On Preparation and Practice

One of the skills that college players seem to pick up slowly, at least here at Coe, is the ability to practice & prepare efficiently and effectively. I often see players in their final two years finally grasping the "Art" of practice.

Practicing well as an Individual in a Team Training environment can be a bit tricky, especially when players do not feel that the current drill is relevant to the development of their own game. Or, in another example, when players focus solely on "winning" in practice drills, or matches.

The mature tennis player is able to isolate the skill development and rehearsal portions of a Team practice and focus on improving their games. These players realize that in order to improve, a quantity of successful repetitions( of a variety of different skills) must be executed. Regardless of the competitive outcome of a practice drill or practice match! And they are able to recognize, identify, and manipulate their emotional energies differently in a practice setting as opposed to a match setting.

Players will improve much quicker, more efficiently, when they create the correct mindset for themselves in practice. Otherwise, emotional forces within each of us will cause internal conflict, and prohibit productivity.