| Good shot selection is all about knowing where to | | | | 2. CHOOSE the right intention! |
| direct your shot depending the challenge your | | | | INTENTION = ACTION |
| opponent has presented you! | | | | RED Action = Get back or stay in the point by |
| The mental or the decision part is a two-step process. | | | | neutralising the pressure and/or recover your balance |
| | | | ORANGE Action = Get control of the point, bring your |
| 1. First you have to judge the difficulty of the oncoming | | | | opponent off-balance |
| ball | | | | GREEN Action = Play a disruptive shot so you will |
| 2. Then you choose the appropriate intention, | | | | force an error |
| depending the color of the ball. | | | | 3. The next level? |
| Finally you execute your shot! (the how-to part will be | | | | - Clearly the context is a personal perception, the |
| addressed in a next article) | | | | same challenge will be different when you've acquired |
| 1. PERCEPTION of the challenge! ( = quality of the | | | | the skills to master that challenge! Example: you're at |
| oncoming ball ) | | | | the net and your opponent plays a lob and you don't |
| THE DIFFICULTY OF THE CHALLENGE - COLOR | | | | master the smash, so it's a RED context for you. |
| CODE | | | | After a lot of practice on the smash you can handle |
| HIGH ----------------------- RED | | | | that same situation pretty well so now it is no longer a |
| MEDIUM ------------------ ORANGE | | | | RED but a ORANGE or even a GREEN context. |
| LOW ----------------------- GREEN | | | | - In the future (shot selection for advanced players) |
| Defining the challenge or context: | | | | the context will consist of more factors then only the |
| - A red context is a situation where you have to | | | | quality of the oncoming ball, so your shot selection is |
| move a lot, or move backwards or are not in balance | | | | even more appropriate and you will control more |
| when you have to make your shot! | | | | points then before! |
| - An orange context means that you're not | | | | Conclusion: |
| off-balance and the oncoming ball is within your | | | | Go for the opportunities (green and orange) and don't |
| capabilities | | | | underestimate the threats (red)! |
| - A green context means that you are totally in | | | | I love to receive your feedback and |
| balance and you get the chance to win the point | | | | remember...TENNIS WITH PASSION! |
| directly or to force an error! | | | | |