The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible NOW available through most online retailers! Click Here to Order
QUESTION: How can we help supersize practice sessions?
Frank: Below I have created a checklist of solutions to help Super-Charge Practice Sessions.
- Stop hitting without accountability.
Hitting without accountability is like spending money with an unlimited bank account. Juniors perceive they hit better in practice because they are not aware of the sheer number of mistakes they are actually making. They remember the 10 screaming winners they hit but forget about the 50 unforced errors they committed in the same hour.
- Change the focus in practice sessions.
Concentrate on skill sets such as shot selection, patterns, adapting and problem-solving, spotting the opponent’s tendencies, tactical changes and between point rituals.
- Quit being a perfectionist!
Trying 110 percent promotes hesitation, over- thinking and tight muscle contractions. If you must worry about winning, focus on winning about 66 percent of the points. Yes, you can blow some points and allow your opponent a little glory and still win comfortably.
- Replace some of the hours spent in clinics with actual matches.
Do you want your child to learn how to play through nervousness and manage their mistakes? Do you want them to get better at closing out those 5-3 leads? Do you want them to actually beat that moonball pusher in the third set?
Players must begin to address their issues in dress rehearsals before they can expect them to win under pressure. Playing great under stress is a learned behavior. Practicing under simulated stress conditions is the solution.
“The challenge is to get comfortable being uncomfortable.”
Rehearse doing what you’re scared of doing. Take the tougher road less traveled. One of my favorite sayings is “If you want to get ahead of the pack, you can’t hang in the pack.”
