Learn the game.
Rules, basics, media releases, podcasts — and our notes on published research in training performance and tennis, each with a shareable infographic.
Evidence notes
Why Racquet Sports Are Good for Neuroplasticity
Racquet sports demand prediction, timing and spatial mapping — the exact conditions that drive lifelong neuroplasticity.
Read + share the infographic →Barefoot Training for Tennis Players
Barefoot work builds foot strength and balance off court. Keep shoes on for tennis; progress load over 8 weeks.
Read + share the infographic →Sebastian Lavorato: Australia's Latest Tennis Talent on the Rise
Young Australian Sebastian Lavorato is making waves in the junior tennis circuit, showcasing remarkable talent and dedication. His recent successes highlight the depth of emerging talent in Australian tennis.
Unpacking Tennis's Distinct Charm: A Look at its Unique Attributes
A recent article from Australian Tennis News delves into what makes tennis stand out from other sports, highlighting its unique blend of physical and mental challenges.
Why Racquet Sports Are Good for Neuroplasticity
Tennis, squash, badminton and table tennis demand rapid prediction, timing and spatial mapping. These demands are exactly what keeps the brain adapting across a lifetime.
Barefoot Training for Tennis Players
The foot has 26 bones, 33 joints and more than a hundred muscles and tendons. Training it without a shoe on, carefully and progressively, is one of the cheapest performance additions available.
Coach the Ball, Not the Swing
Skill-acquisition researcher and Major League baseball consultant Rob Gray has spent two decades testing where hitters put their attention. The finding transfers straight to a tennis court.
Repetition Without Repetition
Baseball consultant Rob Gray's practice research keeps landing on the same result: the messier session usually produces the better competitor. Here is how we use that on court.
Practice That Looks Like the Match
Ball machines and basket feeds strip out the information players actually read. Rob Gray's research on baseball batting and simulated training explains why, and what to keep.
A Short History of Tennis
From monastery courtyards to Grand Slams — how a handball game played against a wall became the sport we coach today.
Tennis and Sarcopenia: The Racquet as Muscle Insurance
Adults lose 3-8% of muscle mass per decade after 30, and the decline accelerates after 60. Tennis is one of the few sports that loads muscle, bone and the nervous system hard enough to slow it — and keeps people coming back for decades.
Gross Motor and Fine Motor Development in Preschoolers
Why climbing, pulling, running and ball play matter for toddlers and preschoolers — and how one Primal Active coach is building movement habits from five months old.
When Can My Child Start Tennis?
Most traditional programs suggest waiting until age five or six. We look at movement mapping, balance exploration, and tracking variables from a completely different timeline.
The Different Types of Tennis Racquet
Power, tweener, control and junior frames — the four families of racquet, who each one is built for, and the trade-offs you accept with each.
The Death of the Perfect Stroke
Why modern sport science is leaving robotic drilling behind. Practising variations builds players who survive match pressure instead of breaking.
The Anatomy of a Tennis Racquet
Head, throat, shaft, butt cap, grommets and beam — the parts of a frame and what each one does to the ball.
Stop Thinking About Your Elbow
Internal coaching cues degrade fluid athletic performance. Changing your focus to the environment can instantly clean up your mechanics.
Red, Orange, Green: Tennis Balls Explained
Why juniors start on slower balls, what each colour actually does, and how to know when a player is ready to move up a stage.
The Science of Serve Velocity: Where Power Actually Comes From
Kinetic chain research shows more than half of serve speed is generated below the shoulder. Here is what that means for your training week.
The Case for Court Sprints
Tennis is a series of discrete, explosive actions. Steady-state jogging fails to prepare you for true competitive court demands.
How to Choose a Tennis Racquet
Head size, weight, balance, stiffness and grip — what actually changes when you change frames, and how to pick one that suits the player you are now.
Elastic Power & Plyometrics
Mastering the kinetic chain means using the stretch-shortening cycle. Strategic jumps and reaction bounds transfer directly to explosive court coverage.
Why Tennis Players Belong in the Pool
High-impact changes of direction tax joints heavily. Zero-impact swimming flushes metabolic waste and balances rotational muscle systems.
Media Release: Primal Active Opens 2026 Collegiate Pathway Intake
Primal Active has opened applications for its 2026 Collegiate Pathways intake, supporting Australian and international juniors into US college tennis programs.
Strategic Remedial Massage
Repetitive asymmetrical loading alters biomechanics. Soft-tissue restoration maintains crucial joint capsule mobility.
The Four Essential Ground Actions
Before you swing, you have to find position. An ecological breakdown of the split-step, unit turn, open stance and recovery cross-step.
Load Management: Why Sudden Training Spikes Cause Most Tennis Injuries
The acute:chronic workload ratio predicts injury risk better than total hours on court. A practical framework for players and parents.
Heat, Hydration and the Australian Summer Match
Fluid losses of just 2% body mass measurably reduce reaction time and stroke accuracy. A Bondi-specific hydration protocol.
Podcast Ep. 1 — Building a Coaching Business in Sydney
Nicholas O'Sullivan on starting Primal Active, coaching philosophy, and what juniors get wrong.
Media Release: Primal Active Launches On-Court Performance Lab
A new testing and monitoring service brings serve velocity, movement and load tracking to every Primal Active member.
Media Release: Primal Active Launches Junior Development Program
Sydney-based Primal Active, led by Nicholas O'Sullivan, launches a structured pathway for junior players aged 8–16.
Deliberate Practice vs Hitting: Why Two Hours Can Beat Six
Blocked repetition feels productive and transfers poorly. Randomised, variable practice looks worse in training and wins matches.
Court Etiquette Every Player Should Know
The unwritten rules that keep social tennis fun — from calls to changeovers.
Tennis Basics: The Six Core Strokes
Forehand, backhand, serve, return, volley, overhead — the six shots every player needs.
Tennis Basics: Grips
Continental, eastern, semi-western, western — what each grip does and when to use it.
Court Layout & Lines
Baseline, service box, alley, T — every line on the court and what it is for.
Scoring Explained: Games, Sets, Tiebreaks
Why the score jumps from 15 to 30 to 40, what deuce means, and how tiebreaks actually work.
The Rules of Tennis: A Complete Overview
Everything you need to know about the modern rules of tennis, from serving order to let cords.
From the feed
Short-form drills and session clips you can train with today.