The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible
Available through most online retailers!
HOW TO CLOSE OUT A MATCH
Imagine that it’s a hot summer day, 102 in the shade. Every electrical device is on to capacity inside your house. There’s so much stress on the electrical system that it blows a fuse. “Click” … lights out, AC‘s off… everything shuts down.
Under extremely stressful conditions, uneducated junior tennis players do the same. When a junior tennis player over stresses their emotional system, the same total shut down occurs. Stress plays havoc on their psyche.
As contaminants jumble the brain, simple motor programs are lost in the inner chatter. Basic functions like “move your feet” and “just breathe” begin to cease because the brain is cluttered with dozens of irrelevant thoughts. Well-rehearsed performance patterns and plans are nowhere to be found. Heck, some players are so unknowingly stressed they can’t even remember their name.
Below are three real life scenarios and their solutions to help your child identify why they’re not closing out matches.
Scenario Number One:
Molly is a strong starter. She routinely performs her aggressive baseline style of play as she opens the set with a 4-1 lead. Once a lead is established, the trouble sinks in. Molly gains the lead by keeping her foot firmly on the gas pedal with a “play to win” attitude. As she begins to see the finish line, she takes her foot off the gas and unknowingly slips into a “play not to lose” mentality. Her amazing ground strokes dramatically change from 80 mph with extreme depth to 50 mph balls landing mid court in the perfect strikes zone for her opponent!
Her thoughts race from “Ok, you got the lead. Now just don’t give it back.” to “The last 5 times I had a 4-1 lead I choked ….so, just be safe and don’t choke another one away.” Molly unknowingly gets tight, begins to push and once again, blows the lead and hands the seed the match.
Solution One:
The system of “playing to win” with Molly’s foot heavy on the gas was working brilliantly. She was winning 66% of the points and controlling the match. Taking her foot off the gas and playing it safe actually changes the exact winning style that earned her the lead. The answer for Molly is learning not to be afraid to lose with her “A” game plan. If her “A” game plan is winning 2 out 3 points- it is a winner!
Sadly, by slipping into her “now be safe…don’t blow it” mode, Molly is elongating the actual drama she is trying so desperately to avoid. Her probable victory turns into a probable slow torturous death. I strongly suggest that when you gain a lead, have the guts to take the match with the same gusto that was used to build the comfortable lead.
Playing to win for the entire match would earn Molly approximately 70% of her sets. But she doesn’t. Why? Because, Molly doesn’t deeply trust her attacking style of play. Instead she chooses to repeat her reoccurring nightmare – which is switching to playing it safe after gaining a lead. With this mentality, she is earning a 30% winning record. Molly has to have the guts to play to win.
So why does she play so safe? In the younger age divisions, Molly could push and retrieve her way to victory as the under developed opponents simply self-destructed. However, at the higher levels, top seeds have not earned their high ranking by choking against a lesser player. Molly needs to believe in her game and play to win – essentially wrestle the trophy away from the top seed. It would serve Molly well to “over cook” under stress versus “under cook” with her shots.
“Molly should play practice sets starting at 2-2 and rehearse over cooking in the later stages of each game and set.”
