Baseline Intelligence with Jonathan Stokke

Jessica Pegula is our guest for the 27th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Jessica reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, French Open and the US Open in 2022 and won her first WTA 1000 event in Guadalajara. She's currently ranked 6th in the world in singles and 3rd in the world in doubles with her partner Coco Gauff. We talk:1:32 What it's like to be a two-time guest on the podcast2:15 What her off-season looks like5:53 Working on her heavy forehand7:28 Getting worse before you get better10:04 How she tries to hold serve13:00 Going up against other top 10 players18:05 One to one comparison21:18 Reading her opponent's strategy23:22 How David Witt has helped her28:30 Our time together in Birmingham31:07 Shots she hits in doubles that help her in singles34:42 Getting close to the net in doubles40:00 Her best return tips41:45 What she's learned on tour this year43:08 Best advice for the 4.0 player**sound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com

This episode marks the end of season 1 of Baseline Intelligence. In this episode I'll share some of the clips I found the most insightful and entertaining from the first season of the podcast.1:05 Craig O'Shannessy on the first four shots4:58 Rick Macci's best ball striking tip7:45 Tom Gullikson's 3 keys for Agassi at the olympics10:37 Dr. Mark Kovacs on serve power14:40 John Isner and his serve tips16:42 Michael Joyce talks Sharapova beating Henin19:02 Alistair Higham on momentum21:12 Carlos Goffi's traffic light system24:55 Dr. Larry Lauer talks staying in the present26:56 Rajeev Ram on being a great performer**sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

Desirae Krawczyk is our guest for the 25th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Des has won four mixed doubles major championships and seven doubles titles on the WTA tour. She's currently ranked 16th in the world and reached a career high ranking of 10th in the world this past summer.We talk:1:52 Reaching the top 10 milestone2:42 Building self confidence5:25 How she handles losing 6:39 Her post match process8:28 Playing in pressure situations9:37 What her preseason looks like12:00 Off court training for doubles13:18 What she needs to improve16:00 What she looks for in a partner21:46 Moving more at the net22:55 Why the fake signal is overused 24:20 Where to return against an aggressive opponent25:08 What she does when she's playing poorly27:15 Advice for the 4.0 player**sound effects by https://www.zapsplat.com

Joel Myers is our guest for the 24th episode of Baseline Intelligence. Joel was a 3x All-American for Point Loma Nazarene University and was the 2010 national player of the year. He is currently a USPTA elite professional teaching out of San Diego and his educational instagram page has well over 100,000 followers. We talk:1:36 His tennis background3:32 When he knew he wanted to be a coach4:46 Coaching influences7:08 How to know if you're getting good information10:23 Learning discipline at an early age14:14 Learning from pro tennis15:32 Fundamental laws of topspin19:01 Serving fundamentals19:54 Where he likes his toss22:59 Returning deep through the middle29:54 Non-negotiable rules for practice30:40 Best advice for the 3.0/4.0 player31:49 Biggest pet peeve32:42 Who would win a match between us**sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

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

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

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

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

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.

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.