Understanding the Value of Competitive Match Pressure
After 28 years as a teaching professional, I see a distinct shift in players’ attitudes toward competition and playing matches. Like most teaching pros today, I come from an era when the way junior players reached the highest levels was to play sets . . . lots of sets. Taking private lessons, and even group lessons, was the exception, not the norm. As a player, I remember that when we did do a drill, we always pestered our pros asking, “When are we gonna play?” Almost everyone I knew growing up had the same attitude - we wanted to play more than we wanted to just drill or hit.
Fast forward to the present and virtually all of my students seem to be exactly the opposite. Today’s junior players all want to be in group lessons (some up to three times a week) and they all want to take privates, but no one wants to play any matches. Tournament play is even a tougher sell to today’s junior players.
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As I speak with my fellow pros and friends at clubs around the country, they all relay a similar story. The unfortunate consequence is that we are creating an army of players who can strike the ball well, but who do not know how to compete or win. We pros have slid to “teaching” and are doing less “coaching”, which is why I ask my players to refer to me as Coach.
A few years ago, I began asking groups of junior players which of the following three statements best describes how they view themselves as tennis competitors. The response percentage is noted to the right of each statement.
1. With the strokes I have, I win more matches than I should. 5%
2. With the strokes I have, I win about as much as I should. 25%
3. With the strokes I have, I win fewer matches than I should. 70%
The sad reality is that most junior players (70%) think that they are poor competitors, or worse, they view themselves as “losers” who can’t seem to win like they should. Most pros would agree that in their clinics, the average player does not have a strong view of him/herself as a competitor.
The obvious conclusion is that our juniors are not playing enough competitive matches. USTA studies have confirmed the same. Generally, the trend in sports in the United States is that everyone is a winner. Even losing teams get rewarded with trophies. In tennis, you cannot have two winners. Tennis is clear cut, which may be why our students don’t want to play as many matches as their counterparts in other countries. In some European countries, juniors play 3-5 times as many competitive matches as their American counterparts.
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How do we get students to play more matches in a culture that is often opposed to competitiveness? For years, I have struggled with how to teach my players (and their parents) that a healthy tennis regimen includes training in the following four areas:
1. Technique
2. Movement
3. Strategy
4. Mental Toughness
While all four areas are important, match play is the best vehicle for learning Strategy and Mental Toughness. If our students play too few matches, we may be sparing their egos, but the cost is their full development as competitors.
The lesson I am trying to teach my parents and players is to look at “pressure” as a good thing, not as something to be avoided. Learning to deal with pressure is an integral part of becoming a mature competitor and a mature human being.
I have found it useful to help my players understand the varying levels of pressure they can face when they compete. Below are some explanations of the pressure levels that exist in tennis competition.
Pressure Level 1-2
Virtually no pressure at all. The defining characteristic of this level is that no one is keeping score of any sort, so there can be no chance to lose anything, and therefore no pressure.
Pressure Level 3-4
Considered low pressure. The defining characteristic of this level is that there is some kind of score being kept, and there will be a winner and a loser. The pressure is still very low, and few people will ever know or care who won or lost.
Pressure Level 5-6
Considered medium pressure. The defining characteristic of this level is that there is a winner. Other people will know the result and it will go on the player’s permanent record.
Pressure Level 7-8
Considered high pressure. The defining characteristic of this level is that the result of a loss would be very negative to the player’s rankings or the team’s standings. This is different from Level 5-6 where losses are not as devastating.
Pressure Level 9-10
Considered intense pressure. The defining characteristic of this level is that the result of a loss would keep the player or team from reaching the next level of competition. An individual may fail to qualify for sectionals or nationals, and a team may fail to qualify for a regional or a state championship. These sort of matches can end a player’s “year” and therefore carry the most pressure.
Once my players have reviewed and understand these levels, they can more easily assess their own regimens to determine if a change is necessary. Often it is. A common realization among players is that they are doing far too many 1, 2 or 3 level events, thinking that they are on track to meet their competitive requirements. It is only after reviewing the chart (below) that they understand that just hitting with a friend won’t cut it when it comes to developing into a better competitor under pressure.
I designed the chart as a tool to teach my players and their parents the need and value of competitive match play in their overall development. I ask my players to average at least 40 points per month, according to this chart, so they can assess if they are getting enough match play in their regimen. You may feel that 40 is not the correct number for your students, or you may want to adjust the number based on your players’ skills and/or commitment levels. A chart like this is easy to understand and your players are more likely to compete more often.
Every tennis match has a winner and a loser. It is our job to train our players to view competitive match pressure as a tool they can use to test their game and to determine on what areas they should continue to work. If we cannot do that, we may never get them to play enough matches and the cost will be their full development as individuals and competitive tennis players.
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by Jorge Capestany
Jorge is a PTR and USPTA Master Professional. He is the Founder of www.tennisdrills.tv - a video based website that offers more than 700 tennis drills and tips. In his 26 years in the industry, Jorge has created and directed lesson programs that have generated more than $1 million dollars in revenue a year. A six-time Michigan Pro of the Year a two-time Midwest Pro of the Year, Jorge has coached hundreds of ranked juniors including three national champions.
Reprinted with Permission of TennisPro, the official publication of Professional Tennis Registry
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2TTdNIY
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