The Warrior Mentality

Every match is a small hunt. Tennis is a Warrior sport. I believe that all of us have had other lives where there were no games, just hunting animals or your neighbor. Every match/point is a small hunt. It's in the DNA of all people. It's kill, raid, destroy, eat, or be eaten. The Warrior mentality is the opposite of The Disruptor mentality, well described in Joel Drucker's recent article. (Click Here.) There is a place for the Disruptor in the game and he can be is a challenging opponent for those who are unprepared. This is because the goal of the disruptor is to create doubt. He succeeds by making the opponent think something that is not actually true. The Disruptor enrages and frustrates the opponent, affecting the outcome with trickery rather than superior play. His use of variation leads players to make uncharacteristic errors and imagine flaws in their games. The Disruptor creates the impression he is not predictable. He will serve and volley on serves that no one should come in on. He will unexpectedly hit second serves to the forehand. He will come in on short balls, then not come in, then hit a drop shot....