Essential Tennis Podcast - Instruction, Lessons, Tips

You've probably heard it said a hundred times that staying relaxed is important but today's tennis podcast takes it to a whole other level! Find out why pretending the ball isn't there could totally change your strokes in today's lesson.

Do you get angry and lose your tempter on the court when you miss easy shots to lose to players you know you're better than? If so today's mental toughness tennis podcast lesson is a must listen!

Have you ever tried a new swing technique and immediately assumed that it wasn't the way to go because it didn't feel "natural"? If so you must listen to today's tennis podcast on making swing adjustments!

So you've got a lefty doubles partner. Great! But which side of the court should you return from? Should your forehands be in the middle or on the outside? Find out in today's episode of the Essential Tennis Podcast!

What can you do to make up for a doubles partner that always stays on the baseline no matter what? In today's episode of the Podcast I'll teach you what to do in three different specific situations on the court so you can be more successful.

How is it possible to be more aware of what's going on during the match on the other side of the net instead of just focusing on your own strokes? Find out in today's episode!

What are the best tactics to use when your opponent is much stronger than you are? Find out in today's episode of the podcast!

How can you get out to the best possible start on the court when you have a day job and 45 minute commute to your match? Find out!

What does it take to get to the next level? What if you plateau along the way? How good can you get? I'll answer these questions and more in this episode of the podcast!

Is it better to practice on hard or clay courts? What about for a junior player with big aspirations?

Everybody hates playing pushers, so what can we learn from them to become more effective on the court?

How should you balance out working on your technique while competing on the court at the same time? Should technique improvements wait for an "off season"?

Hate pushers? Then this episode is for you. Learn what technique and confidence issues are essential to coming away with a win.

Discover my top 4 tips for a healthy, successful relationship with your doubles partner!

What's the difference between sportsmanship and gamesmanship? More importantly, how can we deal with somebody that is using gamesmanship against us?

What happens when you hit a wall trying to improve a weakness? Should you keep plugging away at it or just move on?

"Find out when you should infuse (if ever!) some of the styles and personalities that you see on TV from ATP and WTA professional tennis players."

"Timing, footwork, and contact point are all at least closely related when it comes to the forehand groundstroke. However, when attempting to diagnose a problem and fix it you need to know which element is at fault and what change to make! Today's show focuses on exactly those topics as I go into detail on all 3 technique elements of the forehand groundstroke."

"Have you ever experienced a certain stroke getting stuck in a rut when it comes to timing? A very common issue is timing a groundstroke swing late over and over again. I should know, it happens to me! In today's episode of the podcast I'll share my favorite method of breaking a student out of a timing rut. It's a progression of different target areas that will get you swinging freely and correctly in no time."

"When your child begins taking lessons there are so many questions to answer: "What should I look for in a coach? Should he/she take lessons from only one coach or several? In today's episode of the podcast tennis parent expert Frank Giampaolo answers those questions and many more as he talks to me about the many pit falls of competitive junior tennis."

"Do you hate it when people watch you while you play? Do you get nervous, tight, and stop playing the type of tennis that you know you can? If so then you absolutely must catch this episode of the podcast in which Dr. Patrick Cohn is going to tell you how to overcome your anxiety. He also answers questions having to do with avoiding momentum shifts, and improving your mental toughness while off the court."

"Listen to all of the holiday messages left in the ET Voicemail Box over the past few weeks. Also, a huge "thank you" to everybody for their support during 2011. If you have listened to the podcast, watched my videos, attended a clinic, or signed up for any of my online courses this past year then you mean so much to me. I literally couldn't continue with Essential Tennis without you! Happy New Year, all the best for your tennis in 2012."

"Whether you currently have kids involved in tennis or not you really need to listen to my interview with Frank Giampaolo. He shares his "Top 5 Tennis Parent Blunders" and gives some amazing information for all of us to follow along the way. In this episode of the podcast you'll learn about body, brain and personality types, how to get ready for a match, how to practice based on your strengths and weaknesses, and a LOT more! "

"Exactly what sets players like Agassi, Djokovic and Murray apart as great returners? Is it possible to learn those same skills as recreational level players? In today's episode of the Podcast I'll share with you the techniques needed to be successful with the return of serve, as well as the "art" and the "x-factor" required to be a master at it."

"No matter what you've been told or currently think short court hitting is NOT just for beginners! In this episode of the podcast I explain exactly why mini tennis should be part of your practice or match warm up routine and how to best execute it, both in terms of targets and technique. Start using short court today for better rhythm and technique!"

"Pushers are feared all around the world for their consistency and guile on the court, especially in lower to intermediate level tennis, but it doesn't have to be that way! In today's episode of the podcast I share the most important elements of your game to improve if you ever want to be successful against somebody who excel at doing whatever it takes to just get the ball in."

"Most tennis players know what good "mental toughness" looks like on the court but have no idea how to actually develop it for their own game. Sure, Nadal and Federer are both tough and focused, almost never cracking under pressure, but how do you actually get to that point? How can we train ourselves to act and react the way that we want to? In today's episode of the podcast I answer those questions and give a three step plan for being successful with your mental game!"

"Dr. Cohn is back on the podcast to share his knowledge and expertise in the area of sports psychology and mental toughness! Together we talk about three listener questions that were submitted via Facebook which include how to best prepare and play "monster" points during a match, how can you close out a better player when you find yourself in the lead, and how can you get an annoying player out of your head? Make sure to also check out Dr. Cohn's own podcast at: Sports Psychology Tennis. "

"Sliding correctly on a clay court can be really tough to be but completely worth working on since it will raise the efficiency of your movement around the court a TON. In today's podcast I talk about exactly how to slide on a clay court, and even a hard one if you can get moving fast enough! Check out the three step process that's presented including which foot to use, when to initiate the slide, and what type of footwork to use. "

"In this week's episode of the show I answer a question from a listener who's fed up with tennis. He's tired of working hard on his strokes, fitness, and strategy only to have other's routinely beat him on the court. Is he doing something wrong or are some people who pick up tennis just doomed to never really "break through" and play the tennis of their dreams? Find out as I strive to set correct expectations for this player and everybody else! "

"Have you ever played against an opponent much stronger than you who seemed to crush every ball well past your comfort level? How can we possibly bridge the gap between where we are now and that type of play? Today's episode of the podcast is dedicated to having move success against 5.0 players and anybody else who has big power and offense off the baseline. Learn how to receive these monster shots and send them back with ease! "

"Todd Martin is my guest on this week's episode of the podcast to discuss all things tennis! I asked him a wide range of questions including: how he got started in the game and when he knew it would be his career, what rec players need to do to reach their full potential, what his time spend with Novak Djokovic was like including specific drills that were used, what his take is on new racket and string technologies, and a lot more! Also be sure to check out Todd's foundation which benefits at-risk youth: http://www.toddmartinkids.org/."

"The first topic in today's show is a little move that adds "shazam" to your results! If you're looking for more power and topspin on your forehand ground stroke then definitely check out what this move is and how you can go about making it a habit. I also talk about the correct time to use a drop shot during your singles points. Find out the 6 times that are terrible to use this sneaky little play, and what you should be looking for when deciding to use it or not."

"The first topic in today's show is safely creating big angles from the baseline by creating more topspin. How exactly should we hit these shots without them sailing wide? I give two practice drills to get a better feel for how vertical you should be swinging. The second topic has to do with mishitting volleys and missing easy volleys in general. I give a great three step system to eliminating miss hit volleys and also talk about how you can hit an offensive volley without losing your consistency!"

"Hands down the best fastest way to improve your technique and strategy is through video analysis! Shooting video of yourself playing or hitting can seem daunting at first but it definitely doesn't have to be complicated or difficult. In today's podcast I interview the video guru behind the success of Fuzzy Yellow Balls. He gives a LOT of very practice advice about how to use simple cameras and software to check out and improve your own game."

"My guest on today's podcast is Fuzzy Yellow Balls co-founder Will Hamilton. Together we discuss what working with the best doubles team of all time was like. He talks about exactly why Bob and Mike Bryan have been so successful, and what parts of their game YOU can copy and implement for more doubles success on the court. For a free two hour instructional course featuring the Bryan's CLICK HERE!"

"The only thing worse than missing an easy shot in tennis is having it put a seed of doubt into your mind about the next time you're in that same situation. Making mistakes is part of both tennis and life in general, but how can you keep their occurrence from destroying your confidence and forcing you to play tight, tentative tennis? In today's episode of the podcast I'll give you the three "essentials" to reacting to unforced errors the best way possible so that you can continue playing confident, high quality tennis even during adversity!"

"When serving and volleying or returning and volleying ballance is incredibly important. What is the correct footwork to use on your way up to the net? Should you use a split step or shuffle step? When does the split step take place exactly? Learn the answers to all of these questions and more as I give an outline of the 6 steps to take to a successful split step."

"It's widely accepted that keeping a totally neutral exterior during tennis matches is the way to go when it comes to mental tennis, but in today's show I'm going to give you a few reasons why that might not be the case! Sure, we can all come up with a list of past champions that never batted an eye regardless of the situation or how frustrating things might be for them, but at the end of the day that just isn't realistic or even best in terms of performance for all of us. Find out when it's ok to let off a little steam, and what ways are best to do it!"

"Today's show covers a topic that is extremely familiar with the vast majority of tennis players: struggling on the court against somebody that in your opinion is weaker than you are. It might be just a little bit, or maybe even a large difference in ability level but either way you seem to constantly play down to their level and make things difficult for yourself. Stop that cycle! In this episode of the podcast I outline the biggest psychological and physical reasons why tennis players can't consistently crush weaker players and how to fix them!"

"If you play any doubles at all then you need to be familiar with the I formation! In today's episode of the podcast my guest is friend and former teammate Jason Cole. Together we go over a full overview of how to use the I formation, when it's typically most successful, how to manage signals, what parts of the court both players should be covering, and more! Start using these tactics right away so confuse and intimidate your opponents, it's really a lot of fun!"

"In today's episode of the podcast I'm joined by certified personal trainer Steve Beck! Together we have a great discussion about three areas of tennis fitness that you need to be working on if you'd like to reach your full potential on the court: speed, strength, and flexibility. We also talk about a free course that we just released which will show you exactly how to work on those three areas for your tennis game! It's only available to view until July 27th so click on the link below to sign up as soon as possible.""

"Having a once confident tennis stroke completely leave you and turn into a liability has got to be one of the all time biggest frustrations to a player! I've personally experienced this several times in my own game and in today's show I give advice on how to avoid it, and also a three step process that you should use to bring a lost stroke back from the grave. I also discuss the technique of hitting a more penetrating backhand slice so that you can avoid hitting high floaters to your opponent!"

"Brent Abel runs the excellent tennis instruction website www.webtennis.com. In this week's episode of the podcast he's my guest as we discuss several topics that are vital to the improvement of tennis players everywhere: singles strategy, doubles strategy, trying to copy the pros, and what to do when you find yourself stuck in a rut with your tennis game. Brent has some great insights that I know you'll find helpful!"

"In today's show my guest is Will Hamilton from Fuzzy Yellow Balls! Together we talk about some super important topics having to do with improving your tennis game. Did you know that the biggest difference between players isn't actually natural skill and ability? Will explains how what he read in a book by Geoff Colvin (really good read!) can teach us about getting better at tennis, specifically what you should be focusing on and not focusing on as you try to improve."

"Dr. Cohn is back for another great discussion about mental toughness in your tennis game! Together we discuss three different listener topics about avoiding disappointment on the tennis court. The first question has to do with the infamous "choke", how can we avoid giving up a big lead? Second we talk about getting angry or upset after missing shots during a match and thirdly we talk about being too nice and feeling sorry for your opponent!"

"So many recreational tennis players walk out onto the practice court, rally a couple balls from the baseline without any purpose at all and then just go right into set play or baseline games. Don't do that! You can make such better use of your time on the court and on today's podcast Andy Zodin and I discuss exactly how that's possible. Cooperative tennis drills don't have to be boring!"

"We've all dealt with this type of opponent at least once in our tennis careers. This is the player that has a lot of experience, unconventional technique, and imparts huge amounts of spin on the ball over and over again. In trying to deal with these shots you feel confused, off balance, and sometimes just plain dumb as the ball curves and bounces all over the place. Talk about frustrating! In today's episode of the podcast I will tell you exactly what to look for against these players, how their spin is hit, and how to read it correctly so that you can be in the right position!"

"Being able to hit a soft, delicate drop volley can often be extremely useful both in singles and in doubles. Unfortunately most recreational players complicate this shot by trying to chop at it and add a ton of spin, don't make that mistake! In today's episode of the podcast I talk about exactly how to execute this shot correctly, and how to best use it in a singles match against an opponent that loves hitting passing shots."

"If you're really serious about being a better tennis player then training your body for peak performance is definitely something you should be doing! In today's episode of the podcast I have a special guest join me who is not only passionate about tennis but is a certified personal trainer as well. We talk about topics such as warming up correctly, whether or not a "cool down" is necessary for tennis players, and also how to best fit your workout into a busy schedule. Also, keep an eye out for some new videos coming out soon featuring Steve and his fitness tips!"