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INTERESTING COINCIDENCE
Welcome to the new subscribers that have just joined my email tennis lessons. You will receive the main tennis lesson on the first of every month with some quick tennis tips in between.
The last quick tip I gave was on the myth of taking the racket back early on your groundstrokes. I was surfing the net days later for different tennis sites and ended up on tennis pro John Keller’s site. On the right of his home page was the phrase "debunking tennis myths." Of course I was curious, so I clicked on it. And what was the myth he was writing about? To my surprise the first line read "take your racquet back early, and hit the ball out in front."
If you would like to read this article you can go to John’s site at www.tennis101.com and check it out. If you are in the market for a ball machine, John has a nice selection at his web site. He also has practice balls, ball hoppers, and other accessories.
TENNIS MYTHS
My "tennis myths" section of my web site is now ready. Fourteen myths so far with more to come. There are a lot of myths and misconceptions in tennis. The main reason for these misconceptions is that they are old traditionally accepted methods that do not hold up under careful scrutiny. And certainly do not hold up under ACTUAL match play conditions. I think you will enjoy them. Email me with any questions you may have, even if you disagree. I would love to hear from you. Rigid conventional tennis methods are NOT compatible with automatic, instinctive and relaxed tennis.
Go to my web site at www.tenniswarrior.com and click on "tennis myths"
The voice mail Tennis Lesson Hotline number is 713 957-6446. This message also changes on the first of every month.
Enjoy this months tennis lesson and remember, "the next shot is more important than the last mistake." Recovering from the mistake is more important than the mistake itself!
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Tom's Online Tennis Lesson
Going for your shots
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Welcome to the Tom's Online Tennis Lesson, sponsored by www.tenniswarrior.com, "your link to professional thinking."
It is time for another lesson on the "mindset when playing." Why is it so much easier to play tentatively, rather than going for your shots with the correct mindset? The answer lies in fear. Fear of failing! Going for your shots and being aggressive requires you to take risks. When you take risks you make yourself more vulnerable to failure. Therefore, there are a certain amount of negatives, mistakes and failures that come along as part of the package. Since most people have trouble handling their mistakes and failures, mainly because they have not trained themselves properly to handle them, they will opt instead to play tentatively. Obviously you can play tentatively and win, but in the long run as the competition improves you will be in big trouble. You must learn to begin making decisions to go for
your shots. This is not an easy task.
By going for your shots I do not mean hitting the ball with power. You can go for your shots and hit a slow drop shot. It just means the absence of playing tentatively. I was also guilty of playing tentatively in my college days. I remember the decision I made to stop playing tentatively and to go for my shots. To this day I clearly remember why I made that decision. It is really not complicated. One day I was playing a college match, I played tentatively, and lost! After the match was over I remember thinking to myself, I could have had the same results playing with the correct mindset and enjoyed myself. I would much rather lose playing my match correctly, than lose playing tentatively.
That moment changed my attitude for good. I suggest you do the same. Here is a hint on how to break the tentative syndrome. You must "give yourself the freedom to go for your shots and if you miss, accept it!" The key to stop playing tentatively is to first learn to accept the negatives, mistakes, and failures that are part of the package - "give yourself the freedom to go for your shots and if you miss, accept it!" The ability to accept failure while thinking correctly is what mental toughness is all about. You should constantly make decisions to go for your shots - win, lose, or draw. Mental toughness does not mean you never fail. That bears repeating. Mental toughness does not mean you never fail. It means you make decisions that will give you the best opportunity for success. The first tough decision to master is to not play tentatively - even when you fail! "Give yourself the freedom to go for your shots and if you miss, accept it!"
Your email tennis coach,
Tom
Copyright © 2000 Tom Veneziano. All rights reserved.
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What others are saying about my tapes!
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"Tom deals with the thinking end of tennis like no one else. It's almost too difficult to explain, you have to experience it. He has an uncanny knack for getting right to the heart of the matter. You come away thinking, that's right: it makes sense!"
Colleen Cremer, Houston, TX.
"It's interesting to note that everyone can use these tapes from beginner to championship level. You can apply the information to whatever level you play on."
Dan Hanusa, Houston, TX.
" Tom's audio cassettes have changed my thinking, aligning it with the correct information needed to improve my game. He's right there with you, inside your head, challenging you to make those changes. It's like having your own personal coach! I highly recommend his tapes for everyone."
Linda Zimmerman, Houston, TX.
"On the way to my HLTA match I listened to Tom's tape, "Some Before Match Pointers." Call it a coincidence, but I won my first HLTA match ever! I just seemed to be in a better frame of mind. Thanks, Tom."
Mary Ogden, Houston, TX.
"Tom and I have been friends for over twenty years. It's not surprising to me players talk so positively about his tapes. He's always possessed exceptional athletic ability along with an unusual analytical mind. Tom simply likes to think! At times he would drive me crazy, but he was the driving force behind my journey into tennis. I'm 6'1" and Tom is 5'6" but I could never beat the little imp! All joking aside, if Tom's thinking is on audio cassettes, you should listen! You'll never view tennis the same way again!"
Sam Lacava, Tennis Professional, Stewartsville, N.J.
Thank you all for the testimonials! I appreciate it! |
