Suitability To Tasks

GAME STYLE

Refers to the following game styles

- All court player

- Baseline attacker

- Counter attacker

- Approach/net

DOMINANCE

Refers to dominance in terms of tour results, the ability to impose the game style, the ability to deploy human character

MATCH DEVELOPMENT - SITUATIONS

Tennis is a very "contextual" sport and because of that, all situations do not have the same values, whether we like it or not. One of the main mental prerequisites for a player is the ability to "direct his/her attention" and another one is "thinking". Why ? Because everything we do humanly "starts with a thought". The ability that needs to be developed to a high level is to learn "how to think" and apply it to the situation. In other words thinking is part of the three managing parameters of Attention which are:

- Timing the focus

- Controlling the width of the focus

- Capacity to redirect focus to the right place

A player needs to develop "abilities to compose with the situation". Why do we constantly hear "playing a match" when it should be "competing a match" ? Why so often we hear "I won the match" when the reality is "the other player lost the match" ? Too many players "lose" matches on the tour... They put in hours and hours of learning and training technical/tactical skills and very little in match situations skills

An athlete needs to develop sound "match habits" to compete well. Habits are the intersection of knowledge, skill, and desire...

We often hear from players that the match was won on a few points. Most of the time it should be the other way around as the match was simply lost. Players too often fail to be responsible or accountable for the result of a performance because they simply don't know how

When those "clutch points" show up in a match, you have to show Effectiveness in those moments of truth. The Philosophy of Effectiveness is to do the RIGHT THING !

The composition of the Paradigm which is going to assist your athlete to compete and perform should be around the following criteria:

- The "right stuff"

- The supporting tools

- Your constant awareness and elimination of the Capital Sins that will affect your match deployment

Each of the ingredients of those above mentioned criteria should be answered by "How am I going to do that ?"

There are some questions to be answered and answers to be questioned

Remember, the Capital Sins of match play are the kind of sins that create an environment of compounding mistakes, digging yourself a hole, mistakes that will always cost you a high price. What is so evident on the tour is that there are losers that lose and winners that also "lose" on great occasions. When that happens, the athlete has allowed Capital Sins to spoil the essence of why he/she is there, we have also to question the "hunger" and the focus of "attention". Remember, winning is an "Attitude"

The Right Stuff - Match Parameters

- Ability to compose with situations

- Imposing your game style

- Countering game style

- Taking advantage of match situations, generating and taking control

- Direction of play

- Clutch situations

- Character deployment

- The killer instinct

Supporting Tools

- Intelligence

- Self discipline

- Rising to the occasion

- Winning attitude

- Giving a chance to lose to your opponent

- Making your opponent pay

- The door: opening or closing it

- Competing according to score

- Dissipating all the doubts

- Obtain the answers

- Calibrate energies and balance efforts

- Ability to think the right way

- Ability to control attention

- Habit is the intersection of knowledge, skill, and desire

- Awareness of capital sins

- Do’s and Don’ts

Capital Sins Of Match Play - The kind of sins that create an environment of compounding mistakes

- Not setting up the break enough

- Not converting a break point on an unforced error

- Doing unforced errors on game 7 and 8, when they are with the serve

- Low percentage of service breaks

- Low percentage of service returns

- Not converting a double break point, specially off an unforced error

- Not applying pressure on break points

- Not giving an opponent a chance to lose it

- Not converting after a break

- Losing attitude

POINT DEVELOPMENT

Relates to the following aspects in terms of playing a point:

- Specific introduction

- Construction of the point itself

- Taking control

- Closing the point

PLAYING SITUATIONS

The deployment of tactical play as it relates to the game style in relation to the following situations

Serving

- Serve to illicit a certain return

- Serve to make a forehand attack

- Serve and volley

Return

- Aggressive defense

- Counter return

- Attacking return

- Approach return

Baseline play

- Cadence

- Increasing tempo

- Attack

Approach to net

- With power

- Through the middle

- Precision

- Approach volley

- Steadiness

Passing

- Quickness

- Hardness

- Precision

- Topspin lob

ZONE PLAY

Refers to the capacity to apply tactics in different zones of he court, as they relate to the game style of the player. Evaluation of shot selections that allows the player to take control of the point, his/her capacity to adapt to different ball reception

Baseline

Outflanking

Approach

Net

TECHNICAL LIMITATIONS

Refers to two main criteria in terms of technique: ball reception, ball return. How they affect the shot selection in a playing condition or playing situation, how they affect the capacity to resist and stay in the point, the stroke and point toughness

TACTICAL LIMITATIONS

Refers to the lack of play selection as it relates to game style, playing situations or playing conditions of the player. Also observations in regards to intentions of play of the player when they don’t make sense

PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS

Observations made in regards to movement and balance, certain biomechanical limitations, racquet work as it relates to the playing context, the lack of co-ordination

PSYCHOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS

Observations made in regards to mental fitness, ideal performance state, self control and control of Attention

CHARACTER DEPLOYMENT

Observations through perception of the Character Deployment expressed during matches by the athlete. An Expert System has been developed and athletes can pass the test through our Library Department. The name of this Knowledge System is "Character Profile View - Tennis"

Athletes wishing to utilize the test, which provides an overall Character Profile of the individual and also provides a development program in relation to character development, may contact us through our "Contact Us" department

The Philosophy that lies behind this Expert System is the following one:

"Field skills always allow the athlete to perform to the best of his talent. But on equal talent, character skills will always make the difference !"

The qualities that we are looking for and how they are manifested form the following structure in the Human Character:

The 3 Main Components: Attitudes, Behaviors, Personal Resources

34 Character Ethics Skills which are fed by

250 Character Skills

IN THE END

Here I put myself on the line and challenge the future of the athlete, what I foresee. There is a Knowledge Acquisition System that has been completed which is called "ATP And WTA Player Long Term Predictive Success"

It is available for Consultation and Research for Coaches, Professional Tennis Players on the tour, National Tennis Federations, High Performance Centers

Jean Lambert

Coach and Knowledge Engineer

Send mail to jeanlambert@tenniscenario.com with questions or comments about this web site

For real time communication you may reach Jean at Windows Live Messenger: jeanlambert@tenniscenario.com

Email sent to our support team is answered the next business day