The Fate of the Child is in the Hands of his/her Parents

“Every child grows; everything depends on the teacher” - Shin'ichi Suzuki

We would like to start off this beautiful New Year's day with a discussion about early childhood education from the point of view of someone who has been indispensable in developing thousands of musicians worldwide. His name is Shin'ichi Suzuki and he is best known for developing the Suzuki Method or what he referred to as "Talent Education." Briefly, the Suzuki Method is based on the principle that all children possess ability and that this ability can be developed and enhanced through a nurturing environment. Although Mr. Suzuki was speaking from the point of view of a music teacher, we believe that a number of the concepts are equally applicable to sports. If you have time, there are a number of books that we encourage you to read including: Studying Suzuki Piano -- More Than Music: A Handbook for Teachers, Parents, and Students; Nurtured by Love: The Classic Approach to Talent Education; and Ability Development from Age Zero.

1. Talent is not inborn. Inborn greatness or mediocrity does not exist. No person is born uninteresting. Mediocrity is trained. Every child grows in the same way as he is brought up. Early education (between birth and kindergarten) is very important in the child's development. This is the "seed" stage, where the plant needs to get the highest quality attention. TENNIS: How many times have made excuses for their children that they are simply not as talented as their peers?

2. Emphasis on talent (or lack thereof) is misguided. "Inborn talent" seems to be used too quickly, too easily, to often. People we regard as talented have been nurtured in that way to the age of five or six. Why is that all Japanese children speak Japanese? By all account, Japanese is  a difficult language to learn and master for a Westerner yet all Japanese children speak it. Why is that? Is it perhaps that they have been immersed in the language from an early age? TENNIS: Everyone has a talent that can be applied to tennis. Just like a child can learn to speak Japanese if he is immersed in the culture, so can the same child learn to play tennis and master the sport.

3. Ability breeds ability. Development doesn't just mean learning but also building the ability to learn. Concepts shouldn't be learned only in bits and pieces but must be developed comprehensively. If you rely on talent to bring out the best qualities of the child you are really admitting that you possess poor nurturing methods. Saying that "my child has no talent" is the same as saying "I did not educate my child properly". TENNIS: instruction should not just be focused on learning the basics but also on nurturing the child's ability to learn the game further. 

4. Immerse the child in beautiful works from birth. In terms of music, let him listen to records of famous and enjoyable pieces. The child will be physiologically conditioned to absorb the information. Have him learn the activity from teachers who are passionate about the subject and who are interested in developing beautiful human being through the subject. TENNIS: how many times is your young child watching tennis matches played by inspiring competitors? How many times do you take him out to a pro match or a college competition?

5. The goal is to build the child's personality and refine her abilities. Unless the seedlings are well cared for, beautiful flowers cannot be expected. Setting the child aside until it has reached elementary school age is like ignoring a plant for the first couple of seasons and expecting it to thrive and be fruitful thereafter. Failing to nurture the child's abilities from birth is like binding the child's right hand for 4 years and then expecting him to be right-handed. Success depends on a number of factors and the only thing that the parents' goal should be on developing wonderful human beings. Whether the child "becomes something or someone" depends on him. Let him make his own way. TENNIS: tennis a tool for learning about life. The goal is to develop the human being through the sport and all the lessons that it has to offer. 

6. Ability cannot be developed without training. The more complex the task, the more training is required. In addition, the circumstances surrounding the training should be happy and be without much fuss. In this way, the child is relaxed and the endeavor is enjoyable. The child begins to absorb the information more quickly and looks forward to additional practices. TENNIS: this goes is fairly self-explanatory. The higher the level of play, the more tools are required in order to orchestrate the components. 

7. The child does what the parents do. If the child sees the parents learning to play a musical instrument then the child will WANT to learnt o play as well. This is different that the parent telling the child to learn something without doing it himself. Children will do what they dislike if they are being told to do it but they will become resentful and the activity will not develop into an ability. It's like holding a seed in your hand and ordering it to "SPROUT!" Also, the home environment should be analyzed to determine whether it is conducive to the child's development. Is it hectic, is it stressful, is it anti-social, angry or hateful? The child will absorb the actions of the parents and project it through his own activities. TENNIS: have you noticed how a lot of the more successful players have tennis-playing parents? They don't have to be good players but it helps for them to be passionate about the sport themselves. If the parents don't care enough about tennis to play or learn it themselves, the child is, most likely going to follow suit. 

8. Aim for more challenging things. Don't allow the child to do something that's easy just because she feels good about herself by accomplishing it. Just like in mathematical exercises, the child should be pushed - little by little - to grasp more complex components. Challenging the child with develop her ability and alleviate restlessness allowing her to concentrate on more difficult tax completely on her own and for a longer period of time. The child will become absorbed by the activity and the learning process will become fun. An unlimited amount of ability can be developed when the parents and child have a good relationship and when they are having fun together. TENNIS: don't let the player's progress become stagnant by repeating the same workouts. Challenge the player with new concepts and show him the many dimensions of the game. 

9. With difficult cases, children can be tricked into learning. This doesn't necessarily mean that the child is stupid, but that he learns in a completely different way. For example, a child that may have problem with basis math, can be taught the concepts through board games, cards or dice games. In this regard, it is important for the teachers and parents to see the world through the eyes of the child and not look at it from their own perspective. TENNIS: pros shouldn't teach all players in the same way and expect the same results. Players have different ways of learning so it's important for coaches - if they are interested in developing as opposed to merely collecting a paycheck - go beyond the routine and experiment with new teaching methods.

10. Treat the child as an equal human being. The human being is simply in the stages of development but use logic and calm voice as opposed to subjective orders. A child who is browbeaten will grow up to be rebellious and disrespectful in their own way. Spend some time understanding the child and the world form his point of view. There are no two people exactly alike and just because the older child is one way, doesn't mean that the youngest child will respond in exactly the same way to development methods. Environmental factors and all kinds of learning situations play a role in the child's development. TENNIS: how many times have you told a player "hit like this because I told you so" (or something along those lines)? It's important for coaches to explain the rationale behind the training in a way that the player can understand. Otherwise, the players will feel like they are not important and will become resentful. 

11. Start early. Talent education begins at birth and it is an ongoing process thereafter. The earlier the process is started the easier the child will learn and the greater skill she will acquire. Unfortunately, parents often do not have a plan for what the child will do in her life and allow her to be battered by the storms for a few years until she finds out what she really likes. Many children will develop bad attitudes because the parents are no actively engaged in nurturing the child's good attitudes. Often times there is a rift between the parents with respect to how the child will be reared. TENNIS: although it's easier for a child to listen to music as a baby than to watch a tennis match, if the goal is for the child to become a tennis player then simple methods (e.g. hanging a tennis ball over a crib) can be incorporated in order to start developing the tennis-player brain. 

12. Truth, goodness, beauty and love. These are universal concepts that all human beings (and some animals) desire. The primary responsibility for educating the children in these concepts is at home. Social functions and other obligations should not trump the responsibility of child rearing. Don't expect others to do the work for you. Own up to this obligation and immerse yourself in the process. TENNIS: these are the qualities that all tennis players should strive to develop. Results are secondary. 

Steal This Drill: Half Court Battle 2

This is a continuation of a previous drill the focus of which is to develop grit and ball control. In this version, the server plays with some limitations. Briefly, points are played by two players. This can be in a set format or another method of keeping score. The receiver's court is divided (red line) slightly off center. The rules are actually pretty simple. When the server serves into the deuce side (in the diagram, the smallest portion of the court), s/he must hit two shots into the smallest portion of the court before "opening up". The receive can hit anywhere. In this regard, the receiver can dominate the point because he knows where the ball is coming. The server must grit it out by relying on his legs, lungs and ball control. If the server hits it out of the small area, s/he loses the point.

On the ad side (in this case, the larger area), the server must hit 3 consecutive shots into this space before "opening up". Depending on the skill levels of the players, the receiver may or may not have an advantage. Again, the purpose is to have the server grit out a couple of shots.

Many times, the server thinks that he has the advantage only to be surprised by the receiver. It is, therefore, important for a player to know how to rely on his head and heart in order to get back to a balanced position in the middle of the point. The server will most definitely be required to hit the ball high and deep in order to give herself more time to recover and to also prevent the receiver from creating a deadly angle. In all this, the receiver is encourage to pound her shots and keep the pressure on the server. After playing a game, the parties should switch roles. When the players feel like they have mastered this side, they can switch the large area, small area and play the same thing on the other side.

"It's Amazing...": The Eureka Moment

Amazing

I kept the right ones out
And let the wrong ones in
Had an angel of mercy to see me through all my sins
There were times in my life
When I was goin' insane
Tryin' to walk through
The pain
When I lost my grip
And I hit the floor
Yeah,I thought I could leave but couldn't get out the door
I was so sick and tired
Of livin' a lie
I was wishin that I
Would die

[Chorus:]
It's Amazing
With the blink of an eye you finally see the light
It's Amazing
When the moment arrives that you know you'll be alright
It's Amazing
And I'm sayin' a prayer for the desperate hearts tonight

That one last shot's a Permanent Vacation
And how high can you fly with broken wings?
Life's a journey not a destination
And I just can't tell just what tomorrow brings

You have to learn to crawl
Before you learn to walk
But I just couldn't listen to all that righteous talk, oh yeah
I was out on the street,
Just tryin' to survive
Scratchin' to stay
Alive
[Chorus]

The year was 1993 and I was a 16 year know-nothing living and trying to develop as a tennis player in the Midwest. Aerosmith had just released the album "Get a Grip", their first album since 1989 and the band's best-selling studio album. This was a time before cell phones, mp3 players, laptops or even internet (yes, it existed, but, due to the costs of computers and access, not all of us had access to it so it was, by in large, meaningless). CDs and CD players were also a novelty and I was very excited when my parents gave me some cash to buy a CD player (instead of lugging around heavy, portable tape-players).

So into the store I walked, excited about the possibility of owning one of these amazing pieces of "modern technology." I was even more stoked (too antiquated?) when the salesperson threw in a copy of Aerosmith's new album as a promotional incentive. I was more into Metallica back then but, what the heck, $24 (cost of a CD) wasn't exactly burning a hole in my pocket so I said "what the heck" and I took my new purchase and popped the new CD in. For some reason, the song "Amazing" really resonated with me and, particularly, the references to learning to crawl before learning to walk, life's a journey not a destination and "with the blink of an eye you finally see alright" (full disclosure: I always thought that they sang "see the light"). It was this last bit that stood out for me the clearest and the longest. It was only later in my life that I put "2 and 2 together."

You see, at 16, I felt that as I tennis player I could go "toe to toe" with anybody in the world my age. I had a good, hard serve, steady ground-strokes (could pin-point my shots with precision, pace and a variety of spins), solid volleys and I was fit. If anything, I was obsessed with fitness and, in addition to grinding on the ball machine 2 hours a day and hitting hundreds of seres, I spent a great deal of my day in the gym. It was at this age when I realized that winning in tennis was more than just about forehands and backhands. I had the forehand and the backhand and the serve; this allowed me to stop worrying about what was going on 2.5feet in front of me at the end of my finger tips (e.g. whether I had this forehand or that; whether the face of the racket was opened or closed; etc). In other words, it was as if the fog had been lifted off the court and I was no longer focusing on my side of the court but my opponent's. I looked up and forward instead of down. 

In other words, for the first time in my tennis-playing life, I was seeing things clearly. I was reading my opponent's body language and knew what he was planning and how he was feeling. I was becoming attuned to situational awareness and knew how the point was going to unfold within 2 shots. In other words, I experienced a "Eureka" moment..the point where I finally "got it". Now, bear in mind, I was still no world-beater. However, I felt that at this point I was beginning to have a global perspective of the sport and studying the game's many facets became an addiction. Scientific research supports the notion that when something is learned through-trial and error, the brain builds new pathways indicating the the subjects had a "sudden insight" about how the world works, Abrupt transitions between prefrontal neural ensemble states accompany behavioral transitions during rule learning (Durstewitz D, et al.; Neuron, May 2010). Later, I realized that the Eureka moment is not something that is limited to tennis or even sports. Some musicians, business people, inventors, artists, professionals, politicians and others experience this at some point in their life. Unfortunately, the vast majority experience it too late to be able to make an impact in their own lives or the lives of others. Some "desperate souls" might not experience this moment of clarity at all.

What sets some people apart? Why do some experience the Eureka moment at an early age while others struggle with their search for enlightenment? Why did Nadal break into the top 100 so soon and achieved such great success at such an early age? Same with Sampras, Chang, Agassi, Although empirical data may be lacking, one can't help but wonder whether the "10,000 FOCUSED hour rule" is involved. For example, legendary coach Robert Lansdorp is of the opinion that by age 16, there is very little that can be done in terms of performing a major technical overhaul on a player's strokes. It all starts at around 8 years old and then, by 16, everything should sort of gel into place from a technical standpoint. Tennis legend Johan Kriek agrees: "...by 16 it should be 'all there'...minor changes possible after that but not much more." In other words, the players who make it tend to emphasize the technical aspect of the sport first (i.e. refining the gross motor skills) and, as they start to get this part of the game - as the strokes become rock-solid, powerful, efficient, adjustable - they begin to shift the focus towards the tactical aspect (of course, strategy is also learned when one is very young and very small, but in manageable, age-apropriate doses).  

Nevertheless, too many young kids are thrown into tournament after tournament and they never have the opportunity to master the basics of the game. Many struggle with the meat-and-potatoes of the game long after the substantial emphasis should have shifted to tactical and physical training. If you're in the tennis-teaching or tennis-developing business, you are familiar with a great number of 16+ year old players who have a ton of potential but whose chance have been ruined by not learning the "correct" things the first time around. In other words, they don't spend enough focused hours honing their basic skills and, after each tournament, they have to go to the drawing board in order to clean up the mistakes that they have learned over the weekend. So instead of a learn-solidify-learn-solidify-learn-solidify process, it's a protracted learn-unlearn-learn-unlearn-learn-unlearn system. When results are starting to matter the most (U18s), players are still tinkering with glitches in their strokes.

If there is an all-encompassing answer, I'm not certain that CAtennis.com has it. The simple advice (from experience and observation) is for player (and parents) to focus on strokes first and slowly incorporate more and more strategy into the practices. The initial focus should be on having the players lay down a solid tactical foundation - mastery of every stroke under all possible scenarios along with a general understanding of use and application. Fretting about results too soon or too often could be detrimental to the overall learning process (and quite expensive). Remember this expression from the field of law: touch a file once (i.e., do it once; do it right).

Chill Out, Bro

It is clear that intense competition can cause athletes to react both physically and mentally in a manner which negatively affects their performance abilities. Tennis players are not an exception to this rule. This is particularly true for the first tournament match (i.e. before the player has found his/her rhythm and concentration zone). In one study, results showed a cortisol response to competition, which was especially characterized by an anticipatory rise. Males had the same pattern of cortisol responses than females, even if the cortisol concentrations were significantly higher in females the day of the competition, Psychophysiological stress in tennis players during the first single match of a tournament, Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2009 Jan (Filaire E., Alix D., Ferrand C., Verger M.)

Accordingly, the purpose of practice is to prepare the body and mind for the stresses of performance. Good coaches will provide their students with a lot of the skills necessary to thrive under pressure. However, there's one skill that is hardly ever practiced and that's how the player interacts with the parent immediately before the match. Another study found that tennis parents are usually stressed by 7 different factors: competition, coaches, finance, time, siblings, organization-related, and developmental, Understanding parental stressors: an investigation of British tennis-parents, J Sports Sci. 2009 Feb 15 (Harwood C., Knight C.) So where the player is stressed by 1 factor - competition - the parents seem to be stressed by 6 other factors. It doesn't take much to figure out that uncontrolled parental anxiety can be filtered down to the players thereby increasing their anxiety levels. Furthermore, where the parents may be stressed about the price of gas and overall cost of tournament, the player can be led to feel that the match is of utmost importance (thereby adding to the child's stress levels concerning competition). Add to this some ill-timed or ill-conceived post-match statements or questions, and it's easy to see how some players start to overemphasize the role of winning in the development (thereby repeating and increasing the stress cycle).

So what can the coach do to prepare the student for the pre-match car-ride (assuming, of course, that the coach is separate from the parent)? In this regard, the coaches' role is to train the parents. First of all, it is important for the player to play practice matches where the parent drops off the student to the courts. Sometimes, the parent will watch the practice match; other times, s/he will run errands. Practice match results aren't important, but the things that are learned through this process are very important. In this regard, dropping off the kid to a practice match serves as behavioral training for the parents as well - if this practice is, in fact, regarded as such. Parents can monitor their practice-match stress levels and conversation with their children and see how it matches up with a "real" match scenario. Second, some parents have found it easier to dissociate competition from the trip. For example, they can find "cool things to do" in the area of the tournament and, whenever, the conversation turns too serious towards the match, they can emphasize that they are so excited about having the opportunity to go to such-and-such mall or museum or visit whatever landmark. Again, the child is helped to remember that there are more things in life besides tennis. Tennis is simply one of the processes (the best one, in our opinion) for learning about life. Third, any conversation regarding the match should be kept to "practical" topics: what's the game plan? What do you know about this kid? How are you going to approach the first 3 games of the match? What happens if your first game plan fails; what's your back-up plan? How are you taking into account the conditions? Etc. In other words, winning/losing is implied so talking about "kicking his butt" or "go get 'em" is only of limited value. Furthermore, rather than telling the player what to do ("make sure that you..."), have him/her become devise the plan. In other words, make the association that you're more interested in the process than the result. Lastly, this talk should be saved for the last couple of minutes of the car-ride. Use the duration of a car-ride to a practice match as your rule of thumb. For example, if the practice-match ride is only 10 minutes, then it's probably best to not wear out the kid with tennis-related matters for 1hr 45mins prior to the match...this is draining and stressful and most children cannot bear the additional baggage.

Does Tennis Make People Crazy...

...or are crazy people attracted to tennis?" I recall my friend asking me this question. It was 120 degrees Fahrenheit in Palm Springs and we had been grinding for hours. We could literally fry eggs on a hot plate placed in the sun. During a routine water break we started discussing all the seemingly abnormal people that we met through tennis: one guy riding his bicycle down the street with singles-sticks in his backpack (because it drove him nuts to play tennis without singles sticks) - this, incidentally, was the same guy who decided, in a middle of a lesson that he was giving, that he was hungry and simply left his student on the court and never came back; another character attempting to stage fights between black widows and scorpions for his own (but nobody else's) amusement (OK, I was amused a little); another living in his van and driving around from open tournament to open tournament for the better part of a decade in the hopes of eventually "making it;" then there were the people who went through more tennis rackets than Marat Safin at the slightest on-court discomfort. All these personalities were highly accomplished players...and all of them were a bit...off.

BEFORE PROCEEDING, IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THE FOLLOWING: CATENNIS.COM IS NOT IN THE "BUSINESS" OF DISPENSING PSYCHIATRIC OR PSYCHOLOGICAL ADVICE. TAKE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WITH A GRAIN OF SALT AND PERFORM YOUR OWN DUE DILIGENCE.

I was reminded of the foregoing episode as I ran across an article entitled Standoffish Perhaps, but Successful As Well: Evidence That Avoidant Attachment Can Be Beneficial in Professional Tennis and Computer Science (J. Pers. 2011 Aug 3, Ein-Dor, T.; Reizer, A.; Shaver, PR; and Dotan, E.). Initially, we thought to ourselves: "so nice guys do finish last; jerks always get the girl. Sweet!" On a more serious note, however, people who are described as being "standoffish" or, in professional terms, attachment-avoidant share some of the following characteristics: dismissive state of mind with respect to attachment; avoid intimacy and close affective involvement; early caregivers were either unnurturing, dismissive or critical; emotionally distant, cool, controlled, ambitious and successful; tend to be sarcastic and/or passive aggressive; do not want to rely on anyone; fear dependency. Briefly, "dismissive avoidant individuals claim to be comfortable without close relationships and appear to be indifferent to how other people think of them," No man is an island: the need to belong and dismissing avoidant attachment style (Pers. Soc. Psychol. Bull., 2006 May Carvallo, M.; Gabriel, S.). See also, Temperament, childhood environment and psychopathology as risk factors for avoidant and borderline personality disorders (Aust. NZ J Psychiatry, 2003 Dec; Joyce, PR; McKenzie JM; Luty SE; Mulder JD; Sulliva PF; Cloinnger, CR) where it was noted that "avoidant personality disorder can be conceptualized as arising from a combination of high harm avoidance (shy, anxious), childhood and adolescent anxiety disorders and parental neglect."

Initially, Ein-Dor et. al state that attachment-avoidance personality style (i.e., characteristics that outline how a person relates to other people) has been associated with "poorer adjustment in various social, emotional, and behavioral domains." However, when it comes to tennis individuals exhibiting these traits appear to be "better equipped than their less avoidant peers to succeed and be satisfied". As the researchers state, "these fields [tennis and computer science] may reward self-reliance, independence, and the ability to work without proximal social support from loved ones." As part of the research, 58 top professional singles players were followed for 16 months and those who scored highest in the avoidance attachment personality tended to have "a higher ranking, above and beyond the contributions of training and coping resources."

On surface level, and from a layperson's point of view, the findings appear to make sense: attachment-avoidant personalities often fail to recognize their own admirable qualities and, unless they shy away from the sport completely, work hard to perfect their game. We call these people "perfectionists" and, often times, admire and idolize them for their drive and work ethic. Furthermore, tennis, as a sport, is fairly anti-social. With an opponent, coach and training partner on the other side of the net, the opportunity for interpersonal contact is limited. At first blush, attachment-avoidants may be perfectly suited for this type of a sport: lots of individual workouts; no interaction with team-mates or even opponents; coaches and parents kept at a safe distance behind the fence (and windscreens); traveling by oneself; etc.

On the other hand, is there a possibility that otherwise "normal" people may develop this personality style by being immersed in the game (and the individual practices, workouts and matches that go along with it) - nature versus nurture? That is, can pushing someone to be too independent lead to not only undesirable psychological conditions but also have negative consequences in athletic competition? For example (and somewhat in contrast to the principal article), in Intrapersonal and interpersonal factors in athletic performance (Scand. J. Med Sci. Sports, Aug. 1995; Iso-Ahola, SE), the researcher hypothesizes that successful athletic performanceis a function of intrapersonal (intrinsic motivation) and interpersonal (social support) factors. The article concludes that "[m]aximization of psychological conditions for successful performance requires that coaches foster athletes' intrapersonal and interpersonal psychosocial resources by serving as facilitators of their autonomous self-regulation rather than as controllers of their goals and behaviors." That is, in order for an athlete to be successful (and capable of adequately handling athletic life and stresses) as complete suport network is necessary and the coach plays an integral role in making sure that an adequate balance is struck. 

Anecdotal evidence is also provided by an acquitance of CAtennis.com (who, for purposes of this article, has elected to remain anonymous) who has, in his capacity as 30+ year licensed sports psychologist, worked with a variety of world-class athletes including tennis players, golfers, football, basketball and baseball players. Our contact has confirmed that, from his professional experiences, the vast majority of his clients can be described by laypeople as being "anti-social." Several of these athletes find more solace in their sport than in their personal relationships (family, spouses, coaches and even caddies). That is, their respective sports make these athletes feel complete (passion for the sport transcends any feeling they have toward "loved ones"). Perhaps, the sport is the only constant in the lives of these athletes thereby serving as the "missing piece". Insert reference to The Red Violin (character sleeping with the violin in his bed) or Keith Richards (admitting to sleeping next to his guitar so that he could "breathe it in") here. In some extreme cases, the sport is their only escape from psychic pain which causes them to live in the past ("glory days") or in fantasy without being capable of progressing to the next stage in life. But, again, we are talking about very successful athletes here.

Nevertheless, none of this should be interpreted by parents or coaches as constituting a license to abuse (physically or mentally) or neglect the child in pursuit of glory; Pandora's box may contain unintended consequences and it's doubtful that the ultimate prize ("making it") is worth the lifetime of psychological and interpersonal issues. Becoming attachment-avoidant is not, and should not be construed as being, a guarantee of success.

However, both the study and the anecdote seem to suggest that a handful of traits go hand-in-hand with certain levels of success. For example, being "independent", "internally motivated", "driven", "competitive", a "winner", a "machine", etc., may be positive aspects in terms of athletic success. As oultined above, however, these are also indicia of something quite darker. Thus, in developing a player, care should be taken to ensure that the team (parent, player, coach) does not cross the threshold into an unwanted territory. With the foregoing in mind, is there a way to raise perfectly adjusted children who are capable of switching on the "#iss and vinegar" that is characteristic of the "lonely loners" while on court but turning it off in a social environment?

If so, what are the methods for doing this? Is this simply a situation of letting the player set up his own practices, workouts or tournaments (to train "independence")? Perhaps exposing the player to some adversity (i.e., parents not trying to fight all of the player's battles with cheaters or difficult personalities; coaches combining group-based workouts; etc.) while not sending the message that s/he is out there all by him/herself? Not induling the player when it comes to all the birthday presents or requests but taking her out to dinner and a mani-pedi "just because"? Is there more to it than that? Is there a way for someone to spend 10,000 focused hours on court honing their craft without becoming "hypnotized" by the tunnel vision to their long term detriment? What methods can parents and coaches use to ensure that children who take up the sport don't grow up to be unfeeling automatons on and off the court? What skills should we, as coaches and parents, develop and possess to ensure that the interpersonal factors are aligned with the intrapersonal aspects of the athlete? Is anybody teaching the teachers the requisite skills? Why aren't more people talking about these aspects of the game (tennis is more than just about forehands and backhands)? The foregoing are just some of the questions that the team should consider while embarking on the road to tennis success.