Competition:
emotional control
strategic intelligence
Physical Strength.
Mental toughness
grit
Stamina/Fitness/nutrition/injury prevention
Competitive experience
Competitive instincts/intensity
Concentration/focus
The moment someone says “Lets play a game” you have entered the competitive component. These elements do not come naturally and must be learned and practiced, just like the other elements of the game. It can be tricky for a coach to include these elements into a practice. There are drills and scoring systems that can promote good competitive skills.
Technique, Movement, Judgement, Timing, Competition in Tennis: Beyond the Basics
In addition to the fundamental aspects of technique, movement, judgement, and timing, tennis players need to develop various other skills to excel in competition:
Emotional Control:
Teach players how to manage and control their emotions during matches. Emotional stability is crucial for maintaining focus and making rational decisions, especially in high-pressure situations.
Strategic Intelligence:
Instill a deep understanding of tennis strategy, including shot selection, court positioning, and overall game planning. Players should learn to analyze their opponents and adapt their strategies accordingly.
Physical Strength:
Emphasize the importance of physical strength to withstand the demands of the game. Incorporate strength training exercises to enhance players’ overall physical capabilities, contributing to power and endurance on the court.
Mental Toughness:
Train players to develop mental toughness, enabling them to persevere through challenges, stay focused, and maintain a positive mindset during matches. Mental resilience is a key factor in overcoming setbacks.
Grit:
Encourage a resilient and tenacious attitude on the court. Grit involves a player’s ability to push through difficulties, adapt to changing and challenging circumstances, and display determination in pursuit of their goals.
Stamina/Fitness/Nutrition/Injury Prevention:
Provide comprehensive guidance on physical fitness, including stamina-building exercises, nutrition advice, and injury prevention strategies. A well-conditioned athlete is better equipped to perform at a high level consistently.
Competitive Experience:
Actively seek opportunities for players to gain competitive experience. Participation in tournaments and matches is crucial for developing a competitive edge and understanding the dynamics of real-game scenarios.
Competitive Instincts/Intensity:
Train players to cultivate competitive instincts, fostering a natural understanding of when to intensify their efforts during a match. Developing a sense of urgency and intensity is key for seizing crucial moments.
This relates to the concept of an athlete moving up a gear, or having the ability to move up a gear.
Concentration/Focus:
Sharpen players’ concentration and focus by incorporating drills that simulate match conditions. This helps players maintain a high level of attention to detail and make informed decisions throughout the match.
Conclusion: Enhancing competitive skills involves a multi-faceted approach, encompassing emotional control, strategic intelligence, physical strength, mental toughness, grit, stamina, competitive experience, competitive instincts, and concentration. Coaches of competitive players should integrate these elements into training sessions and provide players with a well-rounded preparation for competitive play.
This is a subject on which entire books are written. It encompasses so much of what is needed to develop high performance players.
Stamina
fitness, match experience, aerobic fitness, anaerobic fitness, efficiency of movement, Management of energy. Matchtime Nutrition (water and bananas),
15 shot dancing around the ball. Learning to play welll when tired. Developing technique that doesnt break down when tired, ie, simple technique.
Mental toughness: Note Killer instinct. Rich kids and poor kids. learning to win. Match experience. Personality, tenacity, Character, Drills: 3/4/5 point drill, play point games and practice the elements of the competitive component. Dealing with adversity, cheating, etc.
Match experience Note: Tournament tennis. usta, team team tennis, club leagues, Drills: Play tournaments.
Strategic intellegence Note: Experience, patterns and physical realities, ie. Tall players, short players, fast players, slow players. Game style development should reflect stature (size, speed, strength, gender, etc.) of the player.
Drills Drill patterns, and skills development to enforce sensible strategy.
Emotional Control. Note: Its important to develop new triggers and routines when faced with times of emotional stress. For example, when a player misses an easy shot or repeats a mistake, immediately executing a shadow swing with emphasis on the correction. This is a commonly used and very positive method of emotional control.
Develop positive routines to respond to negitive results so we can better prepare for positive results.
Practice specific scenarios such as losing big points, failing to hold serve, failing in high presssure situations, succeeding and finishing/closing. Converting from losing position to winning, ( what adjustments are necessary to do that)
How to eliminate fear and doubt or at least minimalise them
Practice emotional control
Drills to practice big points, ie 3/4/5. 3 in a row scorekeeping.
Emotional Control Its important to develop new triggers and routines when faced with times of emotional stress. For example, when a player misses an easy shot or repeats a mistake, immediately executing a shadow swing with emphasis on the correction. This is a commonly used method of emotional control.
Drills: 3/4/5 point drill. Recognising the need to practice this is in itself a large step toward improving it. Identifying the moments of vulnerability and practicing routines to diffuse negitive behaviour or to even turn it into a positive., ie., shadow swing.
Concentration/Focus. Note: Record or recognise the typical moments of concentration loss so the student can practice concentrating through these times. Find a routine to help maintain concentration. A student who is vulnerable to concentration loss, should develop a full pre point routine that includes a mental exercise that causes better focus and concentration.
Drills: Three points in a row.
Record the moments of concentration loss so the student can practice concentrating through these times. Find a routine to help maintain concentration. Three points in a row.
Develop routines to help pace your mind to concentrate at the appropriate times.
3 in a row scoring can help a player focus when concentration is vulnerable. Winning 3 in a row is a very effective strategy. Preventing your opponent from winning 3 in a row is equally effective.
This idea helps change the pulse of intensity the normal scoring system creates. A player my be switching ends and beginning a new game at love all. If that player just won 2 in a row to close the last game, they are now extra fired up on this (innocuous) love all score to get their 3 in a row. Do not let keeping track of the 3 in a row score distraact you.
Practice
Competitive intensity Note: Practice like you compete. Practice intensity. A student should have a resivoir of ways to lift their performance. Sometimes it’s out loud self encouragement, sometimes a fist pump. A student should develop match intelligence and should have specific mental triggers to pull when needing to ‘move up a gear’. These triggers can be written down and read during the march. A player must know when to move up a gear.
you learn from failure. and you learn a lot from a lot of failure. You must learn success. A young player who only practices with better players can become very accepting of defeat. This is very bad. It is important to practice winning.
Competitive experience
Comfortable with the tension of tournament play, difference between the first three rounds and the last.
Understanding the vulnerabilities of competitive play and taking advantage of them
Lack of intimidation.
Killer instincts. Will to win. Tenacity,
Match experience Tournament tennis. usta, team team tennis, club leagues,
Learning to win. Importance of playing matches against players of lesser skill, so you can practice the skill of finishing a match.
How is technique affected by competition? It is common amongst developing players that racquet speed of groundstrokes (and other strokes also) will drop as soon as a competitive point is in play. This is the idea that nervousness or lack of confidence will cause racquets speed to drop. This will cause topspin efforts to fail (topspin requires racquet speed). A competitivley aware player will recognise this and attempt to swing their war thru the nervousness.
Player confidence will also diminish when the player makes a repeated mistake. A natural response to groundstroke error is to drop racquet speed. In order to make the groundstroke work with the lower racquet speed the player must open the strings similar to how a beginner will hit. This is a natural response and result and its wrong. The player must know what the right corrections to their errors are so they dont fall prey to this result.
Comprehensive Tennis Development: Beyond Technique
Stamina and Fitness:
Prioritize fitness training, including aerobic and anaerobic exercises. Focus on efficient movement, energy management, and match-specific scenarios. Address nutrition and hydration strategies for optimal match performance.
Mental Toughness:
Develop a killer instinct by exposing players to various match scenarios and practicing elements of the competitive component. Emphasize the importance of learning from failure, maintaining tenacity, and building character.
Match Experience:
Encourage active participation in tournaments, USTA events, team tennis, and club leagues. Create drills that simulate match scenarios to enhance adaptability and learning from different situations.
Strategic Intelligence:
Emphasize the role of experience, patterns, and physical realities in developing strategic intelligence. Tailor game style development to reflect the player’s unique attributes, such as size, speed, and strength.
Emotional Control:
Teach players to develop new triggers and routines for managing emotional stress. Use positive routines to respond to negative results and practice specific scenarios like losing big points or facing high-pressure situations.
Concentration/Focus:
Record and recognize moments of concentration loss to help players practice maintaining focus. Develop pre-point routines that include mental exercises for better concentration. Implement drills like the “Three Points in a Row” to enhance focus.
3 in a Row Scoring:
Use the 3 in a row scoring system to change the pulse of intensity during practice. Focus on winning 3 in a row and preventing the opponent from achieving the same. This strategy helps players stay focused and engaged.
Competitive Intensity:
Encourage players to practice with intensity, simulating competitive conditions. Develop a reservoir of ways to lift performance, including out loud self-encouragement, fist pumps, and other mental triggers. Instill match intelligence for knowing when to elevate performance.
Competitive Experience:
Familiarize players with the tension of tournament play, emphasizing the difference between early rounds and finals. Develop strategies to understand and exploit vulnerabilities in competitive play, reducing intimidation factors.
Killer Instincts:
Foster a strong will to win and tenacity in players. Provide match experience in various formats, including tournaments and leagues. Emphasize the importance of playing against opponents of varying skill levels to practice finishing matches.
Technique in Competition:
Address the impact of competition on technique, such as the tendency for racquet speed to drop due to nervousness. Teach players to recognize and overcome these challenges by maintaining proper technique even under pressure.
This holistic approach to tennis development goes beyond technical skills, encompassing physical fitness, mental toughness, strategic intelligence, emotional control, concentration, and competitive experience. It provides a comprehensive framework for players to excel in various aspects of the game.