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The Three “C’s”: Gaining Control on the Tennis Court |
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Written by John C. Panepinto
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Friday, 19 March 2010 11:18 |
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 Whether working on big changes in your game, minor adjustments or playing in a heated match, there are moments when you may feel as if nothing is working. Tension sets in and you feel out of control. A tip that will help you to negotiate these difficult moments is to remember where you actually exert control. I call them the “3 Points of Connection” or “The 3 C’s” and I find this memory device helps players regroup under pressure, helps them find a sense of control.
The first “C” is the Connection with the ground. This is where the rubber meets the road and it’s all about preparation. Often, when you are struggling it is due to your foundation—your footwork. You footwork supports your source of power, balance and speed. It is worth changing your focus to your posture and the proper footwork in order to gain some control. You will find that you get to the ball sooner, with better balance, and can generate a smoother, efficient stroke.
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Last Updated on Thursday, 02 September 2010 15:33 |
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Written by John C. Panepinto
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Friday, 19 March 2010 10:38 |
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As competitive stakes rise and athletes push physical limits, there is a higher premium placed on the mental glue that holds it all together under pressure. This quality of “mental toughness” has two important aspects, which produce high performance: intelligence and resilience. The mentally tough athlete has the intelligence to identify the how and why of what they are trying to achieve, and the resilience to adapt and evolve to the challenge this task presents. Excellence requires toughness to overcome adversity, as well as the challenge of rising to the demands of higher levels of performance.
Twenty-five years of coaching and counseling led me to develop 11 Keys to help structure the process of becoming mentally tough. These Keys require an understanding of the principles and character traits that underlie the development of specific skills. Here are a few examples of “11 Keys to Mental Toughness”:
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 19 May 2010 11:20 |
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Getting the Most Out of Your Athletic Experience: A Simple Post-Event Tool |
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Written by John C. Panepinto
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Friday, 19 March 2010 10:29 |
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Practice and competition offer valuable information as to where you are in reference to where you are going. While goals create the gap between where you are and where you want to be, as well as the intention and motivation to bridge that gap, another tool is needed to assess the progress. You need a simple tool to help you reflect on your goals in the moment. As mentioned in A Course on Mental Toughness, “Reflecting on your Goals” is a Key to developing resiliency and maintaining passion.
A quick and simple tool I have used for years for this Key is centered on three important questions that need to be asked after every practice and every competition. These questions offer more than just monitoring progress (and supplement a deeper monitoring process), but provide a means for an athlete and a coach to reflect on developmental level. For this I have adapted a quality tool known as a “Plus-Delta” to gain insight into three areas: 1) How the athlete views the event (his developmental perception), 2) What they athlete feels is working or improving, 3) The level of emotional maturity.
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 19 May 2010 11:20 |
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