The following post is an excerpt from
Frank’s newest book,
THE SOFT SCIENCE OF TENNIS
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This chapter will uncover how brain design affects tennis performances. The following brain design categories can be used as an informal observation as you first profile yourself. However, I suggest going online to the dozens of more in-depth questionnaires. Choose the accuracy and depth of the personality profiling questionnaire that is right for you. After a bit of research, you will recognize learning preferences that best describe your brain design.
Let’s review the basics from earlier in this book. There are 16 configurations of personality profiles found around the world. By completing your chosen questionnaire, you will discover your association – a 4-letter acronym nicknaming your personality profile. Once comfortable with the terminology, you will be able to categorize your athletes into their unique design. Following is a list of commonalities I’ve uncovered on-court with my high-performance students.
Sensate (S) versus Intuitive (N)
- Sensate Students
- Choose to make decisions after analyzing.
- Often hesitate on-court due to over thinking.
- Thrive on the coaches facts versus opinions.
- Enjoy practical details versus the “Do it cuz I said so!” method.
- Need to know when and why not just how.
- Success on-court is based on personal experience not theory.
- Pragmatic need for sports science rational.
- Comfortable backcourt players where they have more decision-making time.
- Prefer organized, structured lessons versus time-wasting ad-lib sessions.
Intuitive Students
- Trust their gut instinct and hunches over detailed facts.
- In matches, often do first then analyze second.
- Apply and trust their imagination with creative shot selection.
- Thrive on new, exciting opportunities on the practice court.
- In discussions are less interested in minute details and facts.
- Learn quicker by being shown versus lengthy verbal explanations of the drill.
- Seek the creative approach to the game.
- Natural born offensive net rushers and poachers in doubles.
- Enjoy coaches’ metaphors and analogies.
- Often have to be reminded of the reality of the situation.
“PET scan and sensing perception studies from the University of Iowa show that different brain designs use various parts of their brain. Athletes are pre-wired with their genetics. Teaching them to compete on-court within their natural guidelines versus opposing those guidelines will maximize their potential and enjoyment of our great sport.
An analogy to illustrate this point is swimming downstream and working within one’s genetic predisposition versus swimming upstream and working against one’s genetic predisposition. While it is possible to find success outside one’s dominant brain design, it is much more difficult.”
