Tag Archives: mental tennis

Developing Your Competitive Persona

Posted on September 20, 2023 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

The Tennis Parent’s Bible
CLICK HERE to Order

COMING SOON

THE TENNIS ENCYCLOPEDIA

Primary and Secondary Strokes

Well, Ella, here’s how I see your predicament. You’ve got two options. You can plan on 3-hour moonball rallies, pack a lunch for the match and try to out-steady the retrievers you’re losing to or develop the patterns to disrupt their style of play. Which sounds better?

Ella, you’re not super patient, and you win way more of the short points than the longer, grueling ones. Let’s develop the secondary strokes and patterns that enable you to play your game.

You’ll need to carefully consider why and, more importantly, how the primary and secondary strokes are used and how to apply them to your tactical advantage.

4.1 Primary Strokes

The primary strokes are the foundation of tennis. These include the serve, forehand, backhand, and volleys. Learning the proper technique for each stroke is crucial for consistency and staying injury free.

4.2 Holding Serve

The serve is the most crucial stroke in tennis and deserves your utmost attention. A strong serve helps you earn easy points and quickly puts the opponent on the defensive. The quality of your serve is often the difference between winning and losing a match.

4.3 Return of Serve

Sadly, the return is the most missed shot in the game and the least practiced. First, consider your tennis identity because it dictates your chosen court location to position you to play your game style. Second, choose the correct size backswing that coincides with your court position.

4.4 Net Play

Volleys are essential for taking away the opponent’s recovery and reaction time. Volleys are needed when you’ve got the opponent in a vulnerable position.

4.5 Secondary Strokes

The secondary strokes in tennis are essential building shots in specific situations. Your secondary strokes are often used to push the opponent into a defensive position.

4.6 The Secondary Tool Belt

  • Groundstrokes: Short-angle, High & heavy, Slice, Drop shots, and Lobs
  • Serve: Kick, Slice
  • Volley: Swing, Drop, Transition, Half-volleys
  • Overhead: Bounce, Backhand Smash, and Scissor-kick overhead
  • Lobs: Topspin and Slice

4.7 Repetition of Secondary Strokes

Secondary strokes add variety to your game and keep opponents off balance. Both stroke development and repetition are needed to make these weapons trustworthy and reliable.

The secret to your future success is your accountability. And to be accountable, you must manage and track your time. With consistent, deliberate practice, you’ll develop your primary and secondary strokes, combine them with pattern play, and transform into a proactive player.

Customizing Your Developmental Tennis Plan

Posted on September 15, 2023 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

The Tennis Parent’s Bible
CLICK HERE to Order

Developing Your Competitive Persona

Jackie’s a hard-hitting baseliner. Her shot tolerance is 3-4 balls. Jackie is an intuitive player who likes to hit bold winners and can overtake most competitors with her huge serve and big forehands. However, her coach is from South America. The Spanish system nurtured him by being steady and retrieving balls with high-quality defense. He played that style. He understands that style and demands all his students to train within those guidelines. Is this the correct approach for Jackie?

Persona refers to our identity as competitive warriors. It relates to how we perceive and label ourselves in competitive events. It’s essential to be faithful to that which exists within.

2.1 Play Your Game

Parents and coaches often say, “Just go out there and play your game!” Do you know your game? Most players don’t honestly know. This section will help shape your tennis persona.

2.2 Developing Your Competitive Identity

Crucial to achieving long-term success is knowing your tennis identity. Do you know your best style of play in competition? What are your go-to patterns and best court positions? Do you have your offense, neutral, and defense protocols memorized?

2.3 Your Personal Brand

Your competitive identity is your personal brand on the tennis court, enabling you to do what you do best when it matters most. It’s handling adversity, problem-solving, and approaching your training and competition.

2.4 Developing Your Identity

Developing your tennis identity goes beyond fundamental strokes and natural talent. It also involves building resilience and developing decision-making skills. Tennis is an emotionally challenging sport, and your ability to handle pressure and maintain a positive mindset will significantly affect your success.

2.5 Inborn Talents

Inborn strengths and weaknesses mold your competitive identity. Recognizing and using your inborn talents will help to customize a game plan that plays to your strengths while minimizing your weaknesses.

2.6 Prioritizing Time

Balancing commitments requires developing strong organizational skills and learning to manage time effectively. The best competitors learn how to prioritize their commitments.

2.7 Optimal Habits

Optimal habits are the routines that help you to maximize your potential. An example of an optimal habit is setting weekly “stepping stone” goals, working to reach these goals, and then setting more goals the following week. The main goal is to strive for massive improvement. By doing so first, results appear.

Every choice you make either pulls you away from greatness or pushes you toward it. Applying your identity under pressure requires knowing who you are and what you do best. The best players customize their training versus the old-school, one size fits all approach.

Discovering Your Tennis Game

Posted on September 12, 2023 by in The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

The Tennis Parent’s Bible
CLICK HERE to Order

The Psychology of Tennis

As you progress throughout your journey, you should focus on your physical abilities and cultivate a deep understanding of your psychological makeup. Competition is not just a battle of physical skills; it’s equally a mental game where emotions, decision-making, and personality traits come into play. Let’s explore the psychology of tennis and how personality traits significantly influence your style, approach, and overall decision-making on the court.

“Your awakening begins by looking inside.”

2.1 The Impact of Your Personality Profile

Identifying the traits of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) helps to uncover your approach to the game. It’s in your best interest to go online and take a free MBTI quiz. Different personality profiles see the game differently, and understanding your genetic predispositions is important. Personality preference is measured along four dichotomies: Extraversion/Introversion, Sensing/Intuition, Thinking/Feeling, and Judging/Perceiving. Combinations of these scales produce a four-letter acronym that reflects your dominant functions.

2.2 Examples of The Power of Profiling

Personality profiling assists parents, coaches, and athletes understand how individuals gather information and make decisions. Identifying your personality profile explains why you are naturally good at some things and uncomfortable with others. It is why you think the way you think, say what you say, and do what you do. Below are observations of the different profiles as they relate to tennis. You’ll uncover your personality profile by identifying the most appropriate profile in each of the four categories.

View the following typographies the same way you view right or left-handed players. Athletes have a dominant (preferred) system and an auxiliary system.

Introverts (I) versus Extroverts (E)

Introvert Athletes

1) Reserved, reflective thinkers.

2) Prefer concrete advice versus abstract thinking. 

3) Need quiet, alone time to recharge their batteries. 

4) Energy-conserving, private and quiet individuals.

Extrovert Athletes

1) Enjoy the energy of group clinics.

2) Enjoy the limelight, center court, and center stage. 

3) Easily bored with mundane repetition.

4) Work best in short attention span type drills.

“Introverts and extroverts and extroverts can introvert. We all have dominant and auxiliary brain functions.”

Sensate (S) versus Intuitive (N)

Sensate Athletes

1) Choose to make decisions after analyzing.

2) Often hesitate on-court due to overthinking.

3) Thrive on the coach’s facts versus opinions.

4) Success on-court is based on personal experience, not theory.

Intuitive Athletes

1) Trust their gut instinct and hunches over detailed facts.

2) In matches, often do first and then analyze second.

3) Apply and trust their imagination with creative shot selection.

4) Learn quicker by being shown versus lengthy verbal drill explanations.

“Working within one’s genetic guidelines is like swimming downstream. Working against one’s genetic predisposition is like swimming upstream.”

Thinkers (T) versus Feelers (F)

Thinker Athletes

1) Impersonalize tennis matches in a business fashion.

2) Thrive in private lessons versus group activities.

3) In competition, they are less influenced by emotions than other brain designs. 

4) Relate to technical skills training over mental or emotional skills training.

Feeler Athletes

1) Often put others’ needs ahead of their own.

2) Strong need for optimism and harmony on-court.

3) Struggle with opponent’s cheating and gamesmanship.

4) Usually outcome-oriented versus process-oriented.

“A gender stereotype myth is that females are feelers and males are thinkers.”

Judgers (J) versus Perceivers (P)

Judger Athletes

1) Prefer planned, orderly, structured lessons.

2) Often postpone competing because they’re not 100% ready.

3) Need closure with a task before moving on to the next drill.

4) Change is uncomfortable and is typically shunned.

Perceiver Athletes

1) Mentally found in the future, not the present.

2) Easily adapts to ever-changing match situations.

3) Open to discussing and applying new, unproven concepts.

4) Typically need goal dates and deadlines to work hard.

For example: if you chose extrovert, sensate, feeler, or perceiver, you’re an ESFP. Training within those guidelines will maximize your potential at a faster rate.

“Athletes who make the most significant gains have parents and coaches aware of each other’s inborn characteristics, which assist in organizing the athlete’s unique developmental pathways.”

(Excerpt from Frank Giampaolo’s Book: The Soft Science of Tennis)

We’ve explored the multifaceted psychology of tennis and its impact on your persona on the court. Understanding your personality trait is an eye-opening experience. As you become more attuned to your unique psychological makeup, you’ll unlock your full potential and design a playing style that aligns with your personality, paving the way for a successful and more fulfilling journey in competitive tennis.

Embracing Your Tennis Identity

Posted on September 11, 2023 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

The Tennis Parent’s Bible
CLICK HERE to Order

Embracing Your Tennis Identity

Each individual brings a unique set of physical attributes, personality traits, and playing preferences to the court. As you progress in your journey, embrace your superpowers and tailor your performance style to align with your strengths and personality.

“Be smart enough to find yourself and brave enough to be yourself.”

3.1 Building Your Tennis Identity

Staying true to yourself emphasizes the importance of authenticity in developing a tennis identity. Training to play the systems that align with your personality profile maximizes potential. Embracing your personality on-court enhances enjoyment and fulfillment.

3.2 Exploring Different Styles of Play in Tennis

Your tennis identity begins with choosing the right style of play that fits your personality and body type. High-performance athletes develop their A-plan as well as a contingency plan. You’ll apply both nature and nurture to maximize your potential. So, who are you?

  1. Hard-hitting baseliners:

The characteristics of this style focus on leveraging baseline play to control rallies and set up strategic points. Ground stroke power is their weapon of choice. 

  • All-Court Players:

These individuals apply their versatility, adapting to various situations. These athletic individuals blend baseline play and net-rushing tactics to keep opponents guessing.

  • Retrievers:

These counterpunchers thrive on getting every ball back with their patience and incredible court speed. They’re happy to force errors and let their opponents self-destruct.

  • Net Rushers:

These powerful athletes are known for their aggressive net approach. They prefer short points as they pressure opponents and finish points at the net.

A typical battle cry from parents and coaches is, “Play Your Game!” Knowing your true tennis identity is your game. Practicing in the manner you’re expected to perform is “situational training.” Replace the typical grooving strokes with situational rehearsals that align with your game.

3.3 Developing Your Signature Shots and Strategies

Signature Shots and patterns are your go-to preferred plays. Exposing your strengths is a proactive approach. Everyone has signature shots; applying them on big points is a great strategic intention. Plan on spending a lot of time developing and strengthening your weapons.

3.4 Leveraging Innate Qualities

Identifying your strengths begins with reflecting on the four pillars of the game (strokes, athleticism, mental and emotional). Begin by deciding to capitalize on your strengths in the four pillars of the game. Addressing weaknesses starts with an honest assessment of the game’s four pillars. Work with your coaches to design targeted training programs to overcome those weaknesses.

3.5 The Impact of Mental and Emotional Alignment

Embracing the development of your software components is a key aspect of peak performance. Understanding strengths and weaknesses in your mental(thinking) and emotional (feeling) components is essential. Hire an experienced mental coach to help align your playing style with your personality leads to a more harmonious experience.

Chapter 3 has emphasized the significance of embracing individuality and tailoring a unique tennis style that aligns with your strengths, preferences, and personality traits. As you build your tennis identity, stay true to yourself. Nurture a style that brings joy and fulfillment to your game.

By combining individuality with strategic adaptability, you’ll create a distinctive playing style that sets you on the path to success in the world of high-performance tennis.

Tennis and the Foundation of Talent

Posted on September 8, 2023 by in The Second Edition of The Tennis Parent's Bible

The Tennis Parent’s Bible
CLICK HERE to Order

 The Foundation of Talent

Recognizing that a combination of factors shapes the path to greatness is essential. While grit, patience, and great coaching play a significant role, it is equally important to acknowledge the role of genetics in developing your talent. Let’s explore the science involved in shaping your tennis identity. The fascinating world of genetic predispositions lays the foundation of your inborn talents that you’ll apply in customizing your best style of play.

“You don’t have to suffer from what’s happening to you, but you do have to suffer to become what you choose to be.”

1.1 The Role of Genetics in Athletic Abilities

Genetics, the blueprint of life, holds information that dictates your physical, mental, and emotional attributes. As we look at renowned athletes across various sports, it becomes evident that certain genetic traits contribute to their success. In the realm of tennis, genetic factors significantly impact your performance.

1.3 Physical and Mental Attributes

From a physical standpoint, genetic factors like height, body composition, and muscle fiber type impact your style of play. Fast-twitch muscle fibers are applied to explosive movements and serve velocity. Genetics influence your hand-eye coordination, balance, and agility. From the mental side, there are genetic links to your cognitive abilities and decision-making skills on court. There’s also a connection between genetics and mental resilience during high-pressure situations. Your genetics play a role in your temperament and patience in tennis performance.

1.4 Identifying Genetic Traits

Recognizing traits relevant to tennis can provide valuable insights into your development. Athletes within the same peer group all possess different physical, mental, and emotional attributes. For example, Josh is extremely patient- a factor in his retriever persona. Rebecca’s natural quickness aids in her court coverage. Peter is impatient, so hit shot tolerance is low. Discovering your inborn talents is key to organizing development and tennis identity.

1.5 Inheriting Traits

Physical, mental, and emotional genetic characteristics often pass on from generation to generation. Heredity plays a role in your tennis “makeup.” Your genetic predisposition is an increased likelihood of developing particular strengths and weaknesses. For example: If Kelly’s father has ADHD, it’s likely that she may also possess inherited focus concerns in competition.

1.6 Nature’s Impact on Athleticism

Certain genetic predispositions shape your physical talents in competition. Genetics play a role in your height, coordination, and movement capabilities. It drives your unique metabolism, recovery speed and is responsible for your predisposition to injuries. There’s a fascinating relationship between your genetic traits and the synchronization of your brain-body connection.

1.7 Leveraging Your Genetic Advantage

Customization of your physical, mental, and emotional training is key. Research shows that matching one’s style of play with their genetic predisposition found three times better results than those with mismatched training plans. It’s obvious that the old-school, one size fits all approach to training is obsolete.

We’ve explored the foundational role of genetic predispositions in tennis. While genetics lays the groundwork for your potential, it’s essential to remember that genetic factors do not solely determine success in tennis. Hard work, determination, and the correct nurturing environment provided by coaches and family play an equally critical role. Recognize and leverage your genetic advantages. Train within your genetic blueprint. By combining nature and nurture, you’ll set the path to maximizing your potential.

Tennis- Conversation with Players

Posted on July 23, 2023 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

The Psychology of Tennis Parenting
CLICK HERE to Order

Always & Never

“Always” and “Never” statements are frequently used by parents to emphasize their points of view. While using “you always” and “you never” as opening statements, they convey emotional intent, but they also tell a lie. While parents know the “always and never” phrases aren’t meant to be literal, their youngsters may not see it that way. The exaggerations open a floodgate of negative emotions among young athletes. I recommend exchanging “always and never” for statements easier for your young athlete to digest.

Solution: If you must share your insight, start your review with “This is just an observation… not a condemnation. I want to share what I thought I observed, and you tell me if I’m off base or not. Ok, by you? Or, “Here is something to consider ….”

Avoid using the “always or never” opening assertions to prove your point. In the coaching world, as in life, there are exceptions that shadow every rule, and a defensive athlete will try and find the exception to prove their point. These inaccurate statements typically ruin the true message of what you are conveying. Arguments ensue as your youngster tries to prove you wrong, or worse, they shut down.

Replace the “always and never” statements with questions to open a dialog. Your athlete will then be motivated to apply their own solution-based problem-solving.

Correct Conversations

Parents want to help and should be a part of their athlete’s team. That is, if they are not creating pressure. Do you know if you are unintentionally adding stress? Conversations should be based on the performance needed, not the outcome.

It’s the parental role to create accountable young adults- a common theme throughout this book. Your young athletes are best served by attempting to solve their own problems. We want to nurture them to apply solution-based dialog to increase confidence and resiliency. Please keep in mind that parents and coaches are often “planting seeds.” These mental and emotional skills often need years to develop.

Here are some match day correct conversations for your “Weekend Coaches.”

Solution:

  1. Warm Up Correctly. Come tournament day; your player should be mentally, emotionally, and physically ready for peak performance. The match day starts with a well-planned physical warm-up session. This includes warming up general athleticism and their tool belt of strokes. I also recommend warming up hitting offense, neutral, and defensive situations on the move. After nutrition and pre-hydration needs are met, mental and emotional visualization of preset plays and protocols are warmed up before they step into the club.
  • Gifting Away Matches. A great question: Am I losing, or is the opponent beating me? If your athlete makes things easy for their opponent through unforced errors, they are losing. If their opponent is outplaying them, they’re getting beat, and there’s a big difference. Often winning in junior tennis is error reduction. It’s your athlete’s job never to become the most valuable player for the other team!
  • Today’s Elements. Explain why they should adapt to the elements. Smart players avoid complaining about the court, the sun, the wind, the ball, or other elements they cannot control.

Here is a typical conversation regarding the elements. Your junior is in a clay court tennis event, and it just rained. Discuss how the clay court is going to play very differently. The ball is going to be heavier. They may want to adapt by using the lowest tension racket in their bag. They adjust their game accordingly by simply viewing the conditions as part of the game that day. Ask your athlete before matches to identify possible element issues and to be prepared to plug in the correct solutions.

  • Paying Attention. Ask your mature athletes to pay attention to the opponent’s tendencies by spotting their top patterns – opponent situational awareness. Mentally tough competitors are allowed to be surprised by an opponent’s shot option once or twice, but after a few times, the shot is their tendency and not a “surprise” but a lack of match awareness. For example: If the opponent is killing them with a drop shot to lob pattern, and your athlete doesn’t know to drop shot a drop shot, then how to combat common patterns should be in your athlete’s coach’s future developmental plan. Ask your athlete to spot key serving patterns, returning patterns, rally patterns, and favorite short ball options. Just as it takes years to develop strokes, it takes years to be a mentally tough competitor.
  • Self-Coaching. Discuss how to adjust to mistakes with proactive solution-based dialog. If they complain “out loud” about the problem, ask them to “flip it” and talk about their solution. Be careful about your “weekend coaching.” Athletes who broadcast their issues during play are usually parroting a parent or coach that begins every sentence with “The problem is …” An athlete’s self-coaching is often a mirror of the parent’s and coach’s past dialog.
  • Change. Insanity is defined as doing the same thing but expecting a different result. Discuss how and when to change a losing strategy. Here are two very different changes. Knowing when to activate each one will help win matches. If your athlete is running great patterns, controlling the court but not executing the last shot, I recommend sticking with the strategic plan but applying better margins. If they are playing well but still find themselves on the losing end, it is time for a different strategy- their second contingency game plan. At least two styles of well-rehearsed game plans (Plan A and B) should be available for each match.
  • Letting Go of the Outcome. Ask them to focus on winning the performance battle, and the outcome will take care of itself. This principle focal point is essential for parents as well. Let go of USTA rankings, UTR rating numbers, and tournament seedlings. The consistent chatter about who’s ranked where pulls your athlete into the outcome frame of mind, sabotaging the quiet performance-based goals you seek.

Tennis Cognitive Ease

Posted on June 23, 2023 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

The Psychology of Tennis Parenting
CLICK HERE to Order

Frank Giampaolo

Cognitive Ease

As humans, the more we see, feel or repeat something, the more we view it as correct. By repeating anything over and over, it gets easier to accept. Being familiar feels good, even when it isn’t good for maximizing tennis potential at the quickest rate. A teaching myth dispelled decades ago was the saying, “Practice makes perfect.” Now we know that practice doesn’t necessarily make perfect. Practice makes permanent.

For example, Mr. Jeffry books the club’s ball machine weekly. He unknowingly solidifies his biomechanically flawed backhand over and over again. While Mr. Jeffry is getting a cardio workout, his practice is not correcting the defect. It is systematically ingraining the deficient backhand. To him, what he repeats feels like an improvement. As some readers know, repetition, even bad reps, starts to feel comfortable. It’s cognitive ease.

Solution: So, what stunts cognitive ease? It’s tackling anything unknown. This threat causes cognitive (mental) strain. Athletes looking to improve need this uncomfortable strain. Practicing what you’ve not already mastered is essential for growth. As I’ve mentioned, it is exposure to improving the weakness, not avoiding the weakness, that matters.

Training Tennis Anticipation

Posted on June 16, 2023 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

The Psychology of Tennis Parenting
CLICK HERE to Order

Training Anticipation

Competitive tennis is a violent game of keep away, not catch. Plan on each match being a 2-hour dog fight and plan on multiple matches daily on tournament days.

Yes, your athlete’s legs and lungs need to be at their peak performance level but preparing your athlete includes more than cardio endurance, speed, and agility. Factor into the equation anticipatory speed. This hidden skill set holds many benefits. Anticipation assists your athlete with their ability to quickly and accurately predict the outcome of actions even before that action occurs.

Roger Federer rarely appears hurried when executing strokes. The high-speed film confirms that he reacts and moves earlier than most competitors. His ability to apply agility and stability with his body and head through the strike zone is legendary. His early detection is essential for delivering and receiving on the run. So, how do top players like Federer do it?

Solution: Professionals acquire knowledge of their opponent’s favorite sequence of shots in particular circumstances. Athletes at the higher level all have preferred options of plays and patterns. They use pre-match video analysis and scouting reports to predict performance. If your athlete is preparing to play in the high-performance arena, I suggest uncovering ways to develop this incredible, secret skill set of predicting possibilities.

When my daughter played her first 14’s finals in the Hard Courts in Georgia, six fathers of her competitors videotaped her performance as a future scouting report. Yes, acquiring knowledge about opponents starts early.

Tennis Rudimentary Anticipation

Posted on June 8, 2023 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

The Psychology of Tennis Parenting
CLICK HERE to Order

Rudimentary Anticipation

Anticipatory speed is one of the mental components that we need to teach much earlier. Anticipation is linked to cause and effect. It is based on the understanding that each shot hit in a match has finite responses from the opponent across the net. Experience gives athletes feedback, and the athletes who pay attention mentally log those responses. The mentally tough players log their winning and losing trends into their memory, which they use to anticipate where the ball will likely be in the future.

The more matches your athlete plays, the more they can apply subconscious programming. Because there are only milliseconds between shots in tennis, our athletes need recognition by intuition. There isn’t sufficient time to analyze the situation and set the proper shot selections and motor programs into play. Athletes build memory logs of data and feedback. Once the experience of going through similar events takes place, anticipation is applied.

Solution: Parents and coaches would be wise to start to develop their young athlete’s anticipatory skills at an early age with this rudimentary three-step process. (Examples are assuming both athletes are right-handed)

  • Returning Serves: Be mindful of the opponent’s ball toss. When they toss out in front to the right, the serve is most likely to go to your athlete’s right, which is their forehand. If the opponent tosses back over their head, to their left, it’s most likely going to your athlete’s backhand.
  • Rallies: Pay close attention to the opponent’s strike zone. A waste-level ball is typically hit with an offensive drive. A low, sock-level strike zone is often a slice reply. A head-level strike zone stroke usually falls short.
  • Volleys: Be aware that a high, shoulder-level volley is typically hit with pace and cross-court. An opponent’s low volley is usually a drop volley.
  • Identify Offensive, Neutral and Defensive Situations: Opponents who commit fewer unforced errors play high-percentage tennis. They do this by understanding zonal tennis and attempting to hit the shot the moment demands.

Once these foundational anticipatory clues are established, ask your athlete to log match clues between point routines and changeover rituals.

Run Toward the Fire

Posted on May 29, 2023 by in Maximizing Tennis Potential

The Psychology of Tennis Parenting
CLICK HERE to Order

Run Toward the Fire

Tennis players that rise to the occasion in those pressure-packed finals have courage and confidence in themselves and their training. These athletes tackle problems head-on and cope with the hardships of the sport in an unstressed fashion. Developing mental and emotional strength is essential for long-term tennis goals. Share with your athlete this analogy.

Ask them to think of themselves as a firefighter. Firefighters walk into the fire versus running away from it. Regarding your athlete’s fears, I recommend asking them to do the same. It’s human nature to avoid scary situations, so you’ll have to show your athlete how to face fears. If your child avoids difficult moments like closing out a set versus a better player, they’ll crumble in those moments unless they are trained to regulate their emotional state. Does this require exposure to the stressor or avoidance?

Solution: Athletes who thrive under pressure replace their mechanical thoughts like how they are hitting their forehand, backhand, serve and volley with focusing on emotional essentials such as managing momentum, maintaining intensity, focusing on the here and now, and retaining their positive mindset.

While solid strokes get the athlete into the events, the additional software skills enable them to hold up another trophy.