📖 Story of the Week
My younger sister Ellie was in the middle of her sophomore year of high school when she broke the thumb on her non-dominant left hand.
She was actively pursuing a Division I collegiate roster spot, and this injury meant her hand would be in a cast for two months.
Tournaments had to be delayed, and her training was severely impacted since the cast prevented her from hitting her devastating two-handed backhand.
Rather than viewing this setback as a disaster, we saw an opportunity.
Ellie had always relied on the power of her two-hander to win points, while her slice backhand was underdeveloped. With the injury taking her main weapon away, she now had the chance to strengthen her slice.
We hit the practice court with the goal of turning this weakness into a strength. At first, the learning was slow—rallying one-handed was completely foreign to a player so reliant on her aggressive two-hander.
But Ellie was determined. Day after day, with one hand figuratively tied behind her back, she put in the hard work.
By the end of the two-month period, she hadn’t just learned a new skill—her slice backhand had blossomed into a true weapon.
And when her cast came off, she now had a multi-dimensional backhand attack: her familiar two-hander plus a sharp, tactical slice. That added depth gave her game a whole new level of flexibility and unpredictability.
Two years later, that multi-faceted backhand was one of the major reasons she achieved her dream: making the University of Minnesota Division I Women’s Tennis Team.
Constraints Create Champions
While I don’t wish injury on anyone, at Colossal Tennis we use constraints every day.
Constraints are the heart of our educational design—we apply specific rules to rapidly create positive adaptations in our students’ games.
For example, while Ellie needed a broken thumb to truly develop her slice backhand, today my students practice it daily through a game-based approach where they are prevented from using topspin backhands in point play.
This single constraint creates:
- Multi-faceted development of the slice backhand as a defensive, neutralizing, and offensive tool
- The ability to recognize opportunities to run around the backhand and weaponize the forehand
- Greater control of rally tempo through changes in speed, spin, and shot shape
The result? Students vastly expand their technical and tactical abilities, unlocking new skills while gaining deeper insights into their strengths and weaknesses.
Coping with Constraints
Constraints cause chaos—but it’s a controlled chaos that builds incredible learning environments.
They simulate match-play pressure and let us train the mental side of the game: focus, composure, visualization, and resilience.
Just like physical skills, mental skills need deliberate practice.
Here are some examples of “game within the game” constraints we use to build toughness:
- Technical: Players get only one ball to serve with per set
- Tactical: Players are forced to serve-and-volley or chip-and-charge
- Score-based: Whoever wins the racquet spin starts up in the set (e.g., 3–0)
The only limit is your imagination—and the effective use of self-imposed setbacks can produce incredible results.
Match Point
Whether a setback is forced upon you or designed as a training tool, the one thing you can always control is your response.
Diamonds are formed under pressure—and so are tennis champions.
My challenge to you this week: identify the single most important area of your tennis game that needs attention. Then, be laser-focused on improving it by just 1% each day.
You’ll be amazed at how quickly your game—and your ranking—can rise.
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See you next week!
