Baseline Intelligence with Jonathan Stokke

Howard Joffe is our guest for the fourteenth episode of Baseline Intelligence. Howard is a former All-American for Pepperdine University and is currently the women's head coach for the University of Texas where they've won both the 2021 and the 2022 NCAA championships. We talk:2:09 How he builds his team4:52 What he looks for in a recruit6:28 How a player reveals their passion for the game11:34 When he starts recruiting junior players15:15 The "false self"17:18 What he focuses on with his players21:05 Listening to his players25:16 How his players stay relaxed under pressure27:10 The difficult of defending a national championship31:47 Most difficult aspect of being a head coach33:18 His halftime speeches35:14 His best advice to win more matchessound effects from https://zapsplat.com

In part 2 of our episode with Rick Macci we discuss...1:08 How he comes up with his famous rhymes 4:35 The mind is either for you or against you8:40 A common technical mistake he sees13:55 His best tip for hitting a cleaner ball18:15 The differences between college and pro tennis22:08 The future of tennisSound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com

Rick Macci is our guest for the twelfth episode of Baseline Intelligence. Rick is a 7-time USPTA national coach of the year and has coached Venus and Serena Williams, Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, Jennifer Capriati and Mary Pierce. He's also featured prominently in the Oscar winning movie "King Richard".We talk1:30 Where he gets his energy and passion from5:08 How he got started with the Williams sisters14:21 What Richard did well as a tennis parent19:31 How he coaches parents21:00 What he learned from Venus23:49 What he learned from Serena26:14 Why competitive drive is so importantSound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Michael Joyce is our guest for the eleventh episode of Baseline Intelligence. Michael achieved a career high singles ranking of 64 on the ATP tour and had wins over Patrick Rafter and Michael Chang. He's also been the lead coach for many of the best players in the world, including Maria Sharapova, Jessica Pegula, Victoria Azarenka, Johanna Konta and Genie Bouchard. We talk:2:20 Being on the other end of an Agassi highlight3:45 What he did well as a player7:33 Technique vs. tactics11:26 Focusing on yourself vs. the opponent15:00 How his dad helped Maria win the US Open17:45 Lack of set play with juniors26:28 Teaching players to handle pressure30:42 Poker with Phil Jackson32:47 Lessons learned from Maria37:39 Biggest mistake as a coach42:06 Pushback from pro players44:00 Using white lies to motivate46:56 Advice for the 3.5 player51:10 Dismantling the LA Lakerssound effects from https:www.zapsplat.com

Kathy Rinaldi is our guest for the tenth episode of Baseline Intelligence. Kathy achieved career high rankings of 7 in singles and 13 in doubles on the WTA tour. She currently works as the lead national coach for women's tennis at the USTA, and also captains the United States team for the Billie Jean King Cup. We talk:1:45 Making the quarters of the French Open as a 14 year old2:45 Using her playing experiences to help her as a coach4:16 Putting the person first6:18 The success of American women8:25 Building chemistry for team USA10:45 Coaching during the match14:42 A big change in the Belarus final16:22 Her thoughts on the match vs. Ukraine18:10 Changes she'd like to see in the BJK format19:20 Best tip for the 3.5 player21:27 Using offensive lobs23:45 Tips for hitting a clean ball**sounds effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Prakash Amritraj is our guest for the ninth episode of Baseline Intelligence. Prakash was ranked as high as 119 in the ATP rankings and represented India in Davis Cup on multiple occasions. He was also the MVP of the 2002 NCAA Championship for the University of Southern California, clinching the last 3 matches of the tournament. He's currently a host, commentator, and interviewer for tennis channel as well as a movie producer. We talk:2:10 the junior tennis fraternity4:00 what it was like to win an NCAA title8:00 Davis Cup experiences10:48 how he managed pressure12:30 what he's learned from commentating16:54 developing his on camera skills20:55 his discipline and how he channels it22:41 his "code" and how he uses it to improve27:47 tips for the 3.5 player30:57 why his shirt sleeves are so short32:49 how I can help him with his calves**sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Dr. Mark Kovacs is our guest for the eighth episode of Baseline Intelligence. Mark was the former director of the Sports Science and Strength and Conditioning departments of the USTA, is the CEO of the Kovacs Institute, and has spent the past two years as the senior director of Sports Science and Health for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was also an All American and NCAA Division I champion in doubles for Auburn University. We talk:1:45 how to get started with a fitness program3:42 strength, mobility, endurance and flexibility6:58 30 minutes a day, 7 days a week9:15 what is overtraining?12:03 when you should hydrate before a tournament14:38 what you should eat the night before a match17:07 what you can eat during a match19:04 generating power on the serve29:23 what's the root cause of most injuries31:00 what part of the body you should focus on the most33:00 on court vs off court training ratio35:17 the MK drill**Sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Peter Smith is our guest for the seventh episode of Baseline Intelligence. Peter coached Division I men's tennis for over 30 years, winning 5 NCAA championships, 2 National coach the year awards, and took four different schools into the top 25. He also spent time coaching top American professionals Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey. We talk:3:25 Why his teams won so many NCAA championships6:00 How the love of his players improved performance8:37 Loving the big moments10:00 The difference between good and great12:00 Common "walls" players put up17:05 His coaching philosophy19:00 Coaching a college match24:48 Top thing he looked for in a recruit28:27 Top thing a 3.5 player can do to improve29:51 How easy it was to coaching against me 32:10 A legendary coaching story** Sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Marc Lucero is our guest for the sixth episode of Baseline Intelligence. Marc spent time as the assistant coach at Princeton University, was a USTA national coach, and has coached several top professional players including Shelby Rogers, Genie Bouchard and Steve Johnson. He also has his own podcast "Check the Marc" and is a commentator for collegiate and professional tennis matches.We talk:1:40 How he comes up with a game plan for his players5:18 Why it takes time for a game plan to work 9:39 What a relationship between a pro player and their coach looks like11:41 Differences between the men's and women's games14:52 What tactics the pros use that you can add to your game16:53 His coaching influences20:53 His communication style22:53 The most important skill to have as a coach26:10 His biggest mistake as a coach and what he learned from it** Sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Carlos and Josh Goffi are our guests for the fifth episode of Baseline Intelligence. Carlos is the author of "Tournament Tough" and was the longtime coach of world number 1 and 7-time grand slam champion John McEnroe. His son, Josh, is currently the head men's tennis coach at the University of South Carolina where he helped coach Paul Jubb to the individual NCAA Singles title in 2019. We talk:2:30 Carlos' first tennis lesson with John McEnroe4:45 What you should be doing between points6:30 Controlling your opponent10:22 The traffic light analogy 14:45 The two phases of junior development21:00 The role of the tennis parent28:30 Kids who have parents as their coach34:00 Not all points are worth the same**Sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Nick Saviano is our guest for the fourth episode of Baseline Intelligence. Nick is widely regarded as one of the world's preeminent tennis coaches with over 45 years of world class experience. He has helped helped train over 75 players who have gone on to professional careers on the WTA and ATP tours, including world number ones, olympic gold medalists and grand slam champions. We talk:1:25 What he looks for in a player6:12 The difference between nerves and fear9:08 The ground rules for playing a tournament 15:30 Everybody has an on-court personality19:05 Every practice shot should have a tactical objective 24:26 Core fundamentals for developing an elite serve28:52 How much time a player should dedicate to practicing serve and return31:11 What to do when you aren't playing well in a match**sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Craig O'Shannessy is our guest for the third episode of Baseline Intelligence. Craig is the leading strategy analyst for the ATP Tour and most recently spent three years as the strategy and data analyst for Novak Djokovic from 2017-2019. He is also the founder of braingametennis.com, an educational website with multiple courses for the avid tennis player. We talk:3:32 - When he learned the value of using video for the first time8:45 - Focusing on yourself vs. focusing on your opponent13:45 - How he helped Rajeev Ram get back into the top 10020:03 - What your strategy should be in the first four shots23:48 - How often you should practice serve and return + 128:53 - The storm cloud analogy30:24 - The leaking cup analogy34:47 - The "center window" of the doubles court37:50 - The future of tennis strategy40:04 - What tactic makes him cringe the most41:27 - The most important statistic in tennis43:00 - What type of errors you want to make**sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Rajeev Ram is our guest for the second episode of Baseline Intelligence. Rajeev is ranked 4th in the ATP Doubles Rankings after a fantastic 2021 season where he (and partner Joe Salisbury) reached the Australian Open final, the semifinals of Wimbledon and won the US Open. We talk:3:42 - How he maintains his emotional energy throughout a long season5:04 - Managing 10 point tiebreakers11:10 - What he and Joe need to work on to finish as the top ranked doubles team12:40 - What it's like preparing for a grand slam final16:00 - How the game of doubles is changing21:30 - What makes a great doubles partner27:20 - What it means to be a "performer"31:45 - How to avoid burnout**sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

18th ranked Jessica Pegula joins us for the first episode of Baseline Intelligence. She recently wrapped up a career year by reaching the quarterfinals of the 2021 Australian Open and jumping 44 spots in the WTA Rankings.We talk:1:55 - What she credits her jump in the rankings to7:25 - How 1% improvement makes all the difference10:35 - What she counts as a bad error14:45 - Her most basic tactic in a match21:36 - What she did as a junior that helped her become a pro23:56 - What she would do differently as a junior player34:34 - Tells us about practice "tickles"38:10 - Why she feeds her dogs so much before she goes on the road**Sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Welcome to the Baseline Intelligence podcast! Each episode will feature a prominent player or coach who will share what they've learned throughout their careers. We'll discuss their strategies, techniques, mindsets, fitness plans, and anything else they consider when trying to be great at the game we all love. My hope is that each episode will help you learn something new and improve your game without even hitting a tennis ball.