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TennisOne Lessons 
New Year: Reboot Your Game Dave Smith, Senior Editor As we say adios to 2015 and usher in a new year, there is no more universal activity than the obsession to better ourselves, our lives, and our ambitions. How long this preoccupation with improvement lasts is certainly as diverse as the actual goals any given person sets. We often start with the best intentions yet statistics will point out that one in eight individuals will retain a resolution more than a year. Of course, this statistic should not deter us from making positive—and legitimate—changes, and statistics also show, those who do make New Year’s resolutions are ten times more likely to make positive changes in their lives.
One of the most discouraging facets that contributes to our giving up on such ambitions is the lack of perceived improvement over time. This, “We gave it our best shot,” is usually shot down before the individual has given the goal a reasonable period of time to succeed. In fact, we seldom establish a clear timeline for achievement. In addition, we seldom establish a clear identifier as to what our goals consist of and what success will look like. We often start the new year with the best intentions and the Gym is most crowded on January second. Weight-loss is easy as we can measure our weight and we might even have a goal-weight in mind. But, other areas one might look to improve themselves are usually more clouded with either unspecified goals or, in many cases, unrealistic goals identified. Tennis players around the world face this dilemma. We all want to get better, but defining improvement is not always clear-cut nor is it always based on identifiable quantitative or qualitative results. The problem with improvement is that there are many factors that prevent players from really starting on and staying on a definitive path to goal-attainment success. These factors include emotional roadblocks, technical falsehoods or misunderstandings, physical factors, and the employment of drills that are not progressive in terms of the ultimate goal. As a coach and tennis teaching professional for over 35 years, I can offer a truly definitive program that will give every single tennis player, regardless of age, sex, current levels of play or current physical shape, a clear-cut learning program that will give every dedicated player the means in which they will not only improve, but reach levels that they perhaps never dreamed of reaching! But, make no mistake, I can only provide the road to success it's up to each individual to adhere to it. But before you embark on this course of learning you will have to understand some very important components of the program. Understanding the Human Condition
It must be understood that every player learns slightly differently and that every player will experience instruction differently because of their human condition. Things like ego, emotions, physical perceptions, degree of patience, and a host of other factors will become speed bumps for many. They don’t have to be roadblocks. But, the problem for many students is that they let the speedbumps turn into insurmountable walls. When we learn something new, be it a new grip, swing path, strategy, or stroke, we must understand that there is a learning curve that will determine how fast a person will gain mastery of the new skills or if the person will learn it at all. There is a false belief among many that some people simply can’t learn something new or that a new skill is simply too difficult to master. Hogwash! Players of every age can overcome the challenges of any new pattern of athletic motion. However, they must do several things to achieve this goal. Know Why a New Technique Is Helpful Too many pros tell students how to do something but many fail to inform them as to why they are doing it. This connecting the why with the how can help sustain a tennis player’s pursuit of a new stroke and even an entire make-over of his or her game. Why a certain grip, stroke, footwork pattern, or strategy will eventually lead to a be better, more fundamentally sound game can be a very motivating factor when the player experiences frustration or is not progressing with the speed they may be expecting. Crystal Ball Analogy I often refer to my “Crystal Ball” analogy in helping students understand the importance and the processes associated with change. The idea is this: If you had a real crystal ball, and it showed that you would suffer frustration, unfamiliarity and even a number of awkward losses — losses to players you might otherwise beat; yet in a matter of months, you would not only find yourself beating those same players easily, but players you previously considered superior as well. Would you put yourself through the unsettling aspect of change to achieve this? Most people would answer with a resounding yes!
Unfortunately, no such crystal ball exists and we live in a society which is predominately centered on immediate gratification — a society that wants “quick fixes” and whatever will win today. What is most troublesome to me is the number of pros and parents who teach kids methods that will allow them to win against youngsters right now even if it come with at a significant cost of any long-term potential. This usually means avoiding more challenging, but advanced techniques and teaching simple strokes that will allow the player to get the ball over the net. Unfortunately, this methodology nearly always prohibits players from reaching skilled levels of play or any semblance of their true potential as they get older. The reason for this phenomenon is that once a player, regardless of age, begins to compete, whether it be ROG junior tennis, club social tennis, or any form of competition, the urge to win supersedes the urge to make changes in technique. Because any change is usually accompanied with some degree of discomfort, unfamiliarity, and difficulty. For this reason, it is a rare player who is able abandon a less effective but familiar pattern of play and make significant changes once competition begins in earnest. This is why players need to understand the reasons they are learning new techniques. They must make a very conscious decision to initiate change and establish a new paradigm as to how they practice and play the game. Human Condition Because we will almost certainly meet any change in our game with initial failure, inconsistency, and a foreign feeling, we notoriously say something like, “Hey, this new technique isn’t working,” and fall back on whatever feels comfortable, consistent and won’t produce the failure (losing points, games, sets and matches), that the new technique usually produces. Unfortunately, this mindset is what keeps many players at lower levels of play for years and years. Seriously, ask yourself this, "How long have you been a 3.0, 3.5 or even a 4.0 player? Players who sincerely want to reboot their games must approach it not only like that of a beginner learning the game for the first time, but they must work even harder in order to overcome the already ingrained patterns established that keep them from progressing to higher levels, Change is much more difficult to achieve once a player begins to compete with flawed methods, but I suspect most of you already know that. Addressing the Symptom, Not the Disease We live in a society of people who will pursue—and will pay for—anything that provides them immediate gratification. We have seen catch phrases such as, “Quick Fixes” and “Learn Tennis Fast,” statements that are as honest as most weight-loss company claims! Most of us know how those things turn out. There is no substitute for hard work. However, one usually asserts themselves more fully when they know they are working on patterns that, in time, will produce desired results. Unfortunately, while some fast fixes can provide some aspect of improvement, they seldom address the root cause of the flawed technique. In medical vernacular, they often address the symptom, not the disease. A poor grip on the volley or the serve will result in an inferior stroke, a different body position and contact point, and other undesirable elements. Thus, if we change the contact point or stroke, we are not addressing the root cause of all these flawed components…components that have been established because of an ineffective grip. And if we change the grip, we then have to adjust the body position, the contact point and the swing path — the entire kinetic chain. Building an Advanced Foundation
The cornerstone of my books (Tennis Mastery & Coaching Mastery) is this concept of, building an Advanced Foundation. It is absolutely mandatory for any player to reach the potential in any sport or activity. Even for musicians, learning to play an instrument using inferior technique will almost always prevent them from mastering the instrument within their ability and desire. Worse yet, those who inevitably learn to do something inadequately, will eventually cause them to lose interest in the activity. Tennis players who watch others pass them by, players who they could once beat but are now playing at much higher level, often get discouraged and erroneously blame themselves (assuming they don’t have enough athleticism, coordination, etc.), for their failure to continue progressing. Yet, among my thousands of students, I’ve witnessed a multitude of adults who had indeed established a deep-rooted, technically flawed game, overcome these patterns and begin an on-going improvement pattern. I say, “on-going,” because players who begin to master an Advanced Foundation continue to improve based on practice, desire, drive, dedication, determination, and other favorable factors. Those who continue to use flawed patterns of play don’t improve much even as they may have all these favorable factors! Even those with superior athleticism tend to flounder at relatively low levels when they learn ineffective techniques because the reality is practice does not make perfect, only perfect practice does. What Is an Advanced Foundation? While I’ve written articles describing the Advanced Foundation here at TennisOne in the past, I’ve not applied or described specifically these principles to those who indeed want to re-boot their game. Whether you are looking to re-boot one failing aspect (ie: volley, serve, ground-game, overhead, approach shot, etc.) or you recognize you are just not a solid player in general, I will be offering in the coming weeks, a proven technical methodology that will help every single player reach their full potential. I’ll provide the most effective ways to drill — exercises that you can do in your home or on a patio, and ways you can use a partner or ball machine in developing these methods in such a way that you indeed master them completely!
It is critical for players who indeed want to have a quality game, especially players who have ingrained issues, to understand the information I’ve included in this article before moving on to the application. Read through this a couple times and let it sink in. You will be far better prepared to integrate the information I’ll be providing in the following articles to the point that you will grasp the concepts better, understand the parameters of how we will learn these concepts, and then have a very realistic approach to owning a far superior game, one that is probably even better than what you even think is possible! Remember the crystal ball mentality: if you dedicate yourself to these ideas, would it be too much to wait for a few months before you see yourself actually becoming the player you desire? Most people are more than willing to spend a few quality months for a lifetime of skilled play! I hope you are one of those people! * * * * * Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Dave Smith's article by emailing us here at TennisOne .
Read two of the most acclaimed books on tennis by David W. Smith: Tennis Mastery: The most complete guide to learning, developing and mastering the sport of tennis. One of the top selling books on tennis, this book features Smith’s “Advanced Foundation” principles. And Coaching Mastery, the ultimate blueprint for tennis coaches, tennis parents, and tennis teaching professionals. This book outlines the principles Smith used to create one of the most successful tennis programs in the U.S., winning over 750 team matches against fewer than 10 losses in a 22 year period, in the highly competitive southern California region. Both books are available in bookstores world-wide, Tennis Warehouse.com and at Amazon.com Hidden Mickey Disney Mysteries David W. Smith is the creator and author of the popular Disney mysteries: Hidden Mickey. This action-adventures series of books take readers to secret locations inside Disneyland in California, to places in Walt Disney’s history, all while trying to decipher clues that that “master storyteller” may have left behind for someone to find. Hidden Mickey is Historical Fiction with the intrigue of learning about Disney secrets while following cryptic clues. The blending of “National Treasure” with the “DaVinci Code,” Hidden Mickey will surprise and entertain readers of all ages. Written for adult readers, (age appropriate for 12 and up), this is the first book that the entire family will want to read. Hidden Mickey books are available at all Barnes and Noble stores and at Amazon.com DVD’s By David W. Smith Produced through TennisOne.com, David W. Smith’s highly regarded DVD’s: Building a World-class Volley & The TennisOne Tune Up: The Serve are comprehensive videos that take players from what ever level they currently are at and move them to highly skilled practitioners of both the volley and the serve. Drills, Skills, and Strategies on all volleys– from angle volleys to drives to drop volleys and beyond...and every aspect of serving: from Kick serves to slice to hybrid and flat serve, everything you need to know and how to execute these serves will help you develop a masterful serve. Both DVD’s are available through seasonal programs at TennisOne and Tennis Warehouse.com. |
