The Psychology of Tennis Parenting
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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.
