Released on January 28, 2023
The Psychology of Tennis Parenting
PREFACE
The most important and neglected component of the competitive tennis athlete is their mental and emotional aptitude. Yet, year after year, most athletes and their parents ignore the psychological aspects of the game of tennis. The Tennis Parent’s Bible was my first attempt to call attention to this issue. With great success and professional recognition, the importance of mental and emotional development is finally acknowledged, but a lack of implementation is still an issue over a decade later.
Parents of high-performance athletes have a detailed job description. While their job doesn’t typically involve the development of the sports mechanics or athleticism, it does comprise the mental and emotional aptitude needed to navigate competitive pressures. I wrote The Psychology of Tennis Parenting as a psychological guidance system to assist parents with developing the software their athletes need to maximize their full potential.
I am a Philomath, which is a lover of learning. For the past two decades, I’ve traveled around the world coaching top athletes and examining the role of parenting athletes, and identifying ways to improve those systems. Though I have written many books to help athletes, parents, and coaches fine-tune their training routines, those athletes that have found the most success have had a parent eager to direct the team.
Athletes need mental clarity at crunch time, and this book provides the mental and emotional training pathways lacking in most athletes’ development. A successful athlete on-court is also an accomplished person off-court. Parents devoting time and energy to developing strong mental and emotional skill sets are raising confident and resilient future leaders.
