Baseline Intelligence with Jonathan Stokke

Gil Reyes is our guest for the 37th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Gil was the longtime strength and conditioning coach for Andre Agassi, and has spent time training several world number 1s including Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka, Ash Barty, Simona Halep and Angie Kerber. We talk:1:45 How he got started with Andre6:58 Creating a program for Andre8:47 Starting and stopping13:57 Inspiration, information and application18:34 His special equipment23:16 Variable resistance28:26 Using bands30:54 Weak legs command, strong legs obey35:24 How many workouts a week for an amateur38:45 Common traits among champions**Sound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com

Andy Fitzell is our guest for the 36th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Andy is a USPTA Elite professional who spent several years learning from and working alongside legendary tennis icon, Vic Braden. He is currently the coach for Kimberly Birrell, who is ranked 111 in the latest WTA rankings. We talk:1:41 How he met Vic Braden5:00 His favorite tennis myths8:05 Wrist position on forehand contact10:23 Fundamentals for pure topspin13:35 The geometry of the court16:08 Why players try so many angles 17:33 Angle of the racket face on the volley19:07 The volley grip21:55 Optimal height for a serve toss25:20 Changing your technique27:03 Myelin30:20 Brain typing tennis players35:18 Best advice for the 4.0 playerSound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com

Thomas Johansson is our guest for the 35th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Thomas was ranked 7th on the ATP tour and won 9 titles, including the 2002 Australian Open. He won a silver medal in doubles at the 2008 Olympic Games, and has gone on to coach David Goffin and Sorana Cirstea.We talk:1:22 His start in tennis5:41 Sustaining his success from juniors to the pros8:35 Working towards the top 1013:39 Knowing yourself as a player15:41 Winning the 2002 Australian Open19:02 Poor play leading up to the tournament 21:49 His game plan vs. Marat Safin24:37 Transition to coaching27:11 Deciding what to work on32:00 His toughest opponent35:18 What he looks for in a double partner39:00 His best advice for the 4.0 player**Sound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com

Craig O'Shannessy is our guest for the 34th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Craig is the leading strategy analyst for the ATP Tour and spent three year as the data analyst for Novak Djokovic. He is the founder of braingametennis.com, an educational website with multiple courses for the avid tennis player. We talk:1:31 Where mistakes are made10:21 How to limit errors in position A13:27 What type of error is "unforced"17:53 What is considered a bad error20:56 Thinking about your opponent22:43 Forcing your opponent into more errors27:26 What pros do exceptionally well29:01 How to win more points on your second serve34:18 Making your first serve on a big point37:06 Simplifying analytics39:07 Weirdest data anomaly40:34 Best advice for the 4.0 player**sound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com

Lindsay Davenport is our guest for the 33rd episode of Baseline Intelligence. Lindsay won 55 WTA singles titles and 38 WTA doubles titles, including 3 singles grand slams and 3 doubles grand slams. She won an Olympic Gold Medal in 1996 and was ranked number 1 in the world in 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2005. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2014 and Tennis Magazine voted her as the 29th greatest tennis player of all time. We talk:1:32 How she got into the game4:30 Working with Robert Lansdorp6:45 The X factor8:53 Being accountable for your effort9:55 Finding her style of play12:18 How to hit a better return16:10 Deep middle returns17:47 The Williams sisters19:54 Anxiety before matches21:57 Dealing with different game styles26:30 Connecting with players as a coach28:48 What she wishes she could tell herself at age 1830:50 Her greatest accomplishment33:19 Approaching big points35:31 Winning ugly matches38:16 Advice for the 4.0 player**Sound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com

JY Aubone is our guest for the 32nd episode of Baseline Intelligence. JY was a 2-time All-American and ACC Player of the Year at Florida State University. As a professional he won 3 singles titles, 14 doubles titles and represented the US in the Pan-American Games. He worked with USTA Player Development and went on to travel with Reilly O'Pelka from 2018-2021. We talk:1:30 Traveling with Reilly3:23 Overcoming difficult times5:10 Focusing on yourself vs. the opponent7:36 How to spot your opponent's weakness10:54 Being mentally tough13:03 Handling nerves18:11 Figuring it out for yourself22:34 The biggest mistake he sees in matches25:48 Scouting Reilly's opponents28:35 His best drill for consistency29:56 What he learned from being on tour30:58 His best advice for the 4.0 playerYou can find JY at https://www.aubonetennis.com**sound effects by https:www.zapsplat.com

Kelly Jones is our guest for the 31st episode of Baseline Intelligence. He won two NCAA doubles titles at Pepperdine University and went on to become world number 1 in doubles in 1992. He won 8 career ATP doubles titles, 2 ATP singles titles and has coached top pro players like James Blake, Mardy Fish, Sloane Stephens, Rajeev Ram, and his daughter Makenna, who also won an NCAA doubles title in 2021. We talk:2:16 The foundation of his coaching philosophy8:09 Volleying cross court more often12:59 Technical fundamentals of the volley16:47 Split stepping20:21 Teaching first volley movement22:31 The volley grip25:33 The basics of doubles29:26 Applying strengths and weaknesses31:38 How to anticipate at the net33:09 Watching more doubles33:45 His best doubles tip35:41 The biggest doubles mistakes he sees36:30 Doubles advice for the 4.0 player**sound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com

Allistair McCaw is our guest for the 30th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Allistair is the author of several books, including "Champion Minded" and "Winning Attitude and Mindset". He has worked with olympic gold medalists, grand slam champions, Fortune 500 companies, and several top Division I collegiate teams on developing a winning mindset and maximizing performance. We talk:1:43 How the big 3 personify an elite mindset4:57 Self discipline7:45 Champion minded9:30 Mental toughness12:47 Caring, but "not caring"16:40 Building confidence18:53 Preparation21:48 What separates good from great24:46 How parents can help their kids with nerves26:02 Visualization28:27 How to start being champion mindedFind Allistair at https://www.allistairmccaw.com/** sound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com

Our friend Joel Myers comes back on the pod to talk about the tactics, shots, and movement patterns the best players in the world used during this year's Australian Open. We talk:2:07 Why Novak dominates tiebreakers6:35 How you can play better tiebreakers8:07 How the pros play break points10:55 Thinking in terms of two balls12:38 How to flip pressure14:56 Best serve + 1 patterns16:05 Training your wide serve19:04 The role of the forehand and the backhand21:38 How the best players were using their backhands25:30 Reading short balls**sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Brad Stine is our guest for the 28th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Brad is one of the most accomplished coaches on the ATP tour, having helped Jim Courier reach world number 1 while also winning 4 grand slams. He also spent time coaching Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson, Mardy Fish, Sebastien Grosjean, and currently works with ATP #35 Tommy Paul. We talk:2:21 Coaching Jim Courier5:34 Backhand slice fundamentals 9:30 How the slice helped Jim get to 1 in the world12:54 Four situations to use your slice16:56 Kevin Anderson's Wimbledon run24:23 Questioning yourself as a coach29:47 Footwork fundamentals36:18 Best advice for the 4.0 player37:07 Double reverse Sydneys**sound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com