Shot to Shot Readiness

How ready are you-shot to shot? In my day to day work with my students, or when I observe club players, all too often I see a fundamental problem having nothing to do with their actual strokes. This is their lack of shot to shot readiness. Most club players tend to place the bulk of their attention on their technical strokes. What they fail to understand is that good shot making can not be separated from what goes on before and after they actually swing the racket. Although you don't hear enough talk about it, today's premier players are exceptional in this aspect. But at all levels, shot to shot readiness is vital. It's the difference between being able to play to ability and not. If you don't believe me, maybe you will after you understand the actual interval you have between shots. After you hit the ball in club tennis, it takes about a second and a half for the ball to reach your opponent's racket. After your opponent strikes it, it takes another second and a half before you again make contact. So every time the ball leaves your racket, you have about 3 seconds to recover, move...