The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible, Available through most online retailers!
PLAYER ACCOUNTABILITY Player accountability stems from a champion’s mindset- which includes a positive moral compass, core values, and a high standard of behavior. Teach your children that even though the hardest path is often the road less traveled- it is also the quickest way to the top!
QUESTION: How can we assist our son in decreasing his unforced errors? Part 2
Situation #9: The Easter Bowl (Palm Springs, Ca.) is famous for its windy conditions. Often, players have to cope with 30-40 miles per hour wind speeds. The result is that most often, cautious, consistent retriever style of play gets rewarded. The elements play a critical role in shot selection.
Jason: Adapts his offensive baseline style to a safer style of play. He looks for ways to use the wind to his advantage. He applies more spin on the ball and aims four feet inside the court on every shot. He understands that going for winners in these “crazy” conditions is an almost impossible proposition, so he buckles down and uses his “B” plan. This plan consists of letting the opponent “self-destruct.” Jack: Begins the tournament with the expectation that the conditions are unfair and he cannot play in the wind! He conveniently forgets that he has had many opportunities to practice in the wind in weeks prior to the tournament, but he canceled his lessons because he believed it was pointless to practice in windy conditions. (Jack lives in Southern California and Santa Ana winds are present many times a year.) Guess who lost first and first this year at the Easter Bowl?
Situation #10: The opponent starts off on a hot streak. Within 15 minutes, he is up 4-0.
Jason: Understands that controlling and managing both sides of the net is critical. Since he spots that, he is clearly not in control. He takes a bathroom break. Is this legal? You bet it is! He is looking for two things to happen: One is to take enough time to devise a new attack plan. Two is to act as a “Cooler.” He knows that he has to give the opponent’s fire a chance to burn itself out. We call this a shift in momentum. Jack: Says, “I know bathroom/trainer breaks are completely legal …but they’re for “sissies.” What kind of player takes a legal bathroom break? The answer is… smart ones!
Situation #11: Our player’s opponent is a terrific retriever. He positions himself 10-15 feet behind the baseline and seems to get every deep ball.
Jason: Considers the opponent’s preferred style. He monitors both players’ court positions and elects to incorporate drop shots and short-angle shots to pull the opponent out of his comfort zone. Jack: Is super talented. He can hit all four short ball options (kill, approach, drop, or short angle), but elects to simply kill every short ball as hard as he can. This plays right into his opponent’s spider web. Frustrated once again, Jack walks off the court in record time, breaking a few more racquets on the way.
Situation #12: Our last opponent is an old-school net rusher. His weapons are power and intimidation. He is coming in, and everyone knows it!
Jason: Understands that simply spinning in his first serve is not as macho, but it serves a critical function: It keeps the net rusher from using the second serve as an approach shot. Also, Jason does not go for outright passing shot winners from the first pass, he resists and elects to dip the ball soft and low at the on rushing players feet. This makes the player choosing to volley earn the winning shot, while giving Jason a higher percentage shot at actually passing on the second ball. Jack: You know Jack by now…Jack bombs away at his monster first serve. He hits his typical first serve percentage of 30 percent in. Because of the fragility of his second serve under pressure, he is attacked relentlessly on his second serve. Like most of us, Jack is uncomfortable being attacked. He feels the pressure and goes for huge passing shots as soon as he sees the opponent begin to come in. Most of his passes land closer to the back fence than in the court. After the match, Jack takes his racquet bag and shoves it into the trash can and walks to his car.
The solutions to improving an athlete’s shot selection choices are found in live ball sparring sessions. I recommend finding a suitable partner and book two back-to-back, hour-long lessons with a USPTA, USPTR or ITF certified teacher. Both families can pay for an hour as the athletes enjoy two hours of training under observation. As live points are played, the high IQ coach will ask the athletes to identify the cause of the error as well as the best percentage solution. This is a great example of practicing in the manner in which you’re expected to perform.
