How to Really “Get Better”

Becoming a better tennis player is a journey, not a destination. There are so many different levels in tennis that it is almost impossible to know how far a player will go. They might reach the middle school or high school level, the college level, the professional level or anywhere in between. It is my belief that rather than focusing on the destination, players should focus on enjoying the journey. Almost every player will tell you that they want to be better and improve their game. It doesn’t matter what level they will reach in the end, all that matters is that they work on getting better today. 

The most important thing for coaches to convey to their students is the idea of self-improvement. Self-improvement is vital because it takes the focus off of everyone else and it puts the focus solely on the individual. Imagine what it would be like to try to win a 100-yard dash while you are busy paying attention to how fast your competitors are running instead of your own speed. Your speed is the only thing that you can control … doesn’t it make more sense to focus on yourself instead of everyone else?

Self-improvement can be measured by comparing your past skill level with your current skill level. The best question to ask yourself is: Am I a better tennis player today than I was six months ago? The idea behind this question is to take the focus off all the other players around you and only pay attention to improving yourself. As a coach, I try to get my players to be aware of their personal bests and highlight them. I often use the length of a rally as a tool to measure that player’s success. A player who can sustain a 100-ball rally now should try to raise that number each practice. A player who can hit 10 technically sound serves in a row today should try to hit 11 consecutive tomorrow, and so forth.

Another way to get players to improve themselves is by making them aware of their own level of effort. You can use a scale from one to 10 and after each game or drill ask that player to rate their own level of effort. Obviously the goal is not only to reach higher levels, but also to sustain it for longer periods of time. Other factors like energy level, focus, attitude and all-around performance can be measured by a self-rating method as well. By focusing on yourself, it also becomes easier to tune out everyone else. You cannot control how your opponents, teammates, or practice partners perform when they play with you. Paying attention to their performance ultimately takes the focus away from yourself.

There are several other dangers to comparing yourself with other players around you. The first problem is that as you continue to improve your game, the players around you are also improving. If you have lost 6-3, 6-3 to your teammate and then lose to them by the same score again a year later, it does not mean that you have not improved! It is more likely the case that you have both become better at the same rate. The same example can hold true for any number of different match outcomes whereby the score may change, but the level of improvement might not exactly reflect it. Another danger of comparing yourself to others is when you become the strongest player on your team or court. In this situation, a player who compares themselves to those around them often experiences the “Big fish in a small pond,” dilemma. With that type of external focus, players are tempted to coast and not work hard in that group because they are already better than the others. In contrast, however, a player who has more internal focus will continue to work just as hard because they are trying to beat their former self.

There are many variables that tennis players are unable to control: Weather, facilities, opponents, etc. All of these factors are things that a player has to deal with in order to be successful. I look at all of these potential difficulties as speed bumps. They can slow you down, but they don’t have to stop you from going where you want to. However, there are only a few variables that players can control: Effort, energy, focus and maybe a few others. When players are trained to become more aware of these factors, they will be able to take their mind off of the ones that they cannot control. A player who focuses on things that they can control will become a better player. A player who focuses on things that they cannot control will become frustrated, distracted and not necessarily improve. Therefore, it is our responsibility as coaches to teach our players how to make themselves better.

It is my belief that coaches and parents should try to instill the idea of self-improvement as often as possible with their players and children. Players with internal focus make bigger gains than those with external focus. They will develop more confidence, independence and mental toughness and do it for the right reason: To make themselves better.

Any good coach can tell you that what they try to do for their players is not only about tennis. The skills they learn on the court translate to real-life skills. A person who understands the concept of self-improvement can take that idea and apply it to any field they choose and be successful at every level. It would be great if we can get more tennis players to focus on what really matters in the bigger picture and teach them more than just the sport of tennis.