The Diligent Prosper

I used to think to master a task you needed to focus all of your energy on that one thing by cramming the information into your brain. For example, if I wanted to master a specific area of math, I needed to  cram the night before an exam, or cram for several hours one or two nights per week. What happened though was other areas in my academic career began to suffer. Why was this?  I didn't have balance, an efficient plan, or the best way to focus on a goal.

Over time I have learned the key to learning is applying those skills in small increments over time. Think about doing a math study session for two hours on a Wednesday and then not reviewing it until the next week. You may have a math lesson in school, but often the lessons are different each day. By the time you came back to review the previous study session, most of the learning will have been forgotten. Cramming never works. Football coaches who leave the office at 2:00 am after studying film, baseball players, and even tennis players who feel they need to practice their serve for three to four hours per day can end up with over use injuries, burnout, or volatile performance peaks and valleys.

A better way to describe what is going on is, the diligent prosper. For one to develop mastery they should be applying a certain skill in small increments over time. A person who does this is allowing their mind body connection to absorb the learning into their neurological pathways (unconscious mind) to become more instinctual.  Practicing a particular skill for 15 to 20 minutes a day with focused intensity will allow the mind and body to absorb what is developing. After practice, one should find opportunities to put that skill into practice whether that be practice sets or modified tennis games. There has to be the release of a restricted environment where the student is able to see how instinctual they are becoming.

Develop Rituals

"Rituals are important to tennis because the repetition of enacting each ritual provides a focal point from distraction; a level of comfort and familiarity; and an opportunity to demonstrate reverence for being in the moment, moment to moment."

Mental Benefits of Tennis on Kids

I struggled with self esteem as a teenager because I was always comparing myself to others. When you compare yourself to what others can do and you can't you set yourself up for disappointment. A few years ago I started focusing on trying to win the battle with myself. Winning the battle with yourself is very simply finding those points about an activity or yourself that you do well.  Tennis is a sport that can really help children learn to win the battle with themselves.  Our research conducted is over five years of observed research teaching a few hundred students. Is it exact by a scientific standard, no. However, it still makes a difference because we have observed the changes in students self confidence and desire to play.

One of the first things we teach is for students to love the feel of the ball on the strings. If after every practice or match, regardless of the outcomes, if they loved the feel of the ball on the strings, then they were a success.

We also teach our students to know why they are playing tennis.  When they have a strong why, a reason to want to be out playing with a racket and a ball, they can associate that to their performance instead of the outcome. For example, some students love to come because they get to be in an environment with their friends. If they were able to perform the skills with their friends, then their self-confidence goes up and like a magnet they are attracted to do more tennis.

Another key to winning the battle with yourself is regardless of whether you make or miss a shot, make the finish look good. This occurs mostly in direct instruction, but carries over to independent practice and match play. We always have our students hold the follow through on the forehand, backhand or serve for about two seconds. One, they are learning to play on balance and training their brain and muscle memory.  If they can make the follow through look good, they start developing a positive self image because people will want to play like them.

We have seen how these two keys help students to increase their mental alertness because they are aware of their personal feelings, the environment, and their muscle control. They also end up feeling great overall, one of the ways we know that is they want to return, they go out and teach their parents to play, they invite friends, and they make friends in our classes.

http://www.itftennis.com/scienceandmedicine/health/psychological.aspx (accessed April, 13 2018)

Home Practice: Volley to the Wall

Our students love to play tennis with the wall. Playing tennis with the wall is really one of the best ways to learn to love the feel of the ball on the strings. 

**Remember a volley is BLOCKING the ball in the air (no bounce)

VOLLEY TO THE WALL 

 Use a foam or pressureless (red, orange ball) against a wall or garage door

Mission: Keep the ball going off the wall without a bounce

First try only using one stroke (Forehand volley, than try Backhand volley)

Second, see if you can change between the forehand and backhand volley

Third, Add an approach shot where you stand a little farther back and hit a forehand and get close to the wall for a volley war!

USTA Netgeneration Orange Ball Lesson Guide