Marginal Gains:
Preparing for Competition

Nick Wheatley

In this series, we have looked in depth at the way you can use to strengths of your game in matches in ways that lead to winning that extra handful of critical points that are the difference in close matches. In this article, let's see how you can create additional marginal gains during your preparation for those matches. As the saying goes "If you fail to prepare, then prepare to fail."

We could at this point delve deep into things like physical fitness, diet, and nutrition. This is not my area of expertise, and should you want to embark on a longer-term plan to make progress in these areas, there is a wealth of information elsewhere on this site and in the larger coaching world to help you do that.

Instead, my focus is on ideas that you can adopt tomorrow, to be better prepared than your opponent, and achieve a marginal gain that will help boost your chances of success.

Preparation before matches is almost all about your pre-match warm-up. I'm not talking about the 5 minutes you'll get with your opponent(s). To me preparation means warming up for 30-45 minutes at some point prior to the match.

It's not so important if there are a few hours gap between your pre-match warm-up and the match itself. What is important is that your body and mind have gone through this process on the same day as your match, so the feelings will be fresh, and you will then get the benefit of this dress rehearsal.'

Let's say you've allocated 30 minutes for the pre-match warmup. Here's an example of how you can make best use of this time based on some of the drills and practices already covered in this series.

Start with no more than 3-4 minutes of hitting. Then move onto "down the line live" game we outlined in a previous article. (Click Here.) You may only get to play first to 5 points on each cross-court pattern, but it will be invaluable.

Then it's time for some specific volley practice, and how this is done will depend on whether you are playing singles or doubles. If singles, you will want to incorporate your approach to the net in the practice.

In doubles, you'll need to do the same using half the court. You will also want to do some practice from the net position on the side you will be returning from, once again using half a court, and perhaps with the option to put easy balls away to the other half.

Your practice time is precious and often limited, so only spend a minute or so warming up your volleys before starting your chosen drill. Once volleys are done, it's time for some specific serve and return practice also detailed in a previous article. (Click Here.)

Hit only a handful of warm-up serves, and then set yourself up to practice serves and first split step on either the singles or doubles court, and then returns on their own. You'll probably be running out of time at this stage, but if not, you can finish by playing out a few points.

If time is more restricted, a shorter pre-match warm-up is still far better than none at all. You may want to focus on what is most relevant to your game. Serve and return will always be included, but as a baseliner playing singles, you could cut out the volley practice, and as a serve and volleyer playing doubles, you could leave out "down the line live."

If you have more time, then you can extend some of the drills. You can also add in the "first 4 shot" drill to transition from serve and return practice to playing full points. In first 4 shots practice, you play only the first 4 shots, or however many shots the rally lasts if it doesn't reach 4. If the 4th shot is in, the point is awarded to the player who was in control of the rally at that moment.

Around 40 minutes of specific practice would be ideal to get yourself fully ready to compete, and at least a 15 minute break before the match is due to begin.

If you can schedule this into your pre-match routine, you will notice and appreciate the benefits of being fully prepared, especially if your opponents haven't matched your commitment.

Most importantly, feeling ready and being properly prepared is a great source of confidence. Confidence is the holy grail for tennis players. Nothing beats feeling confident on the court as you go about executing your game. A proper warm-up will build your confidence because you know that you have made a marginal gain by being fully prepared when the match gets underway.

The final ingredient for proper preparation is full knowledge of the environment you will be competing in. This includes knowledge of the venue, the court surface, any weather factors, your opponent, and the scoring format.

Being clear in your mind about these factors means you don't have to waste any energy worrying or wondering about how things might be. Picture the environment in your mind, and imagine yourself in it and feeling comfortable.

Take visualisation techniques a step further if you wish, they are a great way to prepare for a tennis match. (Click Here for John Yandell's article on that.) If travelling is involved, plan ahead to arrive 15-20 minutes early at least, and take away any unnecessary stress involved with running late, or unexpected traffic delays.

The combination of a specific warmup with this mental preparation can make a huge difference. In the next article I will detail how it worked for my club team in a match we won against a very strong rival.