Episode 33: Lindsay Davenport
The tennis legend talks deliberate practice and perfecting your game
It’s an age old question. Are the best players just born with talent? Or are they created through hard work? Here’s what Lindsey had to say on the latest episode of Baseline Intelligence.
“It was thousands and thousands of groundstrokes, being able to hold that technique…can you hit this 400 times in a row and keep this all together?”
“When you turn on the tennis channel and you see the pros and they make it look so easy, know that it is so incredibly tough, and as we talked about, that’s like 1500 balls everyday for 25 years that have made those players play that way.”
Deliberate Practice
One of my favorite books is Peak by Anders Ericsson, in which he lays out the building blocks for becoming an expert at anything. He states that the main component of becoming elite in your field is engaging in deliberate practice. Let’s look at how Lindsey used deliberate practice to win 6 grand slams and an Olympic Gold Medal.
Deliberate practice requires a teacher or coach who is familiar with the abilities of expert performers and how those abilities can best be developed
Lindsey grew up training with legendary coach Robert Lansdorp who developed several future grand slam champions. Definitely a tennis expert.
Deliberate practice takes place outside one’s comfort zone and requires a student to constantly try things that are just beyond his or her current abilities
Lindsey references how her targets got smaller and smaller as her level improved so she was always striving for a level of control that was just beyond her current ability.
The 10,000 hour rule
Lindsey hit hundreds of thousands of balls across three decades perfecting her technique and game style.
Third Set Thoughts
Make sure your practices are goal oriented, measurable, and outside your comfort zone. You’re guaranteed to grow and improve if you consistently engage in deliberate practice.
Lindsey also shared unique insights on returns of serve, how to prepare for big matches and her mentality competing against the Williams sisters. She was a phenomenal guest and I hope you enjoy listening to the full episode.