1. Practice specific situations. Isolate one situation and work
on it in order to store the decisions you make in this particular
situation. Example: play crosscourt and when you receive a
shorter ball, attack down the line.
2. Gradually add more options. Example: play crosscourt and
when you receive a short ball, either attack down the line or play
a drop shot.
3. Watch a lot of tennis. I think that this is the BEST way to
learn smart tactics. Do not watch the ball, but observe the patterns
of play and try to understand and remember the type of shot that
is played in a certain situation.
When you play tennis and DECIDE on a specific type of shot,
in your mind's eye you SEE the ball's flight (direction, speed, spin,
depth and height).
ere are no words in the decision made in your mind, just an
image of how you want the ball to fly.
at's why it's best to store the information in the same way -
visually.
See how the ball is played in a certain situation and you'll be able
to quickly recall it when needed.
4. Play lots and lots of tennis with different opponents. is
will help you to create a massive database of correct decisions by
learning from your mistakes and from your successful shots.
So the next time you make a mistake in tennis, check with
yourself what your decision was before you start blaming your
poor backhand for missing the shot.
What kind of shot did you want to play?
In which direction, how high over the net, with how much spin
and speed and how deep did you want to play your shot?
inking about this takes too long, but imagining the ball's
trajectory takes only a split second, and that's what is needed to
overcome and master the most difficult thing in tennis. ~ Shirley
Ferguson, Tennis Mind Games
TENNIS TITANS
| LIFE IN SOLERA | APRIL 2024 | 47
HOW TO LEARN TO MAKE BETTER DECISIONS QUICKLY
Beverly Crowe Cindy Bice Glenn Bradd
