Psychological factors of tennis :: essays research papers

TASK ONE PART A FEEDBACK AND MOTIVATION OFFERED TO THE PLAYERS BY THE COACH TO IMPROVE SKILLS, COURT PLAY AND MENTAL ATTITUDE Stuartholme A Grade Tennis Team Dennis Sheard, (the coach of the A team) was mainly focusing this particular training session on footwork and communication as he felt that the team lacked both these factors during their previous Saturday match. The following are a few quotes from Dennis  "Awesome footwork Alex, could you feel the difference between that ball and the last?" Dennis indicates when the players use the correct technique and then compares it to a previous shot where they do not. This is enabling them to get used to using internal feedback independently and how they should be executing the shot.  "Correct technique, but you didn’t squeeze the grip again. The raquet shouldn’t wobble as you hit it." Dennis recognises the problem, explains it and then evaluates it for the player, making it clear what they did wrong and how they can improve it.  "If you’re partner gets a hard ball to reach I want to be able to hear you encouraging her to get it to it, I want to hear lots of "Go, go go’s!!"" Dennis stresses the importance of communication and encouragement in doubles. This communication increases motivation and a goal to reach for the players.  "I don’t want to see any slumped shoulders or negative expressions when you miss a ball, that’s the time you need to be even more confident and focused on getting the next point." Dennis reminds the girls constantly on staying positive and not losing their patience during their games as this can make them become over or under aroused. Psychological Stuartholme D6 Tennis Team The D6 coach Kate, was fairly quiet during their coaching session and when she did offer advice she would sometimes put it with a shot that didn’t necessarily match the comment, confusing the girls. This is a lower ranked team and the girls are still at quite a cognitive stage of developing their tennis skills, this means it is vital that they receive a lot of feedback and encouragement to persist with the sport. By not offering this Kate may be hindering their development. She did however put forward the following points to the girls.  "Good shot"  "Move your feet"  "Keep your eye on the ball"  "Swing slower" Although Kate is offering advice to her players in order for them to improve their skills she needs to be more specific so they can understand their mistakes and correct them.