Archive: Training
Learning to Finish Matches
November 8, 2023One of the many difficult challenges in the sport of tennis is the concept of finishing. Finishing a point; finishing a game; finishing a set; and of course the ultimate challenge, finishing a match. If you want to win more matches, you must learn to finish. There is no clock at the end of the […]
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Everything Is Practice
April 1, 2021“I play better in practice than in competition.” -Nearly Everyone If you’re like most people, you have probably noticed that you play better in practice than you do in competition. You may have even said something like the above quote to a coach, a family member, or to yourself. And it makes sense that most […]
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Using Visualization to Improve Learning and Performance
September 30, 2020Visualization (also known as imagery) is an area of study in sport psychology that has received a great deal of attention over the last few decades. It is often discussed from the perspective of players and how they can use it for mental rehearsal and preparation. Novak Djokovic is a good example of a player […]
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Why You Should Read Nietzsche For Inspiration
April 21, 2020Many of us have role models, people we look up to for inspiration. Especially as competitors. Having an idol that serves as an example of what is possible can be one of the most supremely powerful ingredients in your personal development. In fact, you can go as far as saying that actualizing your full potential […]
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Mental Skills Training Plan for the Corporate Athlete
April 15, 2020Do you work in an office or work for a company? Perhaps you’re in sales. If so, you’re not just an employee. You’re also a corporate athlete. And athletes have to train in order to manage their physical, mental, emotional, and motivational energy. In today’s environment, that could be more challenging than ever. For many […]
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Practicing Against A Wall – Find A Way
April 8, 2020In 1974, I started playing tennis. I was 6, and tennis was booming in the US. It was so popular, that it was difficult to get a court at our swim and tennis club. Fortunately, there was a backboard. It was always available. Over the next few years, that wooden backboard became my most reliable […]
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The Pursuit of Mastery: The Key to Happiness
April 1, 2020In this article, I’d like to address a thought many amateur athletes may have from time to time. That is what I’d like to call the “it-doesn’t-really-matter” thought. You might know just the thing I’m talking about. This is that rather seductive feeling that emerges when you’re really pushing yourself during your training sessions or […]
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Mental Training During Coronavirus Isolation
March 15, 2020By this time, it is probable that the coronavirus (COVID-19) has disrupted your athletic activities in some capacity. College seasons and championships have been canceled. Tennis tournaments across the country have been suspended for several weeks. Pro sports are on hiatus until the situation improves. None of us know when these organized activities will resume. […]
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Askēsis: Stoic Ethics For Reaching Your Highest Potential
October 31, 2019Every competitor is familiar with the necessity of training. This is nothing new. Everyone knows they need self-discipline to achieve success in any endeavor, whether that be in sports or otherwise. But many of us have difficulty in acting as disciplined as we could be. Some days we’re not feeling it. Some days we’re feeling […]
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Rhythmic Breathing – 50 for 50 Idea #47
December 23, 2018Breathing. It’s kind of basic. So basic that most of the time you are completely unaware that you are even doing it. But obviously it’s critical to survival as a human being, and beyond that, taking conscious control of it can have some profound effects on our well-being. There are many different exercises that one […]
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Workout Partner – 50 for 50 Idea #46
December 20, 2018If you’re someone who goes to the gym to workout on his or her own, perhaps the following scenario will sound familiar. On the way to the gym, you’re all fired up for a great workout. You’re thinking about how great you’re going to feel later. Those 6-pack abs you’ve been dreaming of are already […]
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Turn Professional in Preparation & Recovery – 50 for 50
December 9, 2018In The War of Art, author Steven Pressfield writes about the attitude of going pro in the things that you do. The true professional doesn’t wing it every day. He or she knows what it takes to be successful, and does those things systematically. There are no shortcuts, only the commitment to do what is […]
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Listen to a podcast once a week – 50 for 50 Idea #32
September 28, 2018One of the more interesting innovations of the modern age relative to information and entertainment is podcasts. Formerly known as “audioblogging”, the podcast format started to become more popular in the early 2000’s, and now in 2018 they are ubiquitous. Everyone seems to have one; I even did a single episode (and would like to […]
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50 for 50 Idea #29: Get a massage once a month
August 21, 2018In the late ’90s, I started experiencing some pain in my left knee while playing tennis. The pain was tolerable, so I played through it and then iced it after playing. That worked for a little while, but eventually the pain started to get worse, and my mobility on the court was compromised. The pain […]
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50 for 50 Idea # 27: Practice competing
July 26, 2018Over the last several years, there have been many books extolling the virtues of practice and mastery. Grit, Peak, and The Talent Code are just a few. The 10,000 hour rule, popularized and oversimplified by Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers, has become part of the daily lexicon. Want to be a master of what […]
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