The following post is an excerpt from Match Day Preparation. Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo
Looking Past Strokes
Player A has great stroke components but flawed mental and/or emotional components.
Player B has average looking stroke components, but an incredible proficiency in spotting and attacking mental and/or emotional flaws. (This is an example of profiling an opponent during play.)
During the warm up, the uneducated player/parents/coaches may think Player A has the match in the bag. But what they do not realize is that Player B often wins because of their ability to identify and execute a game plan exposing their opponent’s weakness.
ASSIGNMENT:
List 3 reasons why knowing an opponent’s preferred patterns of play is a critical mental component necessary to tip a close match in your favor.
1.
2.
3.
(One example: Spotting and shutting down the opponent’s “go-to” preferred shots /patterns and force them into attempting to beat you with an un-grooved, unproven and un-sure style of play.)
Common Question: “Is it ok to look at the draw or not?”
The answer depends on what you do with the information! Looking at the draw is a terrific way to use the above opponent profiling tools. This information will assist you in organizing your performance goals and game plans. But if looking at the draw only pulls you and your entourage into an outcome oriented frame of mind, it can be detrimental to your game.
Ignorance is not an excuse. Knowledge is power!
(That is why your parents bought you this book.)
Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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