Saturday, 11 April 2020 / Published in ATP Tour

Getting Tight Sneak Peek: Can’t Close Out A Lead

G’day,

Very excited about the launch of Getting Tight in just two days! You will be able to purchase it Monday morning at 8:00 am US Central time.

This video is focused on players that start well, get ahead, and then for whatever reason can’t close out a lead. It’s almost like they start playing a new sport to finish off a set or finish off a match. This is typically what happens to the mental game:

Early In the Set: The focus is on the game plan. The focus is on the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses and employing the best patterns of play. The focus is on running primary patterns most of the time and switching to secondary patterns when the point score is in your favor.

Later In The Set:

The focus is on the finish line 🏁
The focus is on the finish line 🏁
The focus is on the finish line 🏁

Today’s two-minute video comes straight from Getting Tight and is a discussion Jeff and I had to help players perform better in this specific situation.

Getting Tight Sneak Peek Video: Closing Out A Lead.

Mini-Lessons

Jeff and I expand on the key focus points in the video to provide more depth and understanding of what we talked about.

It is natural for the mind to jump ahead when you are in the lead.
Sometimes your mind may relax for a moment and you will lose your focus and intensity.
Other times, your mind may worry that you won’t actually get over the finish line with a victory so you start protecting against errors.
It’s important to be proactive and coach yourself to focus on the task at hand before your mind has a chance to wander.
Remind yourself to stick with the strategy that is working. There is no need to change a winning game. Especially if you make a few mistakes, don’t panic.
Come back to your intentions for the match and commit to the strategy that got you to this point. If you lose a few games, the same mindset applies. Don’t panic.
You may still be up in the score and just because you lost a few games doesn’t mean you are going to lose the match.
Focus your attention on what will help you win – controlled aggression, more patience, and commitment to your winning strategy.

The mind has three places it can be anytime you are on or off the court.
It can be in the past, present or future.
When you are leading or about to close out the set or match, your mind will automatically shift into the future.
How long you allow it to stay there is crucial.
This is where awareness is important so as soon as it shifts into the future you gently come back to something specific and productive such as your target when serving, or a positive reminder such as “one point at a time” or “play on your terms”.

It’s okay to hate to lose. Many competitive players are like this.
But, you don’t want to be scared of losing.
I understand that having significant leads and then losing them hurts even more if you do happen to lose, but, it happens to everyone.
Don’t guard against this disappointment in advance. You will get over your loss much faster than your mind is allowing you to think in the heat of the battle.
What matters is HOW you choose to focus your mind when you are in these challenging moments. Can you settle down and narrow your focus on your tactic and targets? Are you willing to hit through the ball and not be a victim of your frustration and anger?
Get back to the things that will help you focus and play well.

This positive affirmation will help you keep your focus on the task at hand.
Instead of allowing your mind to wander in the future and anticipate the result, you are coaching yourself to stay in the present and to stay productive with your thoughts.
Become a “warden” – the one in charge of the inmates in a prison. Your negative, outcome thoughts are the prisoners. Keep these thoughts in check.
This means you need to be aware of what’s happening in your head so you can set limits on the activity.
This awareness will go a long way to helping you catch your mind when it wanders into the past or future. Being in the present is the goal. Easier said than done, I know. But, with practice, it can improve dramatically.

You need a place to put your focus so your mind doesn’t wander.
Using your strings can keep your eyes in once place.
This is an opportunity to assess the next point or reset depending on what you need in the moment.

You may find that you are so caught up in the match, worrying about the score, your last error or what people might be thinking on the side of the court if you lose.
It can be helpful to take a moment and recall how you were winning the points.
Again, this requires you to step back, widen your focus and visualize what shots/patterns have been effective.

Research shows that we have about 9 negative thoughts to every one positive thought.
The point is that it is important for you to be aware of these automatic negative thoughts (aka “ants”) so you aren’t impacted by them as frequently.
Again, similar to a feeling of “tightness” you want to accept the thought so you can either replace it with a positive thought (ie. “That shot was so bad” replaced by “It’s just one point”).
Another option is to wipe the thought away with what I call a “windshield wiper” in your mind and then refocus on something productive such as the ball or the spot where you’re serving/returning).
It’s imperative that you don’t panic just because you have a negative thought.
The ANTS will come and go but don’t let yourself get carried down the anthill!

Like most people, you may be seeing situations “from” your thoughts.
Remember, that thoughts are not facts.
Fear might be pushing its way through the door. Simply refocus your mind back to the present and let the negative thought disappear as you are engaged with something else.
Don’t try to “get rid” of the thought. It will disappear on its own when you refocus and don’t give the thought any extra attention.

All the very best,

Craig

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The practice court is clearly broken. Here’s the proof.

Points are "front loaded". By far the majority of the action, and the winning, takes place in THE FIRST 4 SHOTS. The practice court is full of long rallies. Matches are dominated by short rallies. There is a massive disconnect occurring.

We spend too much time grinding, banging balls up and down the middle of the court – that have no real benefit to winning tennis matches.

There are 3 specific rally lengths in tennis. Here is their percentage breakdown of total points.

0-4 Shots = 70%
5-8 Shots = 20%
9+ Shots = 10%

The First 4 Shots is specifically the serve, return, Serve +1 groundstroke and Return +1 groundstroke. Those are normally the shots that get practiced the least, but matter the most to winning tennis matches.

The net is an extremely high percentage place to be!

If you love playing tennis for fun, spend as much time at the baseline as you like. But if you compete – if the score matters – then you must turn your attention to the net to maximize your potential.

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AVERAGE WIN %
Baseline = 46%
Net = 66%

Data from ALL Grand Slams provides the facts about approach and volley, and the data is crystal clear – it’s immensely better than staying back at the baseline, grinding for a living.

The baseline is a tough place to create separation. Here's how to do it.

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Forcing Errors = 41% Men / 37% Women
Winners = 32% Men / 29% Women
Unforced Errors = 27% Men / 34% Women

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Every recorded match from the 2015 Australian Open - Rd2 to the final.

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Winners rise to the #1 way a point ends (over forced & unforced errors)

- The last shot of the rally is overwhelmingly struck at the net.
- Center Window: the most important part of a doubles court to control.
- Stephen Huss: an in-depth interview on Wimbledon's Centre Court with the 2005 Wimbledon Doubles Champion.

Dou8les Num3ers leaves no stone unturned. Percentage breakdowns of how often the server or receiver hits the last shot highlight the dramatic influence of the serve. The last shot of the rally is significant, and is broken down into the following categories: volleys, overheads, passing shots, lobs and groundstrokes.

When you play a match, you actually play two matches.

When you walk out onto a tennis court, there are two matches that you are about to play. The first is during the point - a part of the match that you have spent a lot of time preparing for on the practice court. But there is a second match, that takes place in the 20 seconds between the points. This is where the mental and emotional aspects of our sport kick in.

Let's face it, there will be adversity in almost every tennis match that you play. The storm clouds are coming. How bug they are, and how long they last for, are up to you.

Between the points is very tennis specific. It provides a roadmap for the 20 seconds between the points, teaching how to handle the adversity that will surely come, and how to build on the successes that will also be present. Your mind is your biggest asset in a match, and Between the Points takes your hand off the self destruct button and stops you beating yourself.

You don't have to be good at everything, but you have got to be good at something.

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Building Blocks

MEN = 70% errors / 30% winners
WOMEN = 74% errors / 26% winners

Forcing errors is the best way to construct a point.
You can simply break tennis down into primary and secondary patterns of play - and they are all covered here. Primary patterns include serve and return direction, forehands v backhands, and the best way to approach the net. Secondary patterns include drop shots, serve & volley and 1st volley options. If you play tournaments, this product will greatly help you simplify the singles court.

The conversation starts & ends with the Center Window.

The doubles court is like an hourglass. There are two big ends, but a small neck in the middle where all the action happens. Once you learn the power of the Center Window, where you stand to start the point will take on a lot more significance.

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Doubles Situations

The "J" - the most ideal movement for the returner's partner to attack the net.

The "V" - a better way of understanding where the server's partner should move to.

Volley Targets - there are four main areas to attack. Know which ones are higher percentage. Beach Volleyball - the idea of a "setter" and "spiker" is ideal for the doubles court.

There are certain parts of the court that the ball travels to a lot, and other low percentage areas that you really don't want to cover at all - like the alley! In general, the serving team wants to keep the ball in the middle of the court as much as possible (to help the server's partner), while the returning team benefits from hitting wider and creating more chaos in the point.

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Getting Tight Sneak Peek: Can’t Close Out A Lead

G’day,

Getting Tight Sneak Peek Video: Closing Out A Lead.

Mini-Lessons