The following post is an excerpt from The Tennis Parent’s Bible. Thanks for visiting, Frank Giampaolo
BLUNDER: Thinking Perfect Strokes are Mandatory
“Nobody has perfect strokes; it’s what you do with what you’ve got that counts!”
-John McEnroe
The legendary Andre Agassi states in his book that he was still learning how to volley when he retired. Pete Sampras wasn’t thrilled with his topspin backhand. They simply competed with their secret weaknesses. The key is learning how to expose your strengths and hide your weaknesses!
Players, parents, and coaches who are waiting for every stroke to be perfect before they begin to compete are missing the boat. Every National Champion I’ve ever coached had holes in their game as they held up the gold ball.
SPECIALNOTE: At the time of this print, my students have 72 National Titles.
The trick is learning how to compete with imperfections. Even if you did possess perfect strokes on the practice court, different strokes will occasionally break down at different stages of an event. Developing back up plans will help counteract such imperfections in your game.
CURE: While it is important to fix strokes that constantly break down in competitive situations, it is also essential to learn who you are on the battle field.
Ask Yourself?
What do you consider to be your A game plan(The style of play that you achieve your best results)? How about your B or C game plan? What are your best patterns of play? Do you have go-to patterns to run in serving or returning situations? Do you have favorite rally patterns? How about favorite short ball options or net rushing patterns? Do you continually expose the strengths of your game? Do you know how to hide weaknesses? What do you do when you begin to break down in a match? Do you have your pre-set ways to stop self-destructing? Can you develop the above patterns versus just rallying in future lessons?
Write down your Personal Action Plan:
Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
MaximizingTennisPotential.com
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