The beginning of a new year always brings an opportunity to reflect upon the previous year, and to make resolutions for the coming year. Unfortunately, I suspect many people do not fulfill their New Year's resolutions. Obviously, change can be difficult and resolutions made may sometimes be unrealistic. Some goals we set for ourselves are beyond our reach... at least in the short run.
 
I imagine that some of my readers will make a resolution like, "I will lose weight this year." Or maybe, "I will be more frugal with respect to my spending."... etc. Some will succeed in their resolutions; many will find that their commitment to a resolution fades in time.
 
We, who love this game, should also make New Year's resolutions regarding our playing capabilities. Hopefully, a well-planned and viable approach to these resolutions will not fade during the year.
 
I am a very goal-oriented and fairly self-disciplined individual. These qualities find themselves entering my "life" as a tennis player/coach/teacher. Every January, I set forth a schedule of assessment, goals and action plans to improve my game and teaching. . But, I recognize that there are many who play this wonderful game that are not as focused as I. I use the word focused deliberately.
 
One senior player/coach/teacher and motivational speaker who knows about focus is Bob Litwin. Indeed, Bob has developed a system of mental, physical, stroke and tactics that is based upon focusing upon one item at a time. I came across Bob's system over a decade ago, and I find it to be a well founded and successful approach to improving one's tennis game. The reader can learn more about Bob by going to his site at http://www.focustips.com/main.html.
 
This month, I want to dedicate my column to helping each reader discover ways to focus upon improvement in her/his tennis game throughout 2011. As advocated by the PTR, which certifies me, we usually make the best progress by being patient and working on one aspect at a time.
 
Well, the first step in making 2011 a year for improvement is taking an inventory of where you are. You need an honest assessment of what are your strengths and weaknesses.
 
Basically, the game of tennis has some distinct aspects that affect one's ability to play and compete. If put in a question format these aspects include:
 

1. Where am I with respect to physical shape and conditioning?
2. Where am I with respect to stroke production?
3. Where am I with respect to tactics and strategies in my game?
4. Where am I with respect to mental competitiveness and attitude?
5. How much time, energy and effort can I dedicate to improving my game?

1. Regarding my body weight, I believe, that overall, I weigh what I should____
2. Regarding my overall body strength, I perceive myself as being where I need to be____
3. I perceive my body to be sufficiently flexible____
4. My stamina when playing tennis is where it should be____
5. My foot speed when playing tennis is where it should be____
6. My movement side to side is where it should be____
7. My movement forward and backward is where it should be____
8. When competing or practicing, I hydrate my body frequently____
9. I am very prone to injuries that reoccur when playing tennis (e.g. tennis elbow, etc.)_____
10. My ability to recover physically after a match or long practice session is good____

1. I have a good, powerful first serve____
2. I have a good, reliable, second serve____
3. My forehand groundstrokes are good____
4. My backhand groundstrokes are good____
5. My forehand volley is good____
6. My backhand volley is good____
7. My overhead smash is good____
8. My backhand half volley is good____
9. My forehand half volley is good____
10. My backhand lob is good____
11. My forehand lob is good____
12. I hit topspin well____
13. I hit slice well____
14. My groundstrokes can be powerful____
15. I place and control my groundstrokes well___

1. I have a good groundstroke, rally game ____
2. I have a good serve/volley game____
3. I can chip/charge well____
4. I generally place my first serve well____
5. I rarely double fault____
6. I return serve well____
7. I anticipate my opponent's shots well____
8. I recognize opportunities to hit winners and take advantage of these____
9. I know if I am in a neutral, defensive or offensive position when I am hitting each shot during a match____
10. I always have a sense of where my opponent is when I strike my shots____
11. I recognize patterns in the way in which my opponent hits her/his shots____
12. I know when I have momentum in my favor during a match____
13. I am rarely wrong footed by my opponent during matches____
14. I am flexible in my strategies and tactics, and I know when to alter my game plan when playing matches____
15. I am aware when my opponent changes his/her game plan during matches____

1. More often than not, I find myself having genuine fun when practicing tennis____
2. I play tennis in matches as well as I do in practice sessions____
3. When I play tennis, whether in practice or matches, I am not easily distracted____
4. When I play competitive tennis, spectators will have a difficult time knowing whether I am winning or losing, if their perceptions are based on my facial expressions and demeanor on the court____
5. When I play competitive tennis, I am in a relatively mindless state as I am hitting my strokes____
6. I rarely "talk" to myself (aloud or silently) when playing competitive tennis____
7. I rarely shake my head "no" or other negative gestures when playing tennis____
8. I play one point at a time and stay in the present____
9. I rarely if ever worry about double faults____
10. If I make an errant shot, I put it behind me quickly____
11. When I am thinking analytically, I am usually focusing upon how to attack my opponent and not upon what I am doing wrong____
12. Even if I am way behind in the score, I am exploring ways to improve my game and win more points____
13. When competing, I rarely allow my mind to dwell on whether I will or will not win the match___
14. I would describe my competitive attitude as being: "I love to win" more so than "I am afraid to lose."____
15. When I lose a match, I am able to put it in the past fairly quickly____
16. I rarely have emotional outbursts when playing competitively____
17. I rarely, if ever, have thrown my racquet during matches or practice____
18. When playing in a tournament, I rarely look at the draw beyond learning who my next opponent will be____
19. I generally can find ways to relax my muscles in between points____
20. I generally use my breathing to calm my mind and body____

1. How many hours per week can you spend on average (spread out over the year) doing on-court, tennis training ____
2. Given your answer to the question above, how many hours per week (spread out over the year) can you dedicate to off court training (both physical and mental)____
3. Given your financial resources, how much money per week could you afford to spend on tennis (gear, court time, lessons, books, videos, etc.) __________?

1. Body Weight (Physical Aspect)
2. Overhead Smash (Stroke Production)
3. Serve/Volley (Strategies and Tactics)
4. Using breathing to calm mind and body (Mental Aspects)

1. Reduce my weight by 10 pounds by (a realistic date).
2. Introduce at least of 5 minutes of overhead smash drill(s) to every hour of on court practice. Continue until you advance your rating one point (e.g. 1 to 2 given self evaluation).
3. Play at least one point in every practice game where you execute a serve/volley strategy. Continue until you are capable of winning at least 50% of these serve/volley points.
4. Spend 5 minutes per day working on deep breathing exercises that help relax your body and clear your mind. Continue until you increase your rating one point by self evaluation (e.g. 2 to 3).

1. What means are viable for me to improve this deficiency? (Not everyone will have the same resources, time limitations, etc.)
2. How will I know that I have made a desired level of improvement? (It is important to recognize that the real purpose is to improve deficiencies... not necessarily eliminate them.) Tennis improvement is a continuous and never-ending process. In part, this is why I find this wonderful game so inviting and captivating.