The Psychology of Tennis Parenting
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Six Anticipatory Skills
Anticipatory skills are techniques advanced tennis players use to decrease the amount of time it takes them to respond to the structure of a point. Anticipation relies on conditional awareness, broad vision, mental processing speed, score management, ball-tracking ability, and spotting tendencies, to name a few. Anticipating a competitive event begins with how well the athlete has prepared for pressure. Preparation includes the physical, mental, and emotional demands of training to compete at one’s peak performance level for approximately twelve to fifteen sets in a three-day event.
These awareness skills fall into the athlete’s software development.
Solution: The following are advanced concepts, so start “planting the seeds” of anticipation by discussing:
- Broad vision clues include where the ball will land in the opponent’s court, the opponent’s intentions based on their court position and strike zone, and the opponent’s swing speed and swing length. All these millisecond clues tell a story that advanced players size up each time the ball crosses the net.
- Mental processing speed involves self-awareness (recognizing the quality of their shots, what’s working -what’s not working) and opponent awareness (recognizing the quality of their opponent’s shots – what’s working and what’s not working).
- Score management relates to knowing when to play bold or grind based on the score. There are both positive and negative game points. Consider the scoring situation and the observations of both self and opponent awareness when managing the correct play, depending on the score situation.
- Ball tracking ability relates to the ball’s speed, spins, and trajectories. Athletes need to anticipate the incoming ball’s flight path and depth. Athletes move and space properly and decide on the correct swing length, adjusting their swing path and speed based on their ball-tracking skills.
- Spotting tendencies relate to both your athlete and their opponent’s shot choices. Recognizing the opponent’s style of play, their favorite patterns, their strengths and weaknesses in strokes, and court coverage would all assist in anticipating their possible future tactical choices. Paying attention to how the opponent anticipates your athlete’s game plan and manages the score also plays a vital role in your athlete’s anticipatory skill sets.
If you’re thinking, “Wow, this could take a while,” You’re right. Plan weekly classroom sessions with a high IQ coach to discuss these advanced software skills.
