Are You Practicing the Right Things at the Right Times?
Over the years, I have had the pleasure of working with many talented tennis players. My partnership coaching my wife, Liezel Huber, has been my most notable–she won seven Grand Slam titles, played in three Olympics, and reached the number one spot for 199 weeks. As a coach, it is not easy to balance the entire athlete, maximize their schedule and their opportunities. I have often used the analogy of preparing the athlete to “Making a Pie: Slice by Slice.”
First, I slice the “pie” into three even sections: Performance Mindset, Tactics and Technique, and from there, each of those three sections have individual “slices.” The most important ingredient, above everything else, is an emphasis on being a good person. In my opinion, this mentality and approach helps in every aspect of the game, and more importantly, in the overall scope of the athlete’s life. I believe this has been the largest factor to drive Liezel and me to New York Junior Tennis & Learning and the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning. The Cary Leeds Center has programs of all levels, and each, the overall well-being of the athlete comes first under our direction.
Much like the professional tour, today’s juniors need to manage a difficult schedule of demands between school, tennis, family and life. Understanding that your game is more than just the strokes that you produce is just the first step to building a strategy for what and when to practice. Strokes fall under the technique section of the “pie” and are very important. Normally, when a junior is starting out and developing, this section is very large. Over time, it is balanced with tactics and performance mindset. In my opinion, the latter two sections are underdeveloped in many training programs.
I like to introduce tactics fairly early on with the players that I work with, and the Cary Leeds Center adapts this process across the board in our training approach. From the time the player can serve the ball in without “beating themselves,” tactics become a part of the game. In working at the highest levels of the game, tactics towards a player’s game building is one category, and tactics playing specific opponents is another. Like technique, there are solid fundamentals to learn, but the best players need to understand their own personal tactics based on their own personal strengths. This takes time and care, and the watchful eye of a coach to guide and lead the player.
The final section of the “pie” is performance mindset, often the section that is given the least attention. In my mind, the “great” players master performance mindset and learn to compete at their personal best. The strongest coach/player relationships get this section “right.” They understand when to tweak the strokes, when to build weapons to open up new strategies and tactics, and when to prep, rev up, or calm down the athlete. Attention to schedule, discipline in what to practice and when, and focus on peak performance are all integral “pieces” in creating the best opportunities for athletes. At the Cary Leeds Center, we try to make sure that each part is attended to. The player may not be able to be perfect in all, but they will learn to be proficient in each section and understand when each “slice” needs more attention.
All the players that you see on television have a complete “pie.” You may not have to be great at everything, but you need to know how to do EVERYTHING. These top players do not have a hole, a gap, or a missing “slice.” Some pieces may be richer or sweeter than others, but love, care, and attention has been paid to all, otherwise that missing piece (or pieces) would be a major weakness and liability. The Cary Leeds Center looks at the entire player on and off the court. How do you plan on building your “pie” for success?
