Week 4
June 30 - July 4
This week I battled through fundamentals with mixed success. My resets are more consistent—staying down better and improving touch with each rep. Drops are progressing, but I still tense up on hard returns. Forehand returns show real improvement in pace and depth, while my backhand remains untrusted territory. Started implementing stacking in games, which felt awkward and mentally distracting. The truth? Everything in this journey comes down to reps—and I'm grinding through them all, setbacks included.
Brad Douglas
July 7, 2025
Focus Areas
What I Worked On
This week was all about grinding through the fundamentals with mixed results. My reset game is feeling more consistent—I'm staying down better (though I still pop up occasionally) and my touch is improving with each rep. Drops are coming along nicely, though I still tense up on hard, low returns—something I need to eliminate from my entire game. My forehand returns are showing real progress with better pace and depth thanks to working on that unit turn, but the backhand side remains a work in progress that I'm not fully trusting yet. Started implementing stacking during actual gameplay, which felt awkward and took me out of the moment at times as I overthought positioning. Like everything else in this journey, it's a reps thing—and I'm putting in the work.
What I Learned
Resets
My touch is definitely more consistent here, and I can feel the improvement.
- I'm staying down more consistently during resets, though I still come up occasionally.
- When I do pop up, I can feel it immediately now — progress in awareness.
- As I keep saying to myself: this is purely a reps thing. The more I do it, the more natural it becomes.
Drops
Seeing real improvement, but still working through challenges.
- My drop shots are more consistent than ever before.
- Hard, low returns still give me trouble — I tense up when the pace increases.
- Need to eliminate tensing up from my entire game, not just drops. It's holding me back.
Returns
Mixed progress between forehand and backhand.
- Getting much better hitting returns with pace and depth on the forehand side.
- The unit turn is feeling comfortable and natural on forehand returns.
- Still not trusting myself on the backhand side — this is a mental hurdle I need to overcome.
- I see so many advantages to backhand returns that I'm not capitalizing on yet.
Stacking
Started implementing this in actual gameplay, with growing pains.
- Doesn't feel natural yet — had to consciously think about it during points.
- Sometimes took me out of the game mentally because I was focused on positioning.
- Need more reps until this becomes second nature rather than a distraction.
What Still Needs Work
- Backhand Returns: Still not fully trusting my backhand side during returns. I see the advantages but haven't mentally committed to using them effectively in gameplay.
- Tensing Up Under Pressure: Especially on hard, low returns, I tense up which affects my touch. Need to eliminate this tension from all aspects of my game.
- Stacking Execution: Still overthinking positioning and strategy during points. Takes me out of the moment and disrupts my natural gameplay.
- Consistency in Staying Down: While improving, I still catch myself popping up occasionally during resets. Need more reps to make this automatic.
Win of the Week
Finally saw my reset work pay off in a real game situation. During a competitive point, I managed to stay down (something I've been drilling relentlessly), reset three consecutive hard shots with consistent touch, and then—when the opportunity presented itself—executed a perfect midcourt flick for a winner.
What made this special wasn't just the point, but how natural it felt. My drops were on point, I didn't tense up despite the pressure, and I maintained proper form throughout the exchange. It was one of those rare moments where the practice translates perfectly to performance.
For just a split second, I glimpsed what playing at a 5.0 level feels like. These fleeting moments are what keep me grinding through all the frustrations. I'll take that feeling and chase more of it next week.
What's Next
Next week, it's just me and Cam while Dru's on vacation. I'm bracing myself for what's coming—Cam never takes it easy when we're one-on-one. I'm both nervous and excited about the intensity he'll bring. Whatever brutal drills he has planned, I'm here for it. Time to embrace the grind and see what breakthroughs come from the pressure.