The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s NEW Amazon #1 New Tennis Book Release, Preparing for Pressure.
Click Here To Order through Amazon
Practice Makes Perfect …
Or Does It?
“Practice Makes Permanent.”
The old school saying “Practice Makes Perfect” is not exactly true. Experience tells us that practice makes whatever you’re attempting permanent. Grooving flawed strokes only make the flaws permanent. One of the differences that separate the good from the great is in how they practice. There is a world of difference between effective training and ineffective training. Deliberate, customized training focuses on improving strengths and re-routing weaknesses versus mindless grooving.
So, how do we customize training? I recommend starting by videotaping actual matches and quantifying the data. Researching why points, games, sets, and matches are won or lost. Great coaches use match data to improve:
- Opponent Profiling
- Between Point & Changeover Rituals
- Focus/Emotional Control
- Athlete’s Top Patterns
- Cause of their Errors & Winners
Maximizing potential at the quickest rate is not typically found on the assembly-line practice court. It’s not just about how to hit a stroke, it includes when, where, and why.
Those who progress quickly don’t solely focus on repeating what they already know on the practice court.
