
Baseline Intelligence with Jonathan Stokke
Baseline Intelligence is a podcast dedicated to providing a broad array of insights and perspectives for both highly competitive and recreational tennis players. In addition to comprehensive discussions related to proper technique, helpful practice, training and strategy recommendations, this podcast explores the dimensions of important mental training, and the application and interpretation of meaningful tennis analytics. Just as important, this podcast aims to be a fun, entertaining and informative listen that includes candid interviews with top ATP and WTA players, up-and-coming tour players, top NCAA men’s and women’s tennis coaches, and other leading voices in the world of tennis.
Latest episodes

Nov 14, 2022 • 32min
Alec Ingold: Miami Dolphin fullback talks maximizing your mental game
Miami Dolphins fullback Alec Ingold is our guest for the 23rd episode of Baseline Intelligence. He played college football at the University of Wisconsin and was signed by the Raiders as an undrafted free agent. He scored the first touchdown ever in Allegiant Stadium and was the Raiders' nominee for the Walter Payton man of the year award in 2020. In his free time he helps athletes across the country improve their mental performance by utilizing goal setting, visualization and breathing exercises. We talk:2:32 How he became a mental performance coach4:53 How to perform consistently 6:54 Power of visualization9:02 His week of preparation for an NFL game11:45 How preparation calms nerves16:11 Goal setting19:49 Be your own best friend20:45 Why people are afraid of lofty goals22:45 Staying calm when emotions run high26:01 Sticking to what works28:20 Common sense coachhttps://alecingold.com/foundation**sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Oct 31, 2022 • 39min
David Roditi: College tennis stories and a great ball striking tip
David Roditi is our guest for the 22nd episode of Baseline Intelligence. David is the head coach for the TCU men's tennis team. Over his 12 years as head coach the Horned Frogs have won 4 Big 12 titles, made a final four, and won the 2022 ITA National Indoor Championship. Roditi was named the 2015 ITA National Coach of the Year and also served as the Mexican Davis Cup Captain. We talk:1:40 A funny recruiting story3:53 What he looks for in a recruit6:08 Why players focus on their hitting instead of competing9:52 The difficulties of recruiting16:28 How to make your opponent play worse20:32 Cam Norrie's indoor lesson24:07 What made Cam special27:48 Working on strengths vs. weaknesses29:03 Underrated skill needed as a head coach31:35 Best advice for the 3.5/4.0 player36:03 Throwing his racket bag into a lake (and missing)**sound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com

Oct 17, 2022 • 32min
Margie Zesinger: Growing the women's game
Margie Zesinger is our guest for the 21st episode of Baseline Intelligence. Margie is the head of female tennis at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida and was the 2021 PTR member of the year. She has coached numerous players to ITF titles, grand slam championships, and NCAA championships. We talk:1:55 Her role at IMG2:33 Why IMG has male and female programs4:15 Character traits she values8:12 Teaching players to compete10:51 The difference between boys and girls15:55 Saying too little vs. saying too much18:10 Why she became a coach22:08 Why there are more male coaches24:08 Bollettieri sets the standard26:59 Advice she wished she knew earlier29:19 Advice for the 3.5/4.0 player**sound effects by https:www.zapsplat.com

Sep 26, 2022 • 46min
John Isner: More than just a serve
John Isner is our guest for the 20th episode of Baseline Intelligence. John has reached a career high rankings of 8 in the world in singles, and 14 in the world in doubles. He's won 24 ATP titles and has amassed 29 wins against top 10 ATP opponents. He has 5 career wins over "the big 3" and reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in 2018. We talk:2:56 His first leap as a junior tennis player4:25 A pivotal invasion call at Kalamazoo6:48 Why he chose the college path9:19 Learning to work hard at UGA11:30 Our match at national indoors15:32 Playing Federer at the US Open19:10 The most challenging member of "the big 3"23:12 Jumping into the top 10 in the world25:16 Advice for playing tiebreakers26:48 What his experience on tour has taught him30:20 One coaching experience that helped him33:34 The epic Wimbledon match39:33 His best serve tips42:00 Back to back fantasy football championships**sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Sep 6, 2022 • 48min
Kyle Lacroix: Coaching the coaches
Kyle Lacroix is our guest for the 19th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Kyle is the Chief Education Officer of SETS Consulting, a coaching and educational service for elite coaches, competitive players and tennis institutions/federations. He is certified by the USPTA and PTR as well as the ITF. He has been a featured speaker at numerous industry conferences and has extensive on court work with ATP and WTA players, as well as top collegiate players. We talk:3:25 His background in tennis7:01 His time at Saddlebrook10:45 What linked Martina Hingis, Jennifer Capriati and Justine Henin12:44 Why he's the "king of failure"15:43 Why people struggle with failure17:34 Connecting with players22:01 Coaching other coaches23:49 Improving coaching professionalism26:36 Coaching pet peeves29:40 Player accountability34:09 Why players lean towards the negative38:14 Advice for the 3.5 player41:32 "Kyle-isms"** sound effects from https:www.zapsplat.comYou can find Kyle and Specialized Educational Tennis Solutions (SETS Consulting) online at www.setsconsult.org.

Aug 8, 2022 • 45min
Alistair Higham: Using momentum to win more matches
Alistair Higham is our guest for the eighteenth episode of Baseline Intelligence. Formerly the head of coaching education for the LTA, Alistair is now a leading expert on momentum in sport. He advises professional tennis players, football teams, and coaches on matchplay and momentum. We talk:2:11 What is momentum?6:03 Creating momentum early in the match9:23 Four performance factors11:32 Creating momentum on your own14:45 Limiting turning points against you19:33 Awareness of turning points22:57 Momentum between events25:40 Using tactics to maintain momentum29:16 Using tactics to stop negative momentum34:04 The best pros who use momentum37:58 Why we have a fantastic scoring system**sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.comFor interactive, engaging online courses on matchplay and momentum visit www.coachingedgeuk.com. Mobile and tablet friendly, there are courses for players and coaches. For coaches, there is also an online resource call the "match pack", a step by step guide to deliver his content in your own coaching program. You can find Alistair on his social media channels or can contact him by email at coachingedgeuk@icloud.com.

Jul 25, 2022 • 33min
Alison Riske-Amritraj: The long journey to top 20 in the world
Alison Riske-Amritraj is our guest for the seventeenth episode of Baseline Intelligence. Alison reached a career high of 18 in singles and 40 in doubles on the WTA tour. She's won three singles titles and reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon where she beat then world number 1 Ash Barty. We talk:3:39 How she's maintained her level for over a decade6:20 The danger or comparing yourself to your peers8:37 Skipping college for the pro tour11:11 Never doubting herself13:58 Being yourself in new/challenging situations18:26 Why she has success on grass20:20 Differences between hard courts21:50 How the surface affects her tactics23:23 How the score affects her tactics25:53 The 30 second tempo drill28:15 Her love for Primanti Brothers sandwiches29:03 Her favorite place to play30:16 Her best advice to a junior player** Sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Jul 11, 2022 • 35min
Tom Gullikson: Timeless fundamentals to improve your game
Tom Gullikson is our guest for the sixteenth episode of Baseline Intelligence. Tom reached a career high of 34 in singles and got as high as 4 in the world in doubles on the ATP tour. He reached the doubles final of Wimbledon in 1983, and then went on to coach the US Olympic team, the US Davis Cup team, and was one of the founding coaches of the USTA Player development team. We talk:1:28 How grass courts differ from hard courts5:29 Timeless tactics at Wimbledon7:11 How to hold serve more often8:16 How to break serve more often10:31 What we can learn from Nadal14:49 Overcoming mental hurdles22:38 What Dr. Jim Loehr taught him25:04 Coaching the US Davis Cup team30:13 His best doubles advice31:10 His best singles advice** Sounds effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Jun 20, 2022 • 48min
Dr. Larry Lauer: Mental skills to improve your game
Dr. Larry Lauer is our guest for the fifteenth episode of Baseline Intelligence. Larry is the mental skills specialist for the USTA Player Development program. He was also an assistant coach for Michigan State and helped the team reach the NCAA tournament in 2013.We talk:1:14 What is a mental skills coach?3:07 Mental toughness5:07 Resilience 10:30 Making your practices challenging15:39 Handling match nerves21:35 Seeing the big picture24:26 Taking time to practice mental skills29:59 Why people neglect working on their mindset32:43 Taking practice skills to the match35:19 Maintaining focus during a match36:21 Handling cheaters40:35 Differences between pros and amateurs**sound effects from https:www.zapsplat.com

Jun 6, 2022 • 39min
Howard Joffe: The secret sauce of back to back NCAA championships
Howard Joffe is our guest for the fourteenth episode of Baseline Intelligence. Howard is a former All-American for Pepperdine University and is currently the women's head coach for the University of Texas where they've won both the 2021 and the 2022 NCAA championships. We talk:2:09 How he builds his team4:52 What he looks for in a recruit6:28 How a player reveals their passion for the game11:34 When he starts recruiting junior players15:15 The "false self"17:18 What he focuses on with his players21:05 Listening to his players25:16 How his players stay relaxed under pressure27:10 The difficult of defending a national championship31:47 Most difficult aspect of being a head coach33:18 His halftime speeches35:14 His best advice to win more matchessound effects from https://zapsplat.com