The Tennis Parent’s Bible
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The Psychology of Tennis
As you progress throughout your journey, you should focus on your physical abilities and cultivate a deep understanding of your psychological makeup. Competition is not just a battle of physical skills; it’s equally a mental game where emotions, decision-making, and personality traits come into play. Let’s explore the psychology of tennis and how personality traits significantly influence your style, approach, and overall decision-making on the court.
“Your awakening begins by looking inside.”
2.1 The Impact of Your Personality Profile
Identifying the traits of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) helps to uncover your approach to the game. It’s in your best interest to go online and take a free MBTI quiz. Different personality profiles see the game differently, and understanding your genetic predispositions is important. Personality preference is measured along four dichotomies: Extraversion/Introversion, Sensing/Intuition, Thinking/Feeling, and Judging/Perceiving. Combinations of these scales produce a four-letter acronym that reflects your dominant functions.
2.2 Examples of The Power of Profiling
Personality profiling assists parents, coaches, and athletes understand how individuals gather information and make decisions. Identifying your personality profile explains why you are naturally good at some things and uncomfortable with others. It is why you think the way you think, say what you say, and do what you do. Below are observations of the different profiles as they relate to tennis. You’ll uncover your personality profile by identifying the most appropriate profile in each of the four categories.
View the following typographies the same way you view right or left-handed players. Athletes have a dominant (preferred) system and an auxiliary system.
Introverts (I) versus Extroverts (E)
Introvert Athletes
1) Reserved, reflective thinkers.
2) Prefer concrete advice versus abstract thinking.
3) Need quiet, alone time to recharge their batteries.
4) Energy-conserving, private and quiet individuals.
Extrovert Athletes
1) Enjoy the energy of group clinics.
2) Enjoy the limelight, center court, and center stage.
3) Easily bored with mundane repetition.
4) Work best in short attention span type drills.
“Introverts and extroverts and extroverts can introvert. We all have dominant and auxiliary brain functions.”
Sensate (S) versus Intuitive (N)
Sensate Athletes
1) Choose to make decisions after analyzing.
2) Often hesitate on-court due to overthinking.
3) Thrive on the coach’s facts versus opinions.
4) Success on-court is based on personal experience, not theory.
Intuitive Athletes
1) Trust their gut instinct and hunches over detailed facts.
2) In matches, often do first and then analyze second.
3) Apply and trust their imagination with creative shot selection.
4) Learn quicker by being shown versus lengthy verbal drill explanations.
“Working within one’s genetic guidelines is like swimming downstream. Working against one’s genetic predisposition is like swimming upstream.”
Thinkers (T) versus Feelers (F)
Thinker Athletes
1) Impersonalize tennis matches in a business fashion.
2) Thrive in private lessons versus group activities.
3) In competition, they are less influenced by emotions than other brain designs.
4) Relate to technical skills training over mental or emotional skills training.
Feeler Athletes
1) Often put others’ needs ahead of their own.
2) Strong need for optimism and harmony on-court.
3) Struggle with opponent’s cheating and gamesmanship.
4) Usually outcome-oriented versus process-oriented.
“A gender stereotype myth is that females are feelers and males are thinkers.”
Judgers (J) versus Perceivers (P)
Judger Athletes
1) Prefer planned, orderly, structured lessons.
2) Often postpone competing because they’re not 100% ready.
3) Need closure with a task before moving on to the next drill.
4) Change is uncomfortable and is typically shunned.
Perceiver Athletes
1) Mentally found in the future, not the present.
2) Easily adapts to ever-changing match situations.
3) Open to discussing and applying new, unproven concepts.
4) Typically need goal dates and deadlines to work hard.
For example: if you chose extrovert, sensate, feeler, or perceiver, you’re an ESFP. Training within those guidelines will maximize your potential at a faster rate.
“Athletes who make the most significant gains have parents and coaches aware of each other’s inborn characteristics, which assist in organizing the athlete’s unique developmental pathways.”
(Excerpt from Frank Giampaolo’s Book: The Soft Science of Tennis)
We’ve explored the multifaceted psychology of tennis and its impact on your persona on the court. Understanding your personality trait is an eye-opening experience. As you become more attuned to your unique psychological makeup, you’ll unlock your full potential and design a playing style that aligns with your personality, paving the way for a successful and more fulfilling journey in competitive tennis.
