I need to tell you something that’s been bothering me for a while now. The REAL reason you’re not improving…

It’s about all those tennis videos you’ve been watching.

Mine included.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: they’re probably not making your game any better.

And I know that sounds crazy coming from someone who’s had over 82 million views on YouTube, but hear me out on this because if you don’t understand why this is happening, you’re going to stay stuck exactly where you are right now.

Over the last couple years, I’ve noticed a pattern with my private coaching students.

These are people who travel hundreds or thousands of miles to work with me in person. They’re super fans who’ve consumed hundreds of my videos, listened to all my podcasts, and read my book.

Their tennis IQ is through the roof.

They know exactly what their technique is supposed to look like. They know their footwork, their patterns, their strategy — all of it.

And yet…

We almost always end up working on the same problems that I’ve made dozens of videos about.

On the forehand, nearly every student I work with has some degree of their body not being active enough, so they muscle through with their arm.

On the serve, they don’t drop the racket on edge low enough, so they end up pushing instead of pulling and snapping.

On volleys, their hand is rigid and tense because they’re trying to punch everything instead of developing feel and touch.

How is this possible?

These are people who KNOW the information. They’ve watched all the lessons. They understand what they’re supposed to do.

But they’re not actually doing it.

There are two big ways players fail after watching instructional videos.

The first way is simple: they get excited about the light bulb moment, go out to play a match, and try their new technique. The first few attempts don’t go exactly right. The ball doesn’t land where they expected, and because they want to win the match, they immediately revert back to Old Faithful.

Back to the swing where at least they know where the ball is going.

No progress made.

The second way is more subtle but just as destructive.

They watch the video, practice the new technique, and it FEELS different. It feels like they’ve got it. They’re convinced they’re doing the right thing.

But in reality, they’re not even close.

Here’s why practicing on your own doesn’t work the way you think it does.

First, there’s a massive difference between feel and real.

When you make a tiny change away from your normal habit toward the correct technique, it feels GIGANTIC. You think, “Oh wow, that’s it! That’s my new forehand!”

But you’ve only moved 25 percent of the way toward where you actually need to be.

I heard a great analogy once that compared learning a new habit to chopping your way through a dense jungle with a machete.

The first time through, you only make it a couple steps and the path is rough and overgrown. Each time you go back with that machete, you get a little farther and the path gets a little cleaner.

That’s exactly how creating new neurological pathways works.

The second reason nothing changes? Players don’t realize how many repetitions it takes to actually replace their old habit with a new subconscious one.

You can’t just practice something for an hour or two and expect it to hold up under match pressure.

It takes a LOT of time with that machete, clearing out the path, making it cleaner and longer before you can confidently use your new technique when it matters.

This is why I only teach with video analysis now.

It fixes the “feel versus real” problem instantly. When my student thinks they’re doing the right thing but I can see they’re not even close, I can show them immediately.

That shortcut is powerful.

So here’s what you need to do if you want video lessons to actually improve your game:

Start by recording yourself so you’re not flying blind in that thick fog of feel versus real.

Compare where you are now with a world-class example so you can see the contrast and move in the right direction.

Start as easy as possible, preferably without even hitting a ball, so you can be absolutely certain you’re doing the new thing correctly.

Verify you’re actually doing it right by recording yourself during practice. Don’t rely on feel.

Increase the difficulty by just 10 percent at a time instead of jumping straight back into rallying or matches.

Continue to verify as you increase the challenge, because you might revert to your old habit at level three or four without realizing it.

Repeat this process. Make it a little tougher, train, verify. A little tougher, train, verify.

If you follow this process, you can confidently move in the right direction and slowly but surely make the new correct technique your deep subconscious habit.

Otherwise, you’re just going to keep watching videos and wondering why nothing ever changes.

Your Coach,

-Ian