GREAT EXPECTATIONS
by Will Wright, Academy Head Professional

For aspiring young tennis players, the weight of expectation can be very difficult to deal with. Some players thrive on pressure, but for the most part are in a constant struggle to deal with it. Pressure (I use this interchangeably with expectation as pressure is the result of expectation) comes from many directions. Personal expectation, derived from goals, or the players own view of how good they are, or want to be, creates pressure. Parents create pressure with the child trying to live up to the parents sometimes excessive expectations of them, whether real or perceived. Coaches create pressure, most kids want to live up to what they feel their coaches expect from them.

Wherever the pressure is coming from, it comes through the same basic form. Tournament results are weighted too highly as a measure of a players’ improvement. Parents, especially ones without grounding in a high level sport, are especially guilty of this. Coaches, though not all, are often better at seeing that improvement is assessed not just on results, but on improvements in the players foundation, i.e. more powerful serve or improved forehand technique, development of a new stroke, or even physical or mental improvement. The player feeds off their own judgment and the input coming from parents and coaches, or even other players. They have to manage all of these. It is ideal for a player struggling with pressure to be hearing the same advice from parents and coaches. This player, coach, parent triangle can be extremely effective if managed as a team.

When a player gets bad results, confidence inevitably suffers, and the players’ self perception becomes low. When a player has good results they gain confidence and an increasing perception of their game. Both can be problems. Confidence must be rebuilt through hard work and focus on improving various aspects of the players’ game. Reassurance from all parties that results will come given time will give the best chance of regaining good results and thus confidence. Some players can get so scarred during these periods that it is extremely difficult to rebuild their confidence, the player is then likely to look for excuses or shy away from competition. I will later describe how best to manage a players career to prevent this. The player can also reach too high a level of confidence. This happens when a player gets exceptional results through a period of good draws, luck, and of course confidence that results in the player winning many close matches. During these periods a player can stray from the hard work and fail to focus on improvement which has gotten them to this position. This is dangerous as they may not be making the improvements to provide results at older age groups or higher levels of competition. On a personal note I really suffered from inflated ego and confidence due to immediate success in tennis. The following lack of game improvement and results not meeting my early expectations resulted in a period of excuse making. Fortunately, I was able to recognize this as I matured. Please note that I am suffering from a cold during the writing of this article reducing my skills.

I have outlined steps needed to manage or prevent these problems.
1. Develop a healthy player, parent, and coach relationship. It is important for all to trust and respect each other. Ideally there will be a team leader. Somebody has to be responsible so that necessary decisions are timely. This step is essential for player development.
2. Goals for performance and training should be set. Short term and long term goals need to be developed. The player needs to understand what he or she needs to do in the present and also have a picture of their game for the future. The goals need to be realistic, achievable, and as specific as possible. If short term goals are too difficult, the player will only see failure, if too easy, the player will not be pushed to progress.
3. Know when to criticize and when to compliment. It is always easy to see a kid making mistakes and criticize them for it. Most performance players are aware of their mistakes, a good coach and parent seeks solutions and encourages the player to improve in these areas. A compliment when they are trying hard helps the player see reward for their efforts. Building up a player will help relieve some of that pressure.
4. See the big picture. Try not to get too high during the good times and too low during the bad times. If you only encourage for winning, you are contradicting the ideas outlined in this article. Most coaches, parents, and players are not very good at this; I catch myself sometimes on this. Did I mention that I had a cold?
5. Analyze play after emotions have calmed down. Beating up on someone who is already down does more harm than good. After everyone has calmed down rational conclusions and progressive plans can be drawn up, if necessary.

I hope that through this article I have given parents, players, and coaches, information to help them. With good player management we can help our players reach their potential.