When it comes to tennis, it’s easy to think the game is all about technique, movement, and strategy. And while those are crucial, there’s another layer that often gets overlooked in practice: the mental game. Our coaching philosophy is focused on three essential components that drive performance: attention, intensity, and intent. These are the internal forces that shape everything a player does on the court and can make all the difference in how they perform under pressure.
Let’s break them down.
Attention is about staying connected to the game and the environment around you. Whether it’s noticing subtle cues from your opponent, tracking the ball with precision, or being aware of your positioning, attention keeps you in the moment and engaged. Without it, you lose that sharpness needed to react quickly.
Intensity is all about being mentally activated. It’s that alertness and readiness to respond, that feeling of being dialed in and fully awake to the challenges of the game. If intensity drops, even for a moment, you lose that edge—your reactions slow, your decision-making falters.
And then there’s Intent. Intent is having purpose behind every move you make on the court. It’s playing with energy, being proactive, and approaching every shot with a plan. Intent brings direction and focus to your actions, turning them from mere movements into purposeful decisions.
Now, when I watch players during drills, I constantly ask myself: How are their internal states—attention, intensity, intent—affecting their external performance? After just one or two reps of an activity, players start to get comfortable. They know their positions, they understand the drill, and things start to feel easier. This is what is usually called the fluency effect. Familiarity breeds ease, and with that ease often comes a dip in focus and energy.
When this happens, learning begins to stall. Players become complacent, and the demands on their attention, intensity, and intent diminish. And this is where the real challenge lies for coaches—keeping players mentally sharp and engaged even as they start to feel more comfortable.
The solution? Change, change, and change again. After every rep, there needs to be some shift—whether it’s changing one of the shots, tweaking a small rule in the drill, or adjusting the drill to a new goal. The point is to disrupt the comfort and keep players on their toes. These constant changes force players to stay alert, ensuring that the activity remains challenging enough to promote learning and transfer to real match situations.
During breaks, the learning doesn’t stop. When players step off the court for water, that’s the perfect time for memory consolidation. I want them thinking about what they just experienced—recalling the movements, the shots, the feelings. It’s not just about resting physically; it’s about processing mentally. I encourage players to mentally retrieve, rehearse, and remember the experiences they’ve just had on the court. By replaying the levels of attention, intensity, and intent in their minds, they deepen the learning, solidifying those experiences for future use.
It’s during these moments that players make sense of the activity they’ve just engaged in. They’re not just resting—they’re reviewing and mentally rehearsing the high-fidelity challenges they’ve just faced. This deeper processing helps the body and mind work together to enhance memory retention and make the training stick.
So, whether you’re a player or a coach, always remember: attention, intensity, and intent are what keep the game sharp. Combat the fluency effect by embracing change and pushing players to think and adapt constantly. And most importantly, use those moments off the court for reflection—because what happens internally during breaks can be just as important as the work done on the court.
