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OPPONENT PROFILING- PART 2

Posted on May 19, 2022 by in The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible
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Opponent Profiling Checklist (“Paying Attention”)

(The following checklist is designed for the coach/parent to review with the athlete.)

 

  • Paying attention to the opponent’s current style of play.

A top player won’t stick to a losing game for long. They’ll often shift to a different style of play known as their pre-developed plan B. They may lose the first set with plan A but win the match with plan B or C.

  • Paying attention to the opponent’s stroke strengths and weaknesses.

Don’t stop attacking the weaknesses until they have proven repeatedly that they have solved the problem. Stick with the same old boring winners.

  • Paying attention to the opponent’s movement and spacing likes and dislikes.

Some opponents are terrific from behind the baseline yet pitiful when pulled forward into the forecourt.

  • Paying attention to patterns of play (theirs and yours).

If a particular serve pattern of yours works like a charm, revisit it on game points. If the opponent is killing you with a particular pattern, expect it on big points and shut it down early.

  • Paying attention to the opponent’s negative emotional cues.

Remember, not all forms of communication are verbal. Watch between points for the opponent’s negative facial expressions and body language. Whatever caused their negative reaction, plan on repeating it.

  • Paying attention to where the ball is landing on both sides of the court.

The court zone in which the ball lands dictates shot selection. For example, if you hit a short ball, weak into their service box, that ball has landed in their attack zone. Preparing your defensive skill sets early is court awareness.

  • Paying attention to the opponent’s court position and strike zone at contact.

For example, an opponent who is drifting back 15 feet beyond the baseline and meeting the ball at a head level strike zone, is most likely in a defensive position. You should be moving inside the court preparing to execute an offensive reply.

  • Paying attention to the ball you are giving to the opponent.

“Think like a baseball pitcher versus a baseball batter.” Yes, you are hitting a ball but your stroke is their incoming pitch. Are you throwing the same 67 mph fastball, 2 feet over the net directly into their wheelhouse over and over again? You then walk away from the match saying, “They were too good! I had no chance!”   The reality is you made them look good.

  • Paying attention to the speed of play.

This includes ball speed as well as between point and changeover playing speed. If the opponent prefers an aggressive, quick pace of play, slow it down. Controlling the pace of the match is called rhythm disruption and it is very much a part of high performance tennis.

  • Apply proper changeover rituals.

Use the allocated 90 seconds to design or modify the next two game’s plan of attack instead of simply getting a Gatorade stain on your new shirt while watching the players over on court #6.

  • Apply proper between point rituals.

The proper between point rituals are just as important as change-over rituals in implementing a successful plan of attack. Defeating a top ranked opponent is a complicated affair. It may require a bit of mental warfare to outsmart a seasoned champion.

A top NCAA award winning coach told me that he doesn’t teach strokes…he teaches “paying attention.”  The art of winning requires opponent profiling under stress. This is part of the essential mental component applied in high performance tennis.

 

OPPONENT PROFILING- PART 1

Posted on May 17, 2022 by in The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

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The Match Chart Collection 2D

OPPONENT PROFILING

 

At the advanced levels, every player has efficient strokes. In tournament competition what often separates the champion from the field is their mental and emotional skill sets. This includes paying attention to why points are won and lost. They manage the score, their strategies and their performance anxieties as well as their focus control. Winners enjoy adapting to the ever changing challenges of closing out sets and matches. Winners maintain their poise under stress because they are one step ahead of the opponent by opponent profiling. I encourage both the parents and the coaches to begin to develop each athlete’s mental and emotional “muscles” at an early stage.

 

“In any sport, experts don’t simply see where the action is… they can see where the action is going to be in the very near future.”

 

Opponent profiling is essentially paying attention to the opponent’s patterns and tactics and applying the appropriate counter tactics.

 

Benefits of Opponent Profiling:

  • Controlling the tipping points and energy of the match.
  • Shutting down the opponents preferred play. Forcing them to shift to their less comfortable patterns at crunch time.
  • Gaining the critical mental/ emotional edge in tiebreakers.
  • Inflating their own confidence while systematically deflating the opponents.
  • Intimidating the opponent by out-thinking them by staying on top of their preferred patterns.

 

Just as I urged players earlier in this mental chapter to design and rehearse their Top 7 Patterns (2 ball shot sequence), I also have high hopes that your athletes will progress one step further and apply the art of spotting the opponents favorite shot sequences.

 

Identifying the Opponent’s Top 7 Patterns:

1) Top Serving Pattern to the Deuce Side: 2 Ball Sequence

2) Top Serving Pattern on the Ad Side: 2 Ball Sequence

3) Favorite Return Pattern/Position versus a Big First Serve

4) Favorite Pattern/Position versus a Weaker Second Serve

5) Favorite Rally Pattern

6) Favorite Short Ball Option

7) Favorite Approach Shot Pattern

 

 

“Forcing talented opponents out of their comfort zone requires your athlete to identify and systematically shut down the opponent’s favorite strategies and tactics.”

 

 

TIPPING POINT TENDENCIES

Posted on May 15, 2022 by in The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

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The Match Chart Collection 2D

TIPPING POINT TENDENCIES

 

Experienced champions have developed seemingly hidden skill sets I call, Tipping Point Tendencies. To the untrained eye, as the athletes warm up, opponents may appear to be equally matched with similar physical abilities. It is during match play that tipping point tendencies become apparent. The game is on and “playing catch” is over and playing “keep away” begins. These pre-developed skill sets are the critical factors that tip a close match in ones favor.

The tipping points are those hidden moments in each match when an emotional energy shift is about to happen.

 

“In close tennis matches, positive and negative energy and attitudes flows back and forth.”

 

Most intermediate athletes and their parents don’t even realize that this critical struggle for power is taking place. That is… until now! Mental readiness is required to control the positive energy.

Think back to the last few times your athlete lost tight matches. Chances are you blamed the losses on bad luck, or the opponent cheated, or your kid just did not have the “feel” that day, or for you superstitious types… you went to Quiznoz’s instead of Subway. Those re-occurring close defeats are most likely due to your child’s incomplete training and not lunch meat. Tipping point tendencies are essential learned behaviors that athletic royalty must master.

An athlete that shifts focus to the following tipping point tendencies, accelerates the learning process and a competitive warrior is born. Close matches are often decided by a handful of points. Let’s look a little deeper at ten of the top “hidden” tipping point tendencies that can help tip your athlete’s matches in their favor. Once again, these are terrific conversation starters for your athlete and their coaches.

 

Top Ten Tipping Point Tendencies:

1) Pay attention to the energy flow throughout the match. Who’s cranky and negative, who’s eager, hungry and positive? If you’re negative, apply your triggers and steal the energy back.
2) Monitor your state of mind. Is your mental and emotional state in the under arousal state of mind, in the optimal peak performance state of mind or in the over arousal state of mind?
3) Learn to spot the mental and emotional signs of choking (over-thinking) and panicking (under-thinking).
4) Manage the score to manage your adrenaline. Different points have different psychological values. Pay attention and get pumped up before big points.
5) Note that tennis scoring isn’t numerically fair: You can win more points than the opponent in the match and still lose the match. Winning requires spotting tipping points.
6) Spot the mega points (game winning points) and run the appropriate pattern that you’ve trained to death versus going rogue.

 

7) Spot mini-mega points. A 30-15 lead isn’t the correct time to relax. Winning that crucial point earns you a 40-15 advantage, lose it and you’re staring at a 30-30 tie.
8) Spot mini-mega games. These games in a set hold crucial building blocks. A 4-2 lead isn’t time to relax. Winning that mini-mega game earns you a 5-2 lead. Lose is and the sets a 4-3 dog fight.
9) Opponent profiling is crucial. It’s the flip side to running your Top 7 Patterns. Competitors who pay attention not only spot the opponents preferred patterns but actually shut them down on these big occasions.
10) Self-chart both sides of the net. Witness where errors and winners stem from and problem solve accordingly.

 

In regards to higher learning, I’m amazed at how often very young intermediate athletes understand this type of mental and emotional training. It is not reserved for the older advanced group. Parents and coaches, please remember, their world isn’t remotely like ours at their age. With Google on their smart phones, they are accustom to collecting and quantifying data at lightning speeds.

Have you ever witnessed your child on their phone with one friend, doing their homework, skyping another friend, snap-chatting, while eating and watching TV?  Children can multi-task. Asking an intermediate tennis player to improve their mechanical stroke components while improving their mental components is a piece of cake!

 

Mastering the tipping point tendencies is the art of winning under stress. Those seemingly “little things” are actually the extremely “big things” that make all the difference in tipping the odds in your favor.

 

 

HOW TO BUILD MENTAL TOUGHNESS

Posted on May 11, 2022 by in The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

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HOW TO BUILD MENTAL TOUGHNESS

 

Players who are confident have a mentally tough aura about them. They are extremely intimidating because their confidence is obvious to all. It’s evident in their body language and facial expressions.  So, how can your athlete develop radiant confidence?

First of all, your athlete starts by reading about it. Then they earn it on the practice court. Mentally tough competitors earn this impenetrable wall of confidence by preparing properly. Mentally tough players are actually much more than just mentally tough. They are mechanically sound, emotionally unflappable and physically fit enough to thrive in third set warfare. Yes, they’re actually mechanically tough, emotionally tough and physically tough.

Below is a checklist of components that need to be developed by your child’s coaches.  Remember, it is your job as the CEO to assist the coaches in raising athletic royalty.

 

Developing Mental Toughness Checklist:

Stroke Mechanics:

  • Develop reliable fundamental (primary) strokes.
  • Develop a tool belt of secondary strokes.

Mental:

  • Organize & rehearse your child’s top 7 patterns of play. (Generic Strategies)
  • Rehearse patterns of play used to pull different styles of opponents out of their game.(Stylistic Strategies)

Emotional:

  • Organize their between point rituals & changeover rituals (both internal & external.)
  • Pre-set protocols to handle performance anxieties.

Athleticism:

  • Build the speed, agility and cardiovascular requirements needed to endure two separate three set matches a day.
  • Build the strength and stamina required to close out 6 matches in a 3-5 day (64 player draw) event.

 

My students have won close to 100 National titles to date. Each one had a parent and an entourage of great coaches who were very involved organizing and implementing their developmental plan. Most often, these champs worked their deliberate, customized organizational plan for 2-3 months before becoming National Champions.

 

Special Note to Parents: A partially committed parent is simply a hobbyist. That’s fine – tennis is an incredible hobby that teaches many life lessons. However, a hobbyist parent should be satisfied with raising a hobbyist tennis player and not expect champion results. In today’s game, it’s unfair to expect your child to become a champion without parental commitment.

THE “PROS AND CONS” OF HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS

Posted on May 7, 2022 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

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THE “PROS AND CONS” OF HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS

 

Playing high school ball is a rite of passage issue for the high performance athlete. The benefits of high school tennis lean towards life experiences rather than excelled tennis growth. There are exceptions to any rule, so let’s take a deeper look at this interesting question.

The answer is a bit complicated. It greatly depends on your child’s level, needs and goals. It also depends greatly on the level of the possible teammates and coaching staff at your child’s high school. Some high school teams I work with are better than most college teams.

Is High School ball right for your athlete?

Mark is a student of mine. He is a SCTA sectionally ranked player in the top 20. His national ranking is around 60. He is diligent about his tennis and spends about 20 hours training extremely hard every week. He has reached the semis of three national events and his long term goals are to play for Peter Smith at his dream school USC.

His dad is a former player and they are certain he will play a minimum of two years on the ATP futures and challenger tours after college. At his high school, there is one other fairly serious player on the team. The high school coach is a super nice guy. He is the biology teacher. He is coaching because he used to play high school ball and enjoys the game. The coach runs an “optional” fee based 6 week pre-season training camp. Of course, paying and attending greatly increases an athlete’s chances of playing varsity for the team. Now let’s review the positive and negative sides of high school ball for Mark and his family:

 

POSITIVE Side to Playing High School Tennis:

 

Plenty of Court Time!

On non-match days, they hit about 2 hours a day, grooving strokes, running through tennis drills and exercising. On match days they play matches and watch team-mates play matches.

Wonderful Team Atmosphere

Although tennis is an individual sport, playing high school tennis provides the players with the benefits of team sports. Such as camaraderie, cooperation and social interaction skills.

Fun Peer Group Socialization

Team tennis encourages players to be more sociable in different environments. They have to deal with different people, who may or may not be their friends. The van trips alone, to and from matches are a blast.

Big Fish in a Small Pond Experience

Mark feels average participating in nationals at his ranking level. At high school he is the king! Even the cheer leaders know him.

Low Cost

Mark’s parents wrote a check for $650.00 to the booster club for the whole 4 month!

Less Driving To Lessons and Tournaments

Mark’s parents don’t have to worry about driving him anywhere.

 

 

 

NEGATIVE Side to Playing High School Tennis:

 

Developing Bad Habits

After spending four months on court with less devoted “hobbyists”, Mark develops bad work ethic issues, poor shot selection and poor mental toughness.

Quantity versus Quality Practice Time

Most often Mark is goofing off with intermediate teammates or even assisting them with their games. While on the court, he’s even texting friends and making plans for Friday’s party.

Quality of Match Level

Mark wins 8 out of 10 matches 6-0. Winning most matches easily may be great for his ego but not for his long term development. Mark needs a competitive environment to continue to grow and improve.

College Scholarship Factor

According to top Division 1 coaches speaking at my seminars, Coaches look at national rankings and ITF rankings. They don’t consider high school ball as a High Performance Level.

The Success Formula

Remember that the success formula is spending approximately 20 hours of serious training every week for approximately 10 years. Is playing high school tennis for 4 consecutive months 4 years in a row in Mark’s developmental plan?

Rebuilding the Level

It actually takes an additional 2 months of serious physical, mental and emotional training after the high school season ends to re-establish the high level Mark was playing before the season. Now, factor in a six month loss in training time. As Mark chose to de-stress and have fun playing high school ball for 4 months. His rivals who have chosen to skip high school tennis have continued to improve their games as well as their rankings.

 

Bottom Line: Playing High School Tennis

It is important to reiterate that most high school age players are not as devoted as Mark. Others may be just as serious but need to de-compress and simply play social tennis for a season or two. If so, I recommend playing their freshman year to get a little famous at their new school and then again their senior year after they have signed their letter of intent to play for their college.

I encourage taking some time to consider all these variables. If your child is more of a “hobbyist”, high school ball is one of the best experiences available.  However, if your child is a phenom, a compromise may be in order. It may be best to have a meeting with the coach and/or athletic director and organize a win-win schedule. Often top players and their parents can negotiate a workable schedule with the high school coach.

For elite players considering high school tennis, the following three topics should be addressed (negotiated) prior to committing to the high school season:

1) Skipping most practice session in lieu of their private sessions.

2) Scheduling to only play the tougher rival matches.

3) Playing enough matches in order to qualify for the season ending state championships.

 

 

SIGNS OF A HIGH IQ TENNIS COACH

Posted on May 1, 2022 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

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SIGNS OF A HIGH IQ TENNIS COACH

 

Here are a few insights to remember when seeking a new coach. Great tennis coaches offer the necessary hands on involvement with as little coddling as possible.

 

“Great coaches don’t need you or your athlete…you need them.”

 

They deeply understand the depth of the science behind the strokes while considering the athletes personal flair. A great coach offers structure with the freedom to explore. Lastly, a great coach is a team player who always puts their students’ needs above their own.

Characteristics of an Elite Tennis Coach:

  • Optimistic.
  • Encourages observation of his/her lessons.
  • Listens to you and your child.
  • Combines fun and laughter with serious learning.
  • Doesn’t use a one size fits all approach to development.
  • Understands personality profiling, brain typing & body typing.
  • Organizes a deliberate customize blueprint for your child’s development.
  • Eager to view your match charts and match video analysis (during scheduled lesson times.)
  • Help define parental roles and responsibilities.
  • Knowledgeable of the essential components of a high performance tennis player.
  • Understands the importance of positive parental behaviors.
  • Assist in organizing an entourage of mental/emotional trainers, off-court fitness experts and physical therapists- as needed.
  • Assist in the logistics of raising athletic royalty.
  • Available for monthly entourage team meetings.
  • Welcomes parent’s emails and progressive dialogue.
  • Helps organize the player’s weekly developmental schedule.
  • Assist in organizing the player’s tournament schedule.
  • Encourage parents to use tools such as: Reading Raising Athletic Royalty.
  • Conducts parental workshops.
  • Recommend that the parents educate themselves through seminars, workshops and educational materials.
  • Teach life lessons through the sport of tennis.
  • Willing and able to be a mediator between the child and the parent.

 

Parents, world class coaches are very hard to find. Finding one with free time in their busy schedule is even tougher.

 

“Plan on compensating your elite coach for their time on court and off court. If you find one with the above characteristics, hold onto them for dear life.”

 

MANAGING ACCELERATED LEARNING

Posted on April 26, 2022 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

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MANAGING ACCELERATED LEARNING

 

It’s our job as tennis coaches and parents to organize accelerated learning.

 

“Accelerated learning is the art and science of applying quality over quantity.”

 

Accelerated learning starts with you, the parent. The first step in managing the process is digesting the information presented in The Tennis Parent’s Bible. Once you have immersed yourself into the process of athletic development, you are better equipped to assist your coaches in prioritizing and accelerating your athlete’s learning curve.

A marvelous example of applying accelerated learning is recognizing when the athlete should stop focusing solely on block learning repetition and shift to the multi-tasking harmony of integrating each component together.  Accelerated learning starts with managing the development of consistent skill sets through flexible skills training.

Consistent skill set training is simply focusing on developing one component of the athlete’s game in isolation.  Examples include:

  • A motor programming sequences that needs to be followed to ensure a sound fundamental stroke.
  • A specific mental strategic-shot sequencing pattern designed to beat a retriever.
  • An emotional protocol rehearsed to help close out a 5-2 lead.
  • An athletic component such as agility around the tennis court.

Flexible skill set training is integrating the “games approach” to learning. High level tennis players have been taught to quickly quantify game situations, make multiple pre-set situational decisions and execute the correct responses. Cognitive processing skills need to be integrated early.

 

“A common mistake I witness around the globe is the obsession of focusing solely on acquiring perfect fundamental strokes in a block learning environment.”

 

I recommend introducing multi-tasking drills and problem solving situations as soon as possible. This is a form of stimuli overload. Examples include: Adding a stress related emotional element to a stroke production drill. Combine on-court quickness with a specific sequence of patterns. By overloading the athlete’s stimuli in practice, the uncomfortable becomes more comfortable. Being okay with feeling uncomfortable prepares the player for the integrated approach needed in match play.

 

Different sports require different brain functions and development. A world class figure skater or gymnast simply focuses on recreating the exact sequence. Their performance goal is to match their exact pre- determined routine. In their performance they only recreate, they don’t create. So, would they train with flexible-skill sets? Not likely.

Should a tennis player train flexible-skill sets? You bet! Playing sports like basketball, hockey, soccer or tennis are requires random split second decisions making skills. It’s about adaptation, creativity, spotting options and aborting missions. Flexibility and millisecond decision making “on the fly” are critical functions in flexible skill set dominate sports.

KEYS TO ACCELERATING LEARNING- TENNIS

Posted on April 24, 2022 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

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KEYS TO ACCELERATING LEARNING

 

How do you take a kid with potential and develop them into a proven champion? What predetermines their success? How do you convince them that they’re special? What factors build passion? How does a parent and coach develop a consistent winner?

 

Let’s use my step- daughter Sarah Fansler as a quantifiable example of gauging the development of a kid’s potential. Most would agree that Sarah had a flair for the game. She was ranked top in the nation. Sarah won multiple gold, silver and bronze balls. She won a total of 10 U.S. National titles.  She’s played the junior U.S. Open twice and the adult U.S. Open once before the age of 16. She was honored as he NCAA College Freshman of the year while at USC.

Now, let’s uncover her underlying story and take a deeper look at Sarah’s training regimen. As a junior player, Sarah had spent six years training full time. That’s about 20 hours a week or a thousand hours a year practicing in the manner in which she was expected to perform. Sarah only followed a deliberate, customized developmental plan.

Sarah did a private lesson with me from 6:30am -7:30am before getting ready for school. Sarah’s after-school regimen included playing full matches against paid college players and/or off-court training at a specialized gym called “Get Fit”, a Vert system off-court training center. After dinner Sarah and I drilled for an additional hour and a half. On weekends, Sarah played tournaments.

Sarah followed my Customized Player Evaluation (Found in section VII) – a formula for deep accelerated learning. Her training regimen was more intense than the typical training program of an average high performance player. The hidden factor to her tennis success was her hard work on and off the court each week. The accelerated learning process catapulted Sarah above her rivals.

 

“You can’t simply place your athlete in with the group… if you actually want them to get ahead of the group!”

 

So, was Sarah’s success due to her natural gifts or was it earned through a planned process? My answer is that approximately 20 percent of Sarah’s junior success was due to her natural talents, 80 percent was due to her learned behaviors. The development of life lessons was a major factor.

So talent is actually measured by the preparation before the performance. Often professionals say “I didn’t just win this event today…I won it through the last three months of customized preparation.”

So, my question to the parents and coaches is: What’s your deliberate, customized developmental plan for your athlete?

IDENTIFYING AND MOTIVATING TALENT

Posted on April 22, 2022 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential, The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

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IDENTIFYING AND MOTIVATING TALENT

 

So, you’ve got a promising young talent, that’s a great start. Now how do you manage that talent, their entourage of coaches, academies and teams?

Let’s look deeper into the facts and myths of talent. There are a lot of myths surrounding the word “Talent.” If sheer natural talent was gifted to an individual, then the naturally talented would drift to the top without effort. Unfortunately, by the time a junior reaches the competitive stages of the game; their sheer physical talent isn’t enough. Why? Because at the high performance level, most of their competitors are also solid athletes, but with great work ethic, deep desire and a deliberate, customized developmental plan.

I know… many of you reading this may be thinking:

 

“Yeah but…My kid was endowed by my superior gene pool; they inherited my awesomeness …so they are obviously destined for greatness.”

 

While that may be true, success at the higher level demands a bit more than genes. It takes years and years of applying a customized deliberate developmental plan.

Talent is considered by most to be a genetic predisposition, a sense of natural ability handed down through the family gene pool. Expert educators in various fields agree that every decade one truly gifted individual walks through their doors. Does this mean that most truly successful people aren’t genuinely talented or does it mean that talent is more than merely good genes?

 

“Junior talent is only a foreshadowing of future greatness.”

 

Talent is a kid with potential. No, it’s even more than that. It’s a kid with potential with parents who were deeply involved in the development of skills and the stimulation of passion. So, what does this new definition of talent mean for the rest of us mere mortals? It means that if a child has parents who are determined and passionate about the game and extremely patient and persistent, they’ve got a real shot at greatness!

In every field talent is a learned behavior. What do Wayne Gretsky, Yo-Yo Ma, Bill Gates, Bobby Fischer, Tiger Woods, Mozart, Miley Cyrus, Bruno Mars and Michelangelo have in common with tennis greats? They were all children who developed a remarkable talent from an early age. A spark became a flame as they persistently developed their talent. What seems now like a god given natural gift is actually a deliberate, customized learned behavior.

In my opinion, most of the ATP and WTA professionals you watch on television did not demonstrate early phenomenal promise.  You can YouTube most of today’s stars playing tennis at the earliest stages. Guess what you’ll see? A bunch of average looking kids enjoying the process of learning. They simply were solid athletes, with potential who were nurtured the love for the game.

 

“Talent is determination, passion and persistence.”

 

A question often asked during my tennis parent workshops is, “How do we motivate our athlete?” When it comes to instigating the hunger, it may prove wise to understand what “buttons” to push as you encourage your special athlete. There are two very powerful psychological forces, extrinsic and intrinsic that parents and coaches should identify when motivating their athletes.

Extrinsic Motivation: Implies being motivated by outside forces. Examples include: Praise- and lots of it!  Belief in their abilities by the entourage, trophies, awards, playing for a D-1 NCAA squad, ensuring a better future, money, and/or fame.

Intrinsic Motivation: Implies being motivated by inner forces. Examples include: a love for the mastery of the game, the need to win or the hatred of losing, keeping up with a successful siblings, seeing someone just like them succeed so they believe they can also succeed, finding the journey challenging and enjoyable.

MATCH DAY VIDEO ANALYSIS

Posted on April 14, 2022 by in The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

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MATCH DAY VIDEO ANALYSIS

 

Experts agree that visual learning is the most common learning style. Professional athletes in every field get a leg up on their competition by analyzing their performance through video replay. Match day video analysis quantifies performance and reinforces future quality instruction.

More often than not, tournament champions have developed skills that go far beyond good strokes. Often it is the underdeveloped, hidden components that separate the early losers from the champions. Video analysis of match day performances can provide proof of actual tennis performance versus perceived tennis performance.

Often, parents and coaches see the same re-occurring performance nightmares match after match but guess who’s never actually seen the event from a clear prospective? The Athlete.

During the heat of battle, over analyzing the performance is not advisable. It is highly recommended to persuade players, along with their coaches, to self-diagnose match day issues via video after the event. Parents if you are not providing your child’s coaches with match day videos, you’re not doing your job.

 

“After each tournament, hire an experienced coach to analyze match day performance alongside your child.  This is a non-hitting classroom session.”

Parents, keep in mind that it is often meaningful to video the pre-match routines and rituals, the actual match and the post-match routines and rituals. Flaws in any of the three phases may lead to poor performances and serious lack of results.

Note: Below are twenty five essential issues that often separate the early round losers from the champions. It may be beneficial to break out the video camera for proof and/or clarity. Hire a trained eye to assist in spotting those hidden match day flaws and give your child a real chance at performing at peak potential. (Video recording can be done with a smart phone or with a mounted video camera.)

 

Pre-Match Routines:

  • Equipment preparation
  • De-stressing versus over stressing environment
  • Managing the overflow of adrenaline
  • Opponent profiling
  • Proper nutrition and hydration
  • Use of dynamic stretching
  • Essential warm up routines
  • Quiet time visualization

Match Performance:

  • Proper use of between point rituals and changeover rituals
  • Strokes: efficiencies and deficiencies
  • Patterns and plays: strengths and weaknesses
  • Identifying the actual cause of the errors
  • Opponent dissecting/match awareness
  • Score management and real time problem solving
  • Emotional performance state
  • Universal movement flaws (Footwork)
  • Cognitive processing speed (Hesitation)
  • Correctly spotting and playing positive and negative “Mega” points
  • Length of peak performing
  • Controlling the “energy-flow” of the match

Post-Match Rituals and Routines:

  • Recovery
  • Static stretching
  • Nutrition and hydration
  • Opponent scouting
  • Match logs

 

As I conduct high performance player assessments around the world it is amazing that even top ITF players and their coaches have never even heard of quantifying their performances in such detail.

As parents, it is up to you to organize video analysis and review sessions. As coaches, it is up to you to suggest video analysis and review sessions to be initiated. And it is up to you, the player, to be willing to “allow” video analysis and review sessions. 

 

Match day analysis is a staple for NCAA college athletes and professional tennis players and their entourages. Evaluating performance is essential for growth.  I recommend two important steps prior to beginning the process of match day video analysis:

1) Purchase a High-Speed Video Camera. It is often essential to utilize slow motion play back to actually catch the hundreds of issues not seen by the human eye. Parents reading this may ask “Isn’t it expensive to purchase high speed cameras and play back equipment?” The answer is …no, if you have a smart phone, it’s as easy as purchasing the “Coaches Eye” App. It costs under $10.00 in most countries. It is a great product.

2) Hire a Well-Trained Teacher. A high tennis IQ coach is essential to quantified data. A well trained eye can spot dozens of issues that simply pass right by 95% of the parents and players watching the exact same film.

Most coaches do practice court “static” stroke mechanic’s video analysis. Coaches, please take it one step further and begin to apply match play video analysis. It often dispels the confusion over what players believe they are doing and the reality of their performances. It will assist the entourage in discovering a whole new world of improvement opportunities.