploring the extra detail we are now gaining about just how exercise affects muscle and fat cells. Of course that mostly means extra detail about something we …
On sunday I watched the Cincinatti final where Victoira Azarenka (Vika) beat Serena Willams 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6). Now I have introduced the Read, Risk, Recover concept I thought it is a good opportunity to show you how I use it. You will see that it is more than just a way to analyse individual shots. It can give you …
Here is a tip I can vouch for. Something I’ve used for a few years to get extra power on my serve. Rotate your shoulders during your serve. A Serve Power Secret is an excellent video demonstrating exactly how it is done and why you should do it. Many thanks to Florian Meier of Online Tennis Instruction for putting it together …
Like any one obsessed with tennis I am fascinated with the question of how to beat each person I play and how to improve over time. I have read some fascinating and very helpful advice along the way. Each has helped me improve and helped me see the game in a different light. Here I will share the philosophy I …
Could it be possible that what your parents or grandparents ate could affect your health now? That’s the question posed by You are what your mother and father (and grandmothers and grandfathers) ate a timely article on Marks Daily Apple. An excellent question and one which new evidence and theories are implying could actually be true. What your parents ate …
Sleep. In my view it’s under rated. I think it’s one of the most important things we do. We obsess on the quality of our food and finances. Few of us obsess on the quality of our sleep. When I studied Bio Psychology I was introduced to the basics we know about sleep. It was fascinating. Particularly the complex processes …
My question in this post is, how do you practice and what goals do you set? Most people I meet focus on technique, some on strategy but all isolate a specific part of their game and work on it. Is that the best way to improve? I feel it depends on what you want to achieve. If you just want …
So I’m now in a fascinating situation. I’m competing regularly for the first time in my life. Yet I’m injured and playing left handed instead of my preferred hand, my right. My results have been good considering I’m hindered but I’ve really missed playing with my right. The match I played a few days ago was both frustrating and a …
Lack of physical activity is now accepted as a serious health risk and the evidence shows that our brains need as much activity as our bodies do to keep them fit and healthy. The amount of research showing this link is becoming over whelming so I have share a few of my favourites to help you quickly understand how beneficial good movement can …
How do humans store and use energy? One of my friends just asked me to explain the obesity situation in terms of how humans store energy. Why is fat such a problem? Good question. My reply is below. It’s a short introduction on energy and how humans use it. I’ve kept it very brief on purpose. Just explaining enough to …
Right now I have the challenge of competing while I’m not fully fit. I’m right handed and injured my wrist a few months ago. Typically for me, it happened just before my first competitive league. I’ve been playing several times a week for a few years and always managed to play and compete with my friends. Suddenly I have the …
Ongoing health is about regular challenges making you strong enough to resist the pressures you face and having fast enough recovery to prevent ongoing problems.
Unfortunately this month is about dealing with wrist tendonitis. I think it’s down to my technique and general game play. So I need to find a way to first repair it, then ensure it doesn’t happen again. I tried ice therapy. Can’t say it improved the recovery that much. But either way the injury has felt pretty much healed a …
For a long time I’ve been fascinated by the how the ball moves in the air and what you can do to affect it. Now I’ve come up with a way to explore it through a web browser. I thought I’d share my initial attempts to see what people think. There are four very simple examples. Three looking at the …