Where I stand today

It's hard to see progress and especially hard to report on it, but I truly feel a significant improvement in my overall athletic and playing ability.  I have been coached since April by a new coach in town.  Coming off the tour as a successful player my new coach is the most insightful and helpful coach I've had.  Aisling started on my grip, the flow in my swing, and moved on to how to drop and go with my split step.  Along the way she has given me many plyometric, visual and mental focus drills to do off court.  She's given me an interval sprint training program to try also.

Flow. Aisling has taught me that flow in my overall movement unlocks my technique.  Early on in my lessons with Aisling I worked on the flow in my swing.  As my development progressed the concept of flow transferred to how I move from the split step towards the final step of setting up the shot.  I can see now how I must develop Flow to further bring my upper body racquet movement together with my foot movement in order to synchronize them to the pace of the ball.  Since working with Aisling, I have experienced for the first time how my flow is graceful and well timed.

Target.  Aisling has began working on my ability to hit targets.  I had coaches tell me to hit targets before, but I couldn't do it because my technique was wrong and inconsistent.  After correcting so many of my techniques in movements, I'm finally able to address this part of the game.  Again I  attribute my progress to Aisling's coaching.  To hit the target several aspects of my game have to be in place.  Above and beyond the flow, Aisling teaches me to sink into my setup position as I hit the ball.  The follow through of the swing should guide the ball to where it must go.  I have also been shown that the right pace in order to place the ball on target is often lower than I've been anxious to hit.

To make it into the core 4.5 and to the cusp of 5.0, I know the two areas I have to get consistent at is flow and target.  And to enable the flow to hit targets consistently, I must work at my cardio and agility. I see clearly now what I have to do to win.   The trinity: conditioning, flow, and target!