Between grip sizes?

Personally I really like the shape of the classic Wilson pallets, however I (currently?) seem to fall right between sizes 2 and 3 (4 1/4 and 4 3/8).

2 options: 1) make the thicker one thinner, or 2) make the thinner one thicker.

Assuming one uses overgrips, the easiest thing is to apply them with different pull and overlap, and try different kinds brands and models there (e.g. different thickness and/or material that would stretch more or less). Obviously that again can affect the overall feel and, well, grip.

Additional options for sizing down: 

* Use a thinner replacement grip (note that leather comes in different thicknesses too). 

* Try to rewrap the existing base grip while pulling it more tightly 

* Rewrap the base it with less overlap, without introducing grooves.

The Babolat Skin feel has worked great for me in the past. Note that it's quite light, so if you replace a leather grip as I have on my RF 97, you will drop ~10 grams. This also alters balance quite a bit and does have a impact on plow through and stability.

With a thinner grip, you'll have a more direct feel, but also less dampening / comfort.

For sizing up: 

* As a quick fix, you can add an extra overgrip. If 2 of the one you're using is too much, maybe something thin like the Wilson Sensation in the middle.

* Use a thicker base grip.

* For a more permanent solution, you can also apply a heat shrink sleeve. They come in 2 sizes, to go up 1/2 or a full grip size. Note that in both cases you'll lose the edginess of the bevels a bit.

Note that you also have the option to replace the butt cap. For example, Wilson had equipped their white SixOne 95 BLX (parallel drilling) with a thicker, rounder butt cap. Well-intentioned I'm sure, but it kept me from getting the racquet around as a sized it up. So I went back to the classic edgy shape. 

Before messing around too much, maybe take a step back and see if other pallets (Babolat, Prince, Yonex, etc) suit you better, and a stock grip size works there. You can even use customization shops to put say a Wilson pallet on a Head racquet.

And/or see if you're "gripping" (in terms of holding) the racquet in the optimal-for-you way in the first place. Depending on where in the hand you make contact and if you change that, you may like different grip shapes and sizes. In other words, maybe your current discomfort is due to user error :)

Good gripping!

Maximizing court time

Time is always precious, but in places like New York where people queue up at Central Park before 6am or pay ~$140/hour just for the court, you quickly start to wonder how to make the most out of a session. 

Of course one would want to make sure the gear is in top shape, to fuel up beforehand, and arrive with time for prep and a off-court warm-up.

As for the actual hit, here's a sample plan for a 8pm session: 

7:30 Get ready (change, restroom)

7:40 Warm up off-court (move everything)

7:55 Get close to court

8:00 Mini tennis

8:05 Volley to volley

8:10 Baseline-baseline (freestyle, targets, crosscourt, longline, longline-cross, ...)

8:20 Baseline-net (add directions, in motion)

8:30 Serves & returns (targeted)

8:35 5-point TieBreaks, 1 serve only (for more rallies)

8:45 5-point TieBreaks, 2 serves, 1st serve all-out

8:55 Relaxed baseline exchange

9:00 Cool down off-court

I'd definitely bring a bunch of quality balls (min 6?), so that more time is spent on hitting and less on picking up. Especially in the US where a new can costs about as much as a minute of court time in NYC :)

Conviction

... is probably the opposite of second guessing oneself.

From personal experience, I can say if we'd like to e.g. hit that crazy high risk drop shot, then go for it all the way. Any second thoughts and we'll probably mess it up. Putting that doubt into the middle of stroke.

Even though I'm conscious of this self-sabotage, it still happens. Hopefully less so over time.

Same with anything we do on court really. Maybe not as critical for 1 out of 200 high topspin moonballs into the middle of court. But then again, for those shots, we're probably already pretty "convinced" of being able to make them.

I remember Davis Cup champ and captain Patrick Kühnen telling us during a clinic how crucial it is to be really clear what you want to do.

Seems straight forward - but to what percentage of our actions including the shots does that actually apply? In the middle of a rally, we e.g. tend to switch to "System 1" of more automated thinking and thus actions. There's not much time and many other variables kick in (this is where trained cue and habit kick in).

Put together, one should probably make a clear and concise resolution before a point, and then go for it. If things are going another way, adjust. Then review, improve, retry.

The trying part then, with conviction :)

P.S.: Another interesting aspect may be that even if we make an objectively "stupid" decision (shot selection, positioning), there's still a chance to win the point. Mostly, there's still how the opponent reacts. And again, conviction should increase the odds of staying in the point. vs drawing back because of embarrassment or even disgust. We can make the whole thing right next time.