I’ve been coaching Rafa and I’d like to share my experience with you.   After giving me a short description of how he is playing at the moment, he told me that his intention was to achieve more power in his forehand. He said that sometimes and particularly under challenge, he would revert to brushing … Read more

The other day I met up with Mark Mitchell, head coach at St Neots TT Club and former No 6 ranked player in UK, to discuss the possibility of working together.   After a brief chat we went on the table for a knock. Mark asked me which side I would like to start on. … Read more

In its most basic sense, we know that a handrail is something that offers support and guides us towards our desired direction.   Conversely, handcuffs restrain our movement, and force us to conform. Consider whether these coaching interventions are more like handrails or handcuffs? –  Don’t go any further than this amount on your follow … Read more

How do we know what game we are really playing on a tennis court or in life?   When we are young, we are naturally influenced, by our parents and teachers, who with good intentions think that they know what is best for us.   Last week I spoke with a former player, now a tennis … Read more

What do we say when we can see someone struggling with their learning and looking like they are trying to control their shot making too much?:   ‘Don’t worry about it!’   ‘It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t go in..’   ‘Just have a go….’   ‘Come on, see if you can relax a bit … Read more

A player’s biomechanical inefficiencies are quite often hidden from the human eye. But, even if a coach has a good idea of where technique could be improved, the root cause may be off the radar. Quite often, it may simply be that mental interference is creating muscular tension which is then affecting the technique. Effective … Read more

‘Little-Big’ conversations are ‘Little’ because they may only consist of one or two quick exchanges over the course of a coaching session but they are ‘Big’ because of the potential impact that they could have on our players, from helping to create better focus and increased awareness of ball, body and racket, to developing confidence … Read more

Recently, I was helping a young player to develop a topspin forehand in Table Tennis. The player wanted to work on brushing the ball more and I suggested that we do an exercise where they monitored how much brush was on the ball for each shot using a scale of 1 – 5 where 1 … Read more

If you know how to relax, muscle tension decreases, blood pressure goes down, the mind becomes calm and movement becomes more effortless and effective. In matches or training, how often have you heard coaches or players saying things like, ‘You need to relax and just go for your shots more!’ or, ‘You’re playing too tight … Read more

A player’s true technical faults are more likely to shine through when their mind is focused and quiet and their body is relaxed and not when they are over-thinking and playing with tension.   When a player is over-thinking and over-trying during a lesson, we are not seeing their natural expression of hitting the ball, … Read more