The following post is an excerpt from Blunders and Cures e-booklet. Week in and week out two of the most common parent question are related to academy enrollment and training schedules. These blunders are worth repeating. Thanks, Frank
BLUNDER: Putting Yourself in the Crowd to Get Ahead of the Crowd
In my opinion, group clinics or academies are terrific for intermediate players seeking repetition, socialization, and tons of fun. But, while it may be cheaper, large group training isn’t always in your best developmental interest.
The top juniors spend about 20 percent of their time in group situations. Top players at an academy usually are sparing or working with a private coach. When is that last time you saw a phenom in a large group standing in line to hit one forehand every five minutes?
CURE: Simply doing what everyone else does, will not likely get you ahead. The key to accelerating your growth is to customize your training to your exact needs.
Ask Yourself?
Am I hitting for hours at an academy and hardly improving? if I lose while playing a set, do I get sent down to the loser court? If so, doesn’t that stop me from developing the weaknesses in my game? Lastly, with my current situation, am I getting the results I truly feel I am capable of?
Write down your Personal Action Plan:
BLUNDER: Believing Weekly Lessons Are Enough
I teach two players from Los Angeles. Both players come for 2 hours of private lessons each week, but that’s where their similarities end. The players and parents hold opposing views on how to raise a tennis champion. The Johnsons believe that they need to make their 12-year old Kelly 100 percent self-sufficient. Mrs. Johnson says, “It’s up to her to do it, I can’t force her.” As a result, Kelly only hits about two hours a week.
In the other family, Mr. Asari believes that no one gets famous all by themselves. He and his son spend approximately 15 hours on the ball machine, playing practice sets, serving baskets, going for runs, hitting the gym, and watching tennis on TV each week.
Both players get the same 2 hours’ worth of weekly lessons. However, the critical factor in the formula is not the lesson time, but rather what the player chose to do each week around that lesson.
CURE: Each week plan to arrange practice matches, ball machine drills, practice serving drills and off court training. Ask your entourage if they can help you reinforce your required developmental plan.
Ask Yourself?
Is your weekly practice schedule more like that of the Johnson’s or the Asari’s? List three things you can do to improve your chances of success. List three positive people you can enlist to assist?
Thanks Frank !
Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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