Out and About with the Tennis Team

A tennis match can be sometimes easier to predict than a days weather , the above pictures are just some of the places and events I have been too in the last couple of weeks.Its true that one can experience four seasons in one day on the court here in New Zealand.Yesterday I spent time at the South Canterbury Closed Hardcourt Championships and temperatures went from one extreme to the other, testing the competitors.Great to see so many enjoying the opportunity to improve and practice their skills they have learnt at coaching.What good coach would not want their players to experience an event such as this.Matches are a good indication where you are really at with your tennis.As a coach one sees many juniors capitulate in matches to players of the same ability or less as they have set an unrealistic goal and have too high of expectations of themselves.When they don't achieve in their mind its a total breakdown of head dropping, wrong shot selections and eventually leading to tears and a sense of failure.How do coaches and for that matter parents deal with this? As a coach one says lots of things that to any one but the person concerned will be logical and sound advice,...until the player accepts his own weaknesses and works on them to improve then all the talk under the sun will be of no use. One plays because you enjoy the game,its a challenge! you don't need to compete against your self and one must give more time to competing against the person at the other end.As an experienced coach I know maturity can overcome such a case, just like a tennis match the coach or the player should never give up in finding solutions and realize that sometimes it takes more time with certain players to see a clearer picture, if one thinks too hard or places too much concern it can become a catastrophe !It takes time and perseverance ...the best advice lower the expectations and don't place too much on the winning side of things, find out the reasons why you play the game and then that will be a start in the right direction.Parents, Coaches and players need to remember that tennis is a very disciplined sport that requires good technique and a strong mental resolve ,you are going to have your ups and downs at times... but hey isn't life like that? There are lessons to be learned from this game that throws up challenges just like life itself, if you continue to hide from this it catches up sooner rather than later.