'STATE OF MIND'
The state of mind of either a player or coach of tennis can determine a lot of factors as far as what will be brought to the table when it's time to hit a ball. Kids thrive off the enthusiasm of a tennis coach and most times will react in a positive manner, but not all the time.
I was asked to have a look at a kid last season who was from 'elsewhere' who I had heard about , but not convinced he was a future star. I didn't go into the lesson with anything but an open mind , by the time I left I had a very different opinion. I was asked by the kid's father to give an 'honest evaluation' of his ability and after 35 minutes he got just that .
"I'm not interested in being on the same court as your son , he has no interest being on the same court as me, he knows it all , or so he thinks. Keep your money for the 35 minutes, my free advice is get him to fix his attitude".
Now this wasn't the happiest 35 minutes of my life as for a start I didn't enjoy the kid's attitude and I also refused any payment , but I was trying to make a point, so I did as best I could. If I had continued the lesson and taken their money , said "well done buddy you are a star in the making" then I would have being lying to them and myself. If I explain to a kid that a high forehand follow through will give a higher arc to the ball over the net and he refuses to even try this then my view is simple , he knows it all. I will always demonstrate a shot that I teach to the best of my ability as a visual for a kid is the best way for them to pick the game up, I pride myself on it.
Have you ever noticed the first ball at least that you hit for a kid in a demonstration he will watch where the ball actually goes in the court. I always say "trust me buddy this shot is going into the court, WATCH THE WAY I ACTUALLY HIT IT", in a polite but firm way of course. No one ever learnt anything by watching where the ball bounces , they need to learn how it is hit. So in this particular case I gave an example of how a ball hit with spin over the net with an arc that gives my opponent no comfort whatsoever is way harder to get back than a net skimming ball that has no margin for error. This kid was not interested, so in the end neither was I.
This wasn't the first lesson I had cut short , I have done it on numerous occasions when I believed that the parent is wasting their money and my time. Do I get the same pupils back? Most times no, though on one occasion yes and the attitude was better, that's all I ask. I am not a 'babysitter' I am a teacher of the game of tennis , there is a difference.
As a coach I believe we are responsible for the actions of our pupils on a court whether it be at practice or in a tournament so etiquette and state of mind need to be taught to pupils . I remember telling my students before they played a tournament " If I see you guys misbehaving or hanging off the back of a fence as the 'peanut gallery' I will give you a week off from your training . If you guys are doing stuff that puts the spotlight on you for all the wrong reasons then the spotlight will then be put rather brightly on me as your coach.
I was asked to have a look at a kid last season who was from 'elsewhere' who I had heard about , but not convinced he was a future star. I didn't go into the lesson with anything but an open mind , by the time I left I had a very different opinion. I was asked by the kid's father to give an 'honest evaluation' of his ability and after 35 minutes he got just that .
"I'm not interested in being on the same court as your son , he has no interest being on the same court as me, he knows it all , or so he thinks. Keep your money for the 35 minutes, my free advice is get him to fix his attitude".
Now this wasn't the happiest 35 minutes of my life as for a start I didn't enjoy the kid's attitude and I also refused any payment , but I was trying to make a point, so I did as best I could. If I had continued the lesson and taken their money , said "well done buddy you are a star in the making" then I would have being lying to them and myself. If I explain to a kid that a high forehand follow through will give a higher arc to the ball over the net and he refuses to even try this then my view is simple , he knows it all. I will always demonstrate a shot that I teach to the best of my ability as a visual for a kid is the best way for them to pick the game up, I pride myself on it.
Have you ever noticed the first ball at least that you hit for a kid in a demonstration he will watch where the ball actually goes in the court. I always say "trust me buddy this shot is going into the court, WATCH THE WAY I ACTUALLY HIT IT", in a polite but firm way of course. No one ever learnt anything by watching where the ball bounces , they need to learn how it is hit. So in this particular case I gave an example of how a ball hit with spin over the net with an arc that gives my opponent no comfort whatsoever is way harder to get back than a net skimming ball that has no margin for error. This kid was not interested, so in the end neither was I.
This wasn't the first lesson I had cut short , I have done it on numerous occasions when I believed that the parent is wasting their money and my time. Do I get the same pupils back? Most times no, though on one occasion yes and the attitude was better, that's all I ask. I am not a 'babysitter' I am a teacher of the game of tennis , there is a difference.
As a coach I believe we are responsible for the actions of our pupils on a court whether it be at practice or in a tournament so etiquette and state of mind need to be taught to pupils . I remember telling my students before they played a tournament " If I see you guys misbehaving or hanging off the back of a fence as the 'peanut gallery' I will give you a week off from your training . If you guys are doing stuff that puts the spotlight on you for all the wrong reasons then the spotlight will then be put rather brightly on me as your coach.
I am not interested in bad publicity". Nine times out of ten they respected my wishes.
My hard nosed approach to my pupils probably came from the coaches that I had when I was a kid , they were hard but fair on me , I respected that and implemented it in my own coaching, it's a stance I won't be changing.
My hard nosed approach to my pupils probably came from the coaches that I had when I was a kid , they were hard but fair on me , I respected that and implemented it in my own coaching, it's a stance I won't be changing.
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