By Michael Pereira, MS Sport Management, Head Racquets Professional
Wouldn’t it be nice to read an article and immediately improve your game? It can be done. In my early teaching years, shifting the paradigm of my students’ minds was not a priority for me. Now I believe it’s imperative to set up students for success. The way you think and process information can drastically change your results. As George Clason said in his book The Richest Man in Babylon, “our acts can be no wiser than our thoughts, our thinking can be no wiser than our understanding.” This article will explain the thinking process I use to progress through my matches, which has led me to many nationally ranked wins and a 12.3 UTR rating. I encourage you to try it out for yourself.
Understanding the fundamentals of technique and tactics is the toolbox you pull from when you’re in the heat of battle. To me, the fundamentals of technique fall under five parts: ready position, shoulder turn, contact point, follow through, and balance. The fundamentals of tactics are also divided into five parts: consistency, accuracy, positioning, playing to an opponent’s weakness, and playing to your strength. Mastering the fundamentals requires an intense focus on the details and understanding the relationship between each part. For example, you change direction on the ball to your opponent’s weakness (a tactic) by adjusting your contact point, shoulder turn, and balance (technique). This is too much to think about when playing and should be discussed with your personal coach. When competing, however, your thought process must be simpler.
The beauty of my paradigm is that it is simple. All you need to do is increase your knowledge about the toolbox and then implement a three-step system for each point. That system is Plan-Execute-Reflect. It’s simple, yet efficient. Follow along with a hypothetical plan while I describe the implementation. Our first plan at the beginning of the match is to hit three balls crosscourt. You step up to the line, serve it in, and then execute the plan by thinking about one thing — hit three balls crosscourt. The result is that our opponent misses the second shot in the net, setting us up for reflection. Ask yourself, what was the result and why did it happen? The potential answer is our opponent is terrible and can’t make two shots in a row. Do we develop a whole new plan now? The answer is NO! Repeat the plan that worked the first time.
Our second point results in a long point that went well beyond what we planned. The opponent hit six shots in play before we hit a ball in the net. Our plan was well executed, and now we reflect. Our minds can go into a variety of directions, including why we missed our shot in the net. It’s not wise to dwell on the negative here, and many people make this mistake. The plan was executed, and we should reinforce positive thought processes. Develop a new tactical plan that makes sense, like adjusting our next plan to include a high backhand to our opponent. That is a winner’s mentality.
As the match continues, there is a variety of directions our minds can go. Pick anything in your toolbox to use to assist your action plan. Examples can include hitting two crosscourt and one down the line, an earlier contact point, moving forward sooner, and even smacking the ball hard enough to take the felt off. Learn from the results that happen in real time through reflection and repeat the winnable patterns. If you’re losing, continue to explore new patterns or adjust your techniques to correct your mistakes. Take it one point at a time and only do one thing related to either your technique or tactics for each point. If you’re able to execute your plan, no matter whether the plan worked or not, positively reinforce your ability to adjust. A negative mindset is not helpful to reaping positive results. Follow this process, and you will most assuredly improve your game.
GPTA TEACHING PROFESSIONAL SPOTLIGHT: MICHAEL PEREIRA
Submitted by USTA
Hometown (City/State): Gainesville, Georgia
How did you get involved in teaching tennis? I started teaching while I was in college playing for the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. I have always had a passion and love for the sport and wanted to share my love of tennis and the lessons I’ve learned from it with everyone I meet.
Diehard fan of what sports team? UNC-Wilmington Seahawks
Best part of your game? Defense
Dream doubles match would be me and… Fabrice Sanotoro in his prime vs. a retired Bob and Mike Bryan.
When I’m not teaching tennis, I’m… Gardening and maintaining a household of two children under 3.
My favorite tennis memory is: Winning the first Conference Championship for UNC-Wilmington in 2009.
My favorite professional player is: Roger Federer
#1 reason why I enjoy teaching & coaching tennis: I’m in an environment where I feel competent, get to play the sport I love, and create a meaningful impact in people’s lives.
What important tennis message do you want to promote? Tennis is a lot like life, you don’t do well if you don’t serve well.
