The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible NOW available through most on-line retailers! Click Here to Order
With summer around the corner, many parents and players will be spending more time together traveling to tournaments and continuing to develop tennis skills. This is a perfect time to review the below life lessons that you as a parent and/or coach are also teaching throughout your player’s tennis journey. Thanks, Frank
CULTIVATING LIFE LESSONS THROUGH TENNIS
Choosing to embark on this journey has lifelong benefits. It is widely known that the participation in the game of tennis cultivates life lessons. Tennis is an individual, elite sport that breed leaders.
“Congratulations for developing leadership qualities in your child.”
Communicating the important life lessons gained through tennis is a critical part of the tennis parent’s job description.
The Game of Tennis Inspires the Following Leadership Skills:
- Time management
- Adaptability and flexibility skills
- Ability to handle adversity
- Ability to handle stress
- Courage
- Positive work ethic
- Perseverance
- Setting priorities
- Goal setting
- Sticking to commitments
- Determination
- Problem solving skills
- Spotting patterns and tendencies
- Discipline
- Understanding of fair play and sportsmanship
- Development of focus
- Persistence
- Preparation skills
- Dedication and self-control
- Positive self-image
Without these important character skills, success on and off the court, simply won’t happen. You see, achieving results requires thousands of hours of deliberate customized practice. Without the above life skills, a deliberate developmental plan doesn’t happen.
Life skills lead to Process lead to Results
My favorite life lesson of the top 20 is persistence. As a coach, to see a talented player without persistence or the willingness to sacrifice and work hard is my worst nightmare! That is why at the junior levels it is often the slightly less talented who are willing to pay the price with smart work that earn all the trophies.
“Nothing is more common than unsuccessful tennis players with tons of physical talent.”
Finding a way through a tough opponent even though you’re having a bad day is persistence. Staying in the correct side of your brain even when things are clearly not going well is persistence. Staying engaged until the very last point is persistence. Now you know my favorite life lesson. What’s yours?
CONTACT:
Frank Gimapaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
