Stop THINKING During Tennis! (why you lose)

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If there's one thing every tennis player can relate to, it's the agony of overthinking a shot you've hit a MILLION times and screwing it up. Here's how to turn your brain off and let your subconscious skills and awareness dominate your opponents...
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#tennis #lesson #howto

[@EssentialTennis]

To learn more about making your tennis automatic and how to master your technique, strategy and mental game pick up a copy of my book: www.amazon.com/Essential-Tennis-Improve-Smarter-Matches/dp/B09WJF194B/ Thanks for watching. Hope this video was super helpful!

[@denise2534]

I am enjoying your book right now!

[@cincotennisacademy3449]

Muscle memory precision 😊

[@cincotennisacademy3449]

Baby steps are the fundamentals of good hitting

[@user-bx3bg6vt5v]

I love this video Ian! You were the one that finally forced me to buy a tripod and start videotaping myself to practice my strokes and serve. It has made a huge difference...now as I swing I see myself in my brain (almost simultaneously) swinging using proper technique I have (of me) seen on the tape. I have used all the purchases I have made on your site and have rewatched and reviewed most of them several times. Thank you for al the free material as well.

[@ybakos]

Ian's emphasis about the importance of video analysis was a game-changer for me, too. Good luck with your own improvement goals!

[@EssentialTennis]

Thank you both so much for your support! 🙏

[@TennisHacker]

Another fantastic lesson Ian! It's awesome that you have focused in on teach players what it takes to actually improve. Rather than all the ridiculous videos that make outrageous and unrealistic claims.

[@EssentialTennis]

Too bad these videos don't get the same amount of views 😆

[@IssaRaeOf10S]

I don't play tennis. Just a fan/spectator. Love watching this channel to better understand what my favorite players are experiencing on court and why they struggle.

[@EssentialTennis]

Glad you're enjoying the videos!

[@johnwright2460]

Great explanation. Thanks very much.

[@duyenn9452]

Love the hard truths! Such a great video for anyone trying o get better in tennis. Thanks Ian ❤❤

[@nathanmiller6051]

Excellent! ❤👍🙏 appreciate

[@warriorzentennis]

This is a great video Ian. One breakthrough I have made in my game is focusing on trust in myself. Lately I have only been focused on tactics instead of technique and I feel like a burden has been lifted when I play. We are bombarded by "not good enough" energy at an early age which can send most of us down the path of "if I'm not perfect, I am no good". As long as I have the courage to step on court and tell my demons to get out of my way, I feel better playing even if I lose. This is one of the main lessons tennis has taught me.

[@EssentialTennis]

That's SUPER insightful, Warrior! Thanks so much for sharing.

[@ybakos]

Yeah man, during match play I just allow my strokes to be whatever they may be and focus on the ball, or on being athletic. It helps… a bit!

[@warriorzentennis]

@ybakos I think that's the hard part people encounter in match play is dealing with the ego and expecting to control things through conscious thought. We almost have to give control over to another part of ourselves and be more of a cheerleader for that part, instead of taking credit for every little action we do. I have played matches where I was shaking so bad from nerves but I followed your advice and came out a better person, not just a better player. Bageling the fear is more important than bageling the opponent haha

[@ybakos]

​@@warriorzentennis Thank you for sharing that. I myself get _so_ tense, tight and nervous during matchplay - it's like I'm a whole different player (a whole different _worse_ player). It seems that "playing more high-stakes matches" is one antidote, but I think there's more to it. Bageling the fear is tough! I struggle with this. My latest idea is to maybe take two shots of tequila before the match, haha.

[@EssentialTennis]

😆

[@amstringing1]

Aloha Ian, I loved your presentation, especially the shadow swing progressions. I feel these are highly underrated in developing stroke mechanics, and you nailed it! I'm a teaching pro and found your flow chart and 32 progressions very helpful. I plan to use these concepts in my teachings! Thanks for sharing!! 🤙

[@EssentialTennis]

Mahalo!

[@Javi_C]

Great points Ian!

[@EssentialTennis]

Thanks for watching!

[@kylewind214]

I had plateaued to a degree, so this offseason I decided to take lessons and play no competitive matches in the meantime to try to build new muscle memory. After about two months, I increasingly feel like this is the fastest I've ever improved by a wide margin, and I attribute that just as much to the lessons as I do the not playing matches between lessons which undermines your progress. The issues Ian raises are real.

[@-Munditimum-]

In my lifetime I've known a few high end coaches, but certainly not all. I can however say very easily that Ian is definitely one of the best coaches there is. Thank you Ian and Essential tennis team for always displaying super valuable info about our beloved sport. Cheers! M

[@EssentialTennis]

🙏

[@mindphaser23]

So many times, usually right after I’ve had or watched a bunch of lessons, I find myself playing poorly. That’s when I stop and remind myself, “too many mind” (a nod to a key scene in “The Last Samurai”). I clear my mind as best I can, yield to instinct, and this usually works for me.

[@ybakos]

Thank you. I loved seeing the progressions, but am also humbled to get back to devoting much more time to the lowest levels such as shadow swings - especially with a mirror. The four criteria you highlight are so “essential,” too. Perfect practice makes perfect, as they say. It would be cool to dig into the details of the first three criteria for those who are doing their homework. Such as focused practice routines, spaced repetition, how to eliminate bad habit repetition and increase good habit performance with frequent video checks during practice, etc. By the way Ian, check out the Coursera courses Learning How to Learn and Uncommon Sense Teaching (also as books), I know they will resound with you. Thanks for making me a better player.

[@EssentialTennis]

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!

[@marknelson5810]

Thanks! These points really hit home and ring true for me! I would say that in fact my competitive ability goes DOWN when I am working on swing technique - not up, because all the conscious attention to new technique gets in the way of performance. One thing I find frustrating about the list of 32 steps towards the solution you offer is that after the first few steps, they all seem to require cooperative participation from other people. It is very HARD to find other players willing to put in this kind of work. One solution I've been pondering to this dilemma is the use of mental imagery. I know that back in the 80s there was a lot of buzz around using imagery to train the neuromuscular response patterns for golfers and skiers. The research seemed to suggest some success with this in place of actual physical repetition of the new skill. Do you have any thoughts about this as part of a tennis technique improvement methodology?

[@EssentialTennis]

1: Yes, usually competitive performance goes down while working on a new skill, it only goes back up when you get close to unconscious competency. 2: Yes, you ACTUALLY have to practice new skills vs other humans at some point....if you want to be good playing vs other humans 😬 3: I haven't spent any time researching replacing real practice with mental training. I feel like if it was possible all the top athletes would be doing it at least a little bit in place of "real hitting". Haven't heard about that.

[@ybakos]

Gotta find those partners who are also into improving and willing to work on skill building rare than just warm up and play. One tactic that works for me is being willing to hit with anyone, regardless of level, and also warmly asserting w/ hitting partners a routine to work on. During half court warm up I often ask, “what are you working on?” and also share what I am working on. That hopefully gets them to start thinking in the improvement mindset. Then after baseline warmup I suggest 100 balls cross court and down the line, cooperative rallies. Then another drill. Before you know it the time is up and perhaps you’ve begun to shape a partner who is willing to do some work. And, hold onto those partners who do have the practice mindset! When I hit, I do 20-30 mins of point play max out of a 2 hour session.

[@marknelson5810]

@@ybakos Thanks for the helpful input.

[@marcogray8090]

Ian, actually this is very controversial topic for 99% of coaches. Not telling students how difficult this game is. First question why they want to learn, if they want to win matches - we have a problem because this sport is very very hard if You want to win matches. And the list You published in this video is really the KEY to LEARN tennis. Plus ball awareness, court awareness, movement, different techniques for different balls, high/low/medium and spins. Crazy! Thank You for that. This is why this sport is so beautifull because mastering it is "nearly" impossible. I met coaches from all levels, spent thousands of dollars for lessons and really they are NOT AWARE, or just dont want to share most important things.

[@EssentialTennis]

I understand where you're coming from. That being said, in my opinion, there's no excuse for a student genuinely wanting to learn and improve, paying a coach, and that coach either withholding information because "tennis is too hard" or, what's more common, is the coach doesn't actually KNOW enough about how to improve to actually help the student, especially when they aren't very athletic or coordinated. Instead, you get BS catch phrases and cliches hour after hour.

[@sn1kzZe]

I'm practicing with the big red ball in some days and then the regular yellow ball on other, and I feel that it messes with my calibration and feeling for the racket, what's your opinion on this coach?

[@shailsh3965]

As bounce of red and yellow balls are different,your racket swing path will be different.Idea here is to develop "rhythm" with correct swing technique and practice it.Once your rhythm is set for particular height of the ball it becomes easy for different height of the ball.If this is practiced against the wall on regular basis it is possible to achieve nice results.

[@sashazanjani]

I have had lots of lessons lately and I have played even worse than ever. I play 3 times a week and have lessons but I am still rubbish. Maybe I think too much about technique.

[@jean-pierreuys1554]

Nothing new to this... if you have his book! haha. People just buy his book - it's tennis life changing!

[@EssentialTennis]

❤🙏

[@luyin1961]

I wonder if the truth is somewhere between Ian’s book and The Inner Game of Tennis. It is too easy to get too conscious into specific strokes sometimes. For example, the problem with segmented shadow swing is that it is very hard to feel the right swing.

[@EssentialTennis]

The truth is BOTH are necessary and important. For learning something brand new and changing an old habit hard core consciousness is needed. For peak performance during competition the other end of the spectrum is the only way it can happen. With anything as complicated as tennis "either/or" isn't a great way to approach things 😊

[@luyin1961]

@@EssentialTennis Thanks! BTW, you are a good performer. I read the paper book first. Last month I listened to the audiobook version, and it was great (also listened to the audiobook version of "Inner Game").

[@watcher687]

You would think anyone who played tennis for a couple of years knows what shot to make but for various reasons they still either make the wrong shot or they can’t execute the correct shot. The former is totally mental in my opinion and the latter just takes tens of thousands of reps.

[@fooljo333]

Totally get it. But then what do you suggest? Most ppl don't have the money OR time to devote in order to accomplish such things. Are we just endlessly stuck?

[@daltoncampbell2738]

You can do it with less time it’ll just take longer to get to the point of rallies

[@EssentialTennis]

Definitely don't need money to do this.....time, on the other hand, is definitely needed unless you're super talented. I guess I'd turn it around: did you honestly think you'd keep getting better and better without plateauing WITHOUT investing a lot of time and effort?

[@ybakos]

If it makes you feel better, I’ve been working on my 2bh for six months and am still not there yet! Patience and liking the process rather than the goal is key (and hard). I do want to give up, haha. I think we should not overlook the basic progression steps either. For example, 15 minutes of shadow swings every day is free.

[@fooljo333]

@@EssentialTennis no. so I guess you're saying the answer to my ultimate question is, yes?

[@EssentialTennis]

If you stop investing time following a sound improvement process then your level will plateau. What level it plateaus at completely depends on your "natural talent". If your level of talent is low and your time investment is low then, yes, you will always be a bad player. If your talent level is high and your time investment is low you could still be pretty good.

[@ROrneli]

ugh, yes, fixing someone's stroke when that person already hits a certain way AND is playing matches on the regular is impossible. It is better at that point to just work with what they have. It is better to grab new players from the get go and mold them correctly before they start competing

[@marcosvivoni1944]

this is true but only up to a certain level no?

[@EssentialTennis]

Absolutely not. Why would the mind/body stop working like this past a certain level? The best players in the world are working on making technical changes and depending on how big the change is and how long they've had their old habit it can take them a longer or shorter time. There's a great video on KZbin of Nadal learning a new serve motion by first practicing a better throw....aka progressions.

[@michaellangham6234]

got to quiet the mind...be a taoist