Skills? No, But I Have a Plan!
By Kavan Hahn, USPTA
What should I have for dinner tonight? I think I should have worn the pink skirt instead; this one doesn’t go as well with my top. I wonder who is going to be sent home on American Idol tonight. These are some of the thoughts that might be running through your head as you’re on the court, fighting to win a third set. This would be an issue of focus. How important is focus on the tennis court and what can you do to improve your focus?
If you’re more focused than your opponent you’ll have the ability to beat players that have superior talent. If you are less focused than your opponent you’ll have the ability to lose to players that have inferior talent. You want to get the most out of your skills and if your mind is wandering you’re not going to be able to achieve that.
The key to being focused on the court is to have a plan for every point. I’ll go over the doubles positions, but this can easily be translated to the singles game as well. If you’re serving in a match, it’s important to decide where you want to hit your first serve, and also where you want to hit your second serve. Some players may be happy with just getting their serve in, but all levels of players have the ability to aim their serves better than they may give themselves credit for. You must decide if you’re going to serve and volley, or serve and stay at the baseline. These thoughts help bring you into the moment of the match, and keep your attention on the task at hand. If you’re the server’s partner, it’s important to communicate with your partner so you know where they’re trying to place their serve. This allows you to develop a plan in your mind as well. If your partner serves out wide, you know that you have to hold your ground but anticipate a ball coming over the middle. If your partner is going to serve down the T, then you’ll know that you can take a couple steps towards the middle and again anticipate the ball coming over the middle of the net.
The returning team must also have a plan. If you’re the returner, it’s important to decide before the serve is hit, where you want to return the ball. You can decide either cross-court, down the line, or a lob. You don’t need to communicate to your partner if you’re going cross-court because you should be attempting that 80% of the time, but if you decide to hit down the line or lob then you should let your partner know so they can plan accordingly. If you’re the returner’s partner then you need to have a plan as well. You can decide to charge straight forward if your partner gets their return past the net player. You can decide to charge forward and cross if your partner gets their return past the net player. You’ll have to plan to stay if your partner is going to go down the line or lob on their return.
What happens if you don’t execute your plan? Don’t worry about it! You have gotten your mind engaged and dialed into the point. There are going to be many, many times throughout a match when your plan doesn’t come to fruition, but your mind is already into that point and you’ll play better because you’re no longer thinking about the meatloaf you need to put in the oven.
