Every forehand is a memory test.
Cognitive science has spent seventy years working out how attention narrows under pressure, why practice that feels bad transfers best, and how a skill goes from effortful to automatic. Tennis runs every one of those experiments on you, live, in front of your parents.
This site keeps two notebooks side by side: the one from the racquet bag, a page written before every match and training day, and the one from AP Research, where I read the papers. Where they overlap is the interesting part.
Attention
What narrows under pressure, and how to spend the budget on the ball.
Memory
Why a page written the night before holds up better than advice heard courtside.
Motor learning
How a stroke goes from twelve cues to one, and what that feels like from inside.
2024
First notebook page — March, ninth grade
11th
Grade — Class of 2028
10
Notebook pages on the site
7
Papers annotated for AP Research
Newest first
2026.08.30
Seven papers on blink-related oscillations
“Reading notes from my AP Research annotated bibliography: what each paper did, what it found, and why it matters to the paper I'm writing.”
2024.03.28
Not looking at the stands
“My dad is here, and sometimes I can put unnecessary pressure on myself to play better when he is watching me. In reality, he just wants to see me compete, carry myself well, and improve.”
2024.03.27
Missing with the right intentions
“Yesterday, when I was missing balls with the right intentions, I got discouraged. Actually, I should be happy that I am doing what I have been trying to work on and be even more ready to continue doing it.”
2024.03.26
Our own journeys
“We are on our own journeys and I only need to focus on how I will make myself a better player than I am now.”
2024.03.25
Level-headed, like the pros
“It surprised me how level-headed the players were. They didn't get super positive or super negative. The entire matches, they stayed positive yet focused.”
2024.03.23
Prepared for mistakes
“My coaching voice will remind me to do the ordinary things extraordinarily well, to being prepared for mistakes and recognize they are part of the process, and to enjoy playing, as I play my best when I'm having fun.”
2024.03.22
Perspective, then fun
“I will remember that no shot, game, set, or match will be the deciding point of my life. Nothing will happen if I don't hit well, so there is no point to being scared.”
2024.03.21
Control what you can
“Only rarely do I play amazing, so I should practice how I will deal with playing OK.”
2024.03.20
Learning to love problems
“Regardless of how I think, I will create this presence and my thinking will follow. I am learning to love problems, to thrive on tough times.”
2024.03.18
Effort in the ordinary
“Today, I'll do the ordinary thing extraordinarily well, such as being focused when we are serving or during warmups.”
2024.03.15
Positivity under pressure
“If I succeed in carrying myself well, stepping in on my backhand, keeping my head up on my serve, and not reverting to pushing when under pressure, I will have a successful match. Win or lose, I will be proud of my effort.”
