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)
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