The Short Set with Malhar Mali

Malhar Mali
  • 5.0 (1)
  • TENNIS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
The Short Set with Malhar Mali

Sports psychology insights and evidence-based guidance to improve your tennis and enhance your match play. Sometimes with a little more sprinkled in.

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    Talent is Overrated: This Is More Important

    Talent is Overrated in Tennis. Some people believe there’s a “natural level” that players reach—a ceiling you can’t push past no matter how much you train. But is that actually true? Or is it just a convenient excuse for poor practice habits? In this video, we break down why the idea of a fixed talent ceiling is flawed (not entirely wrong, but definitely limiting), and why the way you train is far more important than the hand you were dealt. We’ll cover why deliberate practice is the key to real improvement, the biggest mistakes club players make in their training, and how you can actually get better—even if you feel stuck. No gimmicks. No “natural talent” cop-outs. Just real, evidence-based ways to improve your game. Here's what you would have received in your inbox if you had subscribed to the newsletter: https://www.malharmali.com/p/talent-is-overrated-in-tennis-ss-27——— Work With Me———Information is free in today's world. You pay for personalized implementation and accountability ↓https://tidycal.com/malharmaliA coaching program built on sports psychology literature and evidence-based coaching:⁠⁠https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdYLAaMc4t5bWyI2l2P0X0-xR-DYoD0-9bSs7BbstJv6BtMQQ/viewform?usp=sf_link——— More Content ———The Short Set—the newsletter version of this video. Get it in your inbox every Monday: ⁠⁠https://malharmali.com/subscribeThe specific issue of this newsletter: https://www.malharmali.com/p/does-it-matter-what-your-friends-think-ss-17Listen to The Short Set—the podcast version on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7zLWwrDHneuVlGo9xyUqvv?si=dc886205df4f4da5Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-short-set-with-malhar-mali/id1773708638——— Free Guides ———Goal Setting for Tennis (Backed by Sports Psychology): https://www.malharmali.com/c/goal-setting-for-tennis-backed-by-sports-psychologyBasic Statistics Sheet: https://www.malharmali.com/c/basic-stat-sheetCombat Choking Cheatsheet: https://malharmali.com/c/combat-choking-cheatsheet/?Create Your Patterns of Play: https://malharmali.com/c/patterns-of-play5 Myths & Misconceptions in Tennis: https://malharmali.com/c/5-myths-misconceptions-in-tennis——— Disclaimer & Corrections ———Disclaimer: I am not an Association of Applied Sports Psychology CMPC, certified sports psychology practitioner, nor am I a licensed mental health counselor, PsyD, or clinical PhD. I am pursuing a master’s in sports, exercise, and performance psychology, and I am a sports psychology practitioner-in-training. I have over 20 years of experience in tennis, including playing, coaching collegiately and with professional players, along with club management experience as a director of programs. I am certified by the Professional Tennis Registry and am a member of Tennis Australia. My aim is to bring the best information to tennis players around the world so that you can apply it for long-term improvement. I make every effort to represent sports psychology literature and findings appropriately and ethically in a way that is easy to understand for tennis players. But sometimes I will make mistakes. If you work in sports psychology, and this is your area of research or expertise, and you feel I’ve misunderstood something, please contact me, and if required I will happily issue a correction.

    10 min

  2. FEB 1

    You'll Struggle In Tennis As Long As You Care About This—The Sports Psychology of Motivation

    Is peer pressure ruining your tennis? If you’ve ever let what your tennis friends think of your game stand in the way of your improvement or performance, I hope this video helps. Many players unknowingly let social judgment dictate their decisions on the court, leading to anxiety, poor shot selection, and stalled progress. In this video, we dive into Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and how extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation affects your approach to tennis, playing matches, and also improving. I’ll give you some real-world examples and practical guidance to help you stay focused on your own development—not what others think. Here's what you would have received if you had signed up to my newsletter: https://www.malharmali.com/p/does-it-matter-what-your-friends-think-ss-17——— Work With Me———Information is free in today's world. You pay for personalized implementation and accountability ↓https://tidycal.com/malharmaliA coaching program built on sports psychology literature and evidence-based coaching:⁠⁠https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdYLAaMc4t5bWyI2l2P0X0-xR-DYoD0-9bSs7BbstJv6BtMQQ/viewform?usp=sf_link——— More Content ———The Short Set—the newsletter version of this video. Get it in your inbox every Monday: ⁠⁠https://malharmali.com/subscribeThe specific issue of this newsletter: https://www.malharmali.com/p/does-it-matter-what-your-friends-think-ss-17Listen to The Short Set—the podcast version on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7zLWwrDHneuVlGo9xyUqvv?si=dc886205df4f4da5Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-short-set-with-malhar-mali/id1773708638——— Free Guides ———Goal Setting for Tennis (Backed by Sports Psychology): https://www.malharmali.com/c/goal-setting-for-tennis-backed-by-sports-psychologyBasic Statistics Sheet: https://www.malharmali.com/c/basic-stat-sheetCombat Choking Cheatsheet: https://malharmali.com/c/combat-choking-cheatsheet/?Create Your Patterns of Play: https://malharmali.com/c/patterns-of-play5 Myths & Misconceptions in Tennis: https://malharmali.com/c/5-myths-misconceptions-in-tennis——— Disclaimer & Corrections ———Disclaimer: I am not an Association of Applied Sports Psychology CMPC, certified sports psychology practitioner, nor am I a licensed mental health counselor, PsyD, or clinical PhD. I am pursuing a master’s in sports, exercise, and performance psychology, and I am a sports psychology practitioner-in-training. I have over 20 years of experience in tennis, including playing, coaching collegiately and with professional players, along with club management experience as a director of programs. I am certified by the Professional Tennis Registry and am a member of Tennis Australia. My aim is to bring the best information to tennis players around the world so that you can apply it for long-term improvement. I make every effort to represent sports psychology literature and findings appropriately and ethically in a way that is easy to understand for tennis players. But sometimes I will make mistakes. If you work in sports psychology, and this is your area of research or expertise, and you feel I’ve misunderstood something, please contact me, and if required I will happily issue a correction.

    8 min

  3. JAN 16

    Tennis Anxiety Explained—What Sports Psychology Says About Goal Setting

    Tennis players suck at goal setting. Learn how to set appropriate goals so that you can avoid anxiety and burnout and perform your best. Decades of sports psychology research backs up the importance of process, performance, and mastery goals compared to purely setting outcome goals. Are outcome goals all bad? No. They can provide motivation and a long-term path. But if it's your only focus and fixation, they can cause anxiety and burnout. Here's a handy sheet that explains the difference between all the goal types and their impacts on you, the tennis player and the performer: https://www.malharmali.com/c/goal-setting-for-tennis-backed-by-sports-psychology ——— Work With Me——— Information is free in today's world. You pay for personalized implementation and accountability ↓ https://tidycal.com/malharmali A coaching program built on sports psychology literature and evidence-based coaching:⁠⁠https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdYLAaMc4t5bWyI2l2P0X0-xR-DYoD0-9bSs7BbstJv6BtMQQ/viewform?usp=sf_link ——— More Content ——— The Short Set—the newsletter version of this video. Get it in your inbox every Monday: ⁠⁠https://malharmali.com/subscribe The specific issue of this newsletter: https://www.malharmali.com/p/tennis-players-suck-at-setting-goals-ss-29 Listen to The Short Set—the podcast version on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7zLWwrDHneuVlGo9xyUqvv?si=dc886205df4f4da5 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-short-set-with-malhar-mali/id1773708638 ——— Free Guides ——— Goal Setting for Tennis (Backed by Sports Psychology): https://www.malharmali.com/c/goal-setting-for-tennis-backed-by-sports-psychology Basic Statistics Sheet: https://www.malharmali.com/c/basic-stat-sheet Combat Choking Cheatsheet: https://malharmali.com/c/combat-choking-cheatsheet/? Create Your Patterns of Play: https://malharmali.com/c/patterns-of-play 5 Myths & Misconceptions in Tennis: https://malharmali.com/c/5-myths-misconceptions-in-tennis ——— Disclaimer & Corrections ——— I am not an AASP CMPC, certified sports psychology practitioner, nor am I a licensed mental health counselor or PsyD. My aim is to bring the best information to tennis players around the world so that you can apply it for long-term improvement—but sometimes I will make mistakes. If this is your area of research or expertise, and you feel I’ve misunderstood something, please get in touch with me and if required I will happily issue a correction.

    11 min

  4. JAN 12

    Losing Tennis Matches? Stop Playing Emotional Tennis

    Play with statistics—not emotions. You'd be surprised at how easily players mess this up (myself included). ——— Work With Me———Information is free in today's world. You pay for personalized implementation and accountability ↓https://tidycal.com/malharmaliA coaching program built on sports psychology literature and evidence-based coaching:⁠⁠https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdYLAaMc4t5bWyI2l2P0X0-xR-DYoD0-9bSs7BbstJv6BtMQQ/viewform?usp=sf_link——— More Content ———The Short Set—the newsletter version of this video. Get it in your inbox every Monday: ⁠⁠https://malharmali.com/subscribeThe specific issue of this newsletter: https://www.malharmali.com/p/play-statisticsnot-emotions-f4-15Listen to The Short Set—the podcast version on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7zLWwrDHneuVlGo9xyUqvv?si=dc886205df4f4da5Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-short-set-with-malhar-mali/id1773708638——— Free Guides ——— Goal Setting for Tennis (Backed by Sports Psychology): https://www.malharmali.com/c/goal-setting-for-tennis-backed-by-sports-psychology Basic Statistics Sheet: https://www.malharmali.com/c/basic-stat-sheet Combat Choking Cheatsheet: https://malharmali.com/c/combat-choking-cheatsheet/?Create Your Patterns of Play: https://malharmali.com/c/patterns-of-play5 Myths & Misconceptions in Tennis: https://malharmali.com/c/5-myths-misconceptions-in-tennis——— Disclaimer & Corrections ———I am not an AASP CMPC, certified sports psychology practitioner, nor am I a licensed mental health counselor or PsyD. My aim is to bring the best information to tennis players around the world so that you can apply it for long-term improvement—but sometimes I will make mistakes. If this is your area of research or expertise, and you feel I’ve misunderstood something, please get in touch with me and if required I will happily issue a correction.——— Credit ——— I first heard this term, "Play with statistics—not emotions," from Steve Smith of GreatBase Tennis. I have expanded upon it with concepts and research from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Psychology.

    9 min

  5. 12/28/2024

    The Physics and Psychology of Spin

    Understand topspin and underspin (not "slice") and know when best to use each type! ——— Work With Me——— Information is free in today's world. You pay for personalized implementation and accountability ↓ https://tidycal.com/malharmali A coaching program built on sports psychology literature and evidence-based coaching: ⁠⁠https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdYLAaMc4t5bWyI2l2P0X0-xR-DYoD0-9bSs7BbstJv6BtMQQ/viewform?usp=sf_link ——— More Content ——— The Short Set—the newsletter version of this video. Get it in your inbox every Monday: ⁠⁠https://malharmali.com/subscribe The specific issue of this newsletter: https://www.malharmali.com/p/the-physics-of-spin-ss-25 ——— Free Guides ——— Combat Choking Cheatsheet: https://malharmali.com/c/combat-choking-cheatsheet/? Create Your Patterns of Play: https://malharmali.com/c/patterns-of-play 5 Myths & Misconceptions in Tennis: https://malharmali.com/c/5-myths-misconceptions-in-tennis Forehand Checkpoint Guide: https://malharmali.com/c/free-forehand-checkpoint-guide/?⁠⁠⁠ ——— Disclaimer & Corrections ——— I am not an AASP CMPC, certified sports psychology practitioner, nor am I a licensed mental health counselor or PsyD. My aim is to bring the best information to tennis players around the world so that you can apply it for long-term improvement—but sometimes I will make mistakes. If this is your area of research or expertise, and you feel I’ve misunderstood something, please get in touch with me and if required I will happily issue a correction.

    9 min

  6. 12/12/2024

    The Trap of "I Should Win."—Don’t Make This Mental Skills Mistake

    “There's no chance I'll beat this player... because his UTR is a whole point higher than mine.” ——— Work With Me——— Information is free in today's world. You pay for personalized implementation and accountability ↓https://tidycal.com/malharmaliA coaching program built on sports psychology literature and evidence-based coaching: ⁠⁠https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdYLAaMc4t5bWyI2l2P0X0-xR-DYoD0-9bSs7BbstJv6BtMQQ/viewform?usp=sf_link——— More Content ———The Short Set—the newsletter version of this video. Get it in your inbox every Monday: ⁠⁠https://malharmali.com/subscribe The SS #14 (the specific issue of this video): https://malharmali.com/p/win-f4-14——— Free Guides ———Combat Choking Cheatsheet: https://malharmali.com/c/combat-choking-cheatsheet/?5 Myths & Misconceptions in Tennis: ⁠⁠⁠https://malharmali.com/c/5-myths-misconceptions-in-tennis⁠⁠⁠/?Forehand Checkpoint Guide: ⁠⁠⁠https://malharmali.com/c/free-forehand-checkpoint-guide/?⁠⁠⁠

    5 min

  7. 12/09/2024

    Why Most Tennis Players Fail Without Plan B (And How to Fix That)

    Why don't you just give up and mail in the scorecard? ——— Work With Me——— Information is free in today's world. You pay for personalized implementation and accountability ↓ https://tidycal.com/malharmali A coaching program built on sports psychology literature and evidence-based coaching: ⁠⁠https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdYLAaMc4t5bWyI2l2P0X0-xR-DYoD0-9bSs7BbstJv6BtMQQ/viewform?usp=sf_link ——— More Content ——— The Short Set—the newsletter version of this video. Get it in your inbox every Monday: ⁠⁠https://malharmali.com/subscribe The SS #24 (the specific issue of this video): https://malharmali.com/p/plan-b-ss-24 ——— Free Guides ——— Combat Choking Cheatsheet: https://malharmali.com/c/combat-choking-cheatsheet/? 5 Myths & Misconceptions in Tennis: ⁠⁠⁠https://malharmali.com/c/5-myths-misconceptions-in-tennis⁠⁠⁠/? Forehand Checkpoint Guide: ⁠⁠⁠https://malharmali.com/c/free-forehand-checkpoint-guide/?⁠⁠⁠

    7 min

  8. 12/01/2024

    Be Careful How You Win in Tennis

    Players have no idea what's going on. ——— Work With Me——— Information is free in today's world. You pay for personalized implementation and accountability ↓ https://tidycal.com/malharmali 1:1 Performance Coaching Application: ⁠⁠https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfAsu6vtidZzYQcx_Jpd1xvjuqEg1s0QnX-LR770UnFwtI4ag/viewform?usp=sf_link ——— More Content ——— The Short Set—the newsletter version of this video. Get it in your inbox every Monday: ⁠⁠https://beforeandaftertennis.beehiiv.com/subscribe The SS #26 (the specific issue of this video): https://malharmali.com/p/winning-is-confusing-ss-26 ——— Free Guides ——— Combat Choking Cheatsheet: https://malharmali.com/c/combat-choking-cheatsheet/? 5 Myths & Misconceptions in Tennis: ⁠⁠⁠https://malharmali.com/c/5-myths-misconceptions-in-tennis⁠⁠⁠/? Forehand Checkpoint Guide: ⁠⁠⁠https://malharmali.com/c/free-forehand-checkpoint-guide/?⁠⁠⁠

    7 min
See All (16)

About

Sports psychology insights and evidence-based guidance to improve your tennis and enhance your match play. Sometimes with a little more sprinkled in.

Information

You Might Also Like

  • Baseline Intelligence with Jonathan Stokke
    Tennis
    Tennis

    Updated Biweekly

  • Served with Andy Roddick
    Tennis
    Tennis

    Updated Weekly

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada