Making good decisions is key to succeeding at every level of tennis. Smart, fast, and executable decisions are attainable and crucial no matter your level.
I often ask my players ‘what’s your favorite food?’ Some 8 seconds later I get a very definitive response. They’ve weighed their top 3 or 4 options (steak, chocolate, lasagna, pizza) before answering with ‘pizza’. But tennis requires answers within a second or less. It is inevitable that the first thing that comes to your mind is not the best answer. Then I ask again. ‘whats your favorite food?’. ‘pizza’ comes a second later. then i challenge them to go quicker. And before I’ve finished the question, the answer has already been given.
Tennis tests your ability to respond, not your ability to weigh your options. When the ball comes to your forehand, knowing that you’re going cross court allows you to start getting your feet in position... your hands can already be in place and you can start your swing early and proactively. Your technique will actually improve as your decision making improves.
Before you play, visualize all the situations you may face. Decide conclusively what you want to do with each ball. Deciding lets you have all your answers before you step on the court. Then you can just execute.
When you’re visualizing before your match, that’s when you decide on your answers in the form of multiple patterns you’ll want to use. Then before the point you should pick a particular pattern to implement. then as you read the shot coming you commit quickly with a smart decision and do your very best to execute it.
jf