Bigger Better Tennis - Paul Dale

  It's important to understand what motivates each player, and also what demotivates them   Learning what motivates each player to train hard and compete strongly in competition is critically important to a coach. Understanding what dominates a player’s mindset allows us to “push the right buttons” when needed. I like to assess players based on their motivation for playing in the first place. I look at two forms of stimulation, Task or Ego motivation; their motivation to train and compete will be driven by either their willingness to work hard, Task, or their focus on winning and rewards, Ego. Task-motivated players are the type of players who thrive on working hard towards a goal.   They see a clear link between working hard off-court and being rewarded with improved results on-court. Coaches enjoy working with players who are Task motivated because they have a great work ethic and respond well to instructions.  Most coaches prefer coaching Task motivated ...

Several years ago, I was on a practice court with Tamarine Tanasugarn. She was part of a team that had travelled with me overseas to compete. It was 7am, and everyone was taking time to adjust to the unfamiliar conditions. Everyone except Tamarine, that is! This was our first practice session after the long flight. Tamarine was striking the ball as cleanly as ever.   Her timing was perfect from the first ball until the last. What created her ability to adapt so well to the conditions and thrive? Later, Paradorn Srichaphan, who reached a career-high ranking of #9 on the ATP, also demonstrated the same adaptability. I began to ask myself what this quality was and whether I could actually teach it to my students on the court. I began to formulate what I called 'The 3am Theory': the ability to play your best tennis at any time, anywhere, on any surface, even at 3am in the morning.   Imagine being woken from a sound sleep at 3 a.m. and asked to play a tie-break aga...