The following post is an excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible NOW available through most on-line retailers! Click Here to Order
QUESTION: What forms of gamesmanship should my daughter expect in tournament tennis?
Frank: “Creative Line Callers” or cheaters, unfortunately play a major role in tennis. Back in the 1980’s I had several opportunities to chat with the legend: Jack Kramer. He said that in his youth, (in the 1930’s) he estimated an average of 6 bad lines calls per competitive match. Remarkably, that number of “creative” line calls remains the same.
“Experts agree it’s most often not the number of ‘gamesmanship’ issues per match that determine the outcome but the ability or inability to recover after the drama.”
Gamesmanship is found in every age division, from the 10 and under beginning crew to the national level juniors to the ladies leagues and all the way up to the 90 and up division of competitive play. Cheating does not go away… so parents and coaches would be wise to assist the athletes with the solutions needed to overcome these difficult situations.
“Counter gamesmanship tactics are learned behaviors.”
Communicating about possible/probable scenarios and pre-setting your child’s correct response (protocols) is a great start. Rehearse the solutions by setting up scenarios whereby the form of gamesmanship is discussed and your child has to verbally rehearse their response sequence. Many parents and players are unaware that counter gamesmanship tactics are a learned behavior. Before we provide solutions, let’s review the top cheating antics found in tennis.
Top 10 Antics to Expect in High Level Tennis:
1) The opponent cheating on line calls (especially on game points.)
2) The opponent’s excessive stalling between points.
3) The opponent changing the score.
4) The opponent belittling your child.
5) The opponent taking several extended bathroom/trainer breaks.
6) The opponent displaying temper tantrums and slamming & breaking racquets.
7) The opponent fighting with their parents and/or referees during the match.
8) The opponent’s entourage heckling/belittling your child.
9) The opponent accusing your child of making bad line calls or cheating.
10) The opponent receiving coaching from a parent or coach through the fence.
Developing a protocol to handle each of these antics is an important learned behavior (mental and emotional.) Organizing the solutions to these antics is a form of preventative medicine. The reason why each of the above top 10 forms of gamesmanship work so well is that secretly pull your child’s focus away from their essential performance goals and into the drama they create.
Cheaters prey on the weak which are those competitors with underdeveloped mental and emotional skills. Inexperienced players fall victim to gamesmanship as they get sucked into the drama and forget about the task at hand.
CONTACT: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
