The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible
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Situation #3: The opponent hits a deep cross-court ball.
Jason: Hits a neutral building shot 4 feet over the net and back cross court.
Jack: Tries for a screaming net skimming half volley winner down the line and creams the ball into the bottom of the net.
Situation #4: The brothers are in a vulnerable position running fifteen feet behind the baseline, retrieving the opponent’s terrific shot.
Jason: Throws up a deep, high, defensive lob to push the opponent back and gain valuable recovery time.
Jack: Goes for an offensive, down-the-line pass that lands near the back fence…Then screams…AAAHHHH!
Situation #5: Our player gets to the ball late. He is off balance and ends up striking the ball down by his socks.
Jason: Quickly dials his offensive shot selection down to neutral and elects to simply keep the opponent from taking an offensive position.
Jack: He is still in full flight and goes for a topspin rip-off of his shoelaces. The ball rips into the net.
Situation #6: Our player is winning comfortably 6-3, 4- 1.
Jason: Continues to do the exact same boring shot selections. He closes out the match in a routine fashion. He realizes the importance of saving physical and emotional energy for the next round.
Jack: Gets bored with such a lead. He begins throwing in a bunch of exciting yet low-percentage new things. In essence, Jack has changed the shot selections that have gained him a comfortable lead. Now the set is 5-5, and Jack is so angry that he is acting like a Crazy Person, throwing his racquet and yelling, “I Hate Tennis.” His situation is a result of his wandering mind.
