The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible. Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo
If I had a dime for every phone call I received like this…
“Hello”
“Hi my name is Mrs. Johansson. My child lost again to a no-body! I hear that you can help.” Her voice cracks as she chokes back her emotions, “Chloe is so good but chokes and loses to seemingly less talented player? “
“Why do you think I ask? “
“Chloe’s just not mentally tough! “she adds.
As we dig deeper, we uncover that Chloe’s issues aren’t mental at all. What makes the mental toughness component so mysterious and confusing is actually quite simple. The answers lie in the true cause of the breakdown versus the actual visible signs of distress. The signs of on-court distress manifest in emotional breakdowns.
- On-court breakdowns may include:
- Hyperventilating,
- Throwing the racquet,
- Screaming,
- Crying ,
- Fast and mindless play
The actual cause of the distress includes the four causes of error’s which include:
- Mechanical Flaws,
- Inappropriate Shot Selection
- Poor movement and Spacing
- Weak Focus/Emotional issues
Listed below are 3 examples of common match play scenarios where by the on-court outbursts are incorrectly labeled as mental issues.
Examples of Mislabeled Breakdowns
- Joey is out of shape. By the third match, his lack of fitness manifests in anger on court. Parents and coaches don’t recognize the lack of fitness issues; instead they say “Joey has mental issues- he is just not mentally tough.”
- Sarah has emotional control issues. When hooked by a creative line caller, her emotions pull her focus toward the drama of the hook and away from her actual “mental” performance goals needed to close out the match. Parents and coaches don’t see the emotional disconnect and say “Sarah has mental issues- she is just not mentally tough.”
- Mikey has a flawed forehand grip on his two handed backhand. This flaw leads to a rolling racket face through the strike zone. Under stress, Mikey’s muscles tighten and inhibit the smooth relaxed motion needed for him to roll the racket face within the millisecond window through the strike zone. As a result, his backhand deserts him when he needs it the most. This “mechanical flaw” leads Mikey to panic and play faster and faster without any between point rituals. Parents and coaches don’t see the mechanical breakdown and cry “Mikey chokes under pressure. He is just not mentally tough.”
As illustrated above, an on–court outburst has an underlying cause that is very different than the visual actions of distress displayed. Identifying the underlying problem and proper training to improve the flaw is the only way to become a more mentally tough competitor.
The most efficient training method uses the “school methodology”- systematically shifting through all aspects of training- stroke production, pattern play, fitness, etc.( Just as a school child is shifted from subject to subject daily- such as from math to science to history to language etc.)
All too often, tennis coaches focus only on fundamental stroke production or a singular component hour after hour, week after week, and year after year, while expecting the player to develop a COMPLETE GAME through osmosis. It just does not work that way. The player’s game becomes unevenly developed and a lack of confidence ensues.
Thanks Frank!
Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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