Stay positive.

The last thing I want to hear as a player when I come off the court is a dissertation about the match I just lost. I dread hearing about how well I played, what happened when I almost had the match and all other well intended comments. Give me a few moments to come out of my “competitive zone” and enter back into my real life zone.

When your young player comes off the court, offer encouragement and support in a positive manner. This is not the time to go over all the mistakes you saw them make.

Allow them a “come down” time that permits them to leave the competitive zone, relax and have a rational view of what transpired. Coach Wayne Bryan of the world’s #1 ranked doubles team always said his first question for the boys was, “where do you want to go eat?” The next day he would devise drills that worked upon the errors he saw during the match. Now I am sure there was a few other comments that would transpire at a later time about the match as well.

Help the player focus on a couple of simple skills they can work on and achieve positive results quickly to rebuild their confidence. Focus on the positives you saw in the match or progress made toward new skills they had been working on the past few weeks. An example would be to mention that they got 75% of their first serves in play or they managed their time between points really well in the match.

Ask their opinion as to what they think they should work on based upon their last performance. Be specific with skills like footwork, technique or strategy that need work.

Staying positive in a match that you care about can be very draining. You are feeling all the same emotions as the player with no real way to release them as a spectator. Players will notice when you grimace, turn your head away or show disappointment. This can have a very negative impact on their already suffering psychic.

When you are watching their match, be positive and offer encouragement. Saying things like, “Come on, you can do it” and “Let’s go” are good supportive comments.

Photo Credits: Sudhamshu

• 7 Habits of Highly Successful Tennis Professionals 1. Be "Pro" Active Sure you have been teaching for years and may not need a lesson plan. But just as you would prepare to play a match, you still would need to review.  So, have a game plan for your student or opponent and think about your last......
• Ball Machines – Using them for Doubles Practice [/caption] Ball machines are great for practicing your doubles shots – if positioned correctly. 5 things NOT to do when using a ball machine: Do not place the ball machine on the baseline in the center of the court Do not have the ball machine oscillate from deuce court to......
• 11 Ways to Improve Your Tennis Game at San Jose Swim & Racquet Club - Year 'Round... [/caption] The following are 11 ways to improve your tennis game at the San Jose Swim & Racquet Club: Private hour and half hour lessons. These lessons can include technical work and hitting with the pro during that time to see if the technical and strategy changes work. Semi private......
• Ken DeHart Presents “Strategy and Tactics of Tennis” at Missouri Valley USPTA USPTA Master Professional, Ken DeHart was the kick-off speaker at the 2009 Missouri Valley USPTA Conference at the Homestead Country Club in Kansas City, Missouri. Ken presented a 4 hour continuing education course on Strategy and Tactics to more than 80 tennis teaching professionals and high school coaches attending......
• 12 Tennis Tips to Improve Your Game 1.) How to know if you are ready to start a tennis match?  As you warm up for the match, notice if you are able to see the spin on the ball before you meet the ball or if you can see a "yellow streak" into and out of your......

• Tennis Player Profile for Lleyton Hewitt Lleyton Hewitt was born on February 24, 1981 and is a former World No 1 tennis player that hails from Australia. He became the youngest male ever to obtain a number 1 ranking in 2001. He has numerous career achievements, awards and wins, including a 2001 US Open win, a......
• Andy Murray Tennis Player Profile Andy Murray was born on May 15, 1987 and is a professional tennis player from Scotland who also happens to be the highest ranking player in Britain at current. He officially broke into the ATP Top 10 on April 16, 2007, and reached a career high of No. 4 ranking......
• Tennis Skills: The Player's Guide Tennis Skills: The Player's Guide is a paperback tennis guide by Tom Sadzeck. This book easily follows the formula which has been successfully used in "Golf Skills", "Hoop Drills" and "Soccer Skills", and Tennis Skills: The Player's Guide is doing an excellent job of providing an in depth look at......
• What's Coaching when it's at Work Training leaders to use the coach approach is the next step for organizations embracing this concept. If coaching in the workplace didn’t exist, we’d need to invent it. Think about that. Over the last decade, the way people interact with their work and their employers has altered greatly. Empowerment, continuous......
• How Accessible Is Your Technology? Many of us depend on the use of computers to do our jobs. We’re much more productive than before they were available, don’t you think? But imagine you’re blind and can’t see the screen or have a mobility impairment that precludes your use of a mouse. For many of us......