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| Welcome to the May/June 2019 update from Tennis Server, http://www.tennisserver.com/
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Greetings,
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In his May column, John Mills discusses how to focus your thinking during a match away from winning or losing in a more productive manner. See: What To Think About.
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In his June column, John Mills discusses how to improve poaching skills in doubles. See: Poaching.
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In his first column in this newsletter below, Tennis Warrior Tom Veneziano discusses how fear of failure can prevent improvement. See: "Tennis Wimps Not Allowed."
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And in his second column in this newsletter below, Tennis Warrior Tom Veneziano explains why your strokes are no stronger than the foundation you construct to support them. See: "Digging Down To Bedrock."
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Have fun on the court!
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Cliff Kurtzman
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
Tennis Server
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The Tennis Warrior - Exclusive to Tennis Server Newsletter
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The Tennis Warrior is brought to you by Tom Veneziano (tom@tennisserver.com). Tom is a tennis pro teaching at the Piney Point Racquet Club in Houston, Texas. Tom has taught thousands of players to think like a pro with his Tennis Warrior System.
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May 2019 -- Tennis Wimps Not Allowed
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As people we all think differently. One person's weakness could be another's strength and one person's strength could be another's weakness. We all think as individuals. And yet, even though we know this, we foolishly presume others think the same way we do.
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As a coach, I am frequently surprised by my players' attitudes toward learning and failing. I have always enjoyed the learning process, so the failures that came along with it were no big deal. Failure always accompanies any accomplishment and is essential to that learning process. But many people do not think this way. When I discovered this, I thought to myself, "This is a problem. As a coach I will need to teach players the mental aspect of the game, because it is so vital to success."
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The fear of failure that paralyzes so many players is deeply rooted in all areas of life and is debilitating. For instance, I will have a player practice hours and hours of repetition until his strokes are definitely ready for match play. During a lesson I'll ask, "Are you hitting these excellent strokes in your matches?" My student's reply is "No, I'm not using them at all in my matches. There never seems to be the opportunity."
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I inquire again, "There never seems to be an opportunity! What does that mean? Does the ball never come to you?" My student moans, "Yes, but...!" Then he proceeds to relate a myriad of reasons why he cannot use his strokes. These excuses all add up to fear of failure. But there is no excuse; it's all in his mind!
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What my student is truly revealing is, "Here are my ridiculous excuses for not making the decision to go for my shots. These ridiculous excuses are more important than learning how to go for my shots in match play. I cannot make that decision for fear I will fail. I prefer to stay a Tennis Wimp. Ah, but can you please still make me a tennis star?"
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What always blindsides me is that I assume that players really want to learn, but often all that blather is just lip service. Instead they want to protect themselves from failure by staying in their comfort zone and maybe eking out a victory. There is no commitment, no positive mental flow, no putting themselves on the line, no stepping up to the plate like a true Tennis Warrior.
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Perhaps this is why you are having difficulty performing in match play anywhere close to your practice style. No commitment to learning through your failures. You would rather stand protected behind a wall of excuses than make a positive decision to "let go." Do you think someone else can make this decision for you? Only you can make that decision now! Tennis Warrior or Tennis Wimp?
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June 2019 -- Digging Down To Bedrock
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Week after week, I have been fascinated while driving past a construction site where they are digging down to bedrock to build a foundation for a new building. For months, I noticed no changes, just a huge hole in the ground and no building.
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Months later, there was still no sign of a building. I began to wonder if they ran out of money for their project. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a building appeared. One week there was nothing but a big hole; the next week, a building. Have you ever noticed this phenomenon?
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Apparently the building itself, though essential, is not as crucial as digging down to solid bedrock for the foundation that supports the building. Without this stable foundation, a little pressure from the wind could topple the structure.
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How odd that the part of the building you never see (the foundation) is the strength of the building you do see (superstructure).
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In tennis, establishing a correct day-to-day and week-to-week training regimen is like digging down to bedrock, building a foundation. Often you see no results for weeks and months, but then out of nowhere you have a superstructure breakthrough and a new instinctive shot, strategy or game appears. You must learn to be patient as you are digging down to bedrock to develop a foundation. In time your strokes will appear. During this time do not be discouraged but understand that you are constructing that crucial support for a superstructure.
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Imagine what would happen if a player constructs a new shot or strategy (superstructure) without the benefit of repetition and a weekly training regimen (the foundation). When the pressure hits, it all falls apart! There is no support structure in place to consistently hold the strokes together under any kind of pressure. This is exactly what happens to players who possess perfect mechanical strokes but are not rooted in a solid repetition regimen (foundation). They look stupendous, yet at the first sign of trouble their strokes betray them.
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If you ever hope to excel under pressure you must understand this concept of building a solid foundation. Even in Biblical scripture this principle is delineated. Matthew 7:24 and 26 speak of "the wise man, who built his house upon the rock" and "the foolish man, who built his house upon the sand."
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It is better to have mechanics that are not so perfect but are built on a strong foundation of repetition than to have the perfect strokes built on the sand of practice without solid repetition.
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Consider also the incomparable, earthquake-proof Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and finished in 1922. It withstood horrific earthquakes because of the ingeniously employed, flexible, floating foundation.
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Your strokes will be no stronger than the foundation you construct to support them. The deeper you dig down to bedrock with your practice regimen, the more automatic, instinctive and spontaneous your strokes will be when the earthquakes hit.
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Your Tennis Pro,
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Tom Veneziano
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Previous columns from Tom Veneziano are archived online in the Tennis Server's Tennis Warrior Archive six months after publication in this newsletter.
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In Tom Veneziano's book "The Truth about Winning!", tennis players learn in a step-by-step fashion the thinking the pros have mastered to win! Tom takes you Step-by-step from basic mental toughness to advanced mental toughness. All skill levels can learn from this unique book from beginner to professional. No need to change your strokes just your thinking. Also available at a discount as an E-Book.
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Audio CDs by Tom Veneziano:
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The Refocus Technique: Controlling Your Emotions in Tennis.
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Think Like a Pro -- 2 Audio CDs. Three minute free sample (real audio): http://www.tenniswarrior.com/audio/sample_audio.ram
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Training for Pressure Play -- Audio CD. Four minute free sample (real audio): http://www.tenniswarrior.com/audio/pressure-play-sample.ram
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See you on the courts,
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--Cliff Kurtzman for Tennis Server
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