TennisWarrior.com - Learn to Think Like a Pro with Free Online Tennis Lessons

RAMBLINGS!

Welcome to all the new subscribers to my email tennis lessons. You will receive one long lesson on the first of every month and some quick tips in between.

Send your tennis buddies or whole team to www.tenniswarrior.com to sign up for their free email tennis lessons.

All past email lessons are posted at my website from 1 January 1998 to 1 August 2001. www.tenniswarrior.com

**************************************************

READ THIS!

Thanks to everyone the Tennis Warrior Newsletter has broken the 2000 mark sooner than I thought. Our next goal is 3000. If you are enjoying my tennis email lessons please forward them on to family and friends. And...

THANK YOU!

Also as you know my website is specific to the mental skills of tennis. That's my expertise and that is the area I will continue to develop. If you are looking for a more general tennis website with excellent information visit my friend Scott Baker at www.tennis4you.com. Scott has a great site and a phenomenal link section with over 80 different categories.

**************************************************

FOOD FOR THOUGHT and MENTAL MEANDERINGS

Are you watching the US Open? Good! Watch closely, according to conventional methods they all need a tennis lesson. :) Enjoy the Open!

There are many ‘perfect' tennis players with ‘perfect' technical strokes out there, but I can tell you one thing, they are not in the top ten professionals of the world because the top ten are swinging, jumping, diving, and flailing at the ball with controlled abandonment!
Remember the basic principles for learning tennis with my system is to develop a ‘feel' for different strokes along with developing mental skills through REPETITION. Repetition of simple procedures create that ‘feel' NOT an over emphasis on the technical skills and mechanics. Click here for an article that I wrote on 'feel' vs 'mechanics' in April 2001

Tom's Online Tennis Lesson
A downside to following successful people

Welcome to Tom's Online Tennis Lesson, sponsored by TennisWarrior.com, "Where you can learn to think like a pro!"

There are many books written by people who have had success in different fields. The benefit to individuals that travel that same path can be enormous. Everything is laid out for them in a step 1,2,3 fashion. There is no question this information can be beneficial. Unfortunately there is a major downside that most people fail to take into consideration. The downside is - that person is not YOU! The successful person molded themselves into becoming successful over time with many, many decisions (good and bad), dedication, effort, and unique circumstances. A legitimate question arises. Was it the step 1,2, 3 that made them successful, or the decisions, dedication, effort, and unique circumstances?

I have seen this misconception in business, sports, and life many, many times. The person following the success advice relies heavily on doing steps 1,2, and 3, as the book clearly states. But it does not work! They think to themselves, "I don't get it, I followed exactly what it said. I guess I must not be following it correctly." The answer to this problem is actually simple. They forgot the decisions (good and bad), dedication, effort, and unique circumstances. In other words - individuality!

Yes, you should heed the advice of those who are successful. But, they are not YOU. You are your own unique success story and should develop your own style with your own step 1,2, 3 through your own decisions, dedication, effort, and unique circumstances. Success is more about individuality and just doing it, than it is about following steps 1,2, and 3. Nike had it right. JUST DO IT!!!

The point is do not let anyone stuff you in to a tennis mold. Just like a pro, you are unique, and should develop your own style of play. Of course you must follow some basic fundamental principles like swinging low to high to hit topspin and high to low to hit backspin. but, much of learning tennis is individual. If you do not think this is true, watch the pros. I know some of you think that pros learned to play tennis by painstakingly day by day practicing the intricate technical skills until they finally reached perfection. This simply is not true. According to conventional wisdom the pros are doing everything wrong and would not fair well in a traditional tennis lesson!!! As I have said before in one of my "tennis myths." I'M NOT GOING TO TELL THEM, YOU TELL THEM. They seem to be doing all right for themselves, so I think it's best to leave them alone. In fact, maybe we should learn something from them.

The pros all have their own style. Some have big looping back swings, some have compact back swings, some have a straighter back swing, some hit heavy topspin, others hit more flat. Just like the pros you should learn strokes and play within your own style. Then, discipline yourself to practice and mold that style. A good coach can help guide you without stuffing you in a mold. Do not over think the technical end of the game. Much of what you will learn will come in time with practice and repetition. And it will happen naturally.

Now, do not get me wrong. I am not telling you to abandon the technical skills. I am telling you to instead rely more heavily on your day to day decisions to practice, stay dedicated, exert the necessary effort, and your own unique circumstances, than on steps 1,2, and 3. Steps 1, 2, and 3 should be used as a guide...that's all!

Remember, they tried to change Bjion Borg and make him follow the 1,2, 3 tradition by eliminating his big looping topspin game. But, he refused and changed tennis forever. Chris Evert's two-handed backhand was a no, no at the time. She did it anyway and changed tennis forever. They both developed their own unique style of play and completely baffled the experts of the day.

There are many books, tapes, newsletters, and other material that can teach you an assortment of different things. Use them as guides, not the end all and be all. No one, including myself, can explain in a 1,2 ,3 fashion the exact formula that will bring YOU tennis success. YOU are unique. YOU have to do it. YOU have to experience it. Rely more on yourself and the power of action to get the job done. And you will!

Your email Tennis Pro,

Tom Veneziano