The following post is an excerpt from Blunders and Cures. Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo
BLUNDER: Overlooking the Pain Principle
Remember the old saying? “If you keep on doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep on getting what you’ve always got.”
Players hit common walls in their development. One of those walls is resisting change.
If you view the process of change as more painful than losing, then you will continue to go down the same losing path. For some players, it’s so painful to change a flawed grip, stroke, stance, or even adding more off-court training time, that they would rather accept the pain of losing than deal with correcting their flaw. However, great things begin to happen when the pain of losing starts to be more powerful than the pain of changing. Once a player accepts the fact that a change has to be made, they are on their way to the next level.
CURE: The cycle of change is a three step process:
- Step one is accepting change.
- Step two is letting go of the old, comfortable flaw and embracing the new change which will most likely be uncomfortable at first. It is important to resist going back to your old strokes or tendencies.
- Step three is a 4-6 week developmental cycle. During this phase, your new motor program becomes personalized and over-rides the old motor program. This phase is critical in order to bring confidence to your new changes and prepare you for competition so that you don’t resort back to your losing ways under tournament pressure.
Ask Yourself:
Is the pain of change greater than the pain of losing? If you choose to fix a flawed fundamental stroke, can you take time off of the tournament trail? Think back to your last few pressure packed tournaments, was there a stroke that let you down? Did your conditioning/stamina fail you? Did you lack the tactical answers to pull your opened out of their comfort zone? Did your emotions (fear) prevent you from playing your game at crunch time? If so, a change may be in order. Can you list a recurring theme that causes you to break down under pressure?
Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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