"I'm terrible at playing matches." — SS #1

You're nailing every shot in practice—your forehand is compact and reliable, your backhand is clean, and your serve feels unstoppable.

But when match day arrives, it's like you're a different player. Frustrating, right? This scenario is all too familiar for many tennis enthusiasts, and you might find it echoing your own experiences.

I have a player who has this same issue. He struggles to play points and in match scenarios and his level of play drops off quite a lot. And what's worse, because of his performance, his negative automatic thoughts kick in. Thoughts like: "I suck at playing matches," "I just can't do match play," and "I'm mentally weak."

Now, it could be the case that he has a lot of work to do with his mental skills and that the statements he says about himself have some grain of truth. But in my experience, the problem for club and recreational players is usually something else. It's about how you're structuring your practices.

The Gap Between Practice and Match Performance

You've probably noticed that having a technically sound game doesn’t always translate to match success. To figure out what's going on, first I need to go through the different modes of practice.

Blocked Practice: You're hitting the same shot, fed exactly where you expect it. While it’s perfect for mastering a stroke, it doesn’t prepare you for the unexpected twists of a real match. The classic example of this is a coach putting you in a stationary position and then feeding a ball right on a dime to you. You have almost no stress or pressure to execute.

Variable Practice: Here, you deal with different speeds and spins, adding a layer of unpredictability. It's a step up but still controlled. So this could be a coach working out of a basket giving you variety with height and depth and spin. Or it could even be hitting cross-court with a partner.

Random Practice: This is where you truly test your skills. Every ball is a surprise, every shot a new challenge. It’s chaotic, unpredictable, and exactly what a real match feels like. This could be variations of point-play with conditions set in or just open and unpredictable play in general.

Is Your Practice Setting You Up for Failure?

Now here's the important part. If you find yourself struggling during matches, consider this: Are your practice sessions too predictable? Are they missing the random, high-pressure situations that mimic actual gameplay?

My guess is yes.

It’s likely you’ve been spending too much time in comfortable, controlled practice scenarios. If it's all la di da when you're practicing, if you're having just a lovely time hitting with your buddies, or if your coach is sweet-talking you during your hour of practice, you're going to have a harsh wake-up call during matches.

Another way to think about it is this: if 90% of your practices are not challenging, and are in predictable environments where you're doing just blocked and variable practice... then no shit. Of course you're going to struggle during matches. This was the case for the player I mentioned at the start of this newsletter. Is this the case for you, too?

Revamping Your Practice Approach

So with all this in mind, here’s how you can start turning your practice into a powerful tool for match success.

Rebalance Your Practice: Shift more of your practice sessions to random scenarios. They might be tougher, but they’ll prepare you for anything a match throws your way. They should be constantly challenging and be pushing you just beyond your capabilities. (Keep in mind that blocked and variable practice is important for building the appropriate technique, though.)

Simulate Match Conditions: Regularly include scenarios in your practice that mimic the stress and unpredictability of matches. This can help bridge the gap between your practice and actual performance.

You should feel challenged. You should feel uncomfortable. You need to struggle. By making these adjustments, you're not just training harder; you're training smarter (cliché, I know).

You're preparing yourself not just to play, but to compete and succeed under the intense pressure of competition. But remember, if you try this out for just one week... that's not enough. You need to approach your practices with this new structure for at least 6 to 8 weeks to start seeing dividends. There are no magic pills for immediate change.

When You're Ready

Have a think about working with me. More than technical inputs and stroke analysis, I find that players at the Intermediate level (3.0 NTRP) and above, struggle to practice appropriately and thus stagnate. They'll stay at the same level for years, even decades. This is where I think I can help the most.

And if you want a more intense, structured way of working with me based on the principles of deliberate practice, check out my Private Coaching Package. It's based on the best information we have on how to improve.

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My best,
Malhar